Battery LED anchor light.

Kukri

Kukri

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I have two Davey cone burner paraffin anchor lights, one is copper and too beautiful to take to sea and the other is galvanised and scruffy and goes to sea, but it gives only a feeble glimmer.



I want to modify it to take an LED “bulb” but I don’t want to have a wander lead. I want to put a rechargeable 12v battery in the bottom where the little round paraffin tank goes. Said tank is 8cms in diameter and 5cms high. The burner fitting sits on top of it, and would be replaced by the bulb holder.

Can this be done?
 
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Minn said:
I have two Davey cone burner paraffin anchor lights, one is copper and too beautiful to take to sea and the other is galvanised and scruffy and goes to sea, but it gives only a feeble glimmer.



I want to modify it to take an LED “bulb” but I don’t want to have a wander lead. I want to put a rechargeable 12v battery in the bottom where the little round paraffin tank goes. Said tank is 8cms in diameter and 5cms high. The burner fitting sits on top of it, and would be replaced by the bulb holder.

Can this be done?
Click to expand...

I would use something like this https://boatlamps.co.uk/collections...15-smd-5050-dusk-to-dawn-led-replacement-bulb with dudk to dawn sensor speciallly for anchor lights. and only draws 0.09 amps There is a choice of holder types

Dont know a anything about small rechargeable 12 volt batteries
 
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I would suggest 3x 18650 lithium cells in a 3 18650 cell holder with a 3 cell lithium charge controller They would drive a LED 12v bulb. Need a switch and a plug and socket for recharge. If you don't think the 18650s will fit in you could go for 14500 lithium cells and suitable holder AA battery size. The quality capacity of the cells and size of the LED bulb will determine the run time. Note that 18650 from China will exhibit aprox 10% only of the huge milliamp hour rating they claim on the cell. I understand the very best cells can do about 3000mAH. But even the cheap cells should be OK for a night with a small bulb. This kind of bulb should be very adequate. You could carefully unsolder the top LED for less current. https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-12V-T1...668709?hash=item2aa7224a25:g:~zoAAOSwIAxbLbCc
here is a battery holder https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Ba...hash=item4d7fbe03c2:m:mYDbeoTqUKCn2rkTCt6oLZA
Something like tis for charge controller https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-MPPT-S...676599&hash=item2a887db245:g:LMEAAOSwkspZcawk or better still this controller https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Strings-...m=264289024805&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219
All very doable witha soldering iron ol'will
 
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andsarkit said:
This kind of bulb should be very adequate. You could carefully unsolder the top LED for less current. https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-12V-T1...668709?hash=item2aa7224a25:g:~zoAAOSwIAxbLbCc

This'error free' bulb has a load resistor to fool the vehicle bulb failure warning and so would waste a lot of the battery power. Boatlamps would have something suitable as suggested above.
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Ah us old folks learn something new every day. I had not heard of the rror free concept of replacing the current of an incandescent bulb with a resistor. Yuck that is terrible. I had no idea, Anyway these bulbs might be better. Yes resistor current limited which to me is fine and does not waste much power and no interference. https://www.ebay.com/itm/20X-6000K-...27c94e3cb0c44a03d5c18be7&pid=100005&rk=6&rkt= might be better. Just pull off the little plastic guide to leave 2 bare wires for soldering to. ol'will
 
Thanks everyone. I don’t want a wander lead as either it plugs into a deck plug in the foredeck (bad idea) or it snakes it’s way through an open hatch or it snakes it’s way from aft in which case some fool, probably the owner, will trip over it

Possibly an Index Marine in line plug and deck gland with the plug lashed to the pulpit would be reliable?
 
Minn said:
Thanks everyone. I don’t want a wander lead as either it plugs into a deck plug in the foredeck (bad idea) or it snakes it’s way through an open hatch or it snakes it’s way from aft in which case some fool, probably the owner, will trip over it

Possibly an Index Marine in line plug and deck gland with the plug lashed to the pulpit would be reliable?
Click to expand...
On mine the power runs down inside the downhaul to the deck then in a dorade vent. Works well, tidy and out of the way.

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