Cheap Nav lights .... a prolem

[VicS]

With the fate of the Ouzo still in the back of my mind I decided to time had come to replace the 30 year old nav lights.

Very pleased to discover some lights that would replace the old Aqua Signal 25 lights without having to drill new holes etc and at a significantly lower price.

See the old and the new below. New ones made by AAA Worldwide Enterprises of Taiwan.

The trouble stated when I wired the new lights. Tightened the grub-screws. Gave the wire a gentle tug and it came away in my hand. Rewired with same result.

Investigation showed that the terminals in the new light allowed the grub screw to go right through neatly chopping off the wire instead of clamping it. Diagrams below.

Now what is the solution.

1./ Tin the end of the wire so that the grub screw does not slice straight through.

2./ Cut some bits of solid copper from some old T&E, solder the wires to those and insert the solid wire into the terminal.
See the photo below.

3./ Clean up the old Aqua Signals, the terminals etc are pretty corroded after 30 years, and fit the lenses from the new lights into them. yes they do fit .... exactly!

Be warned if you have bought any of these lights from AAA !

<span style="color:white"> ........ </span>

 

[harryb1]

Yes, just encountered this problem, changing my stern light for a cheapish seaworld light. Looks the same as these AAA ones.

Tried several times to tighten terminals, before my brain engaged and realised it was a design fault.

In the end I stripped of a longer length and wrapped the wire around the screw head before tightening it.

 

[sarabande]

Given the possible consequences of this failure, is it worth passing the info on to Trading Standards ? Was there a EU mark on the packaging ?

 

[Anthony]

How about crimping a ring terminal onto the wire and clamping it down with teh screw? Or you can also get pin terminals that u can crimp on then clamp down in the hole. failing that solder them, its not my preffered option due to breaking but if the cable is well restrained from flexing around the solder joint then should be ok.

Ants

 

[Dave_Seager]

I bought a pair of AAA diverter valves to use with a new Lavac toilet. Both leaked; one sucked air so that the toilet would not flush properly and the other dripped sewage into a locker. I would not buy any of their products again.

 

[ianat182]

Perhaps you could replace the terminal screws with ones from an ordinary13 amp plug or choc block;the ones I've looked at have a pointed tip as opposed to a flat,so I think they may splay the wire rather than guillotine it.Otherwise the tinning sounds a solution making a solid of the wire insert.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I just tinned the wire ends (standard practice for me, even at home) and touched up the setscrew with a file, rounding it slightly. In my case the AAA lights replaced some very expensive Lalizas which had become light pink and yellow after 10 years - not to mention bulbs at €3 each and the shoddiest sockets I have ever seen in my life!

 

[JonJon]

Bought one of these cheaper combined steaming lights and deck flood (aqua signal) instead of the bulb holder being spring steel it was soft copper which just bent. Didnt grip the bulb at all - I had to use my old steaming light fitting with the new fitting. Is there no quality control on this stuff?

 

[jusw]

A solution may be to fit bootlace ferrules onto the ends of the cable. Tinning the ends is frowned upon in electrical circles as the solder "creeps"

IMHO tinning will be fine in most cases!

Jusw

Try Here http://uk.rs-online.com

 

[bryantee]

had a similar problem. ended up with a set of AAA,the wire size i used was too big for the 1.5 mm hole in the terminal blocks. redrilled and managed to lock up wire ok.be aware that some of the stern lights have the wrong degree aspect and can be confused with the steaming ( mast light) ,some have polished s/s side bars and some are matt finish. but the box has the same number on.lazilas have better quality but look so dull my supplier will change when i get back to uk .caveat emptor

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

Maybe a thread diversion but....

I have bought many of these Chinese cheap products, and many are just c**p

They have ruined our manufacturing industry, and we seem to be left with cheap and nasty products.

On land its easy to stop and replace, at sea it could be life and death.

Have just to add that there are also many good quality Chinese products, but just wonder what we have lead ourselves into with only being willing to buy cheap stuff.

Will we ever get back to quality products made in the UK, or similar, or do we just have to wait for the Chinese and similar countries to up their quality???

Will shut up now.

/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[misterg]

2nd (or 3rd) the suggestion for bootlace ferrules.

(Trouble is you need to find somebody with a crimping tool to fit them.... If only you lived closer /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Andy

 

[VicS]

Yes I think the boot lace ferules would have been the best idea but the holes would have had to have been enlarged I feel sure.

In the end settled for soldering on to short lengths of stout copper wire as my wiring was, I though a bit too light ( lighter than it should be probably) to just tin the ends.

Any way job done and lights work.

New Aquasignal Tricolour as well. ... rather more expensive!

 

[Anonymous]

I have a wide range of ferrules collected over the years and that has to be the 'right' solution to the problem though I agree, it sounds like a design defect. As I'm sure you know, but for the benefit of others who might not, it is not sensible to use a non-ratchet crimp tool. I bought a decent ratchet crimp from a UK market stall for about £15 -- worth every penny. You could pay £90 for a professional one, but most yachties will never need that.