Do RELIABLE 12v LEDs exist?

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Ric

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Is there such a thing as a reliable 12v LED?

I am thinking of giving up on LED anchor lights because of their lack of reliability. I have read that even the hyper-expensive lopolights occasionally fail.

I am starting to conclude that the penalty of the current draw of an old style thermo-nuclear bulb is worth it against the penalty of having to climb the mast to replace crappy LEDs.

Or have I just been unlucky - does anybody know of a reliable LED?
 
I fitted lots of Bebi LEDs on Kindred Spirit, both inside and outside. No failures there, and I've heard positive reports from others too.

Slight note of caution in that the American founders have moved on since I bought mine, leaving the Fijians in charge, but really there's no reason to doubt them. It's the same people making the kit as it always was.

http://www.bebi-electronics.com/

Fitting them is a bit PBO, they don't slot neatly into existing bayonet sockets, but that's a benefit in my book as it means the connections can be soldered and waterproofed instead of using springloaded contacts in the open air.

Pete
 
Bebi seem to get good reviews but I hope their quality control on their lights is better than that on their web site!

They use linear regulators: not the most efficient but no risk of switching interference.

I agree with prv, go for sealed units properly connected rather than replacement bulbs.
 
My NASA Supernova LED masthead light spent at least a day or so underwater being ground up and down on the sea bed. Apart from the abrasion on the dome, one LED had failed. I took it apart and NASA sent me a new dome and an LED to solder in. All fixed for £5 and I sprayed the innards with a light cover of white grease to suppress corrosion.

All the same I think the LED works best by safety in numbers and that arrays of LEDs offer a degree of redundancy that a single element cannot. I don't think we will ever entirely escape the problems of lights up masts whichever bulb technology you use.

Tim
 
prv said:
I guess "quality control" is the guy in the red hat? :)

http://www.bebi-electronics.com/aboutpics/factory.jpg

Pete
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If a bunch of people hand soldering leaded LEDs (NOT LED's as they consistently say on the website) can make a bulb that most consider reliable, why on earth can't the others with modern construction techniques?

Re NASA, not impressed with the one on Strontium Dog - that's what led to me being up the mast when I took my avatar picture! Junk after less than a year.
 
pteron said:
If a bunch of people hand soldering leaded LEDs (NOT LED's as they consistently say on the website) can make a bulb that most consider reliable, why on earth can't the others with modern construction techniques?
Click to expand...

Well, I guess one trick is that they pot the whole thing in a block of epoxy, which I think some others do but not all by any means.

The other trick may actually be the low-tech construction itself. I reckon the tinned leads from a quality chunky 5mm LED are probably more robust than the tracks on a PCB, which are pretty thin copper and must be at risk of corrosion. Do NASA even conformal-coat theirs?

Pete
 
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prv said:
Well, I guess one trick is that they pot the whole thing in a block of epoxy, which I think some others do but not all by any means.

The other trick may actually be the low-tech construction itself. I reckon the tinned leads from a quality chunky 5mm LED are probably more robust than the tracks on a PCB, which are pretty thin copper and must be at risk of corrosion. Do NASA even conformal-coat theirs?

Pete
Click to expand...

Good point.

I have 'design reliable LED light' on my project list :)
 
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NormanS said:
Or you could save yourself a lot of grief, and rig your anchor light at a lower level.:)
Click to expand...

My anchor light (a Bebi one, naturally) is rigged at a lower level.

In fact, I took part of the old topping lift (below where it had chafed almost through on a stuck sheave) and spliced a loop in one end. Just below the loop, I pulled out the core, cut it, and taped on the long wire from the LED light. I pulled the core through the line with the wire following it in, so that wire replaced core for the whole length of the rope. I seized the light onto the line just below where the wire emerged, and then seized an anchor ball on just below it. At the bottom end, I pulled the wire out through the side of the rope a couple of feet short of the end, and spliced a loop in the end to fit over a cleat. For consistent looks, I pulled a spare piece of line over the protruding wire, and applied a serving of white cord over the Y-joint where the main rope, the bottom loop, and the encased wire came together. I put a Bulgin plug on the end of the wire, and the strain relief in the plug happened to be arranged in such a way that it nicely gripped the rope covering at that end.

Now when I anchor, I hook the bottom loop over the cleat, snap the top loop onto the spinnaker halyard, and hoist away. I plug the wire tail into a socket inside the anchor locker (oh, alright, I haven't got round to fitting this socket yet and have to trail a wire across from the hatch :) ) and when it gets dark the sensor in the light will turn the LEDs on.

I reckon it's quite neat.

Pete
 
prv said:
Well, I guess one trick is that they pot the whole thing in a block of epoxy, which I think some others do but not all by any means.

The other trick may actually be the low-tech construction itself. I reckon the tinned leads from a quality chunky 5mm LED are probably more robust than the tracks on a PCB, which are pretty thin copper and must be at risk of corrosion. Do NASA even conformal-coat theirs?

Pete
Click to expand...

Potting does not guarantee waterproofing, particularly when flexible wires exit the epoxy or silicon. Water readily wicks into the gap between the wire and the potting compound and gets trapped inside. If the compound adheres well to the components, it can tear them of the PCB as the compound shrinks during curing.

Some years ago I tested a dozen or so conformal coatings. Only one very expensive process (involving a vacuum chamber) completely insulated the board when dipped in salt water or 5 minutes.
 
prv said:
My anchor light (a Bebi one, naturally) is rigged at a lower level.

In fact, I took part of the old topping lift (below where it had chafed almost through on a stuck sheave) and spliced a loop in one end. Just below the loop, I pulled out the core, cut it, and taped on the long wire from the LED light. I pulled the core through the line with the wire following it in, so that wire replaced core for the whole length of the rope. I seized the light onto the line just below where the wire emerged, and then seized an anchor ball on just below it. At the bottom end, I pulled the wire out through the side of the rope a couple of feet short of the end, and spliced a loop in the end to fit over a cleat. For consistent looks, I pulled a spare piece of line over the protruding wire, and applied a serving of white cord over the Y-joint where the main rope, the bottom loop, and the encased wire came together. I put a Bulgin plug on the end of the wire, and the strain relief in the plug happened to be arranged in such a way that it nicely gripped the rope covering at that end.

Now when I anchor, I hook the bottom loop over the cleat, snap the top loop onto the spinnaker halyard, and hoist away. I plug the wire tail into a socket inside the anchor locker (oh, alright, I haven't got round to fitting this socket yet and have to trail a wire across from the hatch :) ) and when it gets dark the sensor in the light will turn the LEDs on.

I reckon it's quite neat.

Pete
Click to expand...

I just hang mine on the end of the boom, but your way sounds much more imaginative.
 
prv said:
My anchor light (a Bebi one, naturally) is rigged at a lower level.

In fact, I took part of the old topping lift (below where it had chafed almost through on a stuck sheave) and spliced a loop in one end. Just below the loop, I pulled out the core, cut it, and taped on the long wire from the LED light. I pulled the core through the line with the wire following it in, so that wire replaced core for the whole length of the rope. I seized the light onto the line just below where the wire emerged, and then seized an anchor ball on just below it. At the bottom end, I pulled the wire out through the side of the rope a couple of feet short of the end, and spliced a loop in the end to fit over a cleat. For consistent looks, I pulled a spare piece of line over the protruding wire, and applied a serving of white cord over the Y-joint where the main rope, the bottom loop, and the encased wire came together. I put a Bulgin plug on the end of the wire, and the strain relief in the plug happened to be arranged in such a way that it nicely gripped the rope covering at that end.

Now when I anchor, I hook the bottom loop over the cleat, snap the top loop onto the spinnaker halyard, and hoist away. I plug the wire tail into a socket inside the anchor locker (oh, alright, I haven't got round to fitting this socket yet and have to trail a wire across from the hatch :) ) and when it gets dark the sensor in the light will turn the LEDs on.

I reckon it's quite neat.

Pete
Click to expand...
I also hoist the anchor ball & light in the spinnaker halyard as you do.
But your solution is more advanced.
Hoisting it like that has some advantages
-easier to fix a broken light
-more visible (who look for an a anchor light 18m above sea level?)
 
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