LED bulbs in masthead tri-coloured lights

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terrick

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White LED composit bulbs are currently being offered on line and according to the sales rep (The Marine Superstore on line)are ok for conventional tri-coloured masthead lights. Does anyone know if the colours will conform to col regs?
 
The Northern Lighthouse Board are replacing all their incadescent lamps in both their Lighthouses and navigation buoys with LEDS.

Donald
 
Conventional bulbs have a vertical filament to give a sharp cut-off between red & green. The substitutes I've seen are much wider, so you need to check whether they are compatible with your light-fitting. I suspect that dedicated lamps are the only solution. Lots about this in the RYA mag.
 
There is a good deal of discussion on this subject in recent issues of PBO and YM. The whole subject of nav lights is confusing, as there is no international standard even for incandescent bulbs, never mind LEDs. Europe and USA cannot agree because most US boats are mobos, where an automotive bulb is OK. Europe has more sailing vessels, where a vertical filament is required to better cope with heeling.

The answer to your question seems to be probably not. Coloured LEDs, as used in Lopolite and others, are colour stable and are apparently OK. White LEDs may produce off-spec colours with red and green lenses, although this depends upon manufacurer. Whether the colour difference would be enough to make it non-compliant with the regs, or to be so different as to be hazardous, is open to question.
 
Fitted Dr LED Aqua Signal replacement tri colour bulb a few weeks ago. Excellent colour and light intensity. Be careful to use the same coloured leds behind each lens otherwise the colour will be wrong.

Paul
 
[ QUOTE ]
Europe and USA cannot agree because most US boats are mobos, where an automotive bulb is OK. Europe has more sailing vessels, where a vertical filament is required to better cope with heeling.

[/ QUOTE ] The only reason automotice bulbs might be ok in mobos is if they are using separate port, starboard and steaming and stern lights. If you use a bicolour on the bow, then a proper 'vertical filament' bulb is much better as it gives much better defined arcs for the lights.

I don't think its got anything to do with heeling.

Sailing boats also need vertical filament bulbs in their tricolour.
 
Seriously, not quite yet.

If you wait till June/July 2008 you'll find at least one maritime LED manufacturer who will be providing internationally approved LED nav lights for boats/ships of all sizes.

As far as I know there are currently no 100% internationally approved LED navlight manufacturers.

Watch out for www.kinnever..com - generation 3 LED nav lights
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

Mortehoe if the regulating authorities can't agree on a spec and there is no ISO/EU standard how can anyone produce an 'internationally approved' light - approved by whom?
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

Thanks all, I’m now a little confused as to exactly why (whether it’s to do with heeling angle, LED’s not giving the right colours or the sectoring being not clearly defined due to not being a vertical filament bulb) it appears that marinesuperstore.com has miss informed me. I’ll get one LED that I can use in the all round white and try it in the tri-colour bit as well, just to see if their product is something new and as yet unknown to you all, but I’m not expecting to work.
Strictly speaking, as my boat is under 7m, I can get away with sailing with just the white light but whether it’s acceptable (or safe) to use a micky mouse tri-colour is another matter.
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks all, I’m now a little confused as to exactly why (whether it’s to do with heeling angle, LED’s not giving the right colours or the sectoring being not clearly defined due to not being a vertical filament bulb)

[/ QUOTE ] The accurate cut offs in a combined bicolour or a tricolour relies on the accurate location of a single vertical filament. You need a cluster of LED's to produce enough lumens to give the required range of visibility as required under IRPCS. Clusters of LED's blur the cutoffs of the sectors of the lights.

Assuming you can get enough LED's with enough brightness into each sector of your substitute composite 'LED Bulb', the only way I can think one might improve the cut-offs would be to have very thin (aluminium/stainless?) dividers inside the lens radiating out from the bulb. Their inside edge would have to end up very close to the inside of the lens, but it might work.
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

I did some tests with an Ultraleds bulb in an Aquasignal 40 tricolour lamp, compared to the original bulb. The cut-offs between the different colour segments were very clearly projected onto the white garage wall, and looked to be exactly the same as with the filament bulb.

The colour rendition was not good. Red was very dim.
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

[ QUOTE ]
I did some tests with an Ultraleds bulb in an Aquasignal 40 tricolour lamp, compared to the original bulb. The cut-offs between the different colour segments were very clearly projected onto the white garage wall, and looked to be exactly the same as with the filament bulb.

The colour rendition was not good. Red was very dim.

[/ QUOTE ]That is good news - but I am not sure how the cut-offs are achieved. I had heard that there were potential problems with the filters in the tricolour not matching the colours of the LED's.

I really want the LED solution to work and I hope that a good and reliable high power light with low power consumption at a reasonable priceand that complies with the regulations can be brought to market soon.
 
Hi guys i recently purchased High Powered LEDs from an online store called ledecolights.com. They seems to have a wide range and are very helpful
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

<<<<The only reason automotice bulbs might be ok in mobos is if they are using separate port, starboard and steaming and stern lights. If you use a bicolour on the bow, then a proper 'vertical filament' bulb is much better as it gives much better defined arcs for the lights.

I don't think its got anything to do with heeling. >>>

I'm quoting information given in one of the magazines within the past six months or so. Naturally, I can't find the piece now.
 
Re: Seriously, not quite yet.

ledecolights.com

waq - I guess you are connected to this owners of this web site? One comment I would make - I NEVER trust a web site that doesn't have a geographical phone number and doesn't give the companies address.
 
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