LED lights and traffic lights

[ShipsWoofy]

Just been reading a few posts on PBO about the use of bright LED clusters for navigation lights.

I was just wondering if I was the only one who could not focus on traffic lights made up of LEDs. My vision was tested about 2 years ago, the optician said I had a tiny 'prescription' in one eye, but not enough to worry about correction.

I find it really quite uncomfortable looking at LED traffic lights, and wonder if I would have the same problem with navigation lights.

Am I the only one?

 

[jamesjermain]

LEDs have low consumption and long life. However, as I understand it, they are not yet officially approved for nav lights. The problems are getting a sufficiently accurate light cut off between sectors and range.

I haven't heard of your particular problem although I find the same thing with strobe lights which seem to jump all over the place and can be anything from 100 yards to five miles away.

 

[Talbot]

Some LEDs have been certified for use in america, but as I understand it, the EU companies that make boat lights (like Aquasignal and Hella) were not ready to sell their own version of an LED nav light, so managed to block an attempt by USA to marginally change the IMO regulations to the exact colour of red (or possibly green). This change wuld have allowed LED's to be marketed EU wide, but the existings regs cannot be met by LEDs because the colour is slightly wrong (only detectable by accurate measuring gear.
Another victory for business over common sense /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

wont stop me from using them.

 

[aluijten]

Sound bit strange to me as I have picked up a leaflet at the Düsseldorf BOOT last week from HELLA stating they have applied certification of their own LED navigation lights. The same lights are already certified for the US market.
To the question about not being able to focus. That might be because they might use a multiplex system to drive the lights. This means the lighs are actually flickering at high frequency, doing this they increase the max output of the individual LED's for a very short moment, thus enhancing brightness overall, without comprimising the life-span.

Arno

 

[Becky]

Ellen MacArthur and Mike Golding are both, I understand, using combined tricolour and anchor lights made up of LED's. We have just ordered one for Cornish Maid, from Gaelforce, who are the English distributors for Lobolight, a Danish Company who manufacture them. They are not yet officially accepted in the UK, but will be soon, I understand. 50,000 hour bulb life and minimal current consumption make them ideal back-up lights for us. They were mentioned in Yachting World, and shown at the Amsterdam B.S. Will let you know how they work out, if anyone is interested.

 

[Joe_Cole]

[ QUOTE ]
Ellen MacArthur and Mike Golding are both, I understand, using combined tricolour and anchor lights made up of LED's.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't suppose they'll be making much use of the anchor lights! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif