LED Nav lights (bulbs)

[davidfox]

I know this is an old subject but i need a lamp for my aqua signal bow navigation bi colour.
I have read all the articles about non compliance of the LED's out there, has anything changed recently and does someone have a link, its just the 25watt ones using 2 amps is just not on.

 

[laika]

I fitted an aquasignal series 32 tricolour last year. Aquasignal can probably give you the full approval list, but I found this on their web site:
http://www.aquasignal.info/aquasignal_us/files/content/series_internationalapprovals.pdf

What you don't want to do is put LEDs behind filters designed for incandescent bulbs: The resulting light won't meet specs. If that was the question then I believe the answer is you need to replace the whole unit for one designed for LEDs.

I didn't replace my bow lights on the grounds that most of the time I use the tricolour when sailing: ie, if the bow nav lights are on, then so is the motor. Nobody mention submarine exercise areas etc.

 

[prv]

Bebi claim that their LEDs are within spec when viewed through filters intended for incandescents. Certainly mine look OK to my untrained eye.

Pete

 

[VicS]

I just bought and fitted a LED light in my Aqua Signal Tricolour.

Just bought from Force 4. One of the Chandlers I use from time to time and one I can call in to on the way to the boat without much of a detour.

I was expecting to just remove the old bulb and fit the new but not so simple.

It was supplied with a special holder to replace the standard one so that the coloured sectors could be correctly aligned. If fitted in the existing holder it would have been 90° out of alignment.

It was necessary to connect a temporary power supply to the "bulb" in order to determine which sectors were which. Not possible to tell by looking at them and no markings to indicate either.

Thought I would mention all the above for info. I was planning to post anyway. Other makes, this was marketed by ECS, may be different.

No instructions were supplied. The unwary could have ended up with something very unsatisfactory and very annoying if not discovered until after the mast had been stepped.


New "bulb" and holder:-

.

The old holder in position but disconnected:-



The new and old holders:-

 

[Dipper]

I fitted the same bulb as Vics (from a different source) into a Force 4 tricolour and anchor light. I also was surprised there were no instructions. The adapter extends below the original holder level and in my unit would have interfered with the standard anchor light bulb had I not also replaced that with a smaller white LED.

When my white LED was shone through the green sector of the tricolour it definitely looked blue and not green so couldn't be used behind a green lens.

 

[VicS]

I fitted the same bulb as Vics (from a different source) into a Force 4 tricolour and anchor light. I also was surprised there were no instructions. The adapter extends below the original holder level and in my unit would have interfered with the standard anchor light bulb had I not also replaced that with a smaller white LED.

When my white LED was shone through the green sector of the tricolour it definitely looked blue and not green so couldn't be used behind a green lens.

Mine is only a tricolour. The new holder fitted OK. IIRC the position of the grubs screws is different. I think on the old holder they are on the side rather than sticking out of the bottom.
I did not think to photograph the holders from that angle.

The fact that it would have been possible to stick the bulb into the existing holder and end up with it 90° out was what I was surprised there was warning about esp as it was impossible to tell red, green and white LEDs apart without connecting it to a power supply.

Might explain any odd looking nav lights we see in future

Not yet had an opportunity to look at it in action.

 

[JimC]

I put an Ultraleds UTR14WW warm white LED bulb in my Aquasignal tricolour. They say this is the same colour temperature as halogen (3500K). I figured it's preferable to have the colours slightly out than no light at all due to a flat battery. In fact the colours and general brightness seem perfectly OK to me and comparable to incandescent lights. The only shortcoming is that instead of the sharp cut off between colours given by the vertical filament of a conventional bulb, you get a segment of about 5 degrees of overlap - I can live with this.

 

[davidfox]

I just bought and fitted a LED light in my Aqua Signal Tricolour.

Just bought from Force 4. One of the Chandlers I use from time to time and one I can call in to on the way to the boat without much of a detour.

I was expecting to just remove the old bulb and fit the new but not so simple.

It was supplied with a special holder to replace the standard one so that the coloured sectors could be correctly aligned. If fitted in the existing holder it would have been 90° out of alignment.

It was necessary to connect a temporary power supply to the "bulb" in order to determine which sectors were which. Not possible to tell by looking at them and no markings to indicate either.

Thought I would mention all the above for info. I was planning to post anyway. Other makes, this was marketed by ECS, may be different.

No instructions were supplied. The unwary could have ended up with something very unsatisfactory and very annoying if not discovered until after the mast had been stepped.


New "bulb" and holder:-

.

The old holder in position but disconnected:-



The new and old holders:-

The photos are useful, but in my Bi colour pulpit light, the lamp hangs down from a bayonet holder which may or may not be detachable and as it is Bi rather than Tri would the same lamp that you have be suitable do you think?

 

[VicS]

The photos are useful, but in my Bi colour pulpit light, the lamp hangs down from a bayonet holder which may or may not be detachable and as it is Bi rather than Tri would the same lamp that you have be suitable do you think?

There is a lamp for a bicolour. They had them on the rack in Force 4 when I was buying mine for the tri

I dont remember for sure if they had a new holder with them. Not IIRC. Some did some did not. I did not take much notice which had what as I was wondering why mine had this curious looking extra bit!

If the bulb hangs down, stalactite style as opposed to standing up stalagmite style in the tricolour the red and green will have to be the otherway round.
You'll need to watch that but if you buy the correct LED for the lantern it should be OK (provided the lantern is fitted as intended.)

A white like JimC describes would be OK .. at least as Ok in your bicolour as it is in his tricolour wth no worries about orientation.

Do you need a LED in the bicolour ... not if you only use it under power!

 

[davidfox]

There is a lamp for a bicolour. They had them on the rack in Force 4 when I was buying mine for the tri

I dont remember for sure if they had a new holder with them. Not IIRC. Some did some did not. I did not take much notice which had what as I was wondering why mine had this curious looking extra bit!

If the bulb hangs down, stalactite style as opposed to standing up stalagmite style in the tricolour the red and green will have to be the otherway round.
You'll need to watch that but if you buy the correct LED for the lantern it should be OK (provided the lantern is fitted as intended.)

A white like JimC describes would be OK .. at least as Ok in your bicolour as it is in his tricolour wth no worries about orientation.

Do you need a LED in the bicolour ... not if you only use it under power!

It is a stalagtite type, I would think it would be best to have the green/red combination, but the all white sounds a lot easier and less riskier than buying a lamp at £40 odd (i am in excess of 12m so need the 25watt equivalent) and finding i cant get it to work properly. I dont have a mast head arrangement I have a bi colour pulpit and separate stern light, if I am under power I obviously also use the steaming light.

 

[Canace]

To understand just how revolutionary LED light bulbs are as well as why they are still expensive, it is instructive to look at how they are manufactured and to compare this to the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs. This article explores how incandescent light bulbs are made and then contrasts that process with a description of the typical manufacturing process for LED light bulbs.

 

[rotrax]

I know this is an old subject but i need a lamp for my aqua signal bow navigation bi colour.
I have read all the articles about non compliance of the LED's out there, has anything changed recently and does someone have a link, its just the 25watt ones using 2 amps is just not on.

Hi, my boat uses a small Aqua Signal red/green bowlight. As we regularly night sail I purchased the special red/green LED bulb for the bow and two white ones for the steaming and stern light. All are very good when viewed from a distance-at least as good as standard bulbs. Three of the nine LED'S on the green side of the bow light failed. While waiting for a warranty replacement I fitted a white led. Not perfect but showed red and green quite clearly,certainly good enough for me not to worry about being seen at night. My bulbs are the festoon type with the dimpled end caps. I use a dob of sillicone sealer to stop the bow lamp bulb turning and so compromise the colour output. Current draw is so significantly reduced that it is a real benifit when sailing-as opposed to motoring-at night.

 

[Canace]

To understand just how revolutionary LED light bulbs are as well as why they are still expensive, it is instructive to look at how they are manufactured and to compare this to the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs. Cheap Bike Lights This article explores how incandescent light bulbs are made and then contrasts that process with a description of the typical manufacturing process for LED light bulbs.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a solid state electrical circuit that generates light by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material. LED technology has been around since the late 1960s, but for the first 40 years LEDs were primarily used in electronics devices to replace miniature light bulbs.

 

[charles_reed]

Having read through the thread, my prejudices against LEDs in tri/bi-colour navlights designed for incandescent bulbs, has been confirmed.
LEDs are highly efficient as "cool white", this efficiency is usually halved when coated to produce "warm white" or any other colour lower down the the spectrum.
This was brought home to me when I was offered (by a respectable expert) an LED to replace a 25 watt tungsten bulb in an Aquasignal 40 - it's light output was about 60% that of a tungsten bulb and less than half that of the 18watt halogen bulb I now have in there.
IMHO the only way to enjoy the low-current draw of LEDs is to have dedicated LED units for each of the 3 sectors.
To date none of the extremely expensive LED units on sale match the light output of the Aquasignal 40 and, from reports, they're unlikely to match the reliability.
Anyrate I only sail after dark about 100-150 hours a year, so it's a pretty insignificant issue.

However LEDs for riding lights make sense - only problem I've already got a self-contained unit and that's based on a discharge tube.