LED Navlights

[TiggerToo]

I am considering replacing Tigger's nav lights this winter with brand new LEDs.

Can anyone comment what experience you have had... and what make would you recommend going for (tricolour, all round white and bicolour half way up the mast)

 

[dt4134]

I used LED replacement bulbs. It was easier because I've separate port & starboard bowlights. Steaming light & tricolour are still traditional bulbs, so I'm in the position where the tricolour takes more current than the three deck level lights, but it means I didn't have to worry about lining up a tricolour bulb.

By the way it is a contentious subject on here with a fair number of people getting quite worked up about replacement bulbs not being officially certified.

My view is that they look the right colour, are far brighter than the originals and take an eighth of the current (6A down to 0.75A).

Some people are also unhappy that LED bulbs aren't a point source like a traditional filament bulb, but there is a fair bit of direction built into LEDS anyway and the stray light is trivial and easily masked by the much brighter bulb shining in the right direction. I was going to try videoing the bow lights from the quay to show that but haven't got around to it yet.

 

[Penton Hooker]

Problem with the blessed things is just how bright they are, can easily muck up other folk's night vision.

 

[[2574]]

This past spring I fitted hella led nav lights, see here: http://www.hellamarine.com/en/produ...aviled-pro-starboard-led-navigation-lamp.html

Very happy so far, no failure but early days.

Rob

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

This past spring I fitted hella led nav lights, see here: http://www.hellamarine.com/en/produ...aviled-pro-starboard-led-navigation-lamp.html

Very happy so far, no failure but early days.

Rob

We have Lopos everywhere. A couple have failed, it seems there was a bad batch several years go, but with a lifetime guarantee who cares?

Beautifully made, very neat and very clear.

 

[prv]

I used Bebi lamps. They're halfway between a replacement bulb and a whole new unit - you use your existing housing but take the bulb holder out of it (takes a little DIY) and connect the lamp directly to the supply cable. I used solder and adhesive heatshrink for a watertight permanent joint. They do both "cool white" for stern lights, masthead lights, etc, and "warm white" for sidelights and tricolours (to produce the right red and green colours).

Very happy with the result (so much so I worry people are going to tell me to shut up about them )

Pete

 

[lenseman]

. . . . . tricolour, all round white and bicolour half way up the mast)

Where are your Nav lights at the moment and is you yacht cutter rigged?

If the Nav lights are half way up the mast, the fore sail will mask the lights if sailing at night?

 

[TiggerToo]

Where are your Nav lights at the moment and is you yacht cutter rigged?

If the Nav lights are half way up the mast, the fore sail will mask the lights if sailing at night?

no, not a cutter.

The bicolour half way up the mast is used when motoring. The foresail is rarely up, in that case. The mast-top tricolour is used when the foresail is up.

Is that OK

 

[awol]

I stuck a NASA tricolour on the masthead and changed the bulb in the masthead anchor light for an LED one. It works, uses much fewer of my limited stash of coulombs and the deck level incandescents are still there for motoring, stand-by, and when I think low-level is better than masthead. 'Cos the anchor light was up there already it only needed one wire and I changed the nav light switch from a 2-postion to a 3-position one.

 

[fisherman]

I don't know if LED are certified allowable, hopefully they are, but I can tell you that following a collision the MCA examined the bulbs in the nav lights.

 

[RobbieH]

We have Lopos everywhere. A couple have failed, it seems there was a bad batch several years go, but with a lifetime guarantee who cares?

Beautifully made, very neat and very clear.

I have a five year old Lopo tri/anchor combo. No probs so far (touch wood).

For the other nav lights I use filament bulbs as they are easy to access and are only used when under motor (so no need for the expense of an LED)

 

[prv]

'Cos the anchor light was up there already it only needed one wire and I changed the nav light switch from a 2-postion to a 3-position one.

If you'd been really clever you could have wired the new light the other way round, kept the two-core wire, and used a DPDT switch to change the polarity over

(Assuming the anchor light is LED too, or add a separate diode if not.)

Pete

 

[laika]

I don't know if LED are certified allowable, hopefully they are, but I can tell you that following a collision the MCA examined the bulbs in the nav lights.

When I first looked into it 3 years ago the conformance situation was iirc dodgy, but I think the aquasignal LEDs were approved by USCG, IMO and MCA a couple of years ago. Certainly they claim approval on their product pages.

I started out just buying a LED replacement anchor light. It didn't fit: not the (respectable) bulb manufacturer's fault, just the way the tricolour/anchor light housing was moulded.

I then got one of the aquasignal 32 tri/anchor complete units. Works fine. Minimal current draw. wonderful. Except that I underestimated how often I would actually be wanting to sail using side/stern lights as opposed to tricolour. I'd thought I'd mainly be using side/stern whilst motoring so didn't have to be so frugal with current draw but having sailed rather more in restricted coastal waters (where submarines play) than the open ocean of late I'm considering replacing the side and stern lights too. Quite far down the cash priority list though...

 

[Salty John]

Here's a link to the MCA guidance note:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn393.pdf

Basically, as a non-commercial vessel, you're required to satisfy yourself that the lights comply with Colregs.

They recommend that, in doubt, you should consult the manufacturer of the light fitting, not the manufacturer of the LED that you want to put into an existing fitting, as to the suitability and likely compliance.

The main nav light manufacturers, Aquasignal, Lopo etc, have had their lights certified. It's where you want to fit LEDs to existing light fittings that you have to satisfy yourself regarding compliance.

 

[lw395]

If you'd been really clever you could have wired the new light the other way round, kept the two-core wire, and used a DPDT switch to change the polarity over

(Assuming the anchor light is LED too, or add a separate diode if not.)

Pete

Just because the word 'diode' appears in the name, doesn't mean it's clever to use LED's as rectifiers!
If you do this, you really ought to check the LED bulb assemblies are rated for reverse voltage, or put a blocking diode in.
Many LED's have reverse blocking ratings of only a few volts.

 

[nigelmercier]

Just because the word 'diode' appears in the name, doesn't mean it's clever to use LED's as rectifiers!...

Quite!

On the other hand, many have a bridge rectifier on the input, so connecting the wrong way will still light it.

 

[prv]

Just because the word 'diode' appears in the name, doesn't mean it's clever to use LED's as rectifiers!
If you do this, you really ought to check the LED bulb assemblies are rated for reverse voltage, or put a blocking diode in.
Many LED's have reverse blocking ratings of only a few volts.

Fair point that one should consider it (or just add a blocking diode anyway). I wouldn't worry about the blocking rating of the LEDs themselves - after all, they don't like 12v through them the right way round either. What matters is the regulator chip; I thought that the usual types had reverse-polarity protection (in general they seem to do a pretty good job of protecting themselves from bad supplies) but perhaps the ones commonly used for LED nav lights don't?

Pete

 

[awol]

If you'd been really clever you could have wired the new light the other way round, kept the two-core wire, and used a DPDT switch to change the polarity over

(Assuming the anchor light is LED too, or add a separate diode if not.)

Pete

I considered it but I had the mast down, there was a mousing line in place from a previous vhf cable replacement, but the clincher was I wanted it on the nav light switch to avoid the inadvertent combination of tri and sidelights. I suppose a clever 4 way switch would have done it but there wasn't one in my ditty box.

 

[estarzinger]

I switched to Led nav lights two years ago. The deck lights have been perfect in all regards (lopo's). The tricolor light looks perfect (color and brightness) BUT I have found that it must produce a little RF noise near the AIS frequencies, because when I turn it on I loose about half the range on AIS targets (I use a masthead AIS antenna). This is not catastrophic because I still get decent AIS range (+12miles on class A and +5 miles on Class B), but its not perfect, and I have found myself when in crowded waters turning off the tricolor and turning on the deck nav lights to get the range back. That means they will think I am motoring if they look at my lights, but that's ok with me, I will follow the motoring colregs when running those lights. But sometime I will need to find a tricolor that does not have this rf noise.

 

[prv]

I have found myself when in crowded waters turning off the tricolor and turning on the deck nav lights to get the range back. That means they will think I am motoring if they look at my lights

Why's that? Does a masthead light come on with them automatically or something?

Pete