NASA Supernova Tri-colour and Anchor LEDs

Hi,
My first set blew after two weeks of installation but around 12 (tri), 24(anchor) hours sevice.
Second set I fitted whilst in a marina for the winter in Portugal. I would test them by switching on for 10 minutes or so once a month. After about four of these 'tests' they both failed.

The one that has just failed I fitted back last April. We only used it a few (maybe three) times last summer, 36 hours service max. Again I 'tested' it a month ago, it was fine. Last night I switched it on and it only half lit, and flickered. It's now pretty much dead.

I have one more Tri colour and an anchor light left. I'm running the anchor light now, fitted to the radar arch.

What to do with the last Tri-colour? Think I'd rather chuck it in the sea than bother fitting the bloody thing........
 
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Thanks. It does sound like you have had a bit of bad luck with these. I will deffo put mine on to do a longer test and perhaps carry a spare with me.

Even with buying a spare they are still significantly cheaper than the alternative from Lopo.
 
Reading all this has now filled me with dread, I've just replaced my tri/white with the nasa supanova tri and anchor. The mast is still down and they are as yet untested but I don't want to be sorting them out halfway through the season should they fail. Why wasn't this thread here a week ago, I might not have bothered to change them then :(
 
I sure hope the OP's experience is specific to his boat. I just bought and fitted one, and I'm expecting to run it over 300 hours this year, so it had better work!
 
I haven't had any problem with my Supanova anchor light and have probably used it for about 100 hours.
I only chose it because of a yellow tri (Fast Affair??) that has a mooring by the hard in Pyefleet, using a Supernova to warn off other boats. So much brighter than any other lights and makes a very good leading light too.
 
I'm wondering if it could have something to do with my Vetus battery charger? Someone once told me that 4 stage chargers also do the high volatge pulse thing that mega-pulse battery conditioners do.

Could that be doing damage or should these units be able to cope whith that kind of thing?.....
 
That's interesting 'cos my 1st one failed while I was using a 1kHz battery de-sulphator - I wonder. Since then I fitted a Stirling regulator and have not bothered with the whiny black box. We'll see what happens after a few night sails.
 
VicS said:
Possibly like me replacing the old Aquasignal because the lens had deteriorated .. mine made the "bad" one illustrated in the Ouzo report look good!
Click to expand...

Ah! OK, my tri colour is in good nik, the anchor section is a little crazed, but I guess that matters less.
 
Supposing that my battery charger is causing a problem, is there anything I could put in the circuit that would protect against that? A decent voltage regulator, like the sort of thing some people have used on here to protect their LCD tvs, would that work?

C.
 
Sy-Revolution said:
Supposing that my battery charger is causing a problem, is there anything I could put in the circuit that would protect against that? A decent voltage regulator, like the sort of thing some people have used on here to protect their LCD tvs, would that work?

C.
Click to expand...

Try a zener (hefty one) across the inputs.

But isn't it time Nasa responded to all this negative criticism. It seems to me the product's future is severely dented. I have a lot of time for Nasa, after all it's still British and they are generally very helpful. If I were their MD, I would want one of their engineers to investigate your problem which seems not to be unique and then publish a response and effect a cure.
 
It's interesting that you mention that the fact you were charging your batteries at the time of the failure. My batteries would have been float charging on a four stage charger at the time I have tested them. It was only a handful of tests of the tricolour light before it broke.

I wonder if NASA have checked out the returned units - and whether the majority do go back to them with similar failure symptoms.

I am now reticent about testing either light whilst the shorepower is connected. Is this an unnecessary worry?
 
It would be interesting to know......

....which component in these units is the one? which is failing......Someone on these forums will know how to find out.....There can`t surely be all that many components in one of these things. Are they encased in resin?
 
Is this the one with a circle of LEDs in three sectors? If it is, I took a broken one off my friend's Tri last year as it too had failed after very little use and he was about to set off on the RB&I.

I took it apart to have a look at it and it looked like something had blown in the LED controller circuit.

Some ask if their boat system is at fault. I would argue that a boat's electrical system is well known to be anything but benign and the lamp should be able to cope with it.
 
Is this the one with a circle of LEDs in three sectors? If it is, I took a broken one off my friend's Tri last year as it too had failed after very little use and he was about to set off on the RB&I.

I took it apart to have a look at it and it looked like something had blown in the LED controller circuit.
Click to expand...

That's the one. Sounds like your friends went the same way as mine.........
 
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