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LED Nav lights??

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darinh

Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Utah

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:07 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

I am looking at putting LED Navs in on my Series 7 to reduce the amp draw from the alternator.  Has anyone used these or know anything about them?  I had Whelen strobes and navs on my Model III (912UL) and with the com, transponder, GPS, EIS, stobes, and navs, the 18 amp alternator could not keep up.  I would like to install the same instrumentation on my 7 and add landing/taxi lights but unless I can decrease the amp draw from a couple of these, it doesn't look like a viable option.  Anyone know of a company that is making the LED navs?...If so, what do you guys (and possibly gals) recommend?



Thanks,



Darin Hawkes

cjswa(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:05 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Darin,



I bought a set of LED position lights / strobes to reduce the current draw

but haven't tried them yet so can't say how they perform.  I bought them

from Wicks, but I'm not sure if they still carry them.  They were made by GS

Air, whose website is www.gs-air.com



Bill Anderson

Model 4-1050 (still under construction)



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Beemer

Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 87
Location: Middle Georgia

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Sure do. I bought the Kuntzleman strobe/LED position light combo heads. Amp

draw from the LEDs is less than 1A, and the strobes are about 3A. Very nice

units, and pricey. But I figure it's cheaper than the mid-air.



The wingtip heads have two LEDs (red/green) in front, the strobe in the

middle, and a single white LED in the back. The third unit has the strobe

and two white LEDs aft. All under very nice polycarbonate teardrop lenses,

with tubing adapters for the tail. Bases are machined from aluminum, and

have a rubber o-ring to seal from water.  



I mounted the third on top of the vertical stab, and of course the two on

the wingtips. Very bright, and double strobe flashes, about 140 per minute.

The box weighs about 10oz, maybe 12oz, and is mounted to the tubing aft of

the baggage bag using Adel clamps. Two switches, and +12V and ground, ready

to go. I'm thinking of adding an LED flasher, mostly for the Gucci effect,

and it's really cheap.



With these, and wig-wag landing lights, if you're not seen by anyone below

FL200, they're not looking.



I highly recommend these units.



http://www.kestrobes.com/



Bradley



--

_________________
Beemer
KF2 (and now an M3!)
Suzuki G10 three-banger
Middle Georgia

darinh

Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Utah

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: LED Nav lights??

Thanks guys...Great leads! I like the Kuntzleman set-up from the looks of it.

darinh

Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Utah

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: LED Nav lights??

Bradley,



Sent you a PM with some questions on your setup...



Darin

kitfox(at)itsys3.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:47 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

I decided to build my own LED bulbs and use the Whelen fittings. 

  A description is here 

http://www.itsys3.com/kitfox/discover.shtml about half way down 

the page.



darinh wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 I am looking at putting LED Navs in on my Series 7 to reduce the amp draw from the alternator.  Has anyone used these or know anything about them?  I had Whelen strobes and navs on my Model III (912UL) and with the com, transponder, GPS, EIS, stobes, and navs, the 18 amp alternator could not keep up.  I would like to install the same instrumentation on my 7 and add landing/taxi lights but unless I can decrease the amp draw from a couple of these, it doesn't look like a viable option.  Anyone know of a company that is making the LED navs?...If so, what do you guys (and possibly gals) recommend?

 

 Thanks,

 

 Darin Hawkes

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=60023#60023

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Most LEDs have a voltage drop of just under 2V and a current drain of a few

milliamps this means a string of 6-7 LEDs wired in series will have a

voltage drop of about 12V.  The LEDS aren't expensive so you can experiment

a bit with them and build your own nav lights.  You can even make them

dimmable.  According to what I see as traffic lights are replaced with LEDs

they are a lot brighter than the conventional filament bulbs.  For ease of

application there are red LED	replacements made for automobiles that plug

into the standard sockets....  I haven't seen any blue/green replacements

yet.  The nice thing is you won't need the expensive hard to find lenses any

more.



I would recommend that you have an ammeter installed in your plane as a load

meter so that when you turn on your landing/taxi lights you will see how

much of the nav gear etc. to turn off to prevent over loading the battery.



Noel



[quote] --

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:27 am Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Check with John McBean...I bought a set from him, and they work just 

fine. I don't recall the amp draw, but it is WAY low, These are combo 

strobes and Nav lights...separate switches of course.



Lynn

On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, at 04:07  PM, darinh wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 I am looking at putting LED Navs in on my Series 7 to reduce the amp 

 draw from the alternator.  Has anyone used these or know anything 

 about them?  I had Whelen strobes and navs on my Model III (912UL) and 

 with the com, transponder, GPS, EIS, stobes, and navs, the 18 amp 

 alternator could not keep up.  I would like to install the same 

 instrumentation on my 7 and add landing/taxi lights but unless I can 

 decrease the amp draw from a couple of these, it doesn't look like a 

 viable option.  Anyone know of a company that is making the LED 

 navs?...If so, what do you guys (and possibly gals) recommend?



 Thanks,



 Darin Hawkes





 Read this topic online here:



 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=60023#60023

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

n10pg(at)neo.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:46 am Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Hello Darin:

I saw a display at last Oshkosh of a wingtip LED Position/strobe setup and

promptly purchased a set. They arrived a few days later and I installed

them, replacing my Whelen A600-PG-PR. They look better and the LEDs are

infinitely brighter. I love 'em.

They are called Skybright Nightlight Strobe/LED System made by Rollison

Airplane Co. (Rob Rollison), Bloomfield  IN  47424 (812-384-4972),

www.airplanegear.com

If you talk to Rob Rollison please be sure to say hello for me.

Sincerely,

Peter Graichen

http:/home.neo.rr.com/n10pg/kitfox.htm 



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fultz(at)trip.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:54 am Post subject: LED Nav lights??

I saw somewhere, a year or so ago, someone was offering direct replacement

bulbs in an LED array.  They were not cheap, but someone was manufacturing

them.  Anybody else seen them?  I've lost the link to their site and don't

remember the name of the manufacturer.



Andy F.

n10pg(at)neo.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:23 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Hello Andy:

I saw a display at last Oshkosh of a wingtip LED Position/strobe setup and

promptly purchased a set. They arrived a few days later and I installed

them, replacing my Whelen A600-PG-PR. They look better and the LEDs are

infinitely brighter. I love 'em.

They are called Skybright Nightlight Strobe/LED System made by Rollison

Airplane Co. (Rob Rollison), Bloomfield  IN  47424 (812-384-4972),

www.airplanegear.com If you talk to Rob Rollison please be sure to say hello

for me.

Sincerely,

Peter Graichen

http:/home.neo.rr.com/n10pg/kitfox.htm 



--

fultz(at)trip.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:05 pm Post subject: LED Nav lights??

Thanks Peter.  I knew of the complete assembly replacements that you are

refering to, but what I was talking about was just the bulb replacements for

the WHELEN or AEROFLASH assemblies.  Somewhere I saw them and can't remember

now where.  I had the link saved on my other computer before it crashed and

I lost all that info.



Andy F.



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