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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

LED for anchor light

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jbkayaker
Captain

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USA
299 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/19/2010 : 18:28:10

Will an automotive 1156 bulb fit the anchor light socket and housing on my 1999 Catalina 250WK ?

See "18-LED Tower Type 1156 & 1157 Bulbs, 45-LED Tower Type 1156 & 1157 Bulbs, 30-LED Spider Light 1156 & 1157 Bulbs"
at this website:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Ftail-brake-turn.html

Which one if any of the tower configuration lamps would be the proper selection for an anchor light ?
The 18 LED lamp is $17.95. The 45 LED lamp is $24.95. Shipping adds about $5.

Jim Butler

Edited by - on

willyd103
1st Mate

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USA
49 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2010 : 18:40:38

- Note that the anchor light bulb is an aqua signal festoon (Barrel) type for C250s
up to 1997. See the bulb chart at http://www.aquasignal.info/aquasignal_us/files/content/series_bulbs.pdf?id=204
I installed two LED bulbs this spring that I got at
http://www.mastlight.com/Products/T10X44B3W.html
It is a 12V 10W Special Festoon type bulb with visibility of 2 nautical miles.

Try contacting Kent Nelson (Kent at catalinayachts.com) to validate the same
bulb is used in your 1999 C250.
Regards,
Will Dawson
SV Stardust
C250 # 215
sailing today in Boston Bay

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 08:21:16

Will,
Using the "Mastlight" LED bulb, do you notice that it interferes with your FM radio or VHF?
I have a Dr LED festoon bulb that creates a whooshing sound on even nearby radio stations with strong signals. More distant stations are all but obliterated.

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 11:07:48

I installed an LED anchor light where none had been, and I bought a fixture before fitting some LED 1156 bulbs and a horizontal reflector cone to it. It does not cause any noticeable VHF interference. The 6 LED lamps in the cabin do not seem to cause any VHF interference, either.

Edit - Make that 11 LED lights in the cabin.

Edited by - JohnP on 07/27/2010 11:09:05

willyd103
1st Mate

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USA
49 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 17:04:39

Bruce:
I have a handheld VHF and have no problems when the LEDs are on.

I'm no expert on this stuff and have only a basic understanding of what's going on via
"The 12 Volt Bible for Boats" book by Miner Brotherton.

Just a review. Your boat has a constant voltage (DC) in a wire to a load (example: a LED) . So- a wire from you circuit breaker panel goes to the load/LED and on the other side of the load/LED, a wire goes back to ground ( the negative terminal of your battery). Voltage is supplied by flipping the circuit breaker on. Voltage is like the pressure that builds up in a water house.
Current is the flow of electrons. Current is like the water that flows when you open the valve at the end of a water hose. The valve is analogous to the circuit breaker.

I don't think there's anything in the LED circuitry that would cause issues with your radios.

You might want to check two things. Check what path to ground you have for your radio equipment including the voltage connectors. Have you taken a good look at your antenna connectors lately?

Hope this helps,
Will Dawson
S/V Stardust
C-250 #215
drifting today in Quincy Bay

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 07/31/2010 : 20:21:06

I checked on several forums and my Dr LED lamp generates RF interference. It has a built-in switching power supply that generates FM hash. The advantage is that it provides a fixed amount of current regardless of the battery voltage (from 11.8V to 14.4V).

Many other LEDs use a simple resistor to regulate current/power. This approach does not generate any RFI, but also does not accurately regulate brightness. Resistor-based LEDs also use 20-40% more power.

I added a 100 uH choke and a 0.1uF capacitor close to the fixture. The hash went away.

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 08/01/2010 : 16:08:03

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> I added a 100 uH choke and a 0.1uF capacitor close to the fixture. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Voyager, can you clarify...verbal and pics if applicable. Thanks.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 08/04/2010 : 20:33:43

Gerry
I don't have a photo, but I can give a brief description.

I went to radio shack and purchased a 0.1 uF capacitor and a 100 uH choke coil. I crimped circle lug connectors to each lead. The exact values are not important.

I took the receptacle which has a (+) and a (-) screw for attaching the cables. I placed the capacitor acorss the two connection screws. I took the choke, and connected one end to the positive screw on the receptacle. I connected its other end to the positive cable from the panel using a crimp butt splice connector. I connected the ground or negative cable to the negative screw.

Now, the capacitor is wired in parallel with the receptacle and LED light, and the coil is in series with the receptacle.

This shorts out the RF hash from the light, and blocks the hash from running down the wire back to the panel.

Edited by - Voyager on 08/04/2010 20:36:02

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