Van's Air Force
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Lighting question
- Thread starter 74Papa
- Start date
KRviator
Well Known Member
I am going with DIY LED nav and strobe lights. The LED lights are well-proven and look terrific with mirrored plexiglas. The strobes are a guesstimate for output but should do the trick, particularly as 99% of my flying will be day VFR.
Landing lights are Duckworks HID from the Mothership.
Landing lights are Duckworks HID from the Mothership.
terrykohler
Well Known Member
If You Decide On A DIY System..
..make sure it meets published standards for brightness, field of coverage, etc. Just as in the auto and truck industry, standards exist to make certain that you are seen well by others. How they "look" to you is just a matter of personal preference. On the other hand, you can avoid uncertainty by buying an off the shelf unit from Vans or Spruce.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
..make sure it meets published standards for brightness, field of coverage, etc. Just as in the auto and truck industry, standards exist to make certain that you are seen well by others. How they "look" to you is just a matter of personal preference. On the other hand, you can avoid uncertainty by buying an off the shelf unit from Vans or Spruce.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
Smilin' Jack
Well Known Member
I used the Aveo LED combination nav and strobe. Since it is an LED the wiring is simple plus you lose the weight of the power pack required for some strobes
The landing lights I used Vans 4 bulb system and now I would have gone to an LED landing light and will probably change once I get flying.
The weight savings are to me important.
Smilin' Jack
The landing lights I used Vans 4 bulb system and now I would have gone to an LED landing light and will probably change once I get flying.
The weight savings are to me important.
Smilin' Jack
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Flying Scotsman
Well Known Member
Same here...love 'em, especially the simple wiring and no power pack (and no *noise* on the radios).
Regular ol' Van's halogens for landing and taxi (1 per wing, as I have the old-style "batwing" tips).
cropdusterdave
Well Known Member
Check the bottom of this page
http://www.reiffpreheat.com/RV4.htm
They may not have had the FAA test the lumens in each 1/4 of a degree increment in the 360 degree ring around the airplane.....but they're very bright. Also cheap...if you're into that. (I plan on very seldom night ops in my -7 FWIW) There's a reason we build "experimental" airplanes
. Flame away.
http://www.reiffpreheat.com/RV4.htm
They may not have had the FAA test the lumens in each 1/4 of a degree increment in the 360 degree ring around the airplane.....but they're very bright. Also cheap...if you're into that. (I plan on very seldom night ops in my -7 FWIW) There's a reason we build "experimental" airplanes
. Flame away.
Kentsrv7a
Well Known Member
AeroLEDs
I just finished my AeroLED upgrade last night. I was replacing an earlier experimental LED lighting system that was not reliable. Unfortunately I had to run new cabling because my orginal cabling was not shielded. I had to remove the floors, wing tips, baggage bulkhead, etc to string the new wires. Lots of work but the results are great. The lights are very bright and no noise on either nav or strobes. It is very important to follow their wiring diagram and note the grounding of the shield on both ends as well as grounding the case of each light with a very short wire. The other item to avoid is running them near audio cables. When I tested my lights in the hangar only the strobes would break squelch on my intercom. However, as soon as a started the engine, the auto squelch on the PMA8000B raised up and there is absolutely zero noise from the lights on the intercom and the radios were fine as well. There are a couple good threads on VAF if you go with the AeoLEDs. I'm very happy with them!
I just finished my AeroLED upgrade last night. I was replacing an earlier experimental LED lighting system that was not reliable. Unfortunately I had to run new cabling because my orginal cabling was not shielded. I had to remove the floors, wing tips, baggage bulkhead, etc to string the new wires. Lots of work but the results are great. The lights are very bright and no noise on either nav or strobes. It is very important to follow their wiring diagram and note the grounding of the shield on both ends as well as grounding the case of each light with a very short wire. The other item to avoid is running them near audio cables. When I tested my lights in the hangar only the strobes would break squelch on my intercom. However, as soon as a started the engine, the auto squelch on the PMA8000B raised up and there is absolutely zero noise from the lights on the intercom and the radios were fine as well. There are a couple good threads on VAF if you go with the AeoLEDs. I'm very happy with them!
cropdusterdave
Well Known Member
I have not powered up yet with the lights so i cannot comment on the noise. I can tell you that i am only replicating the efforts of other folks and they have not mentioned any problems.
