Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > General Discussions > Off-Topic Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-13-2013, 05:20 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
LED anchor light

Made up a weatherproof anchor light for my Sea Pearl sailboat from six LED's cut off a 300 light LED strip installed in Peppermint Schnapps plastic shot bottle. Hooked it up to a 9 volt battery. So far it's been burning for 54 hours. That's pretty good battery life I think.

Attached Thumbnails
LED anchor light-anchor-light-008.jpg   LED anchor light-anchor-light-004.jpg   LED anchor light-anchor-light-006.jpg  
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-13-2013, 05:28 PM
Hatterasguy's Avatar
Zero
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Milford, CT
Posts: 19,318
LED is the way to go, replace all your lights on board interior lights too.

The cat I sailed on was all LED except the running lights and it was nice, you pretty much could run whatever interior lighting you wanted at night and not have to worry about it.

You also need a wind generator if your going to cruise it.
__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-13-2013, 10:39 PM
4x4_Welder's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Posts: 504
Not bad life, as long as it meets the requirements.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-13-2013, 11:10 PM
jplinville's Avatar
Conservative
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Dayton, Ohio region
Posts: 302
I have relatives that would use those in beer bottles as holiday decoration...I hope they don't see this.
__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles




Meet on the level, leave on the square. Great words to live by

Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread. - Thomas Jefferson: Autobiography, 1821.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-14-2013, 05:27 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 108
LED's are good, perpermint schnapps is bad. Installing a ghetto anhor light made from a schnapps bottle is inexcusable.

Besides it being ugly, it won't hold up well. Rain/salt water will run down the wire, fill up the bottle and short the electrical connection. Just buy a proper light. You can get battery powered LED navigation lights for less than $50.

Your saftey (if your asleep on the boat) and other boaters safety depends on your boat having proper navigation lights. Your schnapps light may work for a few nights. Then, when the weather turns foul and you need the light the most it is very likely to fail.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-14-2013, 06:04 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
The whole thing is sealed up with epoxy, there's no water going to get inside. My Schapps bottle anchor light is more weatherproof than the commercial anchor light that's on my Voyager 26.

77 hours and still burning bright.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Last edited by kerry; 01-14-2013 at 06:27 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-14-2013, 07:18 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 108
Maybe it is water tight now... Epoxy is a poor choice because it is not flexable. Silicon would be better. How are you planning on installing and storing it? If you permanently install your bottle the plastic will glaze and crack in the sun very quickly. If you hoist it every evening then pull it back down to store it during the day the epoxy will crack and fail even sooner, but perhaps not as soon as the wire insulation will dry out and crack. Will the bottle swing in the breeze and bang against the rigging? If so it will fail even sooner. You don't show the battery end, how is that installed and sealed? The sun and salt air will destroy the setup pictured suprisingly quickly.

A proper anchor light would have a fresnel lense, greatly increasing it's visable range.

If you need a quick and dirty solution so your boat is legally (not safely) anchored for a weekend in a quiet anchorage, then I say go for it.

If you expect that to be a permanent solution... I don't have anything positive to say.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-14-2013, 08:59 PM
Hatterasguy's Avatar
Zero
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Milford, CT
Posts: 19,318
Oh I didn't think you were actually going to use it, just buy the right light. LED's don't throw light evenly, that light might not be bright enough.

That bottle is going to last like a month in the sun.
__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-14-2013, 09:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 7,381
Does it shine in a 360 pattern? Is it as bright as it should be and visible for three miles in all directions? Your life could depend on this light- and so could others you've never met.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-14-2013, 09:56 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
It's two miles, not three. Yes, I plan to use it on my 21' open boat. I've seen similar lights with 3 LED's used and they seemed as bright as the surrounding vessels using commercially available small boat anchor lights. So my 6 LED's are probably brighter.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-27-2013, 03:19 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
362 hours and still burning.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-29-2013, 12:05 AM
mike-81-240d's Avatar
I like coffee
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bellevue, WA
Posts: 872
But the anchor lights that have 3 leds use reflectors as well as diffusers, just like oem led tail lights on cars. LED bulbs by themselves don't have the proper viewing angle required.
__________________
1981 300TD 4 speed manual
Euro bumpers, zender valance and skirts, H&R springs, billy HD's, leveled sls, real AMG Pentas 16x8 et11, vdo boost/egt gauges intergrated into ash tray, eurolights, led 3rd brake light
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-29-2013, 12:15 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike-81-240d View Post
But the anchor lights that have 3 leds use reflectors as well as diffusers, just like oem led tail lights on cars. LED bulbs by themselves don't have the proper viewing angle required.
I was referring to 3 led anchor lights like mine, not commercial versions.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-03-2013, 10:56 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
In light of the other LED thread, I thought I'd update this. Anchor light is still shining after 1200 hrs on one 9 volt Energizer. Dimmer now though.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-03-2013, 11:29 PM
Inna-propriate-da-vida
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,969
Quote:
Originally Posted by kerry View Post
In light of the other LED thread, I thought I'd update this. Anchor light is still shining after 1200 hrs on one 9 volt Energizer. Dimmer now though.
Incredible.
I may have to craft some under cabinet battery powered LED strips, as I have access to an endless supply of AA batteries...

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:10 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page