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#1
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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.
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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 |
#2
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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 |
#3
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Not bad life, as long as it meets the requirements.
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#4
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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.
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#5
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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. |
#6
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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. |
#7
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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. |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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.
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#10
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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 |
#11
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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 |
#12
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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 |
#13
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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 |
#14
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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 |
#15
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Quote:
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 |
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