NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Lights etc.
From: Jared Sherman
Date: 2003 Oct 10, 15:38 -0400
From: Jared Sherman
Date: 2003 Oct 10, 15:38 -0400
Doug, I would be very curious if you could look into those LED arrays you bought. Specifically, are there other "things" on the circuit board, or just the LED's? There is an issue regarding the use of LED's in a marine electrical system, in that LED's like most electronics are prone to damage from electrical spikes. And unlike cars (where the "run" circuits are physically disconnected during starting by the ignition switch) marine electronics tend to be left on during the engine starting process, so they are subjected to spikes. There are ways around this of course, but if there are 20 LED's in an array the manufacturer may simpy accept the loss of a few over the year in use. If you have seen LED arrays on the back of trucks and busses, this is not uncommon, to see several burned out over time. And the lights you bought--are they actually USCG approved?
