underwater fishing light idea

Discussion in 'OnBoard Electronics & Controls' started by sdowney717, Sep 14, 2013.

  1. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    I have an old one I bought uses a round sealed beam headlight. The bulb burned out and I had used it only a few times in 15 years.

    Before it burnt out last week, at night it attracted many small fish near LAFB in Hampton's back river, so maybe they do work.

    So I was thinking why not make one using a 12vdc fluorescent bulb sealed up in a plastic jar with a screw top lid.
    Weight it down so you can sink it a few feet.

    Other idea is even use a 120 vac fluorescent bulb, although more of a shock hazard, if it is sealed up, it would work. I have a nice orange 18 gauge cord from a work light. I think you could solder the wire ends to a bulb. These bulbs don't get very hot, they do get warm. Heat causes air to expand so the seal has to be decent or it might leak water.

    Or do you think a 12vdc fluorescent bulb could simply work in the water without a case? Solder the wires on and seal up the bulb in silicone where the socket and the glass envelop enter the base. Use a nylon wire tie to secure wire to bulb.

    Perhaps if using a jar, fill with clear mineral oil as an aid to keeping out water. That will also help with heat transfer to the water outside the case. And the oil will help it sink easier, less weight needed.
     
  2. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    LED's are the ticket, fully sealed and relatively impervious to immersion. Unless you can seal the fluorescent connections, completely, you'll never get it to work. Fluorescent tubes are also very delicate, so the LED option is really the only good way to go.
     
  3. sandrailer
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    sandrailer Junior Member

    Colors of the light are also important if used for fishing.Here in philippines green works good for attracting squid.
     
  4. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    I know LED are best. Plan to do this cheaply, and it's an experiment.
    I have some 12vdc bayonet LED bulbs but dont want to use them.
    The light from those has the blue-white color.

    I had read green light was good. Wonder if a green fluorescent is available?
    Maybe a clear green tinted piece of plastic, or put the light in a green bottle.
    The 120 vac is GFCI protected so a shock hazard is low.

    I will put up some pictures in a few days.
    I am going to use a watertight electric connector that has the rubber seal.
    Drill hole in lid, and use silicone permatex gasket maker to seal it up.
    Fill jar with mineral oil.

    Perhaps the mineral oil could be tinted green?
     
  5. sandrailer
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    sandrailer Junior Member

    I use lights like this now.
     

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  6. BertKu
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    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Hi sdowney, why don't you get 13.000 mcd green LED's and put 4 LED in series with a small resistor and then 4 sets parallel ? (or more) 16 x 13 = 208 candle. The cost is 14 dollar cents per piece here. You solder them together and then seal them with some two component glue on a red and black wire.
    Bert P.S. Provided you use a small 12 Volt battery.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2013
  7. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    Here I could maybe buy local at Radio Shack, otherwise you get into shipping. Still would cost, don't know how bright they will be. Might end up costing 5$.

    Anyway, this so far is zero cost.
    Old clear peanut butter jar.
    A rubber grommeted cable connector, 1/2 inch
    An old green pill bottle cut in half for green light.
    Made a circular gasket from oil soaked cardboard cereal box.
    Sealed the grommet to lid with permatex red gasket maker.
    Used white teflon paste on rubber grommet and threads and it seals round cord tightly.
    Soldered wires to bulb base.

    This makes a bicolor, green-white light of 60 watts.
    Plan to fill with clear mineral oil. Electronics and oil get along, people run computers in oil fish tanks for show. The oil will cool the bulb and transfer heat to the ocean water.

    It is 60 watts equivalent, so it is nice and bright fluorescent light.

    It will float, so It will need maybe a small lead weight inside so it sinks. How many ozs weight do you think?
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  8. BertKu
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    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Quite cute, If it does not work, you can always buy a few green LED's and stay away from 115 Volt AC. However, with 115 V ac, probably you kill or mobilize the fish and have a double advantage by using 115 V AC As long you are not brave enough to go barefoot and your gadget is having a stray current. Water creeps everywhere. But it is indeed a cute solution. Bert
     
  9. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    Well, it is on a GFCI circuit, so a 5 milliamp leak will cut the power.

    It is convenient to use, simply plug into an AC outlet. Bulb draws about 13 watts power.

    It is very bright. Next time I am out night fishing I will let you know how it works.

    As long as the mineral oil stays in the jar, then water wont get in. If it leaks oil you will know, you will see water in the jar, or oil in the water.

    The jar wont be under a lot of force floating in the water.

    I could use vegetable oil, mineral oil I have is colorless clear. Is some vegetable oil colorless clear?

    Other option is buy a 12vdc fluorescent bulb.
     
  10. El_Guero

    El_Guero Previous Member

    Ah c'mon? Why not swim with the current?

    OK, more seriously, an awful lot of folks go swimming around AC in the water and do not come back up. You can play with juice all of your life, but it only takes once to make it the last time.

    Wayne
     
  11. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    well, I can plug it into a portable GFCI extension cord, and plug the extension cord into a GFCI outlet. The portable one has a test button, every time the cord is plugged in you have to actively reset the thing. So a ground fault would trip immediately and you will know. So that gives it 2 GFCI's in case one is broken. It does not bother me one bit to do this and very easy to do.

    I plan to use this on the boat out on the salt water bay here. All my boat outlets are GFCI protected.
     
  12. BertKu
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    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    Hi sdowney, I searched for what color will attract what kind of fish no luck, but what I did find is this picture of what color to use at what depth. Green seems to be a popular color. But what the article also says, is that you need actual 3 - 4000 lumen. 4000 lumen / 12.57 = 318 candela or 6 x 4 LED's of 13.000 mcd.
    Cost? a couple of hours and 5 dollar for all the LED's. Should your white light discolor at certain depths. Bert
     

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  13. sdowney717
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    sdowney717 Senior Member

    The light works in the water.

    I had to make some changes.
    It needed a knot in the cord or the cord pulls out of the grommet.
    It needed small lead fishing weights to sink it otherwise it floats.
    I needed to use permatex gasket maker in a thin line around the cap to keep it sealed properly.

    I was thinking there might be a better fluid to put in besides mineral oil. even though it is not leaking, it could if it broke.

    What would have good dielectric strength but be miscible in water, how about glycol?

    http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=75569.0

    Or, what about pure distilled deionized water?
    http://www.circuitnet.com/experts/59891.shtml
    http://www.rle.mit.edu/cehv/documents/35-Proc.IEEE.pdf
     
  14. tom kane
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    tom kane Senior Member

    Why is it necessary to put your lights under water? Lights on the surface with shields surrounding them work pretty well.
     

  15. sandrailer
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    sandrailer Junior Member

    also try putting sliver metal flake in the fluid for reflection.
     
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