LED lights

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by alecsmart, Jan 22, 2016.

  1. alecsmart
    Joined: Jan 2016
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    Location: Portugal

    alecsmart New Member

    Hi to all from Portugal,
    I had a tricolour led light installed on my mast and since then, the indicator navigation lights at the control panel do not illuminate. This is the diagrammatic view of the boat and there should be lights showing what is on. The navigation lights for stern and bow work on the control panel.
    Any help please?n
    Trev
     
  2. hoytedow
    Joined: Sep 2009
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    Location: Control Group

    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Bem-vindo, alecsmart.
    Diagram did not post.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2016
  3. alecsmart
    Joined: Jan 2016
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    Location: Portugal

    alecsmart New Member

    Led

    Thanks for your reply
    Trevor
     
  4. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    There's two basic ways to get instrument panel indications of what nav lights are currently on. The hard ware method, which is simply wiring an indicator lamp in the hot feed to the masthead lamps or fiber optic cable, that brings the ambient light from the actual bulb, back down the mast to the instrument panel. The fiber optic cable is the best route, as it will tell you if the bulb has burned out, but they are also easily broken (the fibers). So, find out which system you have and what the installer did, when the new masthead light was put up. It's likely they missed something (like a connection).
     
  5. philSweet
    Joined: May 2008
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    Location: Beaufort, SC and H'ville, NC

    philSweet Senior Member

    If your lamp indicator uses a current sense, the LED might not draw enough amps to trigger. Still no circuit diagram.
     
  6. DGreenwood
    Joined: Aug 2004
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    Location: New York

    DGreenwood Senior Member

    This is a possibility.. There may be a Hall effect sensor on the wire going to the mast. Follow the wire from the switch (breaker?) and see if you see a ring around one of the wires going to the mast. If so this the problem. I'm assuming this is a fairly modern boat with fairly sophisticated wiring.
     
  7. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    Modern current sensors are tiny integrated circuits like the ACS7121. Complete isolation between sensor and power wire. There probably also is a small processor hidden behind the panel that needs some tweaking.
     

  8. DGreenwood
    Joined: Aug 2004
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    Location: New York

    DGreenwood Senior Member

    Yes ...I've seen both. This is why I was curious about the background of this boat. Depends who built it or if the current sensors were "add on".
    The diagram may have provided some clues but it seems the OP lost interest?
     
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