I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation of a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics or
even without the base cover.

Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out, or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.

If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the mods:

Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully. After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal it up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.

I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins. 18GA
zip cord would work fine.

Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally, replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.

Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.

Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures

Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's not my
fault.

"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...

They can be used... as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in
violation of a
handful of admiralty laws.

Then it's not a good idea to use them as anchor lights. Improper anchor
lights can result in liability if a nighttime collision occurs.

How much is your life worth? You have got to be a rag man. Always looking
for something cheap, the cheaper the better that's your credo never mind if
it works. That's just plain stupid, the regulations are there for a reason
and the reason is not so some cheapskate can cobble up a 50 cent night
light.
Ed
"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...
I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought
them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC
instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA
when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility
lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation of
a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics or
even without the base cover.

Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out, or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.

If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the
mods:

Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully. After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal it
up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.

I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins.
18GA
zip cord would work fine.

Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally, replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.

Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.

Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures

Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's not
my
fault.

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:11:40 GMT, "Ed B." wrote
(with possible editing):

How much is your life worth? You have got to be a rag man. Always looking
for something cheap, the cheaper the better that's your credo never mind if
it works. That's just plain stupid, the regulations are there for a reason
and the reason is not so some cheapskate can cobble up a 50 cent night
light.
Ed

No flame, Ed, but LED's are a helluva lot more reliable and long-lived
than incandescent bulbs. That said, one might well question if they
are bright enough.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

x-no-archive:yes

There is a big difference between blindly following the regulations,
and trying to find something that is appropriate the works better and
is cheaper. Trying to find a better way is NOT stupid. Blindly
following the regulations IS. The regulations were written many
years ago. They are NOT written so that you will be protected, they
are written to establish liability which is a whole different arena.

The regulations state that you should have an anchor light that meets
certain specifications. The way that boat manufacturers and sailors
have chosen to comply with those regulations in the past are not
necessarily the best way to do it now.

Some ways that folks try to save on current draw and expense ARE
stupid, and shortsighted, but you cannot conclude that all of them
are. Using a kerosine light in the rigging (especially if it is dim
and/or goes out before morning) is IMHO penny wise and pound foolish.
Using an LED light with a solar on/off switch if it can be seen from
the required distance, even if it is not 'approved' is an intelligent
way to save battery power.

I don't think that an actual night light as an anchor light will be
effective to protect the boat from drunk or disoriented boaters (and
it sounds like it would be way more work than it's worth - depending
on how valuable your time is), but there are LED anchor lights as I
described which take very little power and do meet the regulations.

Inside the boat, you might want to use one of the night lights, but
we've got a CO monitor in our aft cabin which works pretty well as a
night light.

"Ed B." wrote:

How much is your life worth? You have got to be a rag man. Always looking
for something cheap, the cheaper the better that's your credo never mind if
it works. That's just plain stupid, the regulations are there for a reason
and the reason is not so some cheapskate can cobble up a 50 cent night
light.
Ed
"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...
I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought
them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC
instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA
when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility
lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation of
a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics or
even without the base cover.

Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out, or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.

If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the
mods:

Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully. After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal it
up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.

I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins.
18GA
zip cord would work fine.

Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally, replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.

Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.

Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures

Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's not
my
fault.

grandma Rosalie

No flame, Ed, but LED's are a helluva lot more reliable and long-lived
than incandescent bulbs. That said, one might well question if they
are bright enough.

There's a few outfits that are selling LED anchor lights now google
for "LED anchor light". They're an array of white LEDs.
Unfortunately, cost is $100 and above.

You are correct, I use led flashlights and headband lights exclusively.
However when it comes to running lights or Anchor lights I sleep much better
when I use an approved anchor light that is visible at a distance of at
least 2 miles as stated in the regulations. Not to mention the liability
that could arise if an accident was to occur and it was found that the
anchored boat did not have adequate lighting.
Ed
"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
x-no-archive:yes

There is a big difference between blindly following the regulations,
and trying to find something that is appropriate the works better and
is cheaper. Trying to find a better way is NOT stupid. Blindly
following the regulations IS. The regulations were written many
years ago. They are NOT written so that you will be protected, they
are written to establish liability which is a whole different arena.

The regulations state that you should have an anchor light that meets
certain specifications. The way that boat manufacturers and sailors
have chosen to comply with those regulations in the past are not
necessarily the best way to do it now.

Some ways that folks try to save on current draw and expense ARE
stupid, and shortsighted, but you cannot conclude that all of them
are. Using a kerosine light in the rigging (especially if it is dim
and/or goes out before morning) is IMHO penny wise and pound foolish.
Using an LED light with a solar on/off switch if it can be seen from
the required distance, even if it is not 'approved' is an intelligent
way to save battery power.

I don't think that an actual night light as an anchor light will be
effective to protect the boat from drunk or disoriented boaters (and
it sounds like it would be way more work than it's worth - depending
on how valuable your time is), but there are LED anchor lights as I
described which take very little power and do meet the regulations.

Inside the boat, you might want to use one of the night lights, but
we've got a CO monitor in our aft cabin which works pretty well as a
night light.

"Ed B." wrote:

How much is your life worth? You have got to be a rag man. Always
looking
for something cheap, the cheaper the better that's your credo never mind
if
it works. That's just plain stupid, the regulations are there for a
reason
and the reason is not so some cheapskate can cobble up a 50 cent night
light.
Ed
"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...
I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought
them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC
instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA
when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility
lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation
of
a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to
the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics
or
even without the base cover.

Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so
when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out,
or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.

If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the
mods:

Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully.
After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while
unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal
it
up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.

I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins.
18GA
zip cord would work fine.

Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally,
replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.

Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.

Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures

Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's
not
my
fault.

grandma Rosalie

hiya
good on ya Dave, dont listen to the guys who have more money than sence its
them that inflated marina prices are there for.
I save money where i can too, big companies rip off the men with money and
they pay 200 times too much for stuff and we have to suffer because of their
stupidity.
( a fool and his money are soon parted )

fragged


"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...
I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought
them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC
instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA
when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility
lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation of
a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics or
even without the base cover.

Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out, or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.

If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the
mods:

Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully. After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal it
up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.

I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins.
18GA
zip cord would work fine.

Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally, replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.

Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.

Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures

Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's not
my
fault.

Mark wrote:

No flame, Ed, but LED's are a helluva lot more reliable and long-lived
than incandescent bulbs. That said, one might well question if they
are bright enough.

There's a few outfits that are selling LED anchor lights now google
for "LED anchor light". They're an array of white LEDs.
Unfortunately, cost is $100 and above.

The only reason they are so dear is 'cause the rich folks have
not stopped buying them, yet. Once the 500 dollar marketplace is
saturated, all us po' foke will see them come down in price.
Leds used to cost dollars. Now, they cost pennies. How long
before incandescents become obsolete, and tungsten prices fall to
the point where mines close? How long before the 'gotta get a new
tech toy crowd' realises what is being done to them?

My wife bought me an Led pocket light by Coughlin at wall mart
for 6 bucks that uses 3 aaa cells to produce a strong bluish
white light that seems not to use battery power much at all.
After 20 hours or so of use, it is just as bright as ever it was.
I used it to illuminate the beach camp site in my back yard for 6
hours, I just clipped it on a protruberance of bark and shined it
on the tree leaves overhead to give enough glimmer so we could
find the beer on what must have been the darkest night ever. I
suppose that at some point it will just quit, requiring me to
change those tiny cells in the dark. A timex with glow dial would
give enough light to do that. Our new 'green' electroflourescent
night lights, 2 for a buck, use 2 cents of power a year.
Flourescent lamps replace high useage lamps at home, saving
enough power to pay for themselves in a year. 3 carbon zinc aaa's
cost 49 cents at the dollar store and last for weeks in my pocket
light. I will probably seldom buy tungsten again. I wonder if the
UV output of white leds will further damage my vision?

Soon, 3 aaa pencil lights with 1 white led will superscede all
those tungsten torches you now see hyped up in the stores on
special sale and unannounced end of the road clear outs. Don't
be tempted. Those 5 dollar solar yard lights should give you a
clue. Regulators live in the past, thanks to governmental and
large industry inertia. Will we see led replacements for tungsten
flashlight bulbs? Probably. If you used such a replacement,
expect the 'd' cells in your old style 'torch' to go stale before
you ever use them up. Flashlight batteries will soon get much
cheaper, thanks to white led lamps, at least until domestic dry
cell plants close.

Never give up your right to tell the government what regulations
you want to impose on industry. You own the government. Don't
let them convince you that government owns you. It definitely
does not. Just respectfully ask the judge to show you his
ownership papers for your body before you accept his authority
over you. They cannot afford to keep everybody in jail for long.

If you want to **** off the coasties, do as I do: get a boat you
can anchor in 3 feet of water, and use a low powered bluish
anchor light. When they try to come alongside in their lust to
cite you, they will go aground if they forget to check their
charts. We can hope for a 10% success rate. You are under no
obligation to help refloat them, unless lives are at risk. You
may anchor anywhere out of the channel. You own the water, not
some government tyrant, not some landlubber. Your nieghbours may
sue you if you hurt their environment.

Anchor lights should be blue, if you ask me, and should warn
passers by that a vessel in shallow water may suffer grounding
damage if wakes are not controlled, causing damage due to
negligence that is the responsibility of the wake maker, in a way
similar to the way we assign responsibility to those who
indiscriminantly throw rocks. I would rather see a 6 inch wake
from a bass runner at full speed than ride out his 3 foot wake
made at hull speed plus 1 knot. Not everyone thinks as I do, yet.
It's no big surprise.

--
Terry K - My email address is MY PROPERTY, and is protected by
copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce it is
specifically denied for mass mailing and unrequested
solicitations. Reproduction or conveyance for any unauthorised
purpose is THEFT and PLAGIARISM. Abuse is Invasion of privacy
and harassment. Abusers may be prosecuted. -This notice footer
released to public domain. Spamspoof salad by spamchock -
SofDevCo

Well, Ta-Da!

I was in the hardware store yesterday and what do I see? Led
Christmas tree lights! 50 leds for 9 bucks. Any bets on what they
gonna cost in January?

red, green, amber, yellow, blue and white leds all on one string.

Buy sone. Cut them up. Make your own low power lamps. You will
need to figure out a current limiter resistor. It's easy. Been
explained here many times.

Sell your tungsten stock.

Damn! I have been collecting tungsten from old light bulbs for
years. Any takers?

--
Terry K - My email address is MY PROPERTY, and is protected by
copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce it is
specifically denied for mass mailing and unrequested
solicitations. Reproduction or conveyance for any unauthorised
purpose is THEFT and PLAGIARISM. Abuse is Invasion of privacy
and harassment. Abusers may be prosecuted. -This notice footer
released to public domain. Spamspoof salad by spamchock -
SofDevCo