LED overhead instrument lights

[Raptor05121]

I'll let you know. They come in today so I'll be playing with it tonight. Right now I am using one of these:
 

I removed the stretch headband, and the clip pivots 90 degrees of the light head. I stuck some 3M double sided sticky tape on the clip, smacked up next to the inop torpedoes and I can angle it down when needed. The two red LEDs light up my entire panel, but it looks silly just stuck up there, so I'd like a stealth OEM application.

[Raptor05121]

I've had a lot of people messaging me on Facebook on what to get for the map lights, so I'll make a little write-up:

Parts needed: (all ordered from www.superbrightleds.com, with respective part numbers in parenthesis)

2x BA15S Empty Bases (BA15S-EB)
2x BA15 1156 wired sockets (BA15S-SW)
2x BA15/1156 LEDs (67-R15)
Soldering Iron
Solder
Electrical tape
Knife or other pointed object
Wire strippers/dikes

Pop the existing torpedo's off the stock lamps by gently pulling them off. Twist and remove the 1156 bulb (keep for backups)

Using a knife, gently pry up one end of the retaining clip holding on the red lens. Remove red lens.

Turn the focusing ring counterclockwise until it stops. Using a pair of pliers, grip the twist knob and continue to turn counterclockwise. You will feel resistance, you will be ripping apart the solder holding it to the clip inside. *THIS WILL RESULT A PERMANENT DESTRUCTION OF THE OEM FOCUSING LENS*. Once its broken off, tap the insides out

Optional: If you have some cleaning wipes, rub them down good. You'll be surprised what 50+ years of dust, cigarette smoke and general finger dirt will accumulate



Using the electrical tape, wrap it around the 1156 bulb about 8-10 times. Keep test fitting in the housing, it should fit snugly.

You will need to bend the grounding bracket back by 90 degrees. Keep a little bit of flare outwards, this will hold the socket inside the torpedo with friction.

Using the wire strippers, cut the pigtail on the socket in half. Strip the new end and both ends of the new pigtail. Solder the power connector to the socket to the center electrode on the empty base. Solder the spare wire you have cut to the sidewall of the base and somewhere on the grounding strap to the socket.



Once that's done, clip the 1156 into its socket, and feed it backwards through the torpedo, with the connector first. Pushing the entire LED assembly home, the electrical tape should fit it snugly inside.

Reinstall red lens and retaining clip. You should end up with something like this:

Reinstall will be simple, slide the 1156 base into the existing socket in the plane, and gently feed the wire into the torpedo as you slide it back onto its base.

Thanks to Hector for providing an original link of this. Mine should be a bit brighter and easier to make with newer components.

Output pictures later tonight.

[carusoam]

Nice detailed right-up Alex!

Complete with photos for support.

Best regards,

-a-

Edited March 21, 2017 by carusoam

[Shadrach]

32 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Nice detailed right-up Alex!

Complete with photos for support.

Best regards,

-a-

Anthony I find it reassuring to discover that I'm not the only one that writes phonetically!  I am constantly editing my posts after I read them, often several times over.

[carusoam]

Ross,

Some of us have this challenge while we are young and grow through it...

Others will get this challenge as we age...

I usually find some funny things before I push send. Sometimes just after I push send...

This one just got away unknoticed...  (I'm letting this one stay in....)

The brain is a magical device.  It gets better with practice.

Best regards,

-a-

Edited March 21, 2017 by carusoam

[MooneyMitch]

2 hours ago, Shadrach said:

Anthony I find it reassuring to discover that I'm not the only one that writes phonetically!  I am constantly editing my posts after I read them, often several times over.

Is that foe-net-eek-lee ?

[Raptor05121]

I got around to installing one last night. Its actually TOO bright (much brighter than stock!) and I cant turn it off, only bright and less bright. I think I need a resistor somewhere. This is a HORRIBLE picture, but it was pretty bumpy last night. This is the pilots side MAP light ONLY. I haven't installed the copilots yet, and I also have the BRIGHT ASS dome light in the back. The best part is it doesn't burn me when I swivel it and the ammeter no longer moves.

 

[Skates97]

On 3/22/2017 at 6:56 AM, Raptor05121 said:

I got around to installing one last night. Its actually TOO bright (much brighter than stock!) and I cant turn it off, only bright and less bright. I think I need a resistor somewhere. This is a HORRIBLE picture, but it was pretty bumpy last night. This is the pilots side MAP light ONLY. I haven't installed the copilots yet, and I also have the BRIGHT ASS dome light in the back. The best part is it doesn't burn me when I swivel it and the ammeter no longer moves.

 

"Too bright" as in distracting, or nice to have a decent amount of light?

[Raptor05121]

I wouldn't say distracting. It works, and also hampers outside horizon vision, but I was flying on a pitch black night, so I was practically IFR. I had to tug on the bulb once to break the connection to make out the airport, once I saw it, I put it back in.

I really need to find the values to get the dimmer working as normal.

[Hector]

I wouldn't say distracting. It works, and also hampers outside horizon vision, but I was flying on a pitch black night, so I was practically IFR. I had to tug on the bulb once to break the connection to make out the airport, once I saw it, I put it back in.

I really need to find the values to get the dimmer working as normal.

Alex, I have the LEDs and my dimmer works but the range of dimming is limited. I'm not sure if my LEDs are as bright as yours but turned all the way down mine are ok but on a pitch black night I would like to see more dimming. I can move one of the torpedo lights away from the panel and that helps but it's not an ideal solution. One possible solution, given that my torpedo lights still have the original red lens, is to somehow darken that lens, or use two of them, or apply a darker plastic film to the lens. It would cut down on the lumens and get my dimmer in a more usable range.


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[Raptor05121]

Yes mine is the same. Dimmer is bright or less bright. Not dim or off. I'm talking to others about current limiters

[Hector]

Yes mine is the same. Dimmer is bright or less bright. Not dim or off. I'm talking to others about current limiters

Mine will turn off. Your doesn't ?


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[Raptor05121]

Negative.

[MBDiagMan]

Okay, I am very late to the party so this may have already been covered.  I am a retired electrical engineer from way back, with the last 30 years of my career being on the software side so I am new to LED lights.

i suspect that once I delve into it I will find that wiring a potentiometer for LED light control will allow better control of light level than a rheostat.  Once I learn the impedance of the LED lights and how they’re currently connected I will report back.

After reading the rest of the thread I may learn that this has already been worked out.

[jaylw314]

14 minutes ago, MBDiagMan said:

Okay, I am very late to the party so this may have already been covered.  I am a retired electrical engineer from way back, with the last 30 years of my career being on the software side so I am new to LED lights.

i suspect that once I delve into it I will find that wiring a potentiometer for LED light control will allow better control of light level than a rheostat.  Once I learn the impedance of the LED lights and how they’re currently connected I will report back.

After reading the rest of the thread I may learn that this has already been worked out.

I recall somebody installed PWM dimmers for LED lights in the panel.  pots and rheostats do not control LED's very well, especially if there are still any incandescent bulbs in parallel with the LED's.

[Jerry 5TJ]

Something like this works well to dim a strip of LED lamps  

PWM Dimmer

 

[Marauder]

I used one of these.




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[MBDiagMan]

When I finally got my mind in gear, I understand why it’s hard to vary the LED light with a variable resistor.  An LED is a semic9nductor junction.  I f it is flowing current it is dropping about 1.4 Volts across it.  Unlike an incandescent which acts as a simple resistor dropp8g across it about whatever is applied.   Varying a pulse width is clearly the best way to do it.  Now it’s a matter of seeing if I can get the rheostat out easily.  If so, it should be a simple matter of using the controller Marauder is showing us.

I’ll look at it when I get home after the holidays,

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas.

[Prior owner]

On 3/21/2017 at 4:08 AM, Raptor05121 said:

I've had a lot of people messaging me on Facebook on what to get for the map lights, so I'll make a little write-up:

Parts needed: (all ordered from www.superbrightleds.com, with respective part numbers in parenthesis)

2x BA15S Empty Bases (BA15S-EB)
2x BA15 1156 wired sockets (BA15S-SW)
2x BA15/1156 LEDs (67-R15)
Soldering Iron
Solder
Electrical tape
Knife or other pointed object
Wire strippers/dikes

Pop the existing torpedo's off the stock lamps by gently pulling them off. Twist and remove the 1156 bulb (keep for backups)

Using a knife, gently pry up one end of the retaining clip holding on the red lens. Remove red lens.

Turn the focusing ring counterclockwise until it stops. Using a pair of pliers, grip the twist knob and continue to turn counterclockwise. You will feel resistance, you will be ripping apart the solder holding it to the clip inside. *THIS WILL RESULT A PERMANENT DESTRUCTION OF THE OEM FOCUSING LENS*. Once its broken off, tap the insides out

Optional: If you have some cleaning wipes, rub them down good. You'll be surprised what 50+ years of dust, cigarette smoke and general finger dirt will accumulate



Using the electrical tape, wrap it around the 1156 bulb about 8-10 times. Keep test fitting in the housing, it should fit snugly.

You will need to bend the grounding bracket back by 90 degrees. Keep a little bit of flare outwards, this will hold the socket inside the torpedo with friction.

Using the wire strippers, cut the pigtail on the socket in half. Strip the new end and both ends of the new pigtail. Solder the power connector to the socket to the center electrode on the empty base. Solder the spare wire you have cut to the sidewall of the base and somewhere on the grounding strap to the socket.



Once that's done, clip the 1156 into its socket, and feed it backwards through the torpedo, with the connector first. Pushing the entire LED assembly home, the electrical tape should fit it snugly inside.

Reinstall red lens and retaining clip. You should end up with something like this:

Reinstall will be simple, slide the 1156 base into the existing socket in the plane, and gently feed the wire into the torpedo as you slide it back onto its base.

Thanks to Hector for providing an original link of this. Mine should be a bit brighter and easier to make with newer components.

Output pictures later tonight.

Not sure why, but none of the pictures are showing up on my iPad ...only the address, which doesn’t go anywhere. Alex, what method did you use to post your pics, as I cannot see them. Very interested in this project!

[N201MKTurbo]

19 hours ago, MBDiagMan said:

When I finally got my mind in gear, I understand why it’s hard to vary the LED light with a variable resistor.  An LED is a semic9nductor junction.  I f it is flowing current it is dropping about 1.4 Volts across it.  Unlike an incandescent which acts as a simple resistor dropp8g across it about whatever is applied.   Varying a pulse width is clearly the best way to do it.  Now it’s a matter of seeing if I can get the rheostat out easily.  If so, it should be a simple matter of using the controller Marauder is showing us.

I’ll look at it when I get home after the holidays,

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas.

The dimmer @Marauder showed is not certified. There is a certified dimmer. It works exactly the same, it just costs $230 more.

[Ragsf15e]

Ok, I looked at the LED torpedo conversion instructions a couple years ago and thought it was pretty nice, but I don’t have a lot of time for it and my soldering skills are lacking... has anyone found an LED bulb that can function in the torpedo lights as they were originally designed?  Unmodified?  I bought some a while back and the bulb part was too big to seat in the torpedo properly.  As for the overhead/baggage light, is anyone using the “67” light mentioned earlier? Is it working well?

[TX-Champ]

If you need an 1156 in a shorter type bulb - see this link:  

G18-1156 LED bulbs

It has what is known as a "G18" glass dome - shorter than most typical BA15s (1156) full-sized bulbs.  

My C-model does not have these torpedo lamps so I can't verify it will fit.  But, based on the prior email chain, I think it might.

Good luck, all.  

[Ragsf15e]

3 hours ago, TX-Champ said:

If you need an 1156 in a shorter type bulb - see this link:  

G18-1156 LED bulbs

It has what is known as a "G18" glass dome - shorter than most typical BA15s (1156) full-sized bulbs.  

My C-model does not have these torpedo lamps so I can't verify it will fit.  But, based on the prior email chain, I think it might.

Good luck, all.  

I’ll try that, thanks!

[bradtlew]

Personally i'd like to try this option.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/ledcockpitred.php?recfer=4919

looks like plenty of light, and dimmable...

[Raptor05121]

4 hours ago, bradtlew said:

Personally i'd like to try this option.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/ledcockpitred.php?recfer=4919

looks like plenty of light, and dimmable...

Its a simple 12v LED strip. For $39 less, go on eBay.