LED overhead instrument lights

[carusoam]

for my 65C...

LED post lights were in line with an ordinary bulb that was shining on the fuel selector valve.

An LED would go well there in line with a resistor in an open cool area...?

Possibly an idea that can be shared with you guys...

Best regards,

-a-

[DanM20C]

Great job! Why did you put the red lenses back in? Just to make it look stock to prying eyes? I would follow your path, but as it is, my headliner is different than yours and the stock lights interfere with it and don't even aim where I want them to. Along with the ridiculous sun visors in my plane, Mooney gets a big fail on these items.

Dave, have you tried aiming the left light at the right side of the panel and the right light to the left? If I don't do it this way I can't get the coverage I want.

Dan

[DaV8or]

Dave, have you tried aiming the left light at the right side of the panel and the right light to the left? If I don't do it this way I can't get the coverage I want.

Dan

 

Mine just don't have really any left/right movement. Only tilt up and down and even then, the back of the stock "torpedo" covers hits the headliner and prevents them from aiming as low as I would like. It occurred to me that if I did your conversion, I could just cut the back of the torpedo covers off and get the motion I would like. I just have to fab, or come up with a nice plug. Do you find that the 15 degree LEDs get enough spread?

[DanM20C]

Mine just don't have really any left/right movement. Only tilt up and down and even then, the back of the stock "torpedo" covers hits the headliner and prevents them from aiming as low as I would like. It occurred to me that if I did your conversion, I could just cut the back of the torpedo covers off and get the motion I would like. I just have to fab, or come up with a nice plug. Do you find that the 15 degree LEDs get enough spread?

The 15 degree was just about perfect. If they made a 20 or 25 that would be the sweet spot. Superbrightleds just offered the 15 and 100. I tried the 100 too and it was way to wide. The 100 would make a great map light/courtesy light.

[JaredDavis]

Mine just don't have really any left/right movement. Only tilt up and down and even then, the back of the stock "torpedo" covers hits the headliner and prevents them from aiming as low as I would like. It occurred to me that if I did your conversion, I could just cut the back of the torpedo covers off and get the motion I would like. I just have to fab, or come up with a nice plug. Do you find that the 15 degree LEDs get enough spread?

 

Can you alter the pivot ring location to avoid the interference?  I'll take a picture next time I'm at the hangar.

[Stefanovm]

Mine have not worked since I bought the aircraft. One of the previous owners installed a strip of leds under the glare shield, about 8 to 10 I think, then a rheostat and a switch to control. It is real crude, but I like the results, so have never had the mechanic look at repairing the headliner ones. From the energy use standpoint I have seen in this thread, this may be a good decision. Under full red

brightness, seeing instruments is no problem, seeing outside is a problem. I rarely illuminate past a bare minimum to see my important instruments for the above reason.

 

In the image the rheostat is above the glareshield, above DG. The on/off switch is to the left of the vacuum gauge below the abandoned KLN-94 hole below the strikefinder.

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/36297-/

[furledd]

Great thread and great solution DanM20C

 

I ordered all the parts from Superbrightleds.com today (came only to $12 for 2 lights and parts + shipping) 

Will replace the pots with a couple of maxdim while i am up there. They are $225 each I think at AC spruce but got lucky and got them at almost 1/2 price on ebay new in box this weekend.

 

There is one still left if anyone wants one for way below new cost.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seaton-MaxDim-Lamp-Intensity-Controller-P-N-9100-001-A-/321565402898?pt=Motors_Aviation_Parts_Gear&hash=item4adecaa712&vxp=mtr

[Hector]

Did the conversion today per Dan's instructions. I'm pretty happy with the results!

[22 others]

Wow. These look fantastic.  The panel coverage looks a little more evenly distributed than the overhead finger burners.

[Ragsf15e]

After buying the light kit from Short Wing Piper and then messing around with them this weekend, I would not do that again.  They appear to be the exact same lights you can get on Super Bright LEDs website as mentioned earlier and they are $2.95 vs $50.  The plastic covers that come with the light kit are not worth $45 and are hard to fit with our headliner as mentioned earlier. 

 

The solution Dan came up with is awesome, but I'm trying one with even less work... Took the torpedos apart and the glass and filter were filthy.  Not sure how any light got through.  Then I bought some super bright red LEDs (70 Lumens vs 30 from the lights in Dan's solution) from the website and will just replace the originals with the new ones.  They will be aimed 90 degrees out like the original design, but we'll see how it goes.  They were $4.95 each, so not a great loss if the don't work.

[Marauder]

After buying the light kit from Short Wing Piper and then messing around with them this weekend, I would not do that again. They appear to be the exact same lights you can get on Super Bright LEDs website as mentioned earlier and they are $2.95 vs $50. The plastic covers that come with the light kit are not worth $45 and are hard to fit with our headliner as mentioned earlier.

The solution Dan came up with is awesome, but I'm trying one with even less work... Took the torpedos apart and the glass and filter were filthy. Not sure how any light got through. Then I bought some super bright red LEDs (70 Lumens vs 30 from the lights in Dan's solution) from the website and will just replace the originals with the new ones. They will be aimed 90 degrees out like the original design, but we'll see how it goes. They were $4.95 each, so not a great loss if the don't work.

What year F do you fly?

[Hector]

After buying the light kit from Short Wing Piper and then messing around with them this weekend, I would not do that again. They appear to be the exact same lights you can get on Super Bright LEDs website as mentioned earlier and they are $2.95 vs $50. The plastic covers that come with the light kit are not worth $45 and are hard to fit with our headliner as mentioned earlier.

The solution Dan came up with is awesome, but I'm trying one with even less work... Took the torpedos apart and the glass and filter were filthy. Not sure how any light got through. Then I bought some super bright red LEDs (70 Lumens vs 30 from the lights in Dan's solution) from the website and will just replace the originals with the new ones. They will be aimed 90 degrees out like the original design, but we'll see how it goes. They were $4.95 each, so not a great loss if the don't work.

If they are not bright enough, then you could try plain white LED's that are even brighter and see if that works. Should be ok i think since you are retaining the red lens. Let us know if it works.

[StinkBug]

LED's are interesting in that they can shine through colored lenses without actually changing colors. Look at the tail lights on a newer range rover and you'll notice that the lenses are red, but the turn signals light up yellow from the yellow LEDs underneath.

 

 I'm gonna have to look into doing this myself. I just flew my new C as it was getting dark and you guys sure aren't kidding about the finger burning part. That's just crazy!

[carusoam]

SB,

Ya need to update your avatar with the pictures and data of the newly delivered!

Best regards,

-a-

[bradtlew]

Have a 65 C also looking into the Shortwingpiper solution, but still in the process of trying to get the original rheostat out as I think it is bad since nothing on it's circuit lights up, which if you have one there is the fuel selector light and compass light, so there are incandescent lights in the circuit.

Any one have any tips for that rheostat?  It's the overhead kind, apparently inside the vent duct????  Does anyone know if there are those inline fuses in the C as with newer models?

[Browncbr1]

I did danm20c's solution. The parts arrived in two days for $11. Super easy little project. After reinstalling, I found that they don't dim. They are either on or off. I'm not sure of that is the wiring in my headliner though. It must have been messed with at some point because just the pilot knob turns in both lights. The copilot side knob doesn't do anything.

[piperpainter]

I have the same problem. On or off. It has to do with the potentiometer (dimemer). It can only dim so low! 

[rbridges]

You guys with no other lights in the circuit will need a rheostat designed for LED bulbs.  

[Browncbr1]

You guys with no other lights in the circuit will need a rheostat designed for LED bulbs.  

 

 

wouldn't that generate a lot of heat, which was the problem all along?

[rakesb]

Hey that's great!   Does anyone know of a LED replacement for the overhead dome light while we're at it?

 

-Aaron

Aaron, I just installed https://www.superbrightleds.com/search/led-products/1156-cw18-t/ in my '66 M20C. Seems to work very well.

- Bobby

[Ragsf15e]

Bobby -  After you put those LEDs in, did you get the "torpedo tube" light assembly to fit all back together?  I tried a similar LED light, but it was slightly too big and I couldn't get the light fixture to fit back together.

 

I would be interested in doing this if I could find a bulb that will allow reassembly as originally designed.

 

Thanks,

Drew

[Htwjr]

The rheostat knob on my 67 C gets very hot. Would this mod help the rheostat run cooler?

[rakesb]

Sorry, Drew; I only just now saw your message. I only replaced the white incandescent dome light with an LED bulb. I haven't been successful in finding LED replacement bulbs for the two miniature spotlights. LED bulbs that fit the socket are too long to fit into the spotlight casings. I even ordered a kit consisting of two red LED bulbs and two black plastic spotlight casing replacements for the originals. Installation requires rotating the original spotlight sockets 90 degrees, so that they point directly at the instrument panel (instead of at 90 degrees to the panel, as in the original installation). I haven't been able to figure out how to make this rotation successfully; I don't seem to have sufficient slack in the wiring to make the rotation that is required. I'm considering returning the kit ($60) for any refund that I might be able to get. I sure do wish there was a direct LED replacement for the incandescent bulbs in the spot lights.

- Bobby, (573) 337-3447

[bradtlew]

Rakesb, I just had mine apart last month to fix a broken wire on the rheostat, you can see in the picture there should be plenty of slack, maybe yours is hung up on something, bit of a task to get the liner down, lots of screws, but probably easy to fix once down.

[RobertGary1]

Is there a PMA for this or are you just getting a field approval from the fsdo?

-Robert