Easiest upgrade

[larrynimmo]

Add LEDs to your glareshield...wire into the dimmer circuit.   Shown is about 60% brightness, I fly with about 20% brightness...

LED 12v strips are available on eBay in why ever color you want...my choice is cool white...

[David Lloyd]

I have two sets lighting my panel. Red or white controlled by a switch.  Dimmable of course. No picture.

Bottom edge of the RV, also had a white strip each side under the edge of the panel as a map light.  Then I figured out nothing but electronic maps would ever be used in that plane.

[klbcfi]

This looks great.  Do you mind sharing what products you used?  Also, my plastic glare shield is in rough shape - might need to replace it.  Thanks!!

[DXB]

Reviving this thread - looking for cheap cool white LED adhesive strip for under glareshield, USB power connector,  with dimmer knob that I can tack to my panel.

There are so many cheap options with various parts of these components on Amazon and Ebay but I'm not running across the right thing easily.  Could anyone who's come up with an easy solution please post exactly what they purchased?  I'm not an electrical guru and was hoping not to have to put something together on my own.

[StevenL757]

Starting with the first major panel upgrade in 2016, my shop replaced the factory pots/dimmers with two MaxDim Part# 9100-001-B light dimmers (IAW STC# SA01800SE), with white LED strip segments cut to fit under the glareshield and put light where you need it.  Full, and roughly "50%" brightness levels below.  Cost was around $300 at the time for both - installed.

[N201MKTurbo]

While I may have done exactly this three years ago, I never mentioned it because I can't think of any way to make this install legal. I don't think its anything that would get the authorities excited. What is your basis for approval of this modification? 43.13-1b doesn't mention anything about best practices for installing LED light strips from eBay. The light strips certainly are not PMA or standard parts. I'm equally satisfied with the results.

I mounted the LED strips into an extrusion that was meant for the strips. The extrusion accepts a plastic diffusion cover. I riveted mounting tabs to the extrusion and bolted the extrusion to the glare shield. I removed the connecting wires from the strips and replaced them with 26ga Tefzel aircraft wire. I drilled holes near the wire connection so I could strain relieve the wires with lacing cord. I drilled holes every 3 inches along the extrusion so I could tie down the LED strip to the extrusion with lacing cord to hold it In place when the adhesive fails. I sealed the solder joint where the wires connected to the strip with a dab of RTV to preclude it from shorting to the extrusion when the adhesive fails.

Maybe I should pursue an STC just for the fun of it. I'll make those $3 light strips cost $500 one way or another.

[warren.huisman]

Have you detected any radio interference?  The LED lights in my hangar make a ton of noise over my 530.  

[RLCarter]

58 minutes ago, warren.huisman said:

Have you detected any radio interference?  The LED lights in my hangar make a ton of noise over my 530.  

We put LED strip lighting in my Mooney and buddies Cessna, no interference on either, but my LED lighting (12 8 footers) for the hangar plays hell with the radios as well

[Steve W]

1 hour ago, warren.huisman said:

Have you detected any radio interference?  The LED lights in my hangar make a ton of noise over my 530.  

LED strip lights don't have any active components like power supplies that could cause noise. Unless you use some sort of controller for them, and presumably you'd be using an aviation rated dimmer that was already tested for noise. They're just LEDs (and sometimes resistors). This does not apply to other types of LED bulbs which may have on-board power supplies. One sign is that if an LED bulb is only rated for a single voltage(like 12V) they're less likely to have an on-board power supply. Bulbs rated for wide voltage(like 10v-32v) have to have an on-board power supply that will need to be tested for noise.

 

[larrynimmo]

[0TreeLemur]

1 hour ago, warren.huisman said:

Have you detected any radio interference?  The LED lights in my hangar make a ton of noise over my 530.  

I just installed six 40W LED fixtures in my hangar and they emit no detectable noise.   The squelch setting on the scanner in my hangar doesn't change with those lights on or off.   They don't even use grounded plugs, but I did screw them into the purlins so they are grounded.  Best investment I've made in a long time $90 for the six, especially for these short days.  Made by Sunco, purchased on Amazon for $90 total.   That's a pretty easy upgrade to the hangar.  The two fixtures at the top of the photo are the original fluorescent fixtures.

[Mooneymite]

1 hour ago, 0TreeLemur said:

I just installed six 40W LED fixtures in my hangar and they emit no detectable noise.   The squelch setting on the scanner in my hangar doesn't change with those lights on or off.   They don't even use grounded plugs, but I did screw them into the purlins so they are grounded.  Best investment I've made in a long time $90 for the six, especially for these short days.  Made by Sunco, purchased on Amazon for $90 total.   That's a pretty easy upgrade to the hangar.  The two fixtures at the top of the photo are the original fluorescent fixtures.

My hangar is equipped with the old T8 fluorescent lights (4 tubes per fixture X 16 fixtures).  As the fluorescent tubes fail, I've been replacing them with ballast compatible LED tubes.  What a difference!  What an up-grade!  LED tubes are instantly bright in cold weather and seem to last many times longer than the fluorescent tubes.

[aviatoreb]

I put a few fine sized led lights that run on dime sized batteries.  I found a set that is sufficiently dim on their own and they seem to last and last literally several years now - admittedly I don’t use them often.  They are stuck to the bottom of the glare shield with double sided tape and they are tiny.  Invisible when not in use.  Easy to “install”.  $12. From Lowe’s. anyway no fuss with finding a power source.

 And yeah if the batteries do do I still have ships power oem lights and a flashlight.

[GeeBee]

1 hour ago, Mooneymite said:

My hangar is equipped with the old T8 fluorescent lights (4 tubes per fixture X 16 fixtures).  As the fluorescent tubes fail, I've been replacing them with ballast compatible LED tubes.  What a difference!  What an up-grade!  LED tubes are instantly bright in cold weather and seem to last many times longer than the fluorescent tubes.

Doing the same thing in my shop at home. Incredible difference in lumens and bulb life.