Light bulbs

[PT20J]

2 hours ago, FlyingDude said:

I had used superbrightleds products

I put those in all my path lights and one by one they went bad over 5 years. I switched them out for Kichler bulbs I got at Home Depot which are a lot more expensive, but none have failed. I don’t know who makes Kichler’s bulbs, but apparently there is a difference in quality between LED manufacturers.

[EricJ]

2 minutes ago, PT20J said:

I put those in all my path lights and one by one they went bad over 5 years. I switched them out for Kichler bulbs I got at Home Depot which are a lot more expensive, but none have failed. I don’t know who makes Kichler’s bulbs, but apparently there is a difference in quality between LED manufacturers.

It may be more likely that the controller is failing than the actual LEDs.   I've had a bunch go bad from differing sources, and some I've popped apart to see if the failure mode was obvious.   The LEDs are often separable and so far I've not found a failure where the LEDs themselves were actually bad.

[PT20J]

2 minutes ago, EricJ said:

It may be more likely that the controller is failing than the actual LEDs.   I've had a bunch go bad from differing sources, and some I've popped apart to see if the failure mode was obvious.   The LEDs are often separable and so far I've not found a failure where the LEDs themselves were actually bad.

 I’m sure you are correct. I should have said LED bulbs rather than just LEDs in my last sentence. 

[A64Pilot]

2 hours ago, rbp said:

my primary instructor made me do all 10 night landings/takeoffs without lights

and believe it or not you can get a https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/bitealite.php

There are also finger lights, you velcro’d it to your finger and pushed the switch with the finger beside of it to turn the light on, but lip lights are the best. This one says use your tongue, where that came from I don’t know, but push your lip out to turn it on. What made them good was first hands free, but they also illuminated whatever you were looking at.

https://www.pilotmall.com/products/mic-light?currency=USD&variant=10886720651307&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAleOeBhBdEiwAfgmXf4cuSVpMQ-GpwyJZJWwGP1UCXQDeLcwbA1kQOPjaXrOnlN_BgsaSVhoCCAAQAvD_BwE

[EricJ]

2 hours ago, Pinecone said:

In candescent don't normally have the issue as much as the filament can't cool fast enough for the light output to decrease a lot.

My recollection from previous experimentations with optical sensors, like photoresistors, small photovoltaics, etc., is that they all (incandescent, fluorescent, etc.) go to zero at the zero crossings.    I have a photoresistor and a little photovoltaic cell, and if I can find an incandescent bulb to put in my old drop light I'll try it again... 

[A64Pilot]

My circa 1987 lip light, we had to make them ourselves since there were no commercial ones, first you bent a piece of metal that would slide over the Mic, then the Body if you will is bondo, you set the LED and micro switch in the bondo.

After it cured you painted it flat black, the silicone on the micro switch was to keep the lever on and for comfort.

I’ve got a Commercial made one somewhere that’s better, the LED is in a small tube that has a clip that clips to the Mic and the switch is a button type.

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

 I’m sure you are correct. I should have said LED bulbs rather than just LEDs in my last sentence. 

I was being a bit pedantic, but the nerd level of the thread is pretty high. 

[PT20J]

2 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I was being a bit pedantic, but the nerd level of the thread is pretty high. 

It’s OK. A lot of threads would be shorter if we all wrote what we actually meant.

[rbp]

1 hour ago, A64Pilot said:

This one says use your tongue, where that came from I don’t know, but push your lip out to turn it on.

"Simply depress the switch with your tongue and enjoy a steady beam of green light aimed to wherever you turn your head"

[PT20J]

51 minutes ago, rbp said:

"Simply depress the switch with your tongue and enjoy a steady beam of green light aimed to wherever you turn your head"

For more excitement, they should make the switch be your tongue: like using your tongue to test a 9V battery!

[Fly Boomer]

9 hours ago, rbp said:

my primary instructor made me do all 10 night landings/takeoffs without lights

and believe it or not you can get a https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/bitealite.php

I used to do most of my flying at night, and didn't use landing lights.  At the time, it felt like looking through a pipe.  Without the light, I had a much wider field of view.  My eyes don't work like that any longer. 

[Bob E]

FWIW, wiring one or more LEDs in parallel to one or more existing incandescents will work -- the existing rheostat will dim all the lights just as though they were all incandescent. 

I did this several years ago and I have really nice cabin lighting, directed exactly where I want.  I posted on the recent thread "Pirep on Uma Light bezels?"