LED lighting solutions
for the Australian and world wide market
LED light bulbs supplier Importers / Exporters
FAQ (frequently asked questions) about Marine
LEDs
This
page contains questions about LEDs in general and in relation to our
products
In 90% of cases you will find an answer to your LED related question
in this section of our web site.
All the questions we've encountered over five years of business are
on this web page
Our most frequently asked questions about
Marine LEDs:
The FLUX LED bulbs are no longer recommended
as masthead lights - they are excellent as anchor lights
however.
Our new SMT LED masthead lights provide 50% more light output
than the FLUX LED.
Available in BA15D and BAY15D fittings - 8~-30VDC - suitable
for 12v and 24v systems under charging voltages (up to 28.8vDC)
50% brighter than FLUX LED
Fits readily in masthead setups with BA15D
or BAY15D
fittings
1157 (BA15D) [parallel pin - dual oval
contact with positive and negative on the base]
1157 (BAY15D) [staggered pin - dual oval contact with
positive and negative on the base]
Suitable for Vessels up to 50 mtr
8~30 V DC - dual polarity
"Can
these bulbs be used in every boats masthead?"
Is your
SMT (BAY 15D SMT) light suitable for a sailboat's tricolor
light, or will the green side look blue?
We had problems using the flux units with
the tricolour lamps because the flux units had a tinge of
blue in them.
They most certainly met requirements by way of customer
feedback but they only just made the nautical limit for
the tri-color lamp.
Not only did they have a slight tinge to the colour of the
Green section but it wasn't bright enough either.
We removed them from sale and did not introduce a masthead
bulb suitable for the tri-color lamp until the SMT bulbs
arrived.
Not only were they much brighter but the colour range was
more stable as well.
The BAY15D bulb is suitable for most Aqua
Signal and Hella Masthead / Tower type lamps.
This bulb has a total length of 55 mm with 40 mm protruding
out of the socket
"Do the
SMT LED masthead lights meet current marine standards?"
Yes - we believe quite easily.
Vessels over 50m
masthead lights - 6 miles
side lights - 3 miles
stern lights - 3 miles
tricolour lights - 3 miles
Vessels 12 m to 50 m
all lights - 2 miles
Vessels less than 12 m
masthead lights - 2 miles
side lights - 1 mile
stern lights - 2 miles
tricolour lights - 2 mile
1156 ( BA15S) [parallel pin-single pole]
1157 (BA15D) [parallel pin - dual oval contact with positive
and negative on the base]
1157 (BAY15D) [staggered pin - dual oval contact with positive
and negative on the base] Usage:
360° anchor & navigation light
Our anchor lights are
made from 3 chip flux LED.
Look for a yellow dot in the centre of the LED - that's
3 chip.
If they're clear - they're a single layer and shouldn't
be used in marine applications.
When shopping for flat panel LED - ask for clarification
of LED type.
"Can
these bulbs be used in every boats masthead?"
These are no longer used for masthead lights - only anchor
lights
Our new SMT LED masthead lights
provide 50% more light output than the FLUX LED The new SMT masthead lights are available here
-> in BA15D
and BAY15D
fittings and they are voltage adaptable from 8-30VDC.
What is the most common type of fitting
?
The most common is the BAY15D type although there are
some BA15D versions and indeed some 1156 versions around
also.
Please see the special mention about BAY15D (staggered
pin bulbs) at the
item itself
The BA15D (parallel pins version) incidentally is the
same bulb as the B15 240v bulb - in other words you can
convert a 240v B15 lamp to run on 12v DC BA15D bulbs -
in most cases you can simply cut off the 240v plug and
hook it straight up to 12v DC.
BAY15D Navigation lights
Available in White, Red
and Green
We produced
these bulbs in late 2005 using traditional series
resistors and they were perfect for yachts over 15 m that
require separate Red and Green masthead lights. Because
of the lower voltages at the top of the masthead, series
resistors driven units were quite adequate. We haven't
had a failure of one of these used as a masthead light.
If you're going to use one of these closer to a battery
system, we recommend not using this light whilst charging
the batteries. As a general rule all series resistors
driven bulbs should not be used in a charging state.
FLUX festoon bulbs
Available in White, Blue,
Red and Green Usage:
dome lights in cars, cabin lights, indicator
lights in older trailers & tractors, Navigation lights
on boats
"How
bright are the flux festoons and how do they compare to
normal incandescent festoons bulbs?" Comparable to an 18 W incandescent.
There is the faintest tinge of blue in its colour temp
of around 6500k.
"Do
they shine light in all directions?" The FLUX festoons will shine only approx 25°
with the new SMT having a much wider angle and lumens
increase.
Our SMT anchor/masthead light
shines 360° and is the brightest LED anchor/masthead
light available on the market !
"Do
they lose their brightness after a while?" As all things do they will degrade
initially up to 10% over the first 1000hrs of operation
followed by a slower rate of decline to 30% loss after
50000hrs.
Festoon bulbs Usage: dome
lights in cars, cabin lights, indicator lights in older
trailers & tractors, Navigation lights on boats
These are more your standard type of festoon.
Eg.. Most suited to door and glovebox lighting in cars
and port/starboard lighting on boats.
They can be seen quite clearly from a distance but are
a poor second cousin to the flux type
bulbs.
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