LED Position Lights

[moosepileit]

Jim, I originally had white PSA navstrobes, they were RFI noisey. Big ferrite chokes helped. I did not like the color, so went with and like the pilotlights kit.

Please report any RFI in the comm radio, I never tried them without the chokes.

[Tankerpilot75]

Originally Posted by moosepileit

Jim, I originally had white PSA navstrobes, they were RFI noisey. Big ferrite chokes helped. I did not like the color, so went with and like the pilotlights kit.

Please report any RFI in the comm radio, I never tried them without the chokes.

Will do. RFI in the comm radios will be a deal breaker! I have ferrite chokes on my magnetometers because of previous electro-magnetic interference affecting heading inputs. I had to move my magnetometers to the wing tips to get away from the comm. interference. If I get any RFI from these position light bulbs it would probably impact my heading again which is a game killer.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Tankerpilot75]

I promised a Pirep on the LED light bulbs I purchased from Pilotlights.net and will only say I was disappointed.

The diameter of the base is just slightly smaller than the original Whelen bulbs that were in the sockets. This prevented a tight fit in the socket which resulted in the lights acting intermittently. Had to remove the bulbs and reinstall the Whelen bulbs.

When contact was made by the bulbs in the sockets the result was a brighter position light but unfortunately I could not get the bulbs to maintain contact.

[moosepileit]

Weird, let us know what the seller says, maybe an out spec batch or a common complaint? My Grimes sockets were definitely not "new" condition and they fit snugly. Could you pull the sockets and give them a squeeze so the lock channels grab the tabs?

[Tankerpilot75]

I originally was going to chalk this experience to ?lesson learned? but moosepileit got me thinking I should probably call the vendor and let him know of my problem with the bulbs. The vendor said, ?this was a first? and quickly volunteered to send me two replacement ?different series? bulbs to try out.

Hopefully this will address my problem. He?s ask that I take pictures of the bulbs and sockets when the replacement bulbs arrive - which I will do. Can?t complain about vendor response!

I will keep you posted.

[JimWoo50]

Installed in wingtips under lenses into fixtures. Plenty bright but didn?t seem to fit perfectly into socket, had to jam them in. But they have worked ok, no noise. But I think if I ever remove them they will be ruined.

Just for fun I ordered from Crazed Pilot red and green bullet lights for $8 a piece and mounted them under lenses facing forward. Plenty bright.

For tail light I ordered from Amazon 2 for $6 white led, 15s?, same problem with jamming them in fixture but installed tight and very bright.

I guess point is you don?t have to break the piggy bank to get led solutions that work well.

[Tankerpilot75]

Originally Posted by Tankerpilot75

I originally was going to chalk this experience to ?lesson learned? but moosepileit got me thinking I should probably call the vendor and let him know of my problem with the bulbs. The vendor said, ?this was a first? and quickly volunteered to send me two replacement ?different series? bulbs to try out.

Hopefully this will address my problem. He?s ask that I take pictures of the bulbs and sockets when the replacement bulbs arrive - which I will do. Can?t complain about vendor response!

I will keep you posted.

Well my replacement LED bulbs arrived about two weeks ago and I installed them. This installation went much better (he sent a different series of LED bulbs). I sent the first set back for analysis of the problem. I discovered the original green LED position light was loose at the base which I?m sure contributed to my initial ?loose bulb? installation issue.

Unfortunately I couldn?t immediately go fly and had to wait for better weather and time. Flew this weekend some YE flights and will say there were no IRF/comm issues and the new bulbs were brighter than my old incandescent Whelen bulbs with the current draw significantly reduced.

I recommend others consider this position light bulb change out but remember you?re taking a certified position light system (Whelen) and modifying it to experimental status by these LED bulbs. However, this is an inexpensive way (under $50 including shipping) to convert from a high, old tech position light system to modern, long lasting, bright LED position lights.

[moosepileit]

Thanks for the updates, glad they worked for you, too.