To all with experimental built LED Nav lights

Argument for restraint

OK,
Here is a set of examples showing what could be used for a high-efficiency current source. The chip (LT1510) is ~$6 and would fit the bill for powering a string of LEDs.
See http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=3231
For an example circuit.

Not too bad on the parts count but what is more interesting is the layout.

http://www.linear.com/pc/downloadDocument.do?navId=H0,C1,C1003,C1037,C1078,C1089,P1032,D1463

This is the data sheet. Take a good look at "Layout Considerations".

If anyone wants to roll their own this shows what your getting into. Not impossible but you would want your buddy with the CAD program to make a PCB and that's not real practical for under 20 or so boards!

While not difficult for the EE's on this site, is it really needed? Unless you are having major electrical problems in your aircraft will the position lights level be a real issue? And if that is true.. can anyone really expect your lights to be at regulation level during your emergency landing

Here is a response I gave Aeroelectric Bob about the testing I did with his customized LED driver that he built and sent me:

"Bob I was able to test with a handheld not connected to anything.

Test one: Original Raw Driver, led array and about 3 ft of power wires. Handheld gets trashed at over 20ft. Lots of audible noise and the squelch is opened even at max.

Test two: Bob's Modified Driver, same everything else. Handheld can be as close as 1 ft before picking up noise and it gets stronger the closer the antenna is to the setup.

Test three: Bob's driver, same everything else with the power wires to the driver passed twice thru a ferrite core. Handheld can be as close as the antenna touching the power wires with no noise.

Seems we are very much on the right track. With the ferrite core, it seems the problems are almost fully eliminated.

Bob, how can I get another one of these for the other side of my nav lights?

I do not have a panel mount to test. This would be the ultimate test as the driver and the radio would be sharing a common power supply.

Bob, your thoughts????"


Details on what Bob built are here:

http://aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Lighting/Buck-Puck/

No noise here

I am using 4 luxeons per side, powered by "Power pucks" with no caps or any thing else, and have no noise problems. The pucks are mounted on the wing tip ribs. And I run them all the time.

Any more testing done on this?

Brantel said:

Here is a response I gave Aeroelectric Bob about the testing I did with his customized LED driver that he built and sent me:

"Bob I was able to test with a handheld not connected to anything.

Test one: Original Raw Driver, led array and about 3 ft of power wires. Handheld gets trashed at over 20ft. Lots of audible noise and the squelch is opened even at max.

Test two: Bob's Modified Driver, same everything else. Handheld can be as close as 1 ft before picking up noise and it gets stronger the closer the antenna is to the setup.

Test three: Bob's driver, same everything else with the power wires to the driver passed twice thru a ferrite core. Handheld can be as close as the antenna touching the power wires with no noise.

Seems we are very much on the right track. With the ferrite core, it seems the problems are almost fully eliminated.

Bob, how can I get another one of these for the other side of my nav lights?

I do not have a panel mount to test. This would be the ultimate test as the driver and the radio would be sharing a common power supply.

Bob, your thoughts????"


Details on what Bob built are here:

http://aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Lighting/Buck-Puck/

Click to expand...

For those of us that are far less tech savvy, I am using the kit from Creative air and have just about zero noise in Radio. Does it mean that they use a good filter and I am OK to run with them?

Thanks in advance

I have the CreativAir setup and have not experienced any problems from the LED Nav lights.