[Rhodes22-list] steaming light fun .... mystery partially solved ... curiouser & curiouser

Thu May 14 11:53:28 EDT 2009

Mike,

Using LEDs not only reduces the current draw but it also prevents "back 
feeding" of lighting circuits.  This occurs most frequently when you lose a 
ground connection and the "return path" for a circuit is through additional 
loads, typically through a corrosion point.  The symptom is a bunch of 
seemingly unrelated dim lights that all seem to go on when a particular 
circuit is energized.  Since LEDs are basically diodes, they only permit 
current to flow in one direction and help troubleshooting loss of ground 
return problems.

Ah, Plan B ... yep, sailors do have lots of options ...

Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
Nissequogue River, NY

From: "Mike Cheung" Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:09 AM
>
> Yeah, I'll to watch that with the 'gators.  The clips I have available 
> have
> little rubber boots to help prevent that, but care is certainly required.
> The only two pins that are active are the ground and the +12V
> anchor/masthead light circuit.  The other two are not connected to 
> anything
> at present.  Guess this means I could use one to rig the masthead light so
> it could be used both for steaming and anchor, but I'll have to think 
> about
> how that would be wired.  Of course, I guess I could just wire them up
> separately and *remember* that both the anchor and steaming circuits need
> energized to have both masthead lights lit.
>
> Another idea I was kicking around was ditching the Perko that's up there 
> in
> favor of a Hella LED anchor/masthead light.  The little 10W Perko fig 71
> "festoon" lamp in the masthead fixture really gets toasty.  It's 10W and
> there's two of them.  The Hella is 2W for the whole deal.  Defender has 
> the
> Hella for $99.  We'll see I guess.
>
> BTW ..... the Plan A : Chesapeake trip is looking iffy, the weather 
> forecast
> for there Fri through Sun isn't exactly compelling; looking at a Plan B :
> shakedown off Cleveland Friday, boat chores on the trailer Saturday, 
> cruise
> the Lake Erie Islands Sun through Wed.  The forecast for Lake Erie is good
> Fri, bad Sat, then good Sun onward. .... We'll see how the forecasts do 
> the
> next dozen hours of so.  Gotta admit having Muireann on the trailer does
> give us a lot more options!
>
> Mike, s/v Muireann
>
>
>
> Hank-5 wrote:
>>
>> Just make sure that the gator clips do not accidentally touch other pins.
>> That's why I prefer someone actually holding it to gator clips.
>>
>> Hank
>>
>> On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Mike Cheung <mikecheung at att.net> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Hank,
>>>
>>> It's male and I can just use a 'gator clipped wire.  Honestly, I am so
>>> damned slow some days .... lol
>>>
>>> Mike
>>>
>>>
>>> Hank-5 wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Mike,
>>> >
>>> > Is the mast end of the plug male or female?  If it is female, take a
>>> piece
>>> > of wire and jump two sockets together.  You can then check for
>>> continuity
>>> > at
>>> > the bulb socket. If they're male, you'll need a helper to hold a 
>>> > jumper
>>> > wire
>>> > across the two pins.
>>> >
>>> > Hank
>>> >
>>> > On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 2:14 PM, Mike Cheung <mikecheung at att.net>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>
>>> >> Easier said than done unfortunately, well at least with the mast down
>>> and
>>> >> pulled forward so I could reach the masthead.  I was thinking of at
>>> least
>>> >> pulling the bulbs one at a time and checking for continuity (through
>>> one
>>> >> bulb at a time) from the mast base plug.  I guess I could pull a 12 V
>>> >> battery out of something and use it to supply power to the mast base
>>> >> plug.
>>> >> Or even a dinky 9 V I suppose; with the bulbs out there shouldn't be
>>> any
>>> >> current draw.  There's the ticket .... will try that next.
>>> >>
>>> >> Mike
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> Hank-5 wrote:
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Pull the bulb out and use your multimeter to check for power in the
>>> >> light
>>> >> > socket.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Hank
>>> >> >
>>> >> > On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Mike Cheung <mikecheung at att.net>
>>> >> wrote:
>>> >> >
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Lowered the mast, both bulbs in the masthead are fine.  They're
>>> wired
>>> >> >> together at the bottom and there is power there.  I'm confused.
>>>  Gonna
>>> >> >> pull
>>> >> >> the masthead light assembly and see if something has come loose
>>> there.
>>> >> >>  Mike
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Mike Cheung wrote:
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Aha .... pulled the cable end of the connector apart at the base
>>> of
>>> >> the
>>> >> >> > mast and found that the two bulbs at the top of the mast share
>>> the
>>> >> same
>>> >> >> > connection.  They are wired separately, but are stuffed into the
>>> >> same
>>> >> >> pin
>>> >> >> > on the connector.  So, Muireann cannot show the forward masthead
>>> >> light
>>> >> >> > separately from the aft masthead light.  May need to rewire that
>>> in
>>> >> the
>>> >> >> > future.  The upshot is that it pretty much has be to a problem 
>>> >> >> > at
>>> >> the
>>> >> >> > masthead for the forward light, either the bulb or a crappy
>>> >> connection.
>>> >> >> > Next step is to drop the mast and get to the masthead fixture 
>>> >> >> > for
>>> a
>>> >> >> look
>>> >> >> > see.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Still planning on a Chesapeake run this Friday through next
>>> >> Wednesday.
>>> >> >> > The weather for the early part is not encouraging, but looks
>>> better
>>> >> >> from
>>> >> >> > Monday on.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Sketchy plans still:
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Friday, launch in or near the Magothy, overnight nearby; 
>>> >> >> > probably
>>> on
>>> >> >> the
>>> >> >> > hook
>>> >> >> > Saturday, Annapolis for the afternoon, dinner and overnight;
>>> >> probably
>>> >> >> on
>>> >> >> a
>>> >> >> > mooring if we can get one
>>> >> >> > Sunday through Tuesday .... cruise the Chesapeake roughly 
>>> >> >> > between
>>> >> Rock
>>> >> >> > Hall (to the North) and the Choptank (to the South); we'd like 
>>> >> >> > to
>>> >> hit
>>> >> >> Rock
>>> >> >> > Hall, St Michaels, and maybe Kent Narrows enroute between them,
>>> but
>>> >> the
>>> >> >> > wind and weather will have a lot of say in when we end up where.
>>> >> >> > Wednesday, back to our launch point, haul out, and head back to
>>> >> Ohio.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Will firm things up a bit if I can after looking over the
>>> cruising
>>> >> >> guides
>>> >> >> > piled on my work table and maybe connect with some of you
>>> Chesapeake
>>> >> >> > Rhodies (Mary Lou and the Crab Alley Rhodie esp.) if things work
>>> >> out.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > For the Chesapeake Rhodies ... a question or two .... It sure
>>> looks
>>> >> >> like
>>> >> >> > in most places in the cruising range we're planning to use that
>>> we
>>> >> >> should
>>> >> >> > be able to cross the Chesapeake in about an hour or two.  Is 
>>> >> >> > that
>>> >> >> pretty
>>> >> >> > much your experience?  It also looks like St Michaels to Rock
>>> Hall
>>> >> (or
>>> >> >> > vice versa) should be easily done in a day of sailing.  Is that
>>> >> >> > reasonable?
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > We'll probably dry provision Muireann and plan to take dinners
>>> >> ashore
>>> >> >> most
>>> >> >> > nights.  It's our first long cruise and I don't want it to be 
>>> >> >> > too
>>> >> much
>>> >> >> > like camping for my Admiral.  I'm thinking that of the five
>>> nights
>>> >> we
>>> >> >> > won't spend more than two on the hook, but since I'm not making
>>> >> marina
>>> >> >> > reservations, that could be an underestimate.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Muireann is sporting her new sails so she'll be a red hulled R22
>>> >> with
>>> >> >> > black Sunbrella on the sails.  She's got her hull number (113) 
>>> >> >> > on
>>> >> her
>>> >> >> > genoa.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Mike Cheung
>>> >> >> > s/v Muireann
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > Mike Cheung wrote:
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> I'm troubleshooting a recalcitrant steaming/anchor light and am
>>> >> >> slightly
>>> >> >> >> perplexed.  The forward masthead/anchor light, which is also 
>>> >> >> >> the
>>> >> >> steaming
>>> >> >> >> or running light, has not been lighting so far this season.  I
>>> >> finally
>>> >> >> >> carried a multimeter up to Muireann and checked things out more
>>> >> >> >> quantitatively.  As you know there are four pins on the mast
>>> wiring
>>> >> >> >> harness for lights.  The one at 10 o'clock appears to be the
>>> >> ground.
>>> >> >>  The
>>> >> >> >> next one clockwise at 2 o'clock or so appears to be the aft
>>> anchor
>>> >> >> light
>>> >> >> >> and is working when the anchor light switch is on.  One would
>>> >> expect
>>> >> >> that
>>> >> >> >> another pin would also be energized then for the front anchor
>>> light
>>> >> /
>>> >> >> >> steaming light, but it is not.  Okay, maybe that's the problem
>>> >> because
>>> >> >> >> the front light is not lit when running light is selected
>>> either.
>>> >> >> But,
>>> >> >> a
>>> >> >> >> check of continuity shows continuity only between the ground 
>>> >> >> >> pin
>>> >> and
>>> >> >> the
>>> >> >> >> aft anchor light pin.  This implies that both the foward anchor
>>> >> light
>>> >> >> /
>>> >> >> >> steaming light bulb is out (hence not continuity) and that 
>>> >> >> >> there
>>> is
>>> >> a
>>> >> >> >> problem getting power to whatever pin it is connected to on the
>>> >> four
>>> >> >> pin
>>> >> >> >> harness.  Since the probability of this is the product of the
>>> >> >> individual
>>> >> >> >> failure probabilities, I'm suspicious.  Anything I"m missing
>>> here?
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> --
>>> >> >> View this message in context:
>>> >> >>
>>> http://www.nabble.com/steaming-light-fun-....-tp23513874p23523073.html
>>> >> >> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>> >> >>
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>>> >>  Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>> >>
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>
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