LED bulbs for marine nav lights

[masonlvvy]

hi,guys,I am looking at some led bulbs that have a 20 watt equivalent incandescent rating. They look like this photo and have their LED in a perfect sideways pattern for sending light out. Some one on another forum said it was wrong, illegal, immoral, etc... to put an LED bulb in a light fixture intended for navigation. Said you MUST buy new LED nav light fixtures.
Personally as long as the light can still put out at least as much as the original #90 incandescent bulb did, then I am perfectly happy with it.
I went from OEM #90 weaker output, to 1142 (18 watts), and now going to LED (20 watts output).
thanks

[freedivemd]

Without details I don't know exactly what you are doing - putting an LED bulb in an old 12V incandescent socket? LED bulbs come in a variety configurations - some can be connected directly to 12 Volts because they have built in "driver" circuits. Others don't have built in drivers and are just bare LEDS and if you put 12 volts across them they may just blow out instantly.

[SEATUX]

Originally Posted by freedivemd

Without details I don't know exactly what you are doing - putting an LED bulb in an old 12V incandescent socket? LED bulbs come in a variety configurations - some can be connected directly to 12 Volts because they have built in "driver" circuits. Others don't have built in drivers and are just bare LEDS and if you put 12 volts across them they may just blow out instantly.

Please explain what your saying.

LED's are Light Emitting Diodes, they operate on DC, the question is two fold, what voltage DC are they rated for, and polarity, you should not reverse connect them.

What "driver" are you talking about? Perhaps you are confusing LED's modified to operate on AC ?

[freedivemd]

Not talking about AC. Talking about 12 volt DC boat systems - that is what you want, correct? LEDs are more complicated than incandescent bulbs. The voltage across an LED is typically around 2 volts - but the real parameter to measure for LEDs is the current. If you regulate the current to a proper level then the voltage will be around 2 volts by default. If you provide too much current (by providing too high a voltage - ohms law ---> V=IR) they will just blow out.
Thus, you need a driver circuit to regulate the current. The driver takes the raw power (typically 12 volts on a boat) and conditions and regulates it to the proper current and voltage. Some LED bulbs come with a driver, you just have to be sure it says on the package that you can plug it into a 12 volt socket. Other LEDS are just the plain LED by itself and you can't plug it into 12 volts.
Also, a reverse polarity on an LED of 12 volts will probably damage it - unless it has a well designed driver that will protect it - in which case it simply won't light up.

[freedivemd]

I just googled "LED replacement bulb for nav light"

got a of of options there - seems the industry has plenty of LEDs that are compatable with older fixtures.

[gcracker89]

The original problem was the load draw was so low they would not "burn thru" surface oxidation on the fixtures contacts. Ie your bulb is out you rap the light and it comes on

[starbright55]

Also, a white 12v LED cannot be substituted for a bow nav light that uses a single bulb with a red/green cover. I can't remember which, but one of the two colors will not show correctly behind the colored lens.

I left my bow light incandescent and just made my stern/anchor light LED (since I leave that one on more often).