Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] [Bulk] Re: LED replacement for incandescent light

To: Patrick Greenlee <patrick_g@windstream.net>, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] [Bulk] Re: LED replacement for incandescent light
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:49:29 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
If lamps are in parallel so any one is sufficient and they are repaired then the MTBF goes up a huge amount. The probability of a surviving lamp failing while the burned out one is being replaced is then the concern. For two 1 year MTBF lamps in parallel and a one day repair time the math works out to about 183 years MTBF for both failed at the same time. This math is based on steady state failure rates so ignores infant mortality and wear out failures, but is illustrative of how reliable parallel redundancy can be when prompt repairs are possible. However, since filament lamps have finite lifetimes, I think best practice would be to burn them in to weed out infant mortality and replace both lamps when one burns out.

Ar redundant system familiar to many computer users is the RAID array, where the high MTBF is based on a failed drive being replaced promptly.

Grant KZ1W
ref: "System Reliability Engineering", Gerald Sandler


On 1/14/2015 6:02 PM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
A constant current source in series would make every in-line series lamp a separate single point of failure which would make the MTBF 1/n times the MTBF of one lamp where n is the number of lamps. Not a high reliability approach.

Patrick   NJ5G


On 1/14/2015 1:59 PM, Jim Lux wrote:
On 1/14/15 11:52 AM, Jack Brindle wrote:
LED bulbs have power supplies which convert 120/240VAC down to thecyDC level needed by the LEDs. These components are the major failure point (for CFLs as well). These are high current power supplies that generate quite a bit of heat and thus require at least some of that heat sink capacity as well.


True for replacement bulbs for replacing standard Edison base incandescent, like the ones you get at home depot.

Not necessarily true for a specialized application. If you were replacing ALL the bulbs in a tower, there's nothing stopping you from having a big constant current source at the base, like they do with streetlights.

It's sort of like replacing incandescents with strobes..



So what kind of climbing harness is required when changing the external aircraft bulb at altitude??? :-)

- Jack B, W6FB

On Jan 14, 2015, at 10:55 AM, Hans Hammarquist via TowerTalk <towertalk@contesting.com> wrote:

Replacing a bulb on an aircraft is 'slightly" easier than climbing 1500 feet.


Regarding temperature; the LED do not suffer as for example the florescent lights. If I remember it right LE-s work better at lower temperatures, the light output goes down as the temperature increases. You notice that LED bulbs are equipped with rather large heat sinks, needed to keep the LED diodes to work properly.


Hans - N2JFS



-----Original Message-----
From: Roger (K8RI) on TT <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
To: towertalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Tue, Jan 13, 2015 5:16 pm
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd:  Now THIS is a tower climb!


There already are, very bright LED strobes in use on aircraft. All the exterior lights on mine were solid state, except for the landing light.
There are LEDs that could have replaced that, but I never saw any that
had been approved.
I don't know at how low a temperature they will still function, but I
flew in temperatures a lot colder than most towers would see.

I would think the new LED strobes would be ideal for towers and
replacements would be few and far between.

73

Roger (K8RI)

On 1/13/2015 12:25 PM, Hans Hammarquist via TowerTalk wrote:
I think the problem is to introduce a "new", long-life, light bulb. Any,
modern LED bulb would do lifetime wise. I believe, though, there are several light bulbs in the assembly that automatically replace the bulbs as they burn out. That is used in lighthouses to insure there is a light on all the time. To design an assembly that could automatically replace burnt-out LED bulbs might
not be that simple. You know, everything there has to be approved by
authorities.


Hans - N2JFS



-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Solomon <dickw1ksz@gmail.com>
To: Tower Talk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Mon, Jan 12, 2015 6:39 pm
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Now THIS is a tower climb!


Repairs ??

Looks like he's changing a light bulb !!

Now, invent a really long life bulb and you will sell at least a hundred !!

73, Dick, W1KSZ

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 4:33 PM, Mike via TowerTalk <
towertalk@contesting.com> wrote:

This is video of a technician climbing 1768 feet to the top of a
transmissions tower for repairs.

It also shows him free climbing and some dialog to go along with it.

Its a helmet cam so if anyone gets dizzy or has anything that can give out watching this stuff while sitting in your chair....be warned!...DO NOT
WATCH IT!!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INbKYq0G9nU

Mike W2GR
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk


_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk


_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk


_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>