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lighting minihelic

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leinad

Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 283
Location: Central Virginia

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: lighting minihelic

Has anyone got any good ideas for lighting a minihelic as used as an LRI?

Dan Dempsey

plans building 601XL

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Scratch building XL with Corvair Engine

georgerace

Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Albion, MI

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:04 am Post subject: lighting minihelic

Hi  Dan:

  

 You can do a very  nice job of lighting an instrument with a small red LED.  The small "grain  of wheat" size works well.

  

 Remove the  instrument from its case.

 Remove the glass  lens from the case.

 Drill a small hole  the size of the small LED from the outside of the case to where the edge of the  glass fits into the case.

 Install and epoxy  the led into the hole so that it just barely touches the glass when  installed.

  

 Hook the LED, with a  proper series resistor to a 12 volt source.  Do not hook it to the  panel dimmer control.

  

 Although it cannot  be successfully dimmed, it will cast a nice red glow on the face of the  instrument.  The glass acts as a conductor of the light and provides nice  even illumination.

  

 George

   [quote][b]

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paulrod36(at)msn.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject: lighting minihelic

<?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->  There's also another way:  Some years ago a masked outlaw broke into  my Skyhawk. He took a sheet of 1/8th inch plexiglas and duplicated the  instrument panel cover, making cutouts for each instrument and the pegs on the  back of the cover. This arch fiend then proceeded to run wires and wheat-grain  bulbs, in parallel,two for each instrument (roughly 10 and 2 oclock) and poked  the bulbs through appropriately-sized holes in the plastic. This evil monster  then inserted the package under the stock panel cover, and ran the wires to  the existing rheostat. After performing his hideous deed, he skulked away in the  dark of the night and I never saw him again. I am still incensed that someone  would to this to a perfectly good certified aircraft. I will never forgive him  for bathing each instrument in a controllable glow. Now that I think  about it, he may have done the same dastardly deed on other unsuspecting  aircraft, but in red plastic.  Someday I may report that vandal.

  

 Paul Rodriguez

 601XL Corvair 

 [quote]   ---

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leinad

Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 283
Location: Central Virginia

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:37 pm Post subject: Re: lighting minihelic

George,

You're idea sounds good.  In fact I thought of doing that but I'm afraid that the instrument case may be a pressure vessel of sorts, and was afraid to compromise the integrity of the case.  I'd love to hear from someone that has actually used this method on a Dwyer Minihelic without ill effect.

Dan



[quote="georgerace"]Hi  Dan:

  

 You can do a very  nice job of lighting an instrument with a small red LED.  The small "grain  of wheat" size works well.

  

 Remove the  instrument from its case.

 Remove the glass  lens from the case.

 Drill a small hole  the size of the small LED from the outside of the case to where the edge of the  glass fits into the case.

 Install and epoxy  the led into the hole so that it just barely touches the glass when  installed.

  

 Hook the LED, with a  proper series resistor to a 12 volt source.  Do not hook it to the  panel dimmer control.

  

 Although it cannot  be successfully dimmed, it will cast a nice red glow on the face of the  instrument.  The glass acts as a conductor of the light and provides nice  even illumination.

  

 George

    	  Quote: 	
		  [b]

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Scratch building XL with Corvair Engine

leinad

Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 283
Location: Central Virginia

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:46 pm Post subject: Re: lighting minihelic

Paul,

Thanks for the reply, and normally that'd be the perfect method, but the minihelic installs like a lot of auto instrument gages.  It is held on by having the lens larger than the case, and mounted through a hole the size of the case, then clamped from the back.  To use the "vandals" method I'd have to find a way to mount the gage behind the panel, without the standard instrument mounting screws.  I'm starting to sound like "there's hole in the bucket dear Ida"..  Still worth some thought though.

Thanks again.

Dan Dempsey

[quote="paulrod36(at)msn.com"]<xml><xml><endif>  There's also another way:  Some years ago a masked outlaw broke into  my Skyhawk. He took a sheet of 1/8th inch plexiglas and duplicated the  instrument panel cover, making cutouts for each instrument and the pegs on the  back of the cover. This arch fiend then proceeded to run wires and wheat-grain  bulbs, in parallel,two for each instrument (roughly 10 and 2 oclock) and poked  the bulbs through appropriately-sized holes in the plastic. This evil monster  then inserted the package under the stock panel cover, and ran the wires to  the existing rheostat. After performing his hideous deed, he skulked away in the  dark of the night and I never saw him again. I am still incensed that someone  would to this to a perfectly good certified aircraft. I will never forgive him  for bathing each instrument in a controllable glow. Now that I think  about it, he may have done the same dastardly deed on other unsuspecting  aircraft, but in red plastic.  Someday I may report that vandal.

  

 Paul Rodriguez

 601XL Corvair 

  	  Quote: 	
		     ---

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Scratch building XL with Corvair Engine

dbortol

Joined: 02 Sep 2006
Posts: 46

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 6:22 am Post subject: lighting minihelic

Dan,



The case does connect directly to one of the pressure ports. 



The black ring around the outer edge of the face is painted on. If you look at it from the side, you can see that clear plastic lies below the thin black layer. I was thinking to make a small hole in the flange of the case, radially outboard as far as possible, to mount a small LED which would shine into the back side of the clear layer. I need to take the face off my gauge again to make sure that it wouldn't affect the seal between the face and case. 



Dino Bortolin

On 10/29/07, leinad <leinad(at)hughes.net (leinad(at)hughes.net)> wrote:[quote] --> Zenith-List message posted by: "leinad" <leinad(at)hughes.net (leinad(at)hughes.net)>



George,

You're idea sounds good.  In fact I thought of doing that but I'm afraid that the instrument case may be a pressure vessel of sorts, and was afraid to compromise the integrity of the case.  I'd love to hear from someone that has actually used this method on a Dwyer Minihelic without ill effect. 

Dan



[quote="georgerace"]Hi  Dan:



 You can do a very  nice job of lighting an instrument with a small red LED.  The small "grain  of wheat" size works well.



 Remove the  instrument from its case. 

 Remove the glass  lens from the case.

 Drill a small hole  the size of the small LED from the outside of the case to where the edge of the  glass fits into the case.

 Install and epoxy  the led into the hole so that it just barely touches the glass when  installed. 



 Hook the LED, with a  proper series resistor to a 12 volt source.  Do not hook it to the  panel dimmer control.



 Although it cannot  be successfully dimmed, it will cast a nice red glow on the face of the  instrument.  The glass acts as a conductor of the light and provides nice  even illumination. 



 George



 	  Quote: 	
		   [b]


	




--------

Scratch building XL with Corvair Engine





Read this topic online here:



http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=142625#142625  [quote][b]

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Trainnut01(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:19 am Post subject: lighting minihelic

Dan

 Why don't you just put a post light on it. They are not terribly expensive  and they work great. I used them on some of the lights in my RV and they worked  so good I unhooked the internal lights I already had on some of my instruments  and put post lights on them too.

 Carroll Jernigan

 do not archive.



See w [quote][b]

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leinad

Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 283
Location: Central Virginia

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:37 pm Post subject: Re: lighting minihelic

[quote="Trainnut01(at)aol.com"]Dan

 Why don't you just put a post light on it. They are not terribly expensive  and they work great. I used them on some of the lights in my RV and they worked  so good I unhooked the internal lights I already had on some of my instruments  and put post lights on them too.

 Carroll Jernigan

 do not archive.



See w  	  Quote: 	
		  [b] 	




Carrol,

Thanks.  I've heard about post lights but never seen one.  I'll look into it.

It might be the perfect solution.  I have one other gage (EGT/CHT) that isn't presently lit, but the other ideas that have been talked about would work good on that one.

Dan

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planelists(at)optonline.n
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:28 pm Post subject: lighting minihelic

 	  Quote: 	
		   Thanks.  I've heard about post lights but never seen one.  I'll look into 

 it.

 It might be the perfect solution.  I have one other gage (EGT/CHT) that 

 isn't presently lit, but the other ideas that have been talked about would 

 work good on that one.

 Dan


	




Here is one:

http://www.engalt.com/aviation.htm

George

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