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Diode or relay in a circuit?

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billhuntersemail(at)gmail
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:29 am Post subject: Diode or relay in a circuit?

I was hoping I could solicit the advice from you all on this forum regarding building a circuit for landing lights. Specifically my airplane is a retractable gear airplane and it has a high intensity landing light in the nose cone and I am also installing LED lights on each main landing gear leg. 



I am going to use the Rockrack switches that are the on/off/on variety. The plan is to wire up this switch so that when the switch is:

UP: When the landing gear is retracted I want to turn off the LED lights attached to the gear legs so that they're not illuminated when they are inside the gear wells and just the landing light in the nose cone is illuminated.

CENTER -  All lights are extinguished.



DOWN- All three lights are illuminated (the landing light in the nose and also the lights on each of the main landing gear legs are illuminated).

I imagine that I need to either wire in a relay or to use a diode for this combined circuit.  I was going to wire up an automobile relay however that might be a bit too much weight for such a simplistic circuit such as this. I imagine some kind of diode but that diode would have to handle as high as 10 amps.

Additionally the rock rack switches contain two green LEDs that are user/externally wired so that when the switch is in the UP position the top LED is supposed to illuminate, when the switch is in the center position both LEDs are extinguished, and when the switch is in the DOWN position the bottom LED will illuminate. 

The Aveo people have been most unhelpful in providing me with a schematic for the three-way switch. If somebody could help out with this I would be most grateful!



THANKS!!! 



Bill Hunter

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stuart(at)stuarthutchison
Guest

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:01 am Post subject: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Sounds like unnecessary extra in-flight work for you Bill … I would arm the entire circuit with a single switch that turns on the nose landing light straight away, but is wired in parallel with a microswitch and relay to allow current to flow to the gear leg lights only when the gear is physically in transit going down.



Cheers, Stu



 	  Quote: 	
		   On 18 Jan 2017, at 19:27, William Hunter <billhuntersemail(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 I was hoping I could solicit the advice from you all on this forum regarding building a circuit for landing lights. Specifically my airplane is a retractable gear airplane and it has a high intensity landing light in the nose cone and I am also installing LED lights on each main landing gear leg. 

 

 I am going to use the Rockrack switches that are the on/off/on variety. The plan is to wire up this switch so that when the switch is:

 

 UP: When the landing gear is retracted I want to turn off the LED lights attached to the gear legs so that they're not illuminated when they are inside the gear wells and just the landing light in the nose cone is illuminated.

 

 CENTER -  All lights are extinguished.

 

 DOWN- All three lights are illuminated (the landing light in the nose and also the lights on each of the main landing gear legs are illuminated).

 

 I imagine that I need to either wire in a relay or to use a diode for this combined circuit.  I was going to wire up an automobile relay however that might be a bit too much weight for such a simplistic circuit such as this. I imagine some kind of diode but that diode would have to handle as high as 10 amps.

 

 Additionally the rock rack switches contain two green LEDs that are user/externally wired so that when the switch is in the UP position the top LED is supposed to illuminate, when the switch is in the center position both LEDs are extinguished, and when the switch is in the DOWN position the bottom LED will illuminate. 

 

 The Aveo people have been most unhelpful in providing me with a schematic for the three-way switch. If somebody could help out with this I would be most grateful!

 

 THANKS!!! 

 

 Bill Hunter

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user9253

Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1921
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 7:14 am Post subject: Re: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Attached is a schematic to control two circuits.

The switch terminals can be figured out using a continuity meter or test light, the kind with flashlight batteries.

If using a meter with a diode check function, the meter will show about 0.7 volts when the switch indicator LED is conducting.

How many terminals do your switches have?

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Joe Gores

user9253

Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1921
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:03 am Post subject: Re: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Here is another circuit using Stu's idea which is a good one that will reduce pilot workload.  Landing is a busy time.  The pilot does not have to be concerned about what position the light switch is in.  The switch only has two positions, up or down, on or off.  There is no center position.  Either a DPDT ON-NONE-ON or a DPST ON-OFF switch can be used.

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Joe Gores

billhuntersemail(at)gmail
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 9:30 am Post subject: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Joe and Stu,



I knew I could count on you!!!



I REALLY like Stu's idea about the auto turn off function...how does one

(me) know if it really turned off when the wheel is retracted in the well?  



At least with my refrigerator light I positively confirmed that the light

turns off when the door is closed by placing my iPhone in the fridge and

closing the door.  Then when I removed the phone and closed the door I could

no longer confirm that the light was off so stuck my phone back in the

fridge and I Face-timed the phone from inside the fridge and I was

comforted...then...I was also worried about the freezer light...I got so

worried about it not turning off that I placed my wife's iPhone in the

freezer just to make sure that the freezer light would also turn off when

the door is closed...then...I got so worked up and was worrying about these

lights that I forgot her iPhone was in the freezer and now my wife does not

have an iPhone anymore...nor do I know if the freezer light still shuts off

when the door is closed...DANG...all off this stress about the fridge lights

that I hard wired a light switch to the outside of the fridge just to make

sure...now I forget to turn off the switch after getting a beer(s) and the

lights stay on.



Sooo...what could possibly go wrong in an airplane?!?!?! 



I guess I can duct tape my phone to the gear leg...Hmmmm...how will I know

that the other gear leg light is indeed turned off?!?!?  I guess I will need

to purchase another iPhone for the wife...



THANKS AGAIN Ya'All!!!



.



Cheers!!!



Bill  Hunter



--

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n233ee(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:28 am Post subject: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Thanks Bill!  We all need some comic relief!!



Do not archive



[quote] On Jan 18, 2017, at 11:27, William Hunter <billhuntersemail(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 Joe and Stu,

 

 I knew I could count on you!!!

 

 I REALLY like Stu's idea about the auto turn off function...how does one

 (me) know if it really turned off when the wheel is retracted in the well?  

 

 At least with my refrigerator light I positively confirmed that the light

 turns off when the door is closed by placing my iPhone in the fridge and

 closing the door.  Then when I removed the phone and closed the door I could

 no longer confirm that the light was off so stuck my phone back in the

 fridge and I Face-timed the phone from inside the fridge and I was

 comforted...then...I was also worried about the freezer light...I got so

 worried about it not turning off that I placed my wife's iPhone in the

 freezer just to make sure that the freezer light would also turn off when

 the door is closed...then...I got so worked up and was worrying about these

 lights that I forgot her iPhone was in the freezer and now my wife does not

 have an iPhone anymore...nor do I know if the freezer light still shuts off

 when the door is closed...DANG...all off this stress about the fridge lights

 that I hard wired a light switch to the outside of the fridge just to make

 sure...now I forget to turn off the switch after getting a beer(s) and the

 lights stay on.

 

 Sooo...what could possibly go wrong in an airplane?!?!?! 

 

 I guess I can duct tape my phone to the gear leg...Hmmmm...how will I know

 that the other gear leg light is indeed turned off?!?!?  I guess I will need

 to purchase another iPhone for the wife...

 

 THANKS AGAIN Ya'All!!!

 

 ..

 

 Cheers!!!

 

 Bill  Hunter

 

 

 

 

 

 --

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billhuntersemail(at)gmail
Guest

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 5:32 pm Post subject: Diode or relay in a circuit?

Joe,



Thanks for the schematic!!!



Can I (PLEASE) pick your brain a bit more?!??!



I do not know what the existing nose cone landing light bulb is...it is a

"HID" (blueish color) bulb and it has " 55W 24V HID" printed on the inside

plastic base.  I have attached a picture (hopefully it goes through).  My

aircraft is a 12 VDC system so the "24V was surprising"?



Does anyone recognize this bulb?  I am trying to reconstruct records for all

of the equipment that came on this airplane (the previous owner was not the

builder...he had a "builders assistant" build the airplane for him and he

lost most of the records/receipts)



The goal is to run the existing nose cone light bulb plus two of the

following LED light bars (one on each landing gear leg): 



http://www.ebay.com/itm/152175264897?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName

=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT



The questions I have are:



-What size circuit breaker should I run considering the HID nose light and

the two LED light bars will be pulling off of the same circuit (the LED

light bars do not have any technical documents)?



-If I run the circuit like you provided me, what size diode should I use?



-Should the diode be placed in the circuit of the HID nose light or should

it be placed in the dual LED light bar circuit?



THANKS ...I REALLY APPRECIATE your help!!!

.



Cheers!!!



Bill  Hunter

--

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user9253

Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1921
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:46 pm Post subject: Re: Diode or relay in a circuit?

There is no diode in my schematics other than the LED.  The two little arrows next to the diode symbol indicate that it is a Light Emitting Diode aka LED.  No additional diode is needed other than the LEDs that you already have.

  Adding up the wattages of all 3 lights, 55 + 72 + 72 = 199W

199 watts / 14 volts = 14 amps  I would use a 20 amp breaker and 12AWG wire.  If the breaker trips, all light will be lost.  You might consider two separate circuits.

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