Best LED Light Pattern?

[jaustinmd]

A popular and usually less expensive alternative to conventional landing lights is to adapt a LED light primarily intended for driving or off-road use. I'm looking at Rigid Industries products - they make many different types of LED lights and fixtures. Particularly appealing for a cowl mount is a flush-mount unit they make. I already have Aveoflash wingtip nav lights/strobes and am primarily interested in a light on the cowl/nose for enhanced visibility to others, use as a landing light is pretty low on my priorities since I'm pretty much a daytime flier!
The problem is, which type of light pattern would be best for recognition by others? The "spot" projects the longest distance and is brightest, but is a fairly tight beam. They also make "driving" and "flood" patterns - much wider but much shorter distance/brightness.
Anyone experimented with these or similar lights and patterns and have any opinion?
John
N750A
Zenith STOL CH750

[WLIU]

May I suggest copying what works? Put an old GE 4509 in a jig, go out after dark and point it at the side of a large hangar and measure its light pattern width, height, etc. Look to duplicate that pattern with your LED system.

And I will note that cowling light installations suffer from a lot of vibration that shortens their operating life. This will be true with LED's too as the circuit board and mounting bracketry will fatigue. The locations that you mount these lights on a car are relatively vibration free even though the vehicle may bounce around a lot. The shock that they are designed for has different effects than continuous vibration.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

[cluttonfred]

For a landing light you definitely want a "spot" beam, but you need to check the beam angle. This site -- http://www.knots2u.com/HID%20Light.htm -- offers STC landing light kits for dozens of general aviation models and notes, "Bulbs are available in a 16 degree (landing) or a 34 degree (taxi) configuration." So there's your answer--approximate those beam angles and you should be fine. Here's one from a site that I like that ought to work fine -- http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...ght/1407/3301/ -- but there are lots more as well.

[jaustinmd]

May I suggest copying what works? Put an old GE 4509 in a jig, go out after dark and point it at the side of a large hangar and measure its light pattern width, height, etc. Look to duplicate that pattern with your LED system.

And I will note that cowling light installations suffer from a lot of vibration that shortens their operating life. This will be true with LED's too as the circuit board and mounting bracketry will fatigue. The locations that you mount these lights on a car are relatively vibration free even though the vehicle may bounce around a lot. The shock that they are designed for has different effects than continuous vibration.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

I'm not sure how relevant a stone-age 4609's optics are to current LED's. I'd venture that light was designed for landing and taxi applications - period. Seems to me that it's only been since HID's and LED's came along with their intense brightness that people use them more for recognition rather than a landing light (that's my goal). That's why I think the pattern, etc., might be totally different for that purpose.
And, I dunno Wes ... looking at some of the torture tests Rigid puts their LED's through, coupled with the vibrations and shocks in off-road racing, etc. (they're NOT designed for you fathers Oldsmobile!), makes a little cowl shimmy look pretty mild!
And obviously, you haven't ridden behind my Jabiru 3300 (6 cylinder) ... smooth as silk! LOL!
Just kidding and regards,
John
N750A

[jaustinmd]

For a landing light you definitely want a "spot" beam, but you need to check the beam angle. This site -- http://www.knots2u.com/HID%20Light.htm -- offers STC landing light kits for dozens of general aviation models and notes, "Bulbs are available in a 16 degree (landing) or a 34 degree (taxi) configuration." So there's your answer--approximate those beam angles and you should be fine. Here's one from a site that I like that ought to work fine -- http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...ght/1407/3301/ -- but there are lots more as well.

Looks like the spot is defintely the closest to the 16 degree beam, as you suggest.
Thanks,
John
N750A