Helm Dimmer / Blue LED Courtesy Lights

[Pitou]

I would like to reduce night vision loss. The displays all have light level control so I am looking to dim the helm gauges for those night runs. I sometimes find myself throwing a towel over the bright dash on those long night rides home which is not the greatest solution. As well I was thinking about replacing the yellow courtesy lights with blue LED's.

Ric, I know you had installed a dimmer for your gauges when you did your big upgrade last year. Anyone else done this? What unit did you use and how is it installed?

Thinking of swapping out the yellow Courtesy Lights in the helm area and below in the cabin for blue LED's to soften the night vision loss when they are on. This seems to be the color the military has gone to going from red to blue in all their newer ships and aircraft including their gauges. Anyone have any experience with this one?

[jcollins]

My night runs are usually short. An hour or less. I have my GPS and radar on the lowest setting and turn off the dash lights. The cabin courtesy light do shine so I turn those off as well.

[RicM]

Kevin,

I did install a dimmer, and it was a great addition, plus it's simple to do as all the dash lights are on one circuit. The unit I used is this one
http://images.westmarine.com/full/5369673.jpg
available at Worst Marine or Boaters' World. They ain't cheap ($65).
Red is the better choice for lighting as it is the longer wavelength and effects mainly the cones in your retina, your night vision is effected mainly by the rods (could be the other way around, but it doesn't matter). The use of blue backlit markings on gauges is so they stand out more and read more crisply at lower light levels (shorter wavelength=sharper). I would not light an area with blue. Remember the military now flies almost entirely by electronics and nightvision. They don't need to see much of what's outside the cockpit (and are probably better off for that). We definitely want to see the next lobster pot, green can, etc.

here's the full url for that dimmer:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... assNum=294

[Pitou]

Thanks gents. My dash lights come on with the nav lights which seems a bit crazy. They even stay on when on the hook and just the anchor light is running. There must be a way to seperate the two. Ric, your dimmer install last year caught my interest and I had meant to check out the dimmer in Boston .... whoops .

Electrical has never been my forte', but I think I will jump in & buy the dimmer and try to figure it out and just replace the cabin courtesy lights (I can handle this one). I'll go with red and play "Roxanne". I am having a hard time warming up to the blue. I have a recently retired Navy Pilot buddy pushing the blue on me.

Let the electrical projects begin .... new stereo with Sirius and helm remote, upgrade windlas, junked the analog television for a flat screen w/dvd... new location under AC/DC panel over drunk berth ... I mean Qtr. berth. Headliners are down, side upholstery along top/bottom seams down ... looks like a bomb went off.

[RicM]

Kevin,

My gauge lights are on the Nav circuit also. They are on a large parallel circuit that goes from the Nav switch all around the dash. Interupt the the + connection to the gauge light circuit and put the dimmer in series. Instant control!
Sounds like lot's of cool products. Did you get a DC TV? I'm looking for one with digital tuner so I don't need the digital box.
Post some pics of the explosion!
Ric

[Russell]

The lights in my Cummins instruments are red and they come on when the key is turned on. They are not noticeable until it gets dark. The auto parts stores stock the tiny bulbs only in clear so I used a red magic marker when I had to replace one and it worked just fine. If your bulbs are clear you could do the same.

[Mariner]

I would think it would be pretty easy to put the instrument lights on their own circuit, with a switch or dimmer right on the dash, so you can adjust them without taking your eyes off of the instruments. You could either tap into the electronics circuit, or just leave it on the nav-lights circuit, but put the switch or dimmer in-line.

[Pitou]

My Cummins gauges are red as well, but I find them kind of bright. Fuel, and some other gauges are white. I will go the red marker route (good tip) along with the dimmer. The new Clarion remote arrived today / described as a bright white LED .

I haven't yet bought the TV/DVD unit and am still undecided about the 12V versus AC. I know the power loss through the inverter from 12V to AC incurs power loss and at the same time I also have the genset to charge the batts back up to speed. One advantage of the AC unit is it can come home in the off season for a guest room. Still time to be swayed to the 12 volt set-up. I think Hamilton manrine has a 12V 19" Jensen for $ 420 and then I could run the laptop for DVD's. Oh what to do?????

[zinbaad]

how about the 22"toshiba HDTV with dvd player in white ship & handling only $389. AC power ABT electronics Illinois ordered had it 2 days. Fits nice in white above the table

[RicM]

All LCD TV's run on 12V, just like computer monitors. They all have a transformer in them somewhere that knocks down the 120VAC to 12V. Cheaper smaller ones come with a "wall wart", a lump that plugs into the wall to make 12V. "Better" ones have the transformer hidden inside. Go to Best Buy or Walmart and look at the back of the units in your size range. If you see a wall wart setup on one, buy that one, take it home and cut off the wall wart and hot wire into the boat. Way cheaper than the "marine" 12V TV they sell in the catalogs. You can reconnect the wall wart for winter use at home.

[Pitou]

Intersting stuff Ric. Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out to get a better understanding.

Here's a pic I copied from a Yachtworld 28TE for sale. The pictured one is larger than what I will get and I plan to use and extension swivel mount so as to get a good position for viewing. I had the last TV up towards the bow before, but on the 28 I like the idea of sitting at the table or with the dinette dropped with my back to the bow legs up looking astearn.

[RobS]

Isn't part of being out on the boat to escape things like TV.......

[jcollins]

Isn't part of being out on the boat to escape things like TV.......

<smile> I have one. I turned it on once last year to be sure it worked. I turned my laptop on once last year to be sure I could get a signal. I do carry my cell phone.
I always thought I was just old school. Some will say it's for the kids. Teach them to fish for dinner.

Pitou - One of the pictures in your Photobucket account show a boat on fire. Did you know the guy? (sorry to go off-topic. The moderator will get me)

[Pitou]

Rob, the Admiral wants the TV back onboard for those rainy days when the backgammon or cribbage boards just won't do or I suppose me for that matter . I'm under orders to have it onboard for our 2 week trip this coming summer which includes Essex, CT. The only time I had ever really turned it on was in October to watch the Sox whoop the Yankees / hoping that continues .

Ah the burning boat .... I had posted those shots in the bilge a couple of years back without full detail waiting for the claim to be settled. The boat "was" Arnold Palmer's sons which a friend insures (so much for the loss ratio) everyone got off and the pics were snapped from the liferaft. Gasoline lines leaked and kaboom. Boy, I sure do like my safer diesel.