Cheers,
...perhaps I haven't mentionned this before, but I have made
some personal changes in putting the fuselage together which may be of
interest to others in view of potential savings expected.
One aspect of electrics which is expensive of elec power is any
heating which becomes incidental to a system, as elec power can be a great
waste. The second is light - because incandescent filaments are [1]
delicate, [2] susceptible to vibration, [3] susceptible to rapid
temperature
change, [4] occasionally hard to find, [5] burn hot and [6] are relatively
expensive to acquire.
LEDs - light emitting diodes - on the other hand are relatively
cheap, have a vast assortment, last up to 100,000 hours, 'burn' cool(ly),
and are light and easy to install.
One trick - is the production of sufficient light in all those
dicey black holes like the belly panels or the rear fuselage
areas -especially on a hot summer's sunny afternoon. The answer is a small
but powerful flood of light from a few LEDs. I have drilled a few 5mm holes
behind the seats and plugged in several floodlight LED bulbs. These are
wired to a convenient site for the attachment to a migrant 9V battery top
filched from a used 9V unit waiting for disposal. It then means that if
attention is needed in a dark and lonely cave, one has only to acquire the
battery top site, plug in a 9volter from the pocket and have at it. When
done, just replace the panel, pull the battery ands pocket it and put back
whatever cover exists. One battery serves all, and it's light and
relatively
omnipresent.
It must be noted that the inclusion of this requires some math,
because LEDs need a general 1.5Vdc each and use only 20-50 milliamps of
'tricity (another two great qualities), so multiple or single
installations,
or (undescribed) increase in brightness needs precalculation and inclusion.
The reason I bring this up is the immense increase in
efficiency
which LEDs bring to the trade. You may have seen these little keyring lamps
and their utility. The changes being rung regarding the amazing units is
astonishing and I can see where LEDs will provide future lighting needs
almost exclusively. i will be using only them in my Europa.
If you cannot determine the math required for including same in
your application, I can provide it, or if there's a giant clammering for it
will write further but in the interim may I draw attention to:
http://www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes/ and seek down to Sept 2000 for
magazine articles, then browse the topic. Jim Weir gets full marks for
making a number of electronic items patently clear to us. You will see that
LEDs can accept a maximum current before blatting antimony all over your
wallpaper but will tolerate an Average current which permits us to
forestall their early intolerance by modulating the time constants.
More bright for little pain - thus allowing cheaper versions. It's magic!
Good luck
Ferg
feedback invited
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