LEDs & 'Reflections'
'Lulu'				'Masina'

Converting An Aqua-Signal Tri-Color Light Into an LED Tri-Color and Anchor Light Combo Fixture

We've had up a photo essay for some time of how to mount our Masina Malosi and Owl all round LED masthead light replacements for the Aqua Signal combination anchor/tricolor/strobe combination light fixture. To view it, please go here.

Doug and Dona aboard S/V 'Reflections', along with Dona's brother, David, aboard S/V 'Wildflower', visited us here in Fiji from New Zealand. There were all rather taken with our products and Doug had asked if we could replace his masthead tri colour bulb with an LED, but also add an LED anchor light to the fixture. Unfortunately, they needed it done quickly, so we weren't able to get as detailed of photos as we like to at the time, but since then, we've added photos of installing the Masina Malosi within the fixture from S/V 'Waitea'.

Replacing the tri-colour bulb, as seen below, is quite straight forward. Simply removing the old light socket from the fixture and replacing it with a Masina Malosi (with the spacer, included when you buy the light), took just a second. By the way, that's the Republic of Fiji national flag in the background.
For the anchor light, since it doesn't require the vertical angles specified for a tri-color navigation light (reference COLREG and USCG information here), the Owl works fine and is less expensive than the Malosi LED light, so that is what I recommended to Doug.

	<===The interiour of the fixture before removing the light socket.
	The interiour of the fixture after removing the light socket. ===>

After removing the wires, you can see why we prefer to also solder, instead of just a mechanical connector. In spite of being inside a gasketed fixture at the masthead, not subject to spray, the ends still corroded! Whenever possible, our preference, living in a high humidity, high temperature climate, is to mechanically connect (for physical strength and vibration resistance), solder (for electrical efficiency), and then finally cover with adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. We use triple wall thickness tubing, especially for wires that do not also have a mechanical connection, for extra strength.

The spacer (included with the Masina Malosi, Masina 'Afa and Volasiga lights) being positioned over the old spacer. In this case, I used a dollop of hot melt glue to hold the spacer in place, then added an elastomeric sealant to be the actual adhesive. Make sure you get the holes to attach the light to (the row with three holes) facing up!
I could have just as well have used only hot melt glue, but there is quite a bit of difference between the 'homeowner/DIY' hot melt glue and the hot melt that we use. Some of the hot melt glues are as strong as epoxy and are used for setting roofing shingles!

Masina Malosi light positioned over the spacer, with the included wire ties, before adding adhesive between the light and the spacer. Until May 2008, we didn't include the holes or the wire ties, but based on feedback from another SSCA member John L., soon to be aboard and cruising 'Active Transport' (he didn't feel comfortable with just adhesive), we modified our production. You can see how John is getting ready at his blog.

One of the finer parts of being a smaller company is our ability to listen to what our customers say and to be able to implement it in a short time span. We'll even do minor modifications, like longer wire leads for the asking, but it will delay shipment by up to two weeks.

And, after adding the adhesive and tightening the wire ties, the tri-color LED replacement part of the job is finished.

I've not included the detail of connecting the wires, as in the case of S/V 'Reflections' I wired the 'hot' (positive, in our LED products, the red wire) of the masthead tricolor to the negative (white, in the case of our LED products), so that either the tricolour, or the masthead LED anchor light, can be controlled by a single switch. If you go to our web page 'two wires' , you can see how to wire the switch below decks.

To run the wires for the LED anchor light, I had to drill thru the top outer and inner stainless steel plates. As these plates are stamped, they are work hardened and take a bit more care in drilling. To do this, I first located and drilled a 2mm (1/16") pilot hole, then 'opened' up the pilot to 5mm (5/32") to accomodate the wires.

Using some Selley's, I then glued the Owl to the top plate of the tri color fixture. In addition, I threw a wire tie on the wire inside the tri-color lens for a 'belt and suspenders' anchoring technique.
Here is a little detail of how I joined the 'positive' of the LED tricolor replacement to the 'negative' of the LED anchor light. A very nice, inexpensive, alternative to the high priced competition! (Yes, for the technical, simply reversing the polarity of the feed wires to the anodes of the LEDs, you can choose which light).
And, in case you missed it the first time above, the link of how to wire the switch is here.