Message-ID: <003101c18446$34564250$1128b0d1@VAIO>
From: "Jim Cameron" <toucan@78055.com>
To: "Lancair Mail List" <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
Subject: Overhead cabin lights
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 20:22:05 -0600
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>>
    Regarding Skip Slater's posting on cabin lights, there is a tremendous
variety of 12V lights "out there" for both cars and boats.  In my first ES,
I used a dome light/map light assembly that Ford makes for the Lincoln and
several other models.  It was pretty pricey (about $95, as I recall), but it
looked really marvellous.  It needed to be shaved a bit to fit into the
overhead panel, but it did work very well.  The killer, though, was that it
used incandescent bulbs that were very power-greedy and generated a lot of
heat.  If it were to be left on inadvertently, I wouldn't be surprised if it
would discolor the paint on the skin, and perhaps even weaken it.

    This time I'm using a cabin light for a boat that's actually an LED
cluster.  Bought it at Boater's World for about $15, I think.  Haven't tried
it yet at night, but it seems to generate a lot of light and not much heat.
You might also cruise the West Marine catalog for various interior lighting
options for boats, most of which are 12V.  Try map or chart lights, too,
since I seem to recall some little ones on goosenecks that might make good
chart lights.  They'd probably need a red filter, but you could borrow one
from a Mag Lite or steal one from an old LED alarm clock.  Buying that red
plastic filter material in one'sies is tough  -- the manufacturers usually
want to know your exact spec's so they can make 10,000 of 'em for you.


Jim Cameron
N143ES, ready to go except for some last minor paint touch-up


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