Cockpit Projects - CD 22

[RichardW]

For those interested in such things, I have some pics of a few projects completed on C Eagle.

[Adeline]

Those LED rope-lights are sweet. What brand did you go with ? I'd like a couple of blue strings for Adeline.

[RichardW]

Pete,

Here is the link to the Novelty Lights that I used: http://www.noveltylights.com/ropelight.htm . They have a good selection of colors, including blue. These lights use so little power, .42A per string, that they can be left on for hours with insignificant battery depletion. I am glad that I decided to control each string with a separate switch, since we often use only one rope. There are several other vendors for these.

Let me know what you decide and post some pics if you install them.

Richard

[416rigby]

Holy diodes, Batman! Just last night Donna and I were looking up LED rope lights online to put in the same locations you did! That's freaky.

Any installation tips you can offer? We're thinking of going with the amber color in the hopes of attracting fewer bugs. I also like the upper rope under the cabin lip...I don't think it is "just for fun" as you put it...light up high to better illuminate the cockpit for those late night Scrabble games...although it doesn't really matter that much to me anyway cuz Donna always beats the crap outta me.

That step looks good, too...did you build it?

Nice work!

Rick

[RichardW]

Rick,

Amber should be a good color to go with as well. As far as tips, a few things come to mind:
- use fasteners every 6 inches or the rope will not stay aligned, I used 1/2" cable clamps (Lowes) which were thru bolted to the bottom of the gunnel trays.
- Layout the arrangement that you want and illuminate everything as a test before you fasten everything down. You can make adjustments to get the effect that you want. I used small clamps to hold things in place before fastening the hardware down.
- You can try out both strings to one switch to see if that suits you, but I went with separate switches. These lights were brighter than I expected and running both sides seemed like overkill.
- Not wanting to drill holes in the lip around the cabin, I used small clamps to attach the same type cable clamps with 4200. Seems to work great.
With all three ropes on, I could not even play checkies, much less scrabble. At the roof line height, you get a surprising amount of light.
- I powered the roof line lights from the inside cabin light by drilling a small hole in the cabin light housing to mount a mini microswitch and used power from the cabin light. This is easy to do since the cabin light wiring is connected using clamp screws that can also accomodate the new power and ground wires from the LED rope. I would tin the leads first. I drilled a tiny hole behind the existing cabin light cable clamp thru to the cockpit side. You cannot see the wiring from the pilot house side.
This a simple project.

Probably too much detail; I hope that I am not making your hair hurt.

Boarding Ladder- I bought a ready made boarding ladder for my wife to use but it did not suit me; the rungs were too narrow and in the wrong locations. I made this one from 8 inch oak. I used 5/16 (hole type) tee nuts epoxied into the steps and locktighted the bolts after assembly. I have two SS hooks to catch the gunnel but with the base ends cut at an angle to match the cockpit floor and the grip of the dri deck, the hooks are unnecessary. I finished it with Watco danish oil and will give it a final coat of poly in about a week.

I am looking forward to a scrabble match with Donna sometime in the future. We were hoping to meet you guys at the Cumberland gathering - this was our first time to meet other CD fanatics and we reeeeally enjoyed the experience and meeting some great people.

Best Regards,
Richard

[416rigby]

Probably too much detail; I hope that I am not making your hair hurt

You, sir, have obviously never seen my (lack of) hair!

Thanks for the info. These projects are a lot of fun, eh?

I sent you a PM

[C-Pelican]

Thanks for sharing. I learn SO much more via pics than words.

Regarding rope light color...is there one color better for not affecting your night vision negatively?
Do I recall that blue has replaced red lights in that regard?

Thanks,
Jeff

[Sea Wolf]

[C-Pelican]

Thanks Joe,

Great article!

I think I will go with the blue for both night purposes and asthetics.

Jeff