We often get questions about the use of LED light bulbs in navigation lights and problems that arise when using LED bulbs.
The navigation lights are tested and approved with specific types of light bulbs. If other bulb types are used the approval of the navigation light is simply no longer valid.
The reasons for this are listed below:
• To obtain correct light intensity and cut-off angles it is important that the bulb has the same characteristics as the navigation light is designed for. The lens and screen do
not match a LED bulb and hence will not fulfil the optical characteristics correctly.
• The emitted colour spectrum of a LED bulb is different from an incandescent bulb. A LED bulb in combination with coloured navigation light lens may result in a poor light
output.
• Most navigation light control panels are constructed for monitoring incandescent bulbs and will not be able to detect failures that may occur in a LED bulb. Due to low current consumption and non-sinusoidal current draw, alarm may occur at normal operation.