[Paddlewise] LED's, was Strobe Question

From: John Kirk-Anderson <jka_at_netaccess.co.nz>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:37:34 +1300
Hi Folks,

With LED's having a massive advantage in operating times and durability, is
there anyone in Paddlewise-land who would know how to adapt an Underwater
Kinetics Mini Q-40 to use LED's? Is it as simple as making one fit, and if
that is the case, why do some LED units have a small circuit board? Warning,
my electronic knowledge is such that I have to check twice that I have put
the batteries in the correct way!

I have carried the UK Q-40 for years in my buoyancy vest (PFD) in addition
to a strobe, but from reading the list discussion on strobes versus fixed
lights it may be time to improve efficiency.

Thinking of the practical use of a marker light, in Feb this year a Navy
diver, Robert Hewitt, spent 75 hours drifting in the sea off the North
Island (NZ) after a recreational dive, when he surfaced away from his dive
boat.

Like many such incidents, it happened towards the end of the day, and the
resultant search was soon effected by nightfall. His amazing survival story
is a tribute to his training, fitness, mental toughness and his wetsuit. Not
to take anything away from Robert or his colleagues but the one thing that
doesn't seem to have been addressed is that any of the signal devices that
we discuss here would have had him out of the water that first evening,
enjoying a beer while telling a good yarn.

Cheers

JKA


-- 
John Kirk-Anderson
Banks Peninsula
NEW ZEALAND
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Received on Thu Dec 21 2006 - 10:38:38 PST

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