Morse "S" flasher?

[KevinMC]

Greetings folks,

On more than one occasion now I've read that (in addition to the standard multi-coloured navigation lights) American submarines are required to have a flashing beacon which "blinks" out the letter "S" in morse. Would anyone happen to have a short .AVI (or similar) that shows one of these beacons in operation? Failing that I could also work with a clear description of "on" and "off" times for the blinks and the period of the sequence.

For anyone who's curious why I'm asking, I'm working on a universal American/Russian beacon blinker circuit. Any help is appreciated!

KMc

[wlwilson]

Morse "S" For Submarine ID

I just finished a circuit for Morse "S."
I wasn't aware that Russia had a different pattern.
I can send you a copy via post.

Regards,
Warren

[KevinMC]

Hi Warren,

That would be greatly

Hi Warren,

That would be greatly appreciated!

I've seen a video clip of an OSCAR, and it's just a simple flash with no "embedded code".

[shadowpeo]

If your going to make

If your going to make them for sale Kevin, put me down for a couple

[KevinMC]

That can certainly be arranged!

That can certainly be arranged! I've completed the circuit and microcode, but I've yet to see any first hand references to validate how long the pattern should take. Shoot me your email and I'll send you a Quicktime vid of my circuit in operation...

KMc

[kwakelee]

This may help you out

This may help you out a bit:

"Submarines may display, as a distinctive means of identification, an intermittent flashing amber beacon with a sequence of operation of one flash per second for three (3) seconds followed by a three (3) second off-period. The light will be located where it can best be seen, as near as practicable, all around the horizon. It shall not be located less than two (2) feet above or below the masthead lights."

[48 FR 4284, Jan. 31, 1983]

[KevinMC]

Thank you kindly, Sir! That

Thank you kindly, Sir! That helps a great deal.

KMc

[tmsmalley]

Seems to me that longtime

Seems to me that longtime SubCommittee member, Ed (SubEd) Tordahl had a circuit to flash the US CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) designated submarine nav light signal. You might try dropping him a note and see if he still has the schematic.

Ed is still listed as the contact man for SubCom Long Island on the Local Chapters page at etordahl@optonline.net

[wlwilson]

Submarine ID "S" Light

As previously mentioned, I developed a circuit, not knowing of the one from Ed.

It meets the specification, even has a decaying light to simulate an incandescent lamp turning off.

The circuit uses descrete common electronic parts and does not require programming.

Kevin and I have been communicating and his circuit is very simple with few parts.

I'm considering an article for the SCR.

Regards,
Warren

[tmsmalley]

That would be great Warren

That would be great Warren - I know a lot of guys would like to see it!

[tabledancer]

Kevin,
I`m finally getting to my

Kevin,
I`m finally getting to my Alfa,I purchased from you one of the LED flasher kits at the Regetta last summer.I have a few questions though.
Can I add 1 more white LED to the White circuit without changing
anything,as I`m adding another lite to the rear upper fin.
Will there be a problem running the resistors "wet"if they are
covered with shrink tubing.
Are the circuit board and LED`S waterproof

The other lite in the white circuit will be the anchor lite on top of the fin.Thanks for any info.


TD

[KevinMC]

Hi Mike (See, I told

Hi Mike (See, I told you I'd remember!)

You can add another white LED to the white circuit, but it will alter the output light levels. I chose specific resistor values to try to "balance" the light output from all the LEDs- they should still work but the results you see will be affected by your power source. From 12V the light levels will change somewhat, a little more if you're running from 7.2V. From 6V I'm not sure what to expect but I can check it out and get back to you. (What voltage are you using?)

The resistors, flasher circuit and LEDs can all be run in the wet- that's exactly what I've done with mine and it's given me no trouble at all.

Were you going to use the same size LED for the anchor light as the white LED that was included in the kit?

[tabledancer]

Kevin,
How are you doin buddy,AS

Kevin,
How are you doin buddy,AS I said I finally got started on the Alfa,after much discussion with the some of the "hero`s" of the group.Had a few problems with the Gato but we overcame!

I will be running a 11.1v Lipo inside it`s own WTC,I thought about putting the circuit board in the wtc but now have changed my mind.I have a few ideas on how to control the circuit,but more on that later.The anchor lite on top of the upper rudder will be the larger of the two with the running lite the smaller in diameter,it will be mounted in the v-cut upper rudder.The wiring will be in a conduit drilled into the upper fin.I`ll send you the picts on that operation if you want to see whats going on.The other circuits will be cut in ahead of the board from the power lead coming from the battery.The only problem so far is finding the wires that will fit into the 1/8 in. conduit and handle the voltage.

I remember your presentation and you had shown how to cut down the size of the LED,if you still have that info could you send it my way please.

TD

[KevinMC]

Hi Mike,

11.1V battery voltage is

Hi Mike,

11.1V battery voltage is good- lots of headroom over the minimum required to illuminate 2 white LEDs. (Somewhere around 6V.) Given that you're looking to use a different LED in series with the one that was included in the kit the pair may glow with different intensities once you get them hooked up. Unfortunately the only way to find out is to try it out and see. If you can't see a difference beacuse of the way the LEDs will be oriented once installed, or if the difference in intensity is barely noticeable you're in business. If the difference is objectionable you'll have to break out each LED into it's own circuit. (Recall that's what I had to do with the rear-facing white light on my OSCAR.)

"...how to control the circuit"? Power on- LED on. Power off- LED off. Not much to control there, but I'll be happy to help if you have ideas you want someplace to "bounce".

Finding suitable wires to drive the LEDs shouldn't be a problem- the LEDs draw so little current you could use a pair of 30AWG wires, which even with the insulation should be less than 1/16" in dia each.

I'll dig out the "How to modify an LED" photos and post them here.

[tabledancer]

Thankyou Kevin.The control that I

Thankyou Kevin.The control that I was talking about was how to control the lights,through the transmiter on/off or by some mechanical method.


TD