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Creating a 120VAC LED Panel Indicator

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This project updates the Neon lights in my boat's shorepower panel with LED versions. The lights are used for
indicating NORMAL and REVERSE wiring conditions. The boat is a few years old, and over the years, the Neon
lights have lost some of their brilliance, so much so that they are barely visible. So I decided to replace them with
more modern LED indicators.

Caution:

There are potential lethal voltages and fire hazards connected with this project. This
project is not UL tested or certified. Anyone considering this project must acknowledge
that www.boat-project.com or its authors are not liable for any action that you may take
in connection with this project. This information should be considered amateur in nature,
and should be used for entertainment purposes only.

Disclaimer

BlueSea (P/Ns: 8034, 8066, 8169) and PanelTronics (P/Ns: 048-066, 048-016, 048-017, 048-021, 048-022,
048-023) make 120VAC LED panel lights, and they could be used for this project. However, their mounting hole
dimensions are 5/32 to 1/4" dia", which is smaller than the 3/8" hole the Neon lights mount in. So they just won't
work.

PanelTronics 048-016 120V LED

After I searched the electronic supply houses (Mouser, Allied, etc) I did find some 120VAC LED assemblies,
however, they are quite costly - up to $25 per unit. As I need 4 of them, that is a hefty price for indicator lights.

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So, I made the decision to make my own, as I can buy bezels and LEDs in the size that will fit into the holes. I
am estimating $2 to $5 for each LED assembly, which is a lot better than the alternative.

First a little LED theory:

A Light Emmitting Diode is similar to a generic silicon diode in that it is basically a PN junction, and can provide
a rectifier function. In reality, the only major differences are its forward-bias voltage (1.7V to 2V), and low Peak
Inverse Voltage (PIV), of anywhere between 5V and 30V. PIV is rarely a concern in DC electronic circuits, but
becomes a factor in 120VAC circuits during the reverse biased half of the AC cycle. Applying 120V across the
diode when it is reverse biased typically exceeds the LED's rating, and consequently will damage/destroy the
LED.

Since a LED is a current device, all that is really needed is to provide a means to limit the current, which is easily
enough done with a resistor as shown here:

In this example, when the LED is forward biased (top drawing), about 3mA of current flows through the resistor
and LED, thereby illuminating it. A current of 3mA is sufficient for most T-1 3/4 sized LEDs. Since the LED is a
diode, it's self-rectifying. A half-watt resistor is required, since 3mA @ 120V is around 300mW.

But notice what happens on the reverse bias cycle (bottom drawing). The LED does not conduct, so no current
flows in the opposite direction (well, other than a small amount of leakage current). Consequently, the resistance
of the LED is much higher than the resistor, so almost all of the 120V supply voltage will be across the LED.
And since they have a reverse bias (PIV) rating of as little as 5V, you can expect the LED will soon be damaged.

The solution then is to prevent the LED from having 120V applied across it during the half-cycle it is reverse
biased. One method of doing this is to use a standard silicone diode clamped across the LED, with the anode and

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cathode in the opposite direction. I am using a 1N4004 diode here, which has a PIV of 400V, but that is really
not needed as the LED will complement the 1N4004 by restricting the voltage to about 2V when the 1N4004 is
reverse biased.

Since the silicone diode has a characteristic forward biased voltage of about 0.7V, the LED will be limited to this
voltage in it's reverse biased state. Notice here that current now flows in both directions. Also, the current
flowing through the 1N4004 when the LED is reverse biased is wasted current, but its only 3mA of wasted
current.

The observant will notice that the current flowing through the circuit will be slightly different in the two
half-cycles, as the LED drops 2V when it conducts, and the 1N4004 drops 0.7V when it conducts. But this
variation is minimal, and well within the current handling capability of the resistor.

Since the LED is conducting for half-cycles only, its effective frequency is 30Hz, which if you look closely
enough, a slight flicker can be observed. This flicker is not normally noticed however. But if it is an issue, you
can always use a bridge rectifier in place of the clamping diode. This has an additional advantage that there is no
wasted current as the LED will be on for both halves of the cycle. This concept is shown below:

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The conducting path for each half-cycle is shown by the Red and Green arrows. Note that irregardless of which
direction the current flows into the bridge, the current always flows thorugh the LED in the forward biased
direction - which illuminates it.

A popular kit manufacturer, Velleman, makes a product that would be satisfactory; although you would have to
change the LED to whatever color you wish, as it comes with a blue LED. It uses the full-wave bridge rectifier
approach, but adds a capacitor in series to help flicker and to reduce voltage (which also limits current) to the
LED. Since Velleman is an European company, this kit will work on 50/60Hz, 120/240VAC. At $5 bucks per kit,
the price is right. If you are interested in this, look for Velleman "AC Power Voltage LED" kit MK181.

However, I am going to stick with the more simple half-wave approach as was originally discussed. To test this
circuit, I am going to build a little test mock up. I want to verfiy the resistor does not overheat, and I want to
ensure that 3mA is sufficient to illuminate the LED that I have selected. Here is the final circuit:

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The fuse was added on the test circuit so that I would not inadvertantly burning my house down. Again, the
resistor is a 1/2 watt resistor, and I used a 1N4004 diode which has a 1A current capability and a 400V PIV (both
of which are much more than required). But the cost for the diode is literally pennies.

Building the Test Circuit. This is a very simple circuit, and the components are simply soldered together. The
only real issue is to ensure you get the Cathode on the LED and 1N4004 wired in opposite directions. After that,
it matters not which side the resistor is connected to, or which side of the AC power line the wires are
connected.

To remain somewhat safe, I mounted the circuit in a NEMA 5-15P plug, one that has enough interior space to
house the few components.

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Successful test. I am pleased that even at 3mA, the light is sufficiently bright. And since the lights will be in the
cabin of the boat, they will not be in direct sunlight. And they are certainly brighter than the current Neon lights.
I also was able to confirm that after hours of operation, I could feel only the slightest warmth in the resistor.

I'd say the test was a success. The next step; order the parts for the modification.

Creating the modules

For the production system, I am going to create two modules; with each module supporting two LEDs. The
modules will contain all of the parts except for the LEDs themselves. Since I am going to all the trouble of
creating modules, I decided to go with full bridge version. I figured, for 20-cents in additional diodes, I can take

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advantage of the reverse-biased cycle and have a brigher LED with less flicker. Its not uncommon for a project
to take a left-turn such as this.

For the prototype board, I used a

small Radio Shack board with holes
on 0.100 centers. The terminal
posts are Keystone 4902, and I had
to enlarge the holes just a bit for the
posts to fit. I will be placing the
proto board into a Bud
PB-1558-BF potting box. This box
is 1.5"x2" so you have to work
small.

On the underside, I soldered all of

the components (8 1N4004 diodes,
2 22K Ohm 1W resistors, and two
0.125A fuses). I went with 1 Watt
resistors (even though they only
need to dissapate 1/2Watt) as they
will be encapsulated in potting
compound, and I wanted to
compensate for any thermal
increase in the box.

This wiring scheme is known as

point-to-point, and was actually the
method of choice up until the late
1960s, when transistors and circuit
boards became more popular. Until
then, your grandad's tube TV set
was probably wired in this fashion.

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Back to the top side of the proto

board. The two green components
on the top side are the fuses. They
will be exposed after potting so that
they can be replaced if necessary.
Also notice that I offest the fuses to
one side slightly. This was so that I
could tell which side of the module
is the input side (120VAC) and
which side was the output (to the
LEDs). Otherwise, after potting,
you'll have no idea which terminal is
what. Another technique would be
to mark one side of the case with a
dot of paint to identify the terminal
orientation.

Now the potting compound pour.

Potting compound is essentially
epoxy, but with low conductive/low
static properties. The potting
compound has a 24 hour cure time,
so you want to mix it up, let it sit for
20 minutes, then stir it again - which
removes the bubbles. When
pouring, it comes out pretty slow, so
make sure you allow time for the
potting compound to level out.
Otherwise, you could end up
overfilling the potting box. You
don't want to cover the terminals or
fuses.

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And here is the finished module.

Two sets of 120VAC circuits
connect to the 4 terminals across
the top, and the two LEDs connect
to the 4 terminals across the bottom.
Using spade terminals allows the
connections to the module to be
relatively protected, although it will
be mounted inside of the boat's
electrical panel. Notice that the
solder-tail fuses are exposed, so
they can be replaced if necessary.

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