Making a Wireless Lightboard for a Boat Trailer

[Fenlander]

>>When the Season as you call it starts (PS it has already started). Will be nice to see your trip reports

I've been going on the water for 64yrs and on the sea for 60+yrs in everything from a Canadian canoe to a 55ft 8 berth motor sailor... I have nothing left I need to prove so I may or may not post a trip report this year... it matters not in the scheme of life.

Re wireless lights I'm reminded of a downside of wireless reverse cams where suddenly you'd have an image of horses munching on hay pop up on your display as a race transporter passes by on the motorway. I'd wonder just how secure the wi-fi signal is between different folks E-bay lights.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>When the Season as you call it starts (PS it has already started). Will be nice to see your trip reports

I've been going on the water for 64yrs and on the sea for 60+yrs in everything from a Canadian canoe to a 55ft 8 berth motor sailor... I have nothing left I need to prove so I may or may not post a trip report this year... it matters not in the scheme of life.

Re wireless lights I'm reminded of a downside of wireless reverse cams where suddenly you'd have an image of horses munching on hay pop up on your display as a race transporter passes by on the motorway. I'd wonder just how secure the wi-fi signal is between different folks E-bay lights.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

Please post information on here once you do that. I for one would be interested to see how you adapt my idea

No need to make one. I have a perfectly good "wired" lighting board and plate holder bought from euro car parts for the princely sum of £21.95.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

No need to make one. I have a perfectly good "wired" lighting board and plate holder bought from euro car parts for the princely sum of £21.95.

Well done excellent price. People who use there bigger boats regularly benefit from making the whole launch and recover process as simple and hassle free as possible. Wired light boards don't help in that regard.

[Steve509926]

Do you leave the wireless board on, is it waterproof? And do you leave the WiFi sender that I assume plugs into the 7/13 pin socket on the towbar?

[Pipster100]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

Well done excellent price. People who use there bigger boats regularly benefit from making the whole launch and recover process as simple and hassle free as possible. Wired light boards don't help in that regard.

I’ve just got permanently fitted waterproof wired LED lights, no need to remove anything when you arrive at the slipway. Number plate just clips on the swim ladder.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Do you leave the wireless board on, is it waterproof? And do you leave the WiFi sender that I assume plugs into the 7/13 pin socket on the towbar?

I can quite easily do the following:

1) Remove the complete wireless light board in one. Takes about 10 seconds
2) Just remove the individual light units. Probably takes 15 seconds
3) The little wireless sender that plugs into the normal car 7 pin socket can be removed and put in your pocket in about 5 seconds.

All in all getting rid of the long wire is very helpful. Yes you have to keep the light units charged up via a USB lead that comes with the set but I have found that the charge seems to last for ages. Each unit has a switch also.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

I can quite easily do the following:

1) Remove the complete wireless light board in one. Takes about 10 seconds
2) Just remove the individual light units. Probably takes 15 seconds
3) The little wireless sender that plugs into the normal car 7 pin socket can be removed and put in your pocket in about 5 seconds.

All in all getting rid of the long wire is very helpful. Yes you have to keep the light units charged up via a USB lead that comes with the set but I have found that the charge seems to last for ages. Each unit has a switch also.

I was asking a serious question! Which, from your slightly condescending answer, you have obviously misread.

If they happened to be waterproof I could see the benefit of following your lead and getting some for my "smaller" boat, as they are not, for my "smaller" boat they are pointless.

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by chipko

Not built one, just so cheap to buy.

My rather harsh remark wasn’t simply regarding diy skills,
more trailer lighting compliance. Such as;

No fog lamp.
Indicators required to be max 400mm from side of trailer.
Illuminated No. plate….only one near, assume not compliant.
Do wireless sets have a driver information lights working/not system?
One partially obscured triangular reflector.

The last thing I need when towing is for plod to pull me over for some lighting infringement only to then pour over the whole rig looking for faults.

Plod pull you over? You can't get the buggers to turn out for anything less than a homicide, let alone to go over the finer point's of towing legalities...if you have lights and they work then that's the end of it as far as fuzz is concerned.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by fastasfox

Plod pull you over? You can't get the buggers to turn out for anything less than a homicide, let alone to go over the finer point's of towing legalities...if you have lights and they work then that's the end of it as far as fuzz is concerned.

Unless of course they just want to tug you and it's a convenient excuse.

But if you don't have lights... Is the "oh - sorry officer I'm not sure what's happened my WiFi seems to have crashed" going to be an acceptable excuse?

I've personally never found routing a cable too more than a few seconds. Mounting the board does it there aren't proper mounts. That's not changed by the WiFi.

Lack of fog light is only an issue when there is fog... ;-) which is inevitably the day you put the WiFi lights on.

I'm sure they stay charged in the garage for months. What I want to know is how charged they stay if I'm crawling on the A1(M) in dreadful rain doing loads of start stop because there is an accident ahead. They can't really break on me... While I'm on the motorway.

Which brings back the questions of how you know if they are working.

But let's ignore plod pulling me over. The purpose of the C&U regs defining light positions is for safety. If my lights are in the wrong position does some geezer in a truck misjudge where the trailer is and hit it? Why didn't the C&U say a triangle reflector or a irregular pentagon?

If I tuck my plate under the trailer out of sight I might get past a speed camera van... But if someone then drives over me it seems rather pointless.

I like fixed, waterproof lights. You may gather I'm yet to be convinced by the benefits of adding WiFi to an already temperamental concept

[gpsguru]

At lot of plod will know The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989...

Trailers built before September 30th 1990

All trailers must have two red side lights, two red stop lights, two red triangular reflectors, an illuminated number plate along with amber indicators designed to flash between 60-120 times per minute.

Trailers built after September 30th 1990

Must also be fitted with front white reflectors.

Trailers more than 1.3m wide

Must also have at least one red fog lamp.

Trailers more than 1.6m wide

Must also have front position white markers/lights.

Trailers longer than 6m (excluding drawbar)

Must also have red/white side markers. So side marker lights are only required by law if the trailer is above 6m in length.

Trailers built after October 2012 with brakes

Must also be fitted with a reversing light.

How to arrange lights and reflectors?

There are legal requirements in how you fit these lights and markers on your trailer. These are:

• Indicators should be a between 350mm and 1500mm from the ground.
• Indicators should be a maximum of 400mm from the side of the trailer.
• Indicators should be a minimum of 400mm apart.
• Triangular reflectors should be positioned, between 250mm and 900mm from the ground, with a minimum separation of 600mm and no more than 400mm from the sides.
• Two fog lamps must be separated and positioned at opposite sides of the rear of the trailer.
• Fog lamps should be placed within 250mm and 1000mm from the ground.
• Fog lamps should be a minimum of 400mm apart.
• There should be at least of 100mm of separation between the fog lights and the tail lights/indicators.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

I was asking a serious question! Which, from your slightly condescending answer, you have obviously misread.

If they happened to be waterproof I could see the benefit of following your lead and getting some for my "smaller" boat, as they are not, for my "smaller" boat they are pointless.

Honestly that was a serious answer. I was trying to help but hey ho

I missed the bit about waterproof and the answer is I don’t think so

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by fastasfox

Plod pull you over? You can't get the buggers to turn out for anything less than a homicide, let alone to go over the finer point's of towing legalities...if you have lights and they work then that's the end of it as far as fuzz is concerned.

Spot on

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Unless of course they just want to tug you and it's a convenient excuse.

But if you don't have lights... Is the "oh - sorry officer I'm not sure what's happened my WiFi seems to have crashed" going to be an acceptable excuse?

I've personally never found routing a cable too more than a few seconds. Mounting the board does it there aren't proper mounts. That's not changed by the WiFi.

Lack of fog light is only an issue when there is fog... ;-) which is inevitably the day you put the WiFi lights on.

I'm sure they stay charged in the garage for months. What I want to know is how charged they stay if I'm crawling on the A1(M) in dreadful rain doing loads of start stop because there is an accident ahead. They can't really break on me... While I'm on the motorway.

Which brings back the questions of how you know if they are working.

But let's ignore plod pulling me over. The purpose of the C&U regs defining light positions is for safety. If my lights are in the wrong position does some geezer in a truck misjudge where the trailer is and hit it? Why didn't the C&U say a triangle reflector or a irregular pentagon?

If I tuck my plate under the trailer out of sight I might get past a speed camera van... But if someone then drives over me it seems rather pointless.

I like fixed, waterproof lights. You may gather I'm yet to be convinced by the benefits of adding WiFi to an already temperamental concept

All I can say is they work very well. However my intention as stated is to use these for my short regular trips. For my longer trips I will use a normal wired light board.

Why not get a set and try then they are cheap enough

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

All I can say is they work very well. However my intention as stated is to use these for my short regular trips. For my longer trips I will use a normal wired light board.

Why not get a set and try then they are cheap enough

1. Coz I've not heard a convincing argument they are better than a wired solution

2. Coz adding more points of failure is the last thing I need (WiFi and battery)

3. Coz it seems daft to replace a functional, reasonably legal lightboard with one that isn't - fog light and single illumination of number plate


On my van if there is anything plugged in to the 7pin socket, when I indicate it beeps. If the bulb is out it beeps really fast. Now granted, on a short journey I probably won't stop and fix the bulb if that were to happen. On a long journey I would.

Switching to LED obviously massively helps with the bulbs. The bleep assures me the board is still there!

It's not clear how I test this having wasted £35. I can put the board 200 yards away and break the WiFi link presumably. And then find out what happens on the dash/beepers.

I can presumably run one flat and see what happens.

Those would be the first 2 things I'd want to do. For a solution I don't need... Because I've never found taking a 5m cable the length of my 5m trailer took more than 20 seconds...

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Pipster100

I’ve just got permanently fitted waterproof wired LED lights, no need to remove anything when you arrive at the slipway. Number plate just clips on the swim ladder.

That is indeed another method and I have done that. After about 3 seasons however my board got water ingress.

There is no right or wrong answer. I just know that with the many boats I have not having a wire to contend with is good

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

All I can say is they work very well. However my intention as stated is to use these for my short regular trips. For my longer trips I will use a normal wired light board.

Why not get a set and try then they are cheap enough

OK Fair enough. Good to have choices and inform others of the options

[Fenlander]

>>Why not get a set and try then they are cheap enough

Reminds me of my mate when we were 12 who decided to try and see how far he could cycle with his eyes shut. What he'd not considered is how he'd know this experiment had ended.

That turned out to be when he rode into the back of his uncle's A35 van and took his front top teeth out on the little gutter above the rear door.

[willk]

Heath Robinson strikes again!
The world is full of complicated solutions to make our lives simpler.

Lighting boards give me two issues (when they work)

1. Falling off, a sturdy cable tie on each side (in addition to the native solution) resolved that.

2. Wrapping the cable around the trailer frame. I stopped doing that and used Velcro cable wraps instead. Secure them to the cable and then just flip them around the frame.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>Why not get a set and try then they are cheap enough

Reminds me of my mate when we were 12 who decided to try and see how far he could cycle with his eyes shut. What he'd not considered is how he'd know this experiment had ended.

That turned out to be when he rode into the back of his uncle's A35 van and took his front top teeth out on the little gutter above the rear door.

Some Random Information with nowt to do with the issue at hand