Help please with late war Tiger 1 rear blue convoy light

[littletankman]

Hi looking for advice on the late Tiger 1 convoy light please . Ive converted my HL one using transparent blue pollythene bent like a tube and used a plane LED and the correct side , moulded on sides . However Ive now seen that they were mounted on a bracket not directly onto the tank as the moulded one is .  I now have  the Asiatam bottom ( thanks Rik ) So Ive got to re do the convoy light . Ive made a bracket and the tube/light holder out of brass. My question is should the tube be blue when switched off or clear when switched off , with a blue light inside to iluminate it blue? Did it have one or four bulbs in the tube  late version ?


        Thanks Littletankman

[Mad Fox]

I know its not fully answering your question but it maybe an idea toy use an led inside the tank with a bit of blue acetate infront on the side of a box sheilding most of the sides and using fibre optic to carry the light to the required place, when you have the full info off the guys as to how many bulns the convoy light had you could use that number of fiber optic strands as there were bulbs and position then accordingly, if it was just one you could still use a couple but fix them together to give a single bule bulb look, the fibre optic strands could be got off a lamp that they seel in poundland at the minute, so it wouldnt cost alot to try out the idea, and if the light is multicoloured, chances are you might get the blue acetate you need too 

[daviddunlop]

Good morning.

I have seen several wartime photos of damaged Tiger Tanks with these lamps broken and my best guess is that the two end assemblies appear to be lamp sockets, so each end likely had one lamp and each lamp lit one pair of indicator lenses.

I would suggest testing a fiber optic setup first before actually building one into your tank. They typically need a very bright light source to be really effective. You might be better off working with a very small LED, or what used to be called a "grain of wheat" conventional lamp. Model railway shops probably could help you out.

The bulbs in the real lamp would have been clear, with the indicator lenses being a blue/green colour.

Good luck with the project.

David

[littletankman]

Hi David,
Thanks my first one was a white LED with blue tube (from £ shop ) thanks for the advice .The picture is my first attempt using the existing HL moulded unit.

Andy

[littletankman]

Hi Mad fox ,
Poundland my favoret supplier ! , thanks thats also sounds a good idea  thank you . If you look at my other reply I have included a picture of my first attempt using the moulded HL ends and a blue tube with plain LED .
Thanks for the tip.

Andy

[fv432]

hi andy heres what im doing using fibre optics and a light box

yes guys it is brass lol

[littletankman]

Hi fV432,
Very nice I have also made the mount and the tube body , and guess what ! out of brass to  What did you use for the glass lens please . Im of to poundland tom to look at the fibre optics . Looking at your light it is a clear lens and blue lights ( x4?) not the otherway round.

Thanks Andy

[fv432]

if you cant get any fibre optics next time you see a virgin install van ask the guys if they have any offcuts of cable
i use a hdmi cable for the dvd to tv

the lens is an old paint brush protector and yes its clear as i thought they used a blue filter over the bulb maybe wrong but if it looks ok then all good

[littletankman]

Hi ,
God I never thought of that top man . Ive just bourght some new brushes . I think I will get the fibre optics from poundland but if not thanks for the tip. Im not compleatly sure how it all works going to have a play with it tom . On my previous tank thats in the pict I used a clear LED and a blue lens . But I think it possibly is the other way round as the ones you can buy are clear . Is it true they had four bulbs in them for gauging the distance from the tank in front , can you do that with fibreoptics . Sorry for all the questions .

Thanks Andy

[fv432]

no worries andy yes you can run 4 lights just need to drill 4 holes

what i do is run the blue led to the four branches of fibreoptics and heat shrink together so the fibre optics is as close as possible to the led