NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Paul Dolkas
Date: 2017 Aug 27, 15:03 -0700
David-
Robert Swartz sometimes has parts for A-12s, you might ping him. Bubble chambers are hard to come by, however. Is it just a case of filling it, or does it need a good cleaning? I couldn’t get mine apart to clean the insides – just as well, because I probably would have broken it.
Paul Dolkas
From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of David Pike
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2017 12:59 AM
To: paul@dolkas.net
Subject: [NavList] Re: LED Street Lights
The problem with the bubble illumination lighting gizmo is that the rheostat has a limited lifetime, and once it wears out, it’s almost impossible to find a replacement. When mine went south, I ended up making a whole new lighting system using a 3-D printer. Doesn’t really look like the old one, but it works really well. Paul Dolkas
Right now, my priority with my A12 is obtaining a bubble. When that's achieved, I'll look at the lighting. It was getting better with use. If I have to rework it, I'll probably stick with a filament bulb to retain control at a very low light level. However, it would be ironic if I ended up using an led. Wrapping the bulb in red filter material to get the same effect as a MkIX might also be worth a try. DaveP
