Lighting

Lighting

A fullsize flightdeck needs a lot of lights. In this chapter you´ll find my solutions for all the different lights in an A320. There is a description, how I built the lamp, what kind of light source I choosed and how these lights are controlled.

Difficulty

Lighting scheme

  picture  light source  light source picture  control  control picture  power supply electronic modules  power supply 
General illumination (DOME lights)  2x 4 cold-cathode lamps with inverter white 300mm 7-12V 400mA. (CONRAD 58 12 65 - 59) 7,95€ each   Three position switch (ON_OFF_ON) on overhead panel DOME (BRIGHT - DIM - OFF)   12VDC 
Instrument integral lighting main instrument and center pedestal  220V lightpipe white 13mm diameter; available in every do-it-yourself store; approx. 22€ for 9m. In total I have 22m lightpipe in my flightdeck.   Potentiometer on the center pedestal (INTEG LIGHT MAIN&PED)   220V AC; Conrad Motoren und Lampenregler No 130004-59 17,95€  
Instrument integral lighting overhead  220V lightpipe white 13mm diameter; available in every do-it-yourself store; approx. 22€ for 9m.   Potentiometer on the Overhead panel (OVHD INTEG LIGHT)   220V AC; Conrad Motoren und Lampenregler No 130004-59 17,95€  
Main panel flood lighting   4x 10W, 12V Halogen G4 Spot in the glare shield   Potentiometer on center pedestal (FLOOD LT MAIN PANEL)   12V AC; Conrad Power Control 12V 50W. This modul is in the catalog or in the internet not longer available. So you have to use a controller from other electronic shops. 12V PWM 50W.  
Center pedestal flood lighting  1x 35W halogen spot G4 Flood in the overhead panel  Potentiometer on center pedestal (FLOOD LT PED)   12V AC; Conrad Power Control 12V 50W. This modul is in the catalog or in the internet not longer available. So you have to use a controller from other electronic shops. 12V PWM 50W.  
CPT Side console and floor lighting  220V lightpipe white 13mm diameter; available in every do-it-yourself store; approx. 22€ for 9m.   Three position switch on main side panel CONSOLE/FLOOR (BRT-DIM-OFF)   Instead of the 500k potentiometer, 3 resistors are used together with the 3 position switch. OFF = 470k, DIM = 22k, BRIGHT = 0 Ohms; 1/4W  
F/O Side console and floor lighting  220V lightpipe white 13mm diameter; available in every do-it-yourself store; approx. 22€ for 9m.   Three position switch on main side panel CONSOLE/FLOOR (BRT-DIM-OFF)   Instead of the 500k potentiometer, 3 resistors are used together with the 3 position switch. OFF = 470k, DIM = 22k, BRIGHT = 0 Ohms; 1/4W  
CPT reading light  7 white LEDs in the overhead panel   Potentiometer in the overhead close to the lamp  5V, 7x20mA, from FSBUS IO Card ANALOG OUT; potentiometer 100k to ANALOG IN channel  
F/O reading light  7 white LEDs in the overhead panel   Potentiometer in the overhead close to the lamp  5V, 7x20mA, from FSBUS IO Card ANALOG OUT; potentiometer 100k to ANALOG IN channel  
CPT card holder light   1 white LED in the left pillar  Potentiometer direct below the lamp  5V, 1x20mA, from FSBUS IO Card ANALOG OUT; potentiometer 100k to ANALOG IN channel  
F/O card holder light   1 white LED in the right pillar  Potentiometer direct below the lamp  5V, 1x20mA, from FSBUS IO Card ANALOG OUT; potentiometer 100k to ANALOG IN channel  

Overview

In the mainpanel under the CPT window, I built a panel with all controllers for lighting. There are 2 power supplies from PC´s with 2x 250W, 5V and 12V. One transformer 220VAC -> 12VAC for the Halogen PWM controller modules. Some controllers for 220V lightpipes.  
The FSBUS PCB´s for controlling the LED lamps are located on overhead, main panel and center pedestral. See Electronics / FSBUS