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VLB-5X LED Beacon 

 

AIS-Compatible 

Installation and Operation Manual

 

STAND ALONE & SELF CONTAINED 

  Marine Beacon 

  Bridge Light 

  Aircraft Hazard Light 

 

 
 

VLB-5X Product Manual 

Available colour range 

Red, Green, White, Yellow or Blue 

Available models 

SA-Stand Alone (No Solar panels) 
SS-Standard Solar 8W with 12Ah battery 
LS1-Large Solar 16W with 12Ah Battery 
LS2-Large Solar 16W with 24Ah Battery 

Vertical divergence 

7° Marine Beacon, Obstacle Light and 
Wreck Light 

Options 

Internal GPS for synchronising 
RS232 Data port (RS485 optional) 
Sync and monitor wire 
AIS-compatible 

Product Version 

1.00 

Software version: 

8.11 

Manual version: 

1.2 

Date released: 

Aug 2017 

V E G A   I N D U S T R I E S   L I M I T E D

 

VLB-5X-SA-Stand Alone 

VLB-5X-SS-Standard Solar 

VLB-5X-LS-Large Solar 

Summary of Contents for VLB-5X

Page 1: ...ard Solar 8W with 12Ah battery LS1 Large Solar 16W with 12Ah Battery LS2 Large Solar 16W with 24Ah Battery Vertical divergence 7 Marine Beacon Obstacle Light and Wreck Light Options Internal GPS for synchronising RS232 Data port RS485 optional Sync and monitor wire AIS compatible Product Version 1 00 Software version 8 11 Manual version 1 2 Date released Aug 2017 V E G A I N D U S T R I E S L I M ...

Page 2: ...11 or 722 for Lead Acid Battery variants may not communicate correctly over the serial interface with a Vega AIS device Please contact Vega Industries to arrange a software update Manual Version Released Description of Change Software version VLB 5X Serial number 1 0 0 Dec 2016 First issue 800 67 00050000 1 1 Jul 2017 Added CSQ query command 810 67 00050000 1 2 Aug 2017 Add coms protocol compatibi...

Page 3: ...from labour and material defects and will repair or replace at its option the whole or any part of the products found to be faulty Vega is not liable for any charge beyond the point of delivery including installation alignment or testing To claim under warranty the product must be returned to the manufacturer To view Vega s warranty terms and conditions please visit http www vega co nz terms and c...

Page 4: ...TTING UP AND USING THE VLB 5X BEACON 10 1 0 Getting Started 10 2 0 Solar Calculations 10 3 0 Shipping of the VLB 5X 11 3 1 From the Factory 11 4 0 Infra red Programming 11 5 0 The Initial Power Up 11 5 1 Stand Alone Model 11 5 2 Self Contained Model 11 6 0 Programming 11 7 0 Installing the VLB 5X Beacon 12 7 1 Bird Spikes 12 7 2 Wiring from VLB 5X SA SAP Stand Alone Beacon 12 7 2 1 VLB 5X Base Com...

Page 5: ...the Light 21 5 4 Intensity Settings 21 5 5 Synchronising Options 22 5 5 1 Additional Sync Options 22 5 6 Operation Mode 23 5 6 1 Auto Leave Storage 23 5 6 2 Auto Storage 23 5 7 Programming Mode 24 5 8 Battery Thresholds 24 5 9 System Checks 24 5 10 Security PIN Number 25 5 11 Calendar 25 User Notes 28 Appendix A Programming Table 29 Appendix B VLB 5X Intensity Settings And Currents 33 Appendix C W...

Page 6: ...acon The 7 divergence 3 5 symmetrical lens provides a horizontal fan beam for marine beacon applications The obstacle lens is an asymmetrical lens with the peak intensity occurring at 8 above the horizontal and is designed to provide the beacon profile required for aircraft hazard lights for ICAO Type A and Type B and for use as bridge marking lights The FAA lens is made to meet the FAA 810 optica...

Page 7: ...nitor wire and sync wire External charging plug and sync wire for self contained models SS and LS Alarm Monitor output beacon healthy Note Hard wire synchronisation is provided as standard on the SA model 1 3 Approvals The VLB 5X approved under the former name of VLB 67 LED beacon has been approved under US Coast Guard regulations CFR33 part 67 for use as a Class B or C light for artificial island...

Page 8: ... beacon will not operate above its maximum candela capability When programming a flash character the user should check that the peak candela required for a flash character at the required range is below the maximum intensity The VLB 5X will cap the intensity at the maximum candela allowed reducing the range of the light ...

Page 9: ...battery The plastic body and base of the VLB 5X beacon is made from nylon and has a 30 percent glass fill The coloured top of the beacon is made from ASA plastic The lens is moulded from optical grade acrylic The VLB 5X LED beacon is assembled and sealed using self tapping fasteners into the glass filled nylon parts This assembly method is not designed for frequent disassembly and reassembly of th...

Page 10: ...ned units Details of the electrical connections are provided in Appendix F 5 0 Battery Charging on VLB 5X SS and LS Beacons The solar charger in the VLB 5X beacon monitors the temperature and the voltage and will charge the batteries when the voltage level at the solar panels exceeds the voltage of the battery Protection is provided to prevent the overcharging of the battery The solar charger is d...

Page 11: ...the beacon flashing with the programmed flash character After a further 16 to 20 seconds the beacon will begin to monitor the ambient light level If day is detected and the beacon is set for night operation only the beacon will turn off After a further 14 seconds the beacon will begin to monitor the voltage for the low level threshold factory setting 11 Volts If the threshold is reached the beacon...

Page 12: ...cable the user must tin each cable core and reseal both external sheath and internal cores with heat shrink and marine sealant 7 2 1 VLB 5X Base Compartment The base of the VLB 5X beacon is designed to provide space to fit a AC to DC switch mode power supply to allow the VLB 5X SA Stand Alone model to be mains powered Vega will only supply the stand alone model as a 12VDC unit and if a mains suppl...

Page 13: ...le to the intended user This includes the sway on a fixed structure and the roll of a buoy The vertical divergence of the VLB 5X beacon is 7 degrees At 3 5 the intensity is at 50 and at 7 0 the intensity is approximately 10 of the peak intensity 8 0 VLB 5X Factory Options All options are factory installed and must be included in the purchase order None of the options can be fitted in the field aft...

Page 14: ...attery positive For additional details refer to the specification section 8 4 Data Port The RS232 RS485 data port can operate continuously or on demand The on demand mode uses less power than the continuous mode When the data port is used the additional power must be taken into account when calculating the overall power requirement if the VLB 5X The data port shares common circuitry with the IRDA ...

Page 15: ...body With the sealing ring containing the two O rings attached to the lantern head reconnect the battery and solar cables to the lantern head Arrange the cables inside the solar body and under the foam packing so that the cables cannot interfere with the sealing ring Carefully replace the lantern head onto the solar body keeping the lantern head as horizontal as possible Hold the cables and connec...

Page 16: ...eacon Copies of the program settings can also be saved or recalled from memory For computer programming please refer to the PROG 01 instruction manual The programming described in the rest of this manual relates to the infrared TVIR programmer only Computer programming of the VLB 5X is more straightforward than using the remote TVIR programmer as all features of the beacon can be set at once and o...

Page 17: ...nds 4 quick flashes 0 1sec on 0 1sec off If the VLB 5X has been programmed for Calendar or auto storage mode the flash response will be different Numeric key when programming 1 flash for each key pressed When programming code recognised The 3 or 4 digit value code is repeated using a series of flashes of 0 1sec on and 0 1 sec off with a gap of 0 5 sec between each number of the code A zero is repr...

Page 18: ...rder for the VLB 5X to see the TVIR programmer Once in programming mode the operating or calendar settings can be checked or reprogrammed Refer Clause 5 6 for the operating modes and clause 5 11 for the calendar settings Beacon needs a security PIN to allow programming Refer clause 5 10 4 2 Becoming Familiar with the Syntax and Flash Feedback If you have not used the Vega TVIR Programmer before sp...

Page 19: ...is daytime and the light is set to operate at night only the light will turn off Create a programming error by attempting to enter an invalid Operation Mode code 003 Determine the programming Syntax from Appendix A for the setting Operation Programming 1 Feature Operation Mode 5 Value Code 003 The programming sequence to enter this Operation Mode is 15003 Enter programming mode Press the red stand...

Page 20: ...e program settings of the VLB 5X As the VLB 5X is delivered from the factory with default settings and it is only necessary to program the settings that need to be changed The Read Settings feature can be used to note the values already programmed Once the required settings are known use the second table in Appendix D to note the correct syntax and programming code from programming tables in Appen...

Page 21: ...econds 001 The termination code when the programming of the custom character is finished 000 Appendix C provides a work sheet and an example for programming a Custom Character If an error occurs when entering a custom character the VLB 5X will flash the error code of 3 quick flashes Programming a custom character creates a flash character with code 999 To get the VLB 5X to use the custom character...

Page 22: ... will still generate a sync pulse when operating In slave mode the VLB 5X will operate on the basis of the sync pulses received and will stop operating after a programmed number of flash cycles after the sync pulse is lost Operation Program or read 1 or 9 Feature Synchronisation 3 Value XYY 999 disables synchronisation X determines if the light is a master or slave unit 0YY Master 1YY Slave YY all...

Page 23: ...itor option on the VLB 5X If connected to a VSM 222 the beacon will flash back the CSQ value network signal strength received from the VSM 222 Reset 999 Allows the beacon to be reset to the factory default settings The calendar on off dates are not altered during the reset To change the mode from Storage to Normal the red standby key on the TVIR programmer must be held down for the time necessary ...

Page 24: ...ta is requested by an external device The on demand option will use less power Protocol for the RS232 RS485 port is provided in Appendix G Operation Program or read 1 or 9 Feature Operation Mode 6 Value 000 has both IRDA and RS232 port disabled See Appendix A for other settings 5 8 Battery Thresholds The VLB 5X has programmable battery threshold settings designed to protect a battery from damage b...

Page 25: ...om the factory The PIN number for each colour blue and yellow is provided on the Test Sheet when the product is shipped Refer to the test sheet for these numbers Note Where a PIN has been set and a user attempts to change a setting an error message will be generated and no changes will occur If you lose your PIN please contact Vega 5 11 Calendar The VLB 5X allows the programming of 5 pairs of cale...

Page 26: ...d Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 26 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 The day of the month is a number between 01 and 31 The VLB 5X does not check the days entered against a particular month The 31st of February for example would be seen by the VLB 5X as the 3rd of March ...

Page 27: ...is hour 00 to 23 MM is minute 00 to 59 30 Set 1 st OFF date MMDD 0000 Disables MM is month 01 to 12 DD is day 01 to 31 Daylight saving is not supported by the Calendar Feature All dates must be programmed relative to the real time programmed in Feature 10 and 20 MMDD MM is month 01 to 12 DD is day 01 to 31 40 Read 1 st OFF date MMDD MM is month 01 to 12 DD is day 01 to 31 31 Set 1 st ON date MMDD ...

Page 28: ...Instruction Manual VLB 5X LED Beacon Vega Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 28 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 User Notes ...

Page 29: ...ndela effective Four Digit Value Enter value as a number 0000 to 9999 0000 Sets minimum allowed value 9999 sets maximum allowed value 3 Synchronisation Default 000 Master sync no delay 999 Disable Synchronisation 998 Beacon activated by holding sync low Synchronization not possible since sync line used 0YY Light in normal mode 1YY Light operates only when sync pulse present YY sync delay seconds 0...

Page 30: ...see table below Beacon must be placed in dark for at least 1 minute to activate the Auto Leave function 2N0 Auto Storage Mode on dark Auto Leave Storage on day 24 hours of darkness will force beacon into storage mode N is proportional to minutes of light that will cause beacon to leave storage mode and reactivate see table below 2N9 Same as 2N0 except beacon is immediately placed in storage mode u...

Page 31: ...d units Numbers 002 to 255 are permitted in the On Off pairs 001 is a special case indicating continuation connect the two values on either side of 001 002 to 255 100 milliseconds to 12 75 seconds 001 Extend an on or off period 000 End command Examples a 010 020 015 020 200 001 200 020 000 b 006 012 006 012 000 c 125 125 000 Illegal a 020 001 001 020 000 repeated connecting character b 010 020 015...

Page 32: ...e year 01 12 DD is day of the month 01 31 If month is zero in either OFF date time or corresponding ON date time OFF date time pair is ignored MMDD where MM is month of the year 1 12 DD is day of the month 01 31 4 0 Read 1 st OFF Date MMDD where MM is month of the year 1 12 DD is day of the month 01 31 3 1 Set 1 st ON Date On dates are odd numbered MMDD where MM is month of the year 01 12 DD is da...

Page 33: ...3 0 10 0010 20 15 20 20 55 2 0 5 0005 10 10 10 15 30 1 5 2 4 0002 10 1 0 1 0 0001 5 Max Peak Candela cd 177 177 177 157 50 Max Peak Current mA 240 255 245 265 246 Max Fixed Effective Candela cd 106 106 106 94 30 Max Fixed Effective Current mA 145 155 150 160 150 Night current mA 2 5 Night current with GPS mA 4 5 Day off current transport modes storage mode with calendar disabled mA 0 3 Day off cur...

Page 34: ... 62 1 5 2 4 0003 10 10 10 15 30 1 0 1 0 0001 5 5 5 10 12 Measured Estimated mm yyyy 07 2013 07 2013 07 2013 Est 09 2015 Max Candela cd 60 60 60 60 21 Max Current mA 300 265 260 275 260 Night current mA 2 5 Night current with GPS mA 4 5 Day off current transport modes storage mode with calendar disabled mA 0 3 Day off current transport modes storage mode with calendar enabled mA 1 2 Notes Only curr...

Page 35: ...2 10 Max Candela cd 106 Max Current mA 300 Night current mA 2 5 Night current with GPS mA 4 5 Day off current transport modes storage mode with calendar disabled mA 0 3 Day off current transport modes storage mode with calendar enabled mA 1 2 Notes Only currents shown in BOLD can be programmed Currents are based on 12V supply voltage Currents are based on ambient temperature of 20 C and represent ...

Page 36: ...mple the maximum output for the red marine beacon is 177 candela at a current of 240mA 5 The beacon is unable to output more than the maximum candela The user should check that the beacon is able to reach the peak candela required after the Schmidt Clausen correction In the example above the peak candela for the 0 3 flash is 62 candela and below the maximum of 140 for the red marine beacon The bea...

Page 37: ... 5 sec 010 Enter OFF time If greater than 12 75 seconds use ADD code 001 Value is multiple of 0 05 seconds max value 255 Off time of 2 sec 040 Enter ON time If greater than 12 75 seconds use ADD code 001 On time 16 seconds Need to program 8 sec plus 8 sec using ADD 160 001 160 Enter OFF time If greater than 12 75 seconds use ADD code 001 Off time 20 seconds Need to program 10 sec plus 10 sec using...

Page 38: ...ntensity 91 Day Effective Intensity 92 Synchronisation 93 Day Night Control 94 Operation mode 95 Programming mode 96 Slave Mode Flash count on loss of sync 97 Battery Low Threshold 98 Battery High Threshold 99 To enter new settings Setting Default Settings required Flash Character QFL 1sec 0 3s on 1 0 601 10_______ Night Effective Intensity 25 Candela 1 1 0025 11_______ Day Effective Intensity 25 ...

Page 39: ...e The peak intensity is the intensity required to see a flashing light at the same distance The peak intensity increases the shorter the flash The VLB 5X is programmed in effective intensity and performs automatic Schmidt Clausen correction for the programmed flash Character to increase the peak intensity depending on the duration of the flash Example 1 Calculate the peak intensity and the power c...

Page 40: ...acter has a multiple flash repeat this calculation for each flash N1 N2 N3 etc Determine energy need of light Average current in Character period N1 N2 etc 6 95mA O Night Off current with GPS Appendix B 4 5mA P Time when light is off B C1 C2 etc 4 7 sec Q Average current O P Q B 11 18mA R Longest operating hours 14 hours S Night energy usage R S 1000 0 157Ah T Day current from Appendix B 0 3mA U D...

Page 41: ...size days in month Convert to Amp Hours Battery at 12 Volt SS 1 08 Ah day LS 2 16 Ah day Energy per day 12 Allow for efficiency factors Panel fouling 10 Charge efficiency 20 Overall efficiency 70 Amp hour available per day After efficiency SS 0 756 Ah day LS 1 51 Ah day Amp hours 0 7 For the flash character and range of the beacon the load calculated in step 1 was 0 16Ah per day with GPS From the ...

Page 42: ...on Manual VLB 5X LED Beacon Vega Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 42 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 APPENDIX F ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO VLB 5X BEACON Connections will vary with VLB 5X Model and Options ordered ...

Page 43: ...Instruction Manual VLB 5X LED Beacon Vega Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 43 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 ...

Page 44: ...Instruction Manual VLB 5X LED Beacon Vega Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 44 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 APPENDIX G VLB 5X BEACON DIMENSIONS Standard Self Contained Beacon Standalone Beacon ...

Page 45: ...Instruction Manual VLB 5X LED Beacon Vega Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 45 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 Large Self Contained Beacon VPP 67 SS VPP 67 LS ...

Page 46: ...Industries Ltd Aug 2017 VLB 5X LED Beacon Page 46 of 53 VLB 5X V1 2 APPENDIX H 7 MARINE LIGHT VERTICAL DIVERGENCE PROFILES 0 00E 00 2 00E 01 4 00E 01 6 00E 01 8 00E 01 1 00E 02 7 00 5 00 3 00 1 00 1 00 3 00 5 00 7 00 Red Green White Yellow Blue ...

Page 47: ...on Factory option internal GPS module Operates only when VLB 5X beacon is running Synchronising Delay Synch pulse delay settable from 0 to 9 9 seconds Electrical Voltage 9 to 18 VDC nominal 12 0 VDC 12Ah battery in SS and LS1 model 2 batteries in LS2 model Low Voltage Cut Out Programmable low voltage cut off threshold Solar Charger On SS and LS models Consumes 12mW max while charging battery plus ...

Page 48: ...bration MIL STD 202G Method 204D Cond B peak value of 5g in all directions Electromagnetic Interference EN55015 2006 radiated and conducted emissions EN61000 4 2 2001 Electrostatic Discharge Immunity Level 4 EN61000 4 3 2002 Radiated Immunity Class 1 EN6100 4 5 1995 Class 3 Surge Immunity 0 5kV lead to lead FCC 47 CFR Section15 Class A Programming Vega Remote02 Infra red programmer By Computer usi...

Page 49: ...eplacement on TVIR Programmer Place the remote face down and push the latch on the battery holder towards the centre of the programmer case while at the same time levering the slot on the battery holder outward as shown in the illustration below Pull the battery holder out of the case Remove the old battery and insert a new one ensuring that the side of the battery is facing upwards as shown Inser...

Page 50: ... FL 1 5s 0 3 0 3s 1 2s 302 FL 1 5s 0 4 0 4s 1 1s 303 FL 1 5s 0 5 0 5s 1s 304 FL 2s 0 2 0 2s 1 8s 305 FL 2s 0 3 0 3s 1 7s FLASH DETAIL 306 FL 2s 0 4 0 4s 1 6s 307 FL 2s 0 5 0 5s 1 5s 308 FL 2s 0 7 0 7s 1 3s 309 FL 2s 0 8 0 8s 1 2s 310 FL 2 5s 0 3 0 3s 2 2s 311 FL 2 5s 0 5 0 5s 2s 312 FL 2 5s 1 0 1s 1 5s 313 FL 3s 0 2 0 2s 2 8s 314 FL 3s 0 3 0 3s 2 7s 315 FL 3s 0 4 0 4s 2 6s 316 FL 3s 0 5 0 5s 2 5s ...

Page 51: ... Fl 3 6 1s 0 4 0 4s 1s 0 4s 1s 0 4s 2 9s 440 Fl 3 8s 0 5 0 5s 1s 0 5s 1s 0 5s 4 5s 441 Fl 3 9s 0 3 0 3s 1s 0 3s 1s 0 3s 6 1s 442 Fl 3 9s 0 8 0 8s 1 2s 0 8s 1 2s 0 8s 4 2s 443 Fl 3 10s 0 5 0 5s 1 5s 0 5s 1 5s 0 5s 5 5s 444 Fl 3 10s 1 0 1s 1s 1s 1s 1s 5s 445 Fl 3 12s 0 5 1 5 0 5s 1 5s 0 5s 1 5s 0 5s 7 5s 446 Fl 3 12s 0 5 2 0 0 5s 2s 0 5s 2s 0 5s 6 5s 447 Fl 3 12s 0 8 1 2 0 8s 1 2s 0 8s 1 2s 0 8s 7 2...

Page 52: ...4s 0 6s 0 4s 0 6s 0 4s 2 6s 623 Q 4 10s 0 3 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 6 7s 624 Q 4 12s 0 3 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 0 7s 0 3s 8 7s 625 Q 4 15s 0 35 0 35s 0 7s 0 35s 0 7s 0 35s 0 7s 0 35s 11 5s QUICK DETAIL 626 Q 4 20s 0 5 0 5s 0 5s 0 5s 0 5s 0 5s 0 5s 0 5s 16 5s 627 Q 9 15s 0 3 0 3s 0 7s x 8 0 3s 6 7s 628 Q 9 15s 0 35 0 35s 0 65s x 8 0 35s 6 65s 629 Q 9 15s 0 6 0 6s 0 6s x 8 0 6s 4 8s 630...

Page 53: ... 5s 3s 5s 8s 925 Q 15s 0 5s 14 5s 926 OC 15s 9s 6s 927 LF1 2 12s 2s 2s 2s 6s 928 Fl 04 10s 4 x 1s 1 5s 929 Fl 04 20s 3 x 1s 1 5s 1s 11 5s APPENDIX K VLB 5X BEACON PRODUCT CODES Self Contained solar powered TVIR programmable LED beacon VLB 5X LED Marine Beacon VLB 5X c07 YY VLB 5X LED Obstacle Light VLB 5X OBc YY VLB 5X LED Wreck Light VLB 5X WRECK YY VLB 5X LED FAA Light VLB 5X FAA YY Options GPS ...

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