About Mike: Founder + Inventor
I’ve always been a hands-on problem solver. Instead of putting up with what was on the market, I designed a better system. That became the E-Lights Marine Emergency Lighting System.
My system ties into the ship’s main battery banks via the 12 volt distribution system and uses compact LED fixtures. This allows for more lights in more places with much longer run time when power goes out. A dedicated control box automatically manages the system—keeping the lights off when AC power is stable and switching them on instantly when it’s lost.
It’s practical, durable, and dependable, not overbuilt or overcomplicated. It’s the way emergency lighting should have been designed from the start.
I’m Mike Rudd, a retired Navy Electronics Technician with 22 years of service at sea. My Navy career gave me a strong foundation in electrical systems, problem-solving under pressure, and making sure equipment worked when lives depended on it.
When I retired, I didn’t step away from the water. I founded Marine Electronics Specialty Services, where I’ve spent more than 20 years working on commercial vessels—primarily tugboats. Over the years, I installed, repaired, and upgraded all kinds of electronic systems. And time after time, I ran into the same problem: emergency lighting systems that weren’t reliable when they were needed most.
The standard setups were bulky, limited, and fragile. Each one had the same flaws—internal batteries that wouldn’t hold up, fixtures that had to be replaced too often, and no real way to know if the lights would last in an actual emergency. For me, that wasn’t good enough.
The goal was simple: create a system that works every time.