Installing AeroLEDs Pulsar NSP strobe/position LEDs
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 8:18 pm
Whether changing from the stock Whelen Xenon strobes is a good idea - or worth the cost - is a personal decision. The benefits outweigh the costs for me, but each of us has our own scale. So while I am very pleased with the results, I definitely appreciate that this might not be the right choice for you!
My primary motivation was the increased visibility, particularly in daylight. The reduced power consumption also means that I leave the position lights (and belly strobe) essentially permanently turned on whenever the master is engaged. This provides added safety for ground ops prior to engine start.
It also makes it extremely unlikely that I will leave the plane with the master still on!
Any modification of this magnitude must be supervised by your A&P. But if you are handy with a crimper and a few other basic tools, most of this work could be done owner-assist. IMO, a competent A&P should be able to install these in one day.
A full set of annotated pics is posted at the following link:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10460812 ... sbPojpnXQw
The only "exotic" tool is the correct AMP crimper (with the appropriate pins and connector). This is needed to change the gender on the AMP Molex-style connectors used for the now-removed Whelen ballast. Hopefully your A&P already has this tool, because it is probably ridiculously expensive...
Everything else is straightforward:
* Drill (to remove one rivet in each wing tip, and fabricate a very simple L-bracket)
* Very thin (~0.5mm?) punch (to drive hardened pin from one rivet in each wing tip)
* Soldering iron, solder, etc. (to splice wiring)
* Heat shrink tubing & heat gun (to protect splices)
* Allen-head driver (to remove wing tip)
* Hex-head wrenches (to remove/replace bracket)
* Optional zip-ties (to securely "safety" the various electrical connections)
Here is a comparison of the old Whelen assembly with the new AeroLEDs strobe/position assembly: There are only two changes required to adapt the AeroLEDs strobe/position lights. One is replacing this lightning protection bracket which clamps around the Xenon strobe housing on the old Whelen lights. This is the second change required to adapt the AeroLEDs strobe/position lights. One end of this pair needs to change gender so that they can connect to each other, bypassing the now-removed ballast.
Note that these are AMP versions of "Molex-style" connectors, and are NOT compatible with the Molex equivalents! Not all the screws were the same length, so I improvised.
In retrospect, I think the length only matters near the trailing edge. Removing the ballast in each wing tip saves 3.4 lbs on a very long arm. The top small L-bracket replaces the clamp around the now-removed Xenon bulb for lightning protection.
This is a very simple angled piece with a single hole on each side. (continued in next post)
My primary motivation was the increased visibility, particularly in daylight. The reduced power consumption also means that I leave the position lights (and belly strobe) essentially permanently turned on whenever the master is engaged. This provides added safety for ground ops prior to engine start.
It also makes it extremely unlikely that I will leave the plane with the master still on!
Any modification of this magnitude must be supervised by your A&P. But if you are handy with a crimper and a few other basic tools, most of this work could be done owner-assist. IMO, a competent A&P should be able to install these in one day.
A full set of annotated pics is posted at the following link:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10460812 ... sbPojpnXQw
The only "exotic" tool is the correct AMP crimper (with the appropriate pins and connector). This is needed to change the gender on the AMP Molex-style connectors used for the now-removed Whelen ballast. Hopefully your A&P already has this tool, because it is probably ridiculously expensive...
Everything else is straightforward:
* Drill (to remove one rivet in each wing tip, and fabricate a very simple L-bracket)
* Very thin (~0.5mm?) punch (to drive hardened pin from one rivet in each wing tip)
* Soldering iron, solder, etc. (to splice wiring)
* Heat shrink tubing & heat gun (to protect splices)
* Allen-head driver (to remove wing tip)
* Hex-head wrenches (to remove/replace bracket)
* Optional zip-ties (to securely "safety" the various electrical connections)
Here is a comparison of the old Whelen assembly with the new AeroLEDs strobe/position assembly: There are only two changes required to adapt the AeroLEDs strobe/position lights. One is replacing this lightning protection bracket which clamps around the Xenon strobe housing on the old Whelen lights. This is the second change required to adapt the AeroLEDs strobe/position lights. One end of this pair needs to change gender so that they can connect to each other, bypassing the now-removed ballast.
Note that these are AMP versions of "Molex-style" connectors, and are NOT compatible with the Molex equivalents! Not all the screws were the same length, so I improvised.
In retrospect, I think the length only matters near the trailing edge. Removing the ballast in each wing tip saves 3.4 lbs on a very long arm. The top small L-bracket replaces the clamp around the now-removed Xenon bulb for lightning protection.
This is a very simple angled piece with a single hole on each side. (continued in next post)