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Wiring Whelen Microburst II LED Nav/Strobes - B+ Shield or not?

KazooRV-9A

Well Known Member
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I'm installing a pair of Whelen Microburst II Nav Strobes in my RV-9A wings. I have not at this point used any shielded B+ wiring to them, I'm using Mil-W-22759 unshielded wire. Now that I search for information on these lights, I cannot specifically find any reference to using shielded or unshielded wiring for the installation.
Does anyone have any experience with these lights relative to wiring them in and any potential for RFI interference with other aircraft function?
I do have an Email into Whelen tech support, awaiting their response.
A.
 
No problem

I have installed smilar Aveo lights 12 V with no problems.
There is no high voltage or frequency to worry about.
Current consumption is low.

Good luck
 
I'm installing a pair of Whelen Microburst II Nav Strobes in my RV-9A wings. I have not at this point used any shielded B+ wiring to them, I'm using Mil-W-22759 unshielded wire. Now that I search for information on these lights, I cannot specifically find any reference to using shielded or unshielded wiring for the installation.
Does anyone have any experience with these lights relative to wiring them in and any potential for RFI interference with other aircraft function?
I do have an Email into Whelen tech support, awaiting their response.
A.

I have the same lights on my RV8. I used the regular unshield wires. I don’t have any interference with the radio reception when the lights are on or strobing
 
Where does the noise come from?

I spent about two years reducing the noise from my Aveo Ziptips. Went through all three generations of modules, tried ferrites, tried various grounding techniques. For my set up the thing that helped a lot was shielding the wire that carries power from the modules to the aft facing lights at the back of the wingtip.

I still have noise, but at this point it is manageable. Nobody could tell me with any certainty where the RFI where coming from. It was without a doubt initiated by the start-stop of wig wag or stobes, but the exact emitter eluded everyone.

Some folks never have this issue.

If I could go back I would certainly shield all power runs for any flashing light.
 
Here's what I found out about installation of the Microburst II Strobes, and specifically what I found out about shielding the B+ leads to them.

I tapped several sources for info, including the lead avionics installation tech at WACO (their assy plant is close to me in Battle Creek Mi), this VAF Forum, the Aerotronics Engineer that designed my gauge panel, and last but not least Whelen Engineering, plus other searches on the Net.

Note that a portion of the wiring to my strobes IS actually shielded. I had used Whelen 3 conductor shielded wire in the wings that came with an HDACF/A650/A500A strobe system I was originally going to use, but did not. (See hand-made schematic below!) The Microburst II strobe B+ from my switch to the wings, is not shielded and this was the already installed wiring I did not want to remove/replace.

  • WACO Tech reviewed my install and said that it matched what they are installing on the WACO builds that they do with LED strobes. He says they do shield the wire in the wings on one end, but not before them. He notes that his interpretation of the AeroLED schematic, is that it shows that there is a segment up to the shielded wires, that is not shown to be shielded.
  • Two out of three responses above said that they did not shield B+ wires to LED type strobes, and had no problems with noise or RFI interference. One had chased a noise problem with a different strobe system (Aveo Ziptips), and said his opinion as noted was to shield any wiring to strobes.
  • The Aerotronics Engineer commented on the AeroLED schematic and said that he was aware of that installation guidance, however he wondered if it was outdated advice. I also read that typically, it was not good practice to ground both ends of such shielding.
  • And Finally I called Whelen Aerospace Technologies and they connected me to one of their Electrical Engineers who looked over my schematic and said there should be no problem with it as wired. This was the expertise I was looking to connect with.
So I'm going to move forward as wired. As a final check, I plan to connect the wing wires to the fuselage wires (I've installed connectors to each) and test for any issues before final attach of the wings at my hangar.

For Reference, This was my Email Question to Whelen Engineering:
"I am installing a set of Microburst II Nav/strobes in a Vans RV-9A and have a question concerning the wiring of the B+ to them.
Specifically, I have not used a shielded wire for a portion of the B+ leads to the Nav/Strobes. I’m wondering if the LED type Microburst II actually requires it.
Per the attached schematic, I ran standard Mil-W-22759 wiring from the panel switches to the Microburst II lights except for when I got to the wings where I had a run of A417-1 Whelen wire that I used.
I am asking if with this routing, will there be any interference from the Microburst II strobes with the other components? Or with the aircraft Com radio and/or Intercom?
Would appreciate your comments on my installation.
Thank you,
AC"

Strobewiring.jpg


This was from the Installation Guide for AeroLEDs LLC Suntail LED Position and Anti-Collision Light. This is what another builder referenced in telling me I had to shield the B+ to my Microburst II Strobes. I do not know if this is still their guidance for the Suntail strobes. It's just what brought the question of wire shielding up. I can see where someone might interpret this to show that there's an unshielded length of wiring, up to the shielding shown.

Capture_r7PkYNQBad37XYVrKUi682.JPG
 
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