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Strobe Power Supply location.

JohnJacobsen

Active Member
Hello all,
I am currently mounting my strobe system (Strobes N More) . Was thinking of mounting the power supply just aft of the firewall on the 745 fwd fuselage rib. Has anyone else used a similar mounting? If so any problems such as radio interference? Just makes more sense to me to mount it fwd of the CG.
 
CG potentially not the only issue

Hello all,
I am currently mounting my strobe system (Strobes N More) . Was thinking of mounting the power supply just aft of the firewall on the 745 fwd fuselage rib. Has anyone else used a similar mounting? If so any problems such as radio interference? Just makes more sense to me to mount it fwd of the CG.

John,
CG is not the only issue here. The Nova power supplies and the automotive Whelen supplies do not have as much (if any) electrical shielding as the certified Whelen units have. I would be concerned that you might have radio interference problems mounting the power pack near the instrument panel. Just something else to consider.
Charlie Kuss
 
Interference

Yeah intereference is the biggest thing Iam concerned about. And Im not dead set on mounting it forward as it only weighs a couple pounds , but it would help the CG. Easier to add a little to the tail than alot to the nose. Was curious if anyone has mounted one in instrument panel and what problems they had if any.
 
Apples to Oranges

Yeah interference is the biggest thing I am concerned about. And I'm not dead set on mounting it forward as it only weighs a couple pounds , but it would help the CG. Easier to add a little to the tail than a lot to the nose. Was curious if anyone has mounted one in instrument panel and what problems they had if any.

John,
Someone else's experiences may not apply, due to differences in avionics, amount of metal in the panel or wiring skills. That said, if you have an interference problem, you could always shield the power supply with MuMetal. The down side would be several extra pounds of weight. Another location would be to put it out in the wing (whichever side is farthest from the radios). Just 2 more ideas. Worth what you paid for them. :p
Charlie
 
Actually, I don't think these units give off much, if any EMI. They are used in cop cars, ambulances, and all kinds of emergency vehicles, all of which have radios AM/FM, two way radios, etc. all with less shielding than what we have in our planes and they don't have problems.

However, putting them aft of the spar means you have fewer BIG wires to run through the main spar.

As for location, I mounted mine under the baggage compartment floor:



The trick to keeping radio interference down has a LOT to do with how and where you ground the power unit and the wire shielding. In my case I grounded both at the power unit. Originally I had both grounds running up to the common ground on the inside of the firewall and had noise on my radio. It wasn't until I pulled both grounds back right next to the unit that the noise went away.
 
Or....

Nova makes a mini single strobe (called QuickStrobe) power supply meant to be installed at each strobe location. They cost about $40 each (I found them here); you put one in the tail and one in each wingtip. Now, you have spread out the weight (about 4 oz each, IIRC) and you don't need the high voltage wiring through the wings. A simple 18g wire to each point from a simple switch is all that's needed.

8a6ae8883ccc9b220482a9f8f460315b.jpg
 
Nova Quickstrobe...

Does anybody out there have any operating time/experience with the Nova Quickstrobe units? They seem like the answer to the proverbial maiden's prayer ... lightweight, easy to install, and cheap. Can it really be? :)
 
Nova QuickStrobes:

I installed them on a friend's RV-7 and a couple of Skylarks. We're now using them in all of the Skylarks primarily because of the ease of installation. So far, no radio interference or any problems.

The ONLY downside I can see is the lack of ability for synchronized patterns.

Two thumbs up!

two%20thumbs%20up.jpeg
 
They don't meet the....

Nova QuickStrobes:

I installed them on a friend's RV-7 and a couple of Skylarks. We're now using them in all of the Skylarks primarily because of the ease of installation. So far, no radio interference or any problems.

The ONLY downside I can see is the lack of ability for synchronized patterns.

Two thumbs up!
...

...400 cp requirement do they? Is this OK for LSAs?

The are around 11 joules, and the lowest power Whelen strobe, that only meets the 400 cp with one of their strobe heads, is 19 joules, the rest of the Whelan power supplies are much more powerful.

Has anyone calibrated the output or got any better manufacturers data? Are the Nova strobe heads much more efficient in their conversion of electrical energy into light energy?
 
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Those little power supplies look good , but like Gil said thy dont have much power. (12 watts) You said you have installed them Craig? How bright are they?
 
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