CreativAir Strobe kit

mchesney · #1 10-25-2007, 11:31 PM

I purchased the CreativAir strobe kit and have a question. If anyone has used this kit maybe you can help me...the kit comes with some wiring that looks to be 3 runs of 22g wire inside. Is this what is used to be run out to each strobe and then seperated into the 3 wires for connections? Is 22g a sufficient size for this? I emailed Bill atr creativair but he'll be out of town till the 30th. Any help appreciated!

pierre smith · #2 10-26-2007, 05:51 AM

Hi Mike,
We have the Creativair strobes as well and that is what the three runs are for. Seems that 22 g is what we used but I'm not sure. BTW, we cut a rectangular hole in the baggage compartment floor and mounted aluminum angles to the floor ribs and put the strobe supply box there. Made a new cover and hold it down with four screws/tinnerman nuts........accessible but out of the way.

Regards,

Guy Prevost · #3 10-26-2007, 06:38 AM

Mike,

Yes the 3 conductor shielded wire is run to the strobe tubes. It's common practice to connect the shields to the strobe power supply base. I did this by soldering pigtails to the shields (not the foil part, but the non-insulated wire) and connecting them all at the strobe power supply. Do not connect the other end of the shields to anything. The CreativeAir power supply case needs to be grounded too.

Regards,

N941WR · #4 10-26-2007, 06:48 AM

Mike,

When I first installed my strobes (Same as yours, different vendor), I ran an independent ground to the firewall. This caused a good bit of noise in the headset upon strobe discharge.

To solve this problem here is what I did:
1. Ground the unit locally. In my case, I added a plate nut right next to the power supply.
2. Clip the aluminum shielding and braded shield wire at the strobe light. Continue the braded shield wire all the way to the power pack and ground it on the same screw you used to ground the power supply. I used knife connectors to connect this shielding at the wing root because I cut there. It would be best to run one continuous wires from the power pack out to the wing tip. (Just leave the wire coiled up on the floor until you get to the airport and run it out the fuselage and down the wings after you assemble the plane.)

After doing those two things, all is good.

The reason you don't ground the shielding at the wing tip, as I understand it, is that doing so will cause a loop and the shielding will work as a really good antenna to transmit the strobe discharge.