Another Lighting Problem

[Walt Shipley]

With the 5a fuse in on the ground, my RV-12 nav/strobe lights work fine. But 10 minutes after getting airborne, the fuse blows.

To troubleshoot, I guess I could do what Joe Gores advised another person on
the list - plug a 12v light into the fuse slot and start removing wires until the light goes out.

Except, in my case the fuse only blows AFTER takeoff. Strange.......

Ideas?

Walt Shipley

 

[AeroLEDs_Support]

Are you using a 5A fuse for both lights? If so, that is too small. The two strobes combined will blow a 5A fuse. I recommend a 10A fuse. The fuse is there to protect the wires, and 10A can safely be used with 20 gauge wire.

Dean Wilkinson
CTO, AeroLEDs LLC

With the 5a fuse in on the ground, my RV-12 nav/strobe lights work fine. But 10 minutes after getting airborne, the fuse blows.

To troubleshoot, I guess I could do what Joe Gores advised another person on
the list - plug a 12v light into the fuse slot and start removing wires until the light goes out.

Except, in my case the fuse only blows AFTER takeoff. Strange.......

Ideas?

Walt Shipley

 

[DonFromTX]

That caught my attention, I recently added another landing/taxi light in the "other" wing, but did not consider fuses. I guess I should change to a bigger one as well.

 

[Mich48041]

That hint about using a lamp in place of a fuse is only for finding short circuits, not overloads. Walt's electrical problem sounds more like an overload. But it is puzzling that other RV-12 are not blowing the nav/strobe 5 amp fuse. Regardless, I agree with Dean. Put in a larger fuse. Since 5 amps is borderline, try a 7.5 amp. The wire size is 18, so even 10 amps is safe.
Check the fuse holder clamping pressure. A loose connection will generate heat that could blow a fuse.

 

[Walt Shipley]

Another lighting problem

Guys, thanks for the input. This evening I replaced the 5a fuse with a 7 1/2a,
and went up for a test flight. I flew for about 30 minutes and the new fuse didn't blow, so it looks like my problem is solved.

As Joe said though, it is puzzling that others are using the 5a fuses without a
problem.

Walt Shipley