PTK Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 I have been thinking of wiring a flasher box on the strobe switch with my wingtip strobes to flash the landing light on and off with my wingtip and tail strobes. My question is can the par 46 incandescent landing light bulb withstand fconstant fashing on and off? Quote
Hank Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 Some people will tell you that the old GE bulbs can barely stand being turned on. My PAR46 bulb lasted several years, with regular night flying; others reported as little as 8 hours use. 1 Quote
stevesm20b Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 I replace mine in 2011 and it's still working. Quote
par Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 I need to replace mine. What is the part number and who sells it for the least amount of money? Quote
jetdriven Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 For the cost of 3 of these GE bulbs you can get some sort of LED. Peter you can't wire the incandescent bulb to the strobe power supply. It's a several thousand volt secondary voltage system, like the coil on a magneto. You need some sort of wig wag which is an electronically controlled switch. 1 Quote
Hank Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 I need to replace mine. What is the part number and who sells it for the least amount of money? Put in a Whelen Parmetheus LED light and never replace it again. I leave mine on all the time. The PAR 46 GE bulb was a 4511? I forget. What's in there now? Should be on the bulb itself or in your logs. Quote
Piloto Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 Lifespan of incandescent light bulbs is subject to cowling vibrations. But LED lights are not. José Quote
Guest Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 An incandescent bulb will generally last longer in the flashing mode than on steady. A client of mine ran GE4509's in his Comanche for more than 500 hours flashing the entire time. My theory is that the viliment never fully heats up and never fully cools down. Clarence Quote
PTK Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Posted May 31, 2015 For the cost of 3 of these GE bulbs you can get some sort of LED. Peter you can't wire the incandescent bulb to the strobe power supply. It's a several thousand volt secondary voltage system, like the coil on a magneto. You need some sort of wig wag which is an electronically controlled switch. Thank you Byron. I should have been more clear in my original post. I'm not wiring it to the strobe power supply! I took out the strobes and power supplies in the wingtips and put in a set of the Orion 650 E. That's why I was going to use a flasher box for the landing light so it also can go on and off on the strobe switch with wingtips and tail strobes. I was asking if the incadescent bulb can withstand flashing on and off. Put in a Whelen Parmetheus LED light and never replace it again. I leave mine on all the time. The PAR 46 GE bulb was a 4511? I forget. What's in there now? Should be on the bulb itself or in your logs. I want to say it's a 4522 Hank but will double check. Quote
Seth Posted May 31, 2015 Report Posted May 31, 2015 Peter- The AeroLED 46HX is an LED with the strobe function built in. You do not need to connect an extra power supply or anything for the strobe, simpley run a third wire so you'll be able to have a three way switch for on/off/strobe. Probably a bit more in cost initially than finding a power supply and installing it, but pretty quickly when the incandescent burns out and you are replqcing it again and again, it'll be a win. And it'll hopefully be the last time you out a bulb in as it has a 5000 hour life. -Seth 1 Quote
PTK Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Posted May 31, 2015 Thank you Seth! I know about that one. It's a bit pricey! Whelen has a flasher (7170000) which may be able to use and keep existing bulb or have a choice of led bulb. Where are aeroleds made by the way? Does anybody know? Are they made in USA? Quote
Seth Posted June 1, 2015 Report Posted June 1, 2015 Give then a call, they were very approachable during the two plus years I took making a decision. They did not have the PMA letter until last year so I waited and as soon as the factory had it approved they contacted me as per my request. They inside factory sales/engineering guy works with you and let's you know what makes sense and really doesn't. I was quite surprised they spent the time they did with me on the phone which simply resulted in two bulbs sold. Good luck with your choice! -Seth Quote
M20F Posted June 1, 2015 Report Posted June 1, 2015 Lifespan of incandescent light bulbs is subject to cowling vibrations. But LED lights are not. José Would second this. Land a little rough, land on grass, etc. and they go. In the grand scheme of flying a led replacement is cheap and then you can just leave it on all the time. My two cents anyways. Quote
Tommy Posted June 4, 2015 Report Posted June 4, 2015 Not as bright. Draw much higher current. And, most importantly, incandescent light bulbs don't last! Changing light bulbs, now not exactly the end of the world, but still is a PITA exercise! 1 Quote
Tommy Posted June 4, 2015 Report Posted June 4, 2015 By the way, how difficult is it to replace your nav / strobe light with Prion 650E? Quote
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