Mark89114 Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 Left strobe quit working on my 2000 Ovation 29-0243. I swapped the right side over to left side, still no work. Took the inop left side over to the right and it started working, which leads me to believe it is the wiring harness or the strobe power supply. At this point, it is a black hole as I don't know what is inside the box or how the wires are tied into the airplane. I did some research and there is a power supply tester, but it is $250 or so and I guess it tests the voltage and Polarity and something to do with cathodes/anodes. Can this voltage be tested (carefully) with a multimeter? Any idea what to look for? I found the installation manual from Whelen and I guess the lights can be paralleled together as their are three outlets on the power supply and I have 3 strobes, each wingtip and the tail, but only 2 plugs used. If anybody has the wiring diagrams that would be great or tell me how they are wired together i can do some more troubleshooting. Any help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 Some people are going with the newer Whelen LED lights and tossing the weighty old technology.... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LANCECASPER Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Mark89114 said: Left strobe quit working on my 2000 Ovation 29-0243. I swapped the right side over to left side, still no work. Took the inop left side over to the right and it started working, which leads me to believe it is the wiring harness or the strobe power supply. At this point, it is a black hole as I don't know what is inside the box or how the wires are tied into the airplane. I did some research and there is a power supply tester, but it is $250 or so and I guess it tests the voltage and Polarity and something to do with cathodes/anodes. Can this voltage be tested (carefully) with a multimeter? Any idea what to look for? I found the installation manual from Whelen and I guess the lights can be paralleled together as their are three outlets on the power supply and I have 3 strobes, each wingtip and the tail, but only 2 plugs used. If anybody has the wiring diagrams that would be great or tell me how they are wired together i can do some more troubleshooting. Any help is appreciated. These boxes are not known for reliability. If you go to the LED Strobe/Nav lights you won't be sorry - they don't need these power supply boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLCarter Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Mark89114 said: I swapped the right side over to left side, still no work. Took the inop left side over to the right and it started working Your statement above isn’t clear, Hers what I would do: (a) swap the connectors at the power supply, if the problem changes sides it’s the power supply, if no change correct the swapped connectors and go to (b) (b) swap the strobes, if there is no change it’s the wiring, if the problem changes sides it’s the strobe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy95W Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 Helped a friend repair the left strobe on his 2008 Ovation. It turned out to be a bad wire connection at a cannon plug near the wing root. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpbarnar Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 That power supply is for the two wing tip strobes only. The tail is powered by another power supply mounted in the tail. It is mounted on an inspection cover on the left side. If I read correctly, you have already, determined the bulb is OK. You can swap the left wing, right wing outputs from the power supply and determine if it is internal to the power spply or in the wiring. You can also move the inop left side over to the unused output. I have attached Whelen's install manual. The Mooney service manual also contain some information on testing the power supply output with a volt meter. If memory serves correctly, a good power supply output is 400-600 VDC Use caution when handling the output wiring when the power supply is powered up. There is enough energy there to give you more than a mild tingle. Bill HDACF install.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 From the Spruce Canada site, that power supply will power 1-3 strobes. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigers2007 Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 You can send the supply to Whelen Aviation and they have a flat repair rate for these if it’s broken. Be 100% sure the issue isn’t with bad connectors (dislodged pins/sockets) or a bad ground to the supply. It would be very rare that the strobe wire itself was worn through or cut. You can get a bulk length of single strand wire and check continuity from both ends of the suspected wire. I had an intermittent issue with the whole supply which turned out to be a poor ground connection to the supply. I wasted $150 or so for Whelen to tell me the problem was not the supply. Coat connections with Deoxit D5 or D100 (red fluid) to protect from corrosion and to improve the conductivity. That stuff works miracles. I use the D100 squeeze bottle with needle tip almost daily. Edit: I recommend plugging in your strobes to Alternate and not to flash synchronized. They flash WAY brighter if they alternate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted January 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 To clarify, strobes don't work on left wingtip, but when I swap that strobe over to right, it does flash. Putting known good bulb on left side doesn't work either. My confusion occurred because there were only two outputs, was not aware the tail had it's own power supply. I will test continuity and voltage in the next day or so. I will be careful as I know it is high voltage. 9 hours ago, Andy95W said: Helped a friend repair the left strobe on his 2008 Ovation. It turned out to be a bad wire connection at a cannon plug near the wing root. where is this canon plug located? How do I get access to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted January 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 (edited) 42 minutes ago, tigers2007 said: You can send the supply to Whelen Aviation and they have a flat repair rate for these if it’s broken. Be 100% sure the issue isn’t with bad connectors (dislodged pins/sockets) or a bad ground to the supply. It would be very rare that the strobe wire itself was worn through or cut. You can get a bulk length of single strand wire and check continuity from both ends of the suspected wire. I had an intermittent issue with the whole supply which turned out to be a poor ground connection to the supply. I wasted $150 or so for Whelen to tell me the problem was not the supply. Coat connections with Deoxit D5 or D100 (red fluid) to protect from corrosion and to improve the conductivity. That stuff works miracles. I use the D100 squeeze bottle with needle tip almost daily. Edit: I recommend plugging in your strobes to Alternate and not to flash synchronized. They flash WAY brighter if they alternate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk My understanding is they don't repair power supplies over 10 years anymore. If I am reading this correctly, mine are already hooked up as sync, will look at this. I am hoping that maybe I can just swap the connectors and it will start working again. Edited January 4, 2018 by Mark89114 picture upside down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasona900 Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 4 minutes ago, Mark89114 said: To clarify, strobes don't work on left wingtip, but when I swap that strobe over to right, it does flash. Putting known good bulb on left side doesn't work either. My confusion occurred because there were only two outputs, was not aware the tail had it's own power supply. I will test continuity and voltage in the next day or so. I will be careful as I know it is high voltage. where is this canon plug located? How do I get access to it? If you have ruled out the bulb, then it is likely the power supply. If your continuity tests pass, I would recommend NOT doing a voltage check. Years ago, I was doing the very same thing on a different airplane with Whelen strobes. While troubleshooting, I did a voltage check on the power supply, and got zapped so bad I almost fell down. I'll never do that again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigers2007 Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 Yeah maybe it doesn’t have enough “juice” to fire both at the same time. That is what mine started to do before I was fed up and had it sent to Whelen. Overall, mine just had an inadequate ground connection from the battery to the supply (which is mounted under/inside the belly pan). I’d call Whelen up and ask if they’ll take a look at it. I think mine was over ten years old. The previous owners never had a problem with it and also had them in sync mode the whole time. I’d clean up the power connections to the supply including the base mounting standoff’s etc (anything that touches ground) with scotchbrite and coat them with Deoxit. Note that a bad strobe tube can also show the same signs and symptoms. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy95W Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 The cannon plug with the bad wire was accessed through the large panel on the fuselage. It was forward and toward the bottom of the compartment, and we had to dig through a lot of other wiring and ty-wraps to find it. Once we found it, it was obvious because the bad wire connection had burned and blackened the wire. It was poorly assembled at the factory. If it turns out that your power supply is good (easiest way is to swap the left/right connectors at the power supply itself), you will probably have to start tracing wires from the power supply out to the wingtip. This is what I mean by "swapping connectors": Good luck, keep us posted on what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLCarter Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 I've heard the voltage is like 60k volts but low amperage, most multi-meters won't go that high. 60k volts will knock the crap out of you and you generally hurt yourself trying to get away from it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 If the left strobe works when plugged in to the other “sync” socket and the working right strobe doesn’t when switched it would suggest power supply issues. Have you tried the “alternate” socket to see if it works. In the shop I would just plug two flash tubes directly into the power supply. In the alternate sockets you will get twice the joules of energy to the strobes. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 (edited) Update: I tried every combination of plug change and left strobe still doesnt work. I plugged each strobe directly into the power supply at each conection on power supply and strobes worked every time. I checked voltage at wingtip on Pins 1 and 3 and was getting 400+ volts. I am unable to get continuity on the trigger wire.....which leads me to believe there is a break in the wire somewhere. Probably the hardest thing to fix. This canon plug is perfect example....i cant even test wires from here as the damn thing is nearly inaccessible. As someone mentioned there is a canon plug near large fuselage access. Contemplating starting there but it is a bundle of wires 1.5 inch thick. Edited January 6, 2018 by Mark89114 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 You could always just run new wires from the power supply to the strobe. I hate to abandon wires, but some times it makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 That is not a cannon plug. It is a TE CPC (Circular Plastic Connector) http://www.te.com/usa-en/products/connectors/intersection/circular-plastic-connectors.html?tab=pgp-story You can get them any time from DigiKey. They are not expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted January 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Not quite final solution but getting there. I dreaded getting into this connector but finally did. The connector was super tight, almost like put on cross threaded, but while i was working it off my contuity tester was beeping like it was making connection occasionally, once off this is what i found. The problem is looks like i will have to drill off wingtip rivets to get at anything. There is one tiny access plate nearby, but itis rivetted as well and i dont think it will allow enough working room to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Mark89114 said: Not quite final solution but getting there. I dreaded getting into this connector but finally did. The connector was super tight, almost like put on cross threaded, but while i was working it off my contuity tester was beeping like it was making connection occasionally, once off this is what i found. The problem is looks like i will have to drill off wingtip rivets to get at anything. There is one tiny access plate nearby, but itis rivetted as well and i dont think it will allow enough working room to repair. Tie a string to it, pull it through so that you can get the wire assembly out, effect repairs, pull it back through to location with the string. I hope that'll work, anyway. Edited January 7, 2018 by EricJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Looks like an Internal lightning strike? good to find what was not working. Pp thoughts only... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 (edited) CPC's should connect and disconnect easily with almost no effort. I think there is a detent in the twist section to lock it in place. That sure looks like something got in there and shorted out the pins. There is also a sealed weatherproof CPC but it is proportionately more expensive. Connectors and pins I've found to be cheaper at Steinair. They also sell the little tool you need to disconnect the pins from the plugs, and the crimper you need to set new pins. Edited January 10, 2018 by jaylw314 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 If you get the pin extractor, you can easily remove the housing and replace it. You will need to evaluate the pins individually, but you will only lose about 1/4 inch over wire replacing a pin. Borrow the Garmin pin crimper from your avionics guy and readjust it and it will crimp those pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 I would have to check, but I wouldn't be surprised if the trigger for the strobe exceeds the voltage rating of that connector. It could have arced between pins and formed a carbon track that would just get worse over time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted January 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 20 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: I would have to check, but I wouldn't be surprised if the trigger for the strobe exceeds the voltage rating of that connector. It could have arced between pins and formed a carbon track that would just get worse over time. As far as I know it is a stock installation, designed to make assembly easier at factory, I would have to assume the factory designed and selected the right part. The other side is identical so I am highly doubtful it is a retrofit as it looks like stock ovation light systems. Again the CPC was super hard to get off, I am guessing that something went sideways during original install 17 years ago?? and just now finally failed. The problem is accessibility, to replace the connector would require drilling wingtip rivets off. I am deferring to my mechanic for the repair. There is also no spare slack so you can't even pull the wires out far enough to recrimp anything as a permanent installation eliminating the connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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