PJClark Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 Hi all, I have the original coffee grinder. Feeling very clever, back in March I replaced the incandescent bulb with an LED. Worked great. Then a couple/few/I lost track months ago I noticed the grinder is grinding, but no light. I took it apart once to "fix it". No luck, but I did notice with the unit hanging down by the wires it didn't turn, but when I held it up to contact the fuselage to reattach, it did turn. But no light. R2 the led to make sure of that connection, still no light. Scoured the MX manual today and there seems to be nothing in there. Is the unit grounded by the housing contacting the fuselage? Or am I maybe chasing a loose or broken wire somewhere? Ordered a new $32 led bulb today to confirm the led didn't fail--a very long shot--but any ideas on how this thing works would be appreciated! Or if it's down to a couple hours of A&P troubleshooting time regardless, maybe just as efficient buy the new Whelen from @OSUAV8TER!? Quote
EricJ Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 Have you tried probing the LED input power with a voltmeter or DMM? If the motor is turning there's at least power to the motor, so if there's not power to the light it's probably a broken connection somewhere. OTOH, the LED probably has an input power conditioning circuit, and it's possible that that failed. 1 Quote
Brian E. Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 13 minutes ago, PJClark said: ..., maybe just as efficient buy the new Whelen from @OSUAV8TER!? Bite the bullet PJ. The load shed, quality of light output and confidence in operation will be worth it. You'll spend as much to install the new one as you would having the A&P troubleshoot the current one. 1 Quote
carusoam Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 never give up...! until your fix is more complex and expensive than a brand new device.... Since the grinder has to supply power from the fixed parts to the Rotating parts... Expect that there could be a piece of dirt on the sliding contact... While you are in there, be prepared to clean out the old grease rocks and supply it with new grease rocks... My museum collection still has a coffee grinder in it if interested... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
RLCarter Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 I wish i knew who stuck mine on top, they removed the old one from the belly and just left the hole open... Id like to take them behind the hangar and beat the crap out of them ... 1 1 Quote
Hank Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 1 hour ago, bluehighwayflyer said: Plus one. My coffee grinder is still installed and working, but I bought a new LED strobe from @OSUAV8TER a couple of months ago and plan to install both it and the electric step conversion kit that I bought from @orionflt in the very near future. I probably would have already done it if the darn coffee grinder wasn’t located so far back in the fuselage. What is the best practice for getting back there without damaging anything? A tail stand will obviously be required. I had a Whelen flasher, replaced it with LED when it became intermittent. Did it all sitting in the concrete floor. The old trim ring fit the new unit. Nice! It's incredibly bright, much more so than the old one. 1 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 When I had my F Mooney, it had one of those. It quit. I disassembled it to the last part an fixed it up. It worked great after that. I love fixing up old pieces of machinery. 3 Quote
Skates97 Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 2 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said: Plus one. My coffee grinder is still installed and working, but I bought a new LED strobe from @OSUAV8TER a couple of months ago and plan to install both it and the electric step conversion kit that I bought from @orionflt in the very near future. I probably would have already done it if the darn coffee grinder wasn’t located so far back in the fuselage. What is the best practice for getting back there without damaging anything? A tail stand will obviously be required. No tail stand needed, having a chair outside and a moving blanket was helpful. You can kneel on the chair and lay in there with your weight on the two cross bars just inside the opening that the avionics go on. The blanket is helpful because the opening to the bay is not comfortable to lay across, the padding is nice. The most helpful was having my young son who is tall and skinny laying in there holding a wrench. You can put your hands on either side of the trim tube on the skin to support yourself if needed. Quote
MooneyMitch Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 Drifting thread attempt ..... my first airplane came equipped with a “coffee grinder” radio. Quote
carusoam Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 I bet a good barista would love to fly a Mooney... Baristas that work at Starbucks can get their college classes paid for... Thread drift complete! It takes a strong X-Country teamwork to completely derail a conversation... Saturdays are a perfect day for thread drifts... Best regards, -a- Quote
Jeph357 Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 I went with a New LED (from Gallager aviation $600 I believe) and did some aluminum "arts and crafts". I doubled up the Aluminum (riveted) where the light mounts and made a ring for the inside that I put nut plates on so the skin sandwiches between the ring and exterior mounting plate using existing holes. So no need for a backup wrench to remove if needed (unless removing mount from plate) Short video of brightness Quote
Raymond J1 Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 I loved restoring this part 20180828_211053.mp4 . 3 1 Quote
PJClark Posted December 13, 2020 Author Report Posted December 13, 2020 Anyone installed one of these? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/aveoredbaronmaxired3.php Quote
Skates97 Posted December 13, 2020 Report Posted December 13, 2020 4 hours ago, PJClark said: Anyone installed one of these? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/aveoredbaronmaxired3.php Yes, the old flash strobe I had interfered with the GMU11 I installed for the G5's. I put this in place of the strobe which fixed that issue and is much brighter than the old flash strobe. Quote
PJClark Posted December 13, 2020 Author Report Posted December 13, 2020 2 hours ago, Skates97 said: Yes, the old flash strobe I had interfered with the GMU11 I installed for the G5's. I put this in place of the strobe which fixed that issue and is much brighter than the old flash strobe. @Skates97. Was the one you removed the 3.75" Whelen? Did this Aveo mount to the same holes/opening with no modificatins to sheet metal? Quote
bradp Posted December 14, 2020 Report Posted December 14, 2020 22 hours ago, RLCarter said: I wish i knew who stuck mine on top, they removed the old one from the belly and just left the hole open... Id like to take them behind the hangar and beat the crap out of them ... You just need to go full airliner with top and bottom beacons. 1 1 Quote
bradp Posted December 14, 2020 Report Posted December 14, 2020 21 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: When I had my F Mooney, it had one of those. It quit. I disassembled it to the last part an fixed it up. It worked great after that. I love fixing up old pieces of machinery. I have my original sitting in 100 pieces and found a replacement coffee grinder when it stopped grinding. The machining work is impressive - looks like a Swiss watch on the inside. 2 Quote
47U Posted December 14, 2020 Report Posted December 14, 2020 3 hours ago, bradp said: You just need to go full airliner with top and bottom beacons. Or, per the USAF, “Upper and lower rotating beacons on and rotating, aircraft in taxi configuration.” 1 Quote
Skates97 Posted December 14, 2020 Report Posted December 14, 2020 6 hours ago, PJClark said: @Skates97. Was the one you removed the 3.75" Whelen? Did this Aveo mount to the same holes/opening with no modificatins to sheet metal? The Aveo is much smaller and will not mount in the same hole. They do make an adapter but I didn't want to buy it. I had some spare aluminum sheet in the hangar and cut a piece slightly larger than the hole and drilled it to match the same screw holes that were already in the plane along with the holes in the center of it to mount the Aveo. After painting it with a "close match" to the plane I mounted the plate and then mounted the light. Some day before I have the plane repainted I will have my AP/IA make a piece that has a center filler the same thickness as the skin and have him rivet it in place, and then have whoever paints it fill/smooth the small gap before painting. Until then, my AP/IA is happy with it and so am I, the only way to see the difference is to get on the ground beneath the plane. If you would like I could send some pictures when I'm at the hangar on Wednesday. This is the old one. Quote
65eTurbo Posted January 4, 2021 Report Posted January 4, 2021 If you have a tail strobe, you could remove it and cover with an inside flush patch panel. You still can be seen from behind. It's the perfect mod. Saves weight, lowers drag, and saves a few watts. I did. 1 Quote
Mark605 Posted January 4, 2021 Report Posted January 4, 2021 45 minutes ago, 65eTurbo said: If you have a tail strobe, you could remove it and cover with an inside flush patch panel. You still can be seen from behind. It's the perfect mod. Saves weight, lowers drag, and saves a few watts. I did. If you that, you have the choice between not having any lights available for ground recognition, or taxiing around with your strobes on blinding people and looking like a cirrus pilot. 1 2 Quote
adverseyaw Posted January 4, 2021 Report Posted January 4, 2021 6 hours ago, Mark605 said: If you that, you have the choice between not having any lights available for ground recognition, or taxiing around with your strobes on blinding people and looking like a cirrus pilot. Some of us are saddled with that responsibility from the factor. My J came "clean" without either a strobe or a step. I think it's more a legal consideration rather than a visibility issue, though. Bright LED position lights (especially with flasher functionality) are at least as good as a rotating beacon hidden under the tail. Doubly so if compared to a dim and grimy legacy beacon. Strobes are unarguably the best for visibility but they're indeed blinding. Pity the regs demand them for us without beacons. Quote
RobertGary1 Posted January 4, 2021 Report Posted January 4, 2021 I just had to replace my bulb again after replacing it a couple years ago. Where did you find a plug in replacement that’s led? Quote
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