Question about a melting strobe lens...

Hi all:

My new-to-me RV-9A, N929JA, is in the barn, so now I've got the full-time grin, and I can stop reading the classifieds.

The downside for everyone else is that I obviously have to start bugging you guys with my questions.

Item 1: My wingtip strobes seem to be generating too much heat for the clear plastic covers. Kind of hard to see in the attached photo, but the lens has actually gotten wavy to the touch right over the strobe.

Given that I'm a CBWLS (cheap bast-rd with limited skills), what's the easiest/cheapest fix for this?

Thanks!

melted lens

Don't turn the lights on until you are in the air. That is the way to not melt them. Order new lenses from fan not a big deal to cut to fit with good scissors.

I recently saw a -6 model and the builder drilled an intake hole and an exit hole in the lens. Only figure I could muster was for cooling or fogging?

And you can move strobe back a couple of inches.

Can make plated out of .032 and polish

Yep. I would make a new reflector for the strobe and move it back so that it isn't so close to the lens. Test it first with the messed up lens then if it is ok order a new lens. 1/8" reflective acrylic is available for Home Depot so it should be pretty simple to make a new one using the old one as a template.

replace with LED strobes

I've built the same exact nav/strobe setup, and it also melted my wingtip lens within just a couple of hours of use. I had a QuickStrobe ballast in each wingtip, and i think the pattern in that has the strobe on for way longer than a regular aviation pattern does, overheating the bulb.

I ripped out the strobes and replaced them with Feniex Cannon LED strobes. The are $70 each, very bright, put out no radio noise and fit in the same hole.

You can find them here:
https://www.amazon.com/Feniex-Cannon-Hide-Away-LED/dp/B00HV4NMW6

Lenny

Cheapest,....

I'd leave it and see how it goes..
Mine had a bit of softening/ curve early on,...but no further issue in over 500 hrs.
Unless you are going for perfect,...buy avgas instead

Lenny Iszak said:

I've built the same exact nav/strobe setup, and it also melted my wingtip lens within just a couple of hours of use. I had a QuickStrobe ballast in each wingtip, and i think the pattern in that has the strobe on for way longer than a regular aviation pattern does, overheating the bulb.

I ripped out the strobes and replaced them with Feniex Cannon LED strobes. The are $70 each, very bright, put out no radio noise and fit in the same hole.

You can find them here:
https://www.amazon.com/Feniex-Cannon-Hide-Away-LED/dp/B00HV4NMW6

Lenny

Click to expand...

Lenny,
Would like a little more info on these. How long have you had them? Pics of the install. How does the output compare?

Joe

LED strobes

Joe,

I've had them on for about 250 hours. It was an easy replacement. I mounted the driver box onto the outboard wing rib and connected the wires. They have multiple patterns and a sync wire. If you connect the sync wires together from both wingtips they will flash simultaneously. It puts out a bunch of power. Controller mentioned a couple of times that he can see me way further out than other planes. That's my scientific assessment.
Specs say it's got 12x4W LEDs and at max power it puts out 2400 lumens.

After trying several LED drivers for the Nav lights, and having all of them trash the radio, except one, I was worried about radio noise, but this thing is engineered well, radio is silent.

Haven't changed the wingtip lenses yet, they are still melted just like Doug's.

Lenny

You Don't Need the Reflectors Under the Lights

if the lights meet the brightness spec., the reflectors are pointless. By having these under the lights, they move the heat source closer to the lens, which is likely your problem. Just an uneducated opinion.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

Thanks Lenny. Looks to be a viable experimental option. I was thinking about mounting that on the actual wingtip not behind the lense to save room for my landing light and nav light behind the lens. Not sure if there is enough flat area for it. Have to check it out when I get back in town. Happy holidays

Many thanks to all

Going to try moving the strobes, and if there's no additional melting I'll install new lenses.

LEDs might be in my future, but since I'm a cheap b-stard with limited skills, I'm going to stick with minimally invasive surgery for now.

Loving the new-to-me RV. Can't tell you how nice it is to buy parts from Vans rather than from Piper!!