I'm replacing my fin rotating beacon with a Whelen LED nav light/strobe combo on my Cessna 180B; anybody have any tricks for running the strobe wire out to the wingtips?

Thanks

The easiest way would be to run the new wire right down the skin of the leading edge, then install a Sportsman to cover the wires. ; )

... Otherwise you can use a wire messenger to snake it in there. The crux obviously is from Sta 100 outboard in the right wing, but pretty easy.

If your going LED, I'd run 20/3 shielded.

You might also want to consider adding another wire for wingtip lights if you ever go that route...

Good luck-

Just a thought, I ran nylon tubing to enable me to easily replace wiring if need be and also for future video equipment wiring. Also prevents chafing in areas you can't tie the wiring off.

jrc111 wrote:I'm replacing my fin rotating beacon with a Whelen LED nav light/strobe combo on my Cessna 180B; anybody have any tricks for running the strobe wire out to the wingtips?

Thanks

If you can mount the strobe power units on the wingtip, then you only have to run one small wire out there, and may be able to eliminate some RF Noise issues...

bigrenna wrote:...... Otherwise you can use a wire messenger to snake it in there. The crux obviously is from Sta 100 outboard in the right wing, but pretty easy............

What is a "wire messenger"? Is that like a fish tape?

I ran mine by using the existing nav wire as a fish tape.
Wire is cheap and it needed replaced anyway.

Bagarre wrote:I ran mine by using the existing nav wire as a fish tape.
Wire is cheap and it needed replaced anyway.

Is the existing wire not held in with clips or anything. I was also thinking about doing this, but I assumed the existing wire was not just free floating, but ran through a couple wire clips or something.

1/2" PVC pipe worked well for me. Ran it through a wing tip and down the leading edge.
I don't have a headliner so I was able to pass it through the interior to get to the 2nd wing.
I thought about getting some really light tubing for this and just leaving it in the wing to further protection but my mechanic wouldn't sign off on it.

corefile wrote:

Bagarre wrote:I ran mine by using the existing nav wire as a fish tape.
Wire is cheap and it needed replaced anyway.

Is the existing wire not held in with clips or anything. I was also thinking about doing this, but I assumed the existing wire was not just free floating, but ran through a couple wire clips or something.

Mine didnt have any clips other than at the root and tip and one by the the inspection cover.

I ran 20 gauge 2 conductor shielded wire today. Soldered the outboard nav wire to the coax, covered the junction with heat shrink, lubed it with silicone and pulled it through after freeing the wires up. The right wing had a splice doubled over in a nylon sleeve at the strut inspection hole which was hanging up. The left wing had ties at the landing/taxi light area and several ties at inspecton holes. Both had a clamp at the inboard rib.

Just in case you didn't know this, bond one and only one end of the wire shield to the airframe. This allows any electrons captured by the sheild to escape without making it a conductor as it would be if both ends were bonded to the airframe.

That's certainly how I understood it's supposed to work, however, there's this AeroLED install guide:


http://aircraftproducts.wicksaircraft.c ... tion+forum[2].pdf


which shows the shield grounded on both ends. I'm going to run a wire off the shield next to the Beacon Switch, and not terminate it and see if I have noise (I'm grounding the shield at the outboard rib). I can always run it to ground later if there's noise. Thanks, Ron.