----- Original Message -----
From: "James Nelson" <europajim@juno.com>
Subject: Re: 18 amps from a 914 !!!
> Now to spoil all this, Whelen Co. is releasing soon a running
> light system that uses LED's in place of the very old fashion filament
> light (very expensive) and a POWER HOG. The new system is (I'm told by
> rumor) to use only 2A instead of about 7A with the old style bulbs. That
> 5A savings will allow you to use the Rotax system and still have power to
> run a Art. Horizon., DG, Turn Coordinator, radio, Transponder and leave
> a bit to use for interior lights or a wig / wag landing / taxi light
> system. It may make the need for extra alternator redundant.
Or at the very most make the little B&C 8A(actually 5A) all that's needed
for backup.
I called Whelen to find out when these magic lights ( pictures in the June
AOPA Pilot )
would be out.
The tail position light is out now - 72 LEDs in a curved array.
The red/green position lights will be out by summer's end.
Since 95% of all their customers want strobes with their position lights,
they are working on an A650 ( w/o tail position light ) replacement, out by
early
next year.
It will be a while before they can make an A600 replacement since they can't
stuff enough white LEDs into the restricted space of the A600 tail region
yet.
It is true that each light burns about 0.5A instead of 2.0A.
They haven't figured out a way of making the comet flash burn less than 7A,
but
if you use their single flash unit and the LEDs, night lights+strobes come
out to only 6A!
For those of us more than 12 months away from first flight, this option
should be cost
neutral or even favorable to a large 2nd alternator and incandescent
lighting. Keep it
simple and modern! Maybe even build our own lights...
Shaun
A207
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