Kuntzleman Red LED tail beacon fault

[RFguy]

does anyone know anything about these. this one is dead.
has a nice lens setup. 

looks to be epoxy potted. ideas ?

-glen

[onetrack]

Glen - The last review, and the last answer to the last question, below, are quite revealing. The manufacturer indicates the unit must be sent back to the factory for repair. This indicates it is repairable.

 

I've never had any luck in removing potting mix, the epoxy is usually designed to never be removed. Maybe Kuntzleman has some special solvent to dissolve it.

 

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/kuntzsc103.php

 

- Ron.

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by onetrack

[RFguy]

Hi Ron, thanks for the reply.

 

I got a reply back from the mfr- it is not repairable - potted .

Dick Kuntzelman did offer some retrofits , not in the catalog. We'll see how we go with getting the potting off the bottom, it has  such a nice fresnel lens...

-glen

 

 

 

[SilverHammer]

I dissected a failed one from my J230D. The LEDs  were OK, if you could just get the potting compound off the electronics........

 

[RFguy]

OK, that's useful info . how far is the the lens potted into the bottom PVC pipe cap ?

 

[onetrack]

There are only two ways to soften epoxy potting mix, that I've found. One is SCA Throttle Body & Carby cleaner. This is a mix of Acetone and Methanol. The problem is, it liquifies most plastics, and all paints.

Number Two is a heat gun. Probably a better option. Use a pointed tip if you have a gun with a choice of tips. Good heat guns have a range of changeable tips.

[RFguy]

Thanks One Track, I will get some and try that.

I am not worried about the driving electronics just have to preserve the lens and leds.

 

acetone and methanol is what I want to soak my head combustion chambers in also, isnt it to soften the gunk ?

[onetrack]

Yes, the acetone and methanol mix does a great job of stripping any petroleum-combustion-origin, buildup, or deposits.

[SilverHammer]

Sorry, I can't recall the depth the lens was embedded, I just cut and peeled the plastic tub away, using a dremel.

[facthunter]

There are proprietary solvents for the job. I've not had much success otherwise when I tried to get the carbon out of 2 stroke piston grooves . IF it works it, will contain stuff you would have to take great care with . Scraping does damage. Nev

[waraton]

I've replaced my Jabiru beacon light with one from the same company that made the original. Cost $205usd delivered and fits straight in the Jab mount. It sits about an inch higher than the original due to a heat sink which (the company advises) will prevent them dying early like their predecessor. Works great.

https://kestrobes.com/product-category/red-led-aircraft-beacon/

[Jim188]

Hi All,  

 

I am slowly getting an option together to replace the Kuntzleman Flashing Tail Beacon unit. 

 

I contacted Jabiru Australia, about 2 years ago to see if they had a direct replacement for the Kuntzleman Tail Beacon, Jabiru said they don't have anything as a direct replacement for the Kuntzleman unit.

 

Thanks to Glen (RFguy) for his advice in heading me towards these marine Beacons, they are pretty good quality and I got them on-line here in Australia.

 

The lens will do a nice job, with the 3D printed pot/spacer.

 

Unfortunately, my first printed pot/spacer, needs the outside diameter to be a few mm's thicker so it fits into the Jabiru's tail cone a little tighter.   

 

Thanks to Glen (RFguy), for heading me in the right direction, I got both the red and clear marine Beacon unit.

 

So next step, to find a red or white flashing LED bulb that  is BA15D design or some ideas on electronics to make LED flash, without making to much RF hash.

 

I have found breaking type tail-light's with LED bulbs and do flash, but only a few times, then they remain on. 

 

Once I have the 3D pot/spacer with the correct outside diameter, I will put up the print file here for anyone to use.   

 

Cheers

Jim188      

Edited October 8 by Jim188
grammar

[RFguy]

Nice work Jim. 

I can do the flasher electronics for us.

Let me know the precise lens used- I will buy some and generate some flasher electronics.

Do we have a suitable LED 'bulb' to go init? there will need to be some optimization of LED launch location to maximize the lens coupling

 

I will get my Jab flying again soon enough, I'll follow your path.

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Warning! Tangent!

 

It seems to me that barrel/round beacons, are a hangover from when the light had to rotate, to give a flashing effect.

The shape of this "traditional" light must surely create significant drag.

With modern electronics and LED's, we no longer need to rotate the light - we can now have a more streamlined lense - why is this not being done???😈

[RFguy]

what?

We're not  using rotating flashing beacons.

 

this sort of light create very little drag.  it is a good shape.

 

[Jim188]

Hi SkippyDiesel and Glen, 

 

I have seen a smaller adaptations using a red push bike tail light LED flashing units, nice and small with hardly any drag.

 

But barely seen at the other end of a runway over a 1 mile away and gets lost around other lights.

 

So my thoughts, copy a unit with the same lumens or better than the old unit I have, so if being the same size and being seen much further away comes at the cost of some drag, I think I am happy.  

 

But hey any idea's to get the same results off the shelf, more than happy to consider and change direction. 

 

Glen, these lens come with a black mounting base which takes a BA15D bulb, and this base slides into my 3D printed base. will post a picture of the base.   

 

Cheers

Jim188 

 

 

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, RFguy said:

what?

We're not  using rotating flashing beacons.

 

this sort of light create very little drag.  it is a good shape.

 

Disclaimer;  No in-depth knowledge.

 

I have always been under the impression that a round structure, induces a lot more drag than a tear drop shape. 

 

How is it that wing tip lights (LED's) can be a teardrop and a tail beacon must look like a coke can stuck on the fin, almost as if an afterthought (ugly and draggy)?😈

 

[Jim188]

These aircraft tail beacon lens are round due to the need in having 360deg coverage with its lighting optics.

A tear drop lens will give better coverage of light in one direction and less in the other. 

 

I don't feel the Beacon Lens would make that much drag. But yes I think you would be right about a tear drop shape being more aerodynamic.    

 

For those who are interested, I got the red and white Beacon from https://www.menacemarine.com.au/small-red-beacon-light?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsJO4BhDoARIsADDv4vCyz24FiTrWPaQZ8PJgj3cpTYWsOZnHLeATGp4-ZhlWKzSmFpRd2ZEaAg7aEALw_wcB  for about AU$ 19.00 each.

 

or I see Dick Smith has the same.

https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/menace-marine-small-red-12v-marine-beacon-led-light-boat-bright-deck-menli019/

 

The bulb supplied with the marine unit is not very bright, so I am looking for a better LED BA15D bulb, one that has a built in flashing unit would be good, but no luck so far googling on line for a continuous flashing LED bulb.

 

 

Cheers

Jim188

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9 by Jim188

[skippydiesel]

"These aircraft tail beacon lens are round due to the need in having 360deg coverage with its lighting optics."

 

I think you will find that a modern teardrop shaped tail beacon will almost certainly deliver , if not perfect 360 light" very close to its - it's all in how the magnifying lenses are are located & shaped.

 

"I don't feel the Beacon Lens would make that much drag. "

 

I think you may be surprised, at just how much drag a circular X section,  fitted at right angles to the air flow, can deliver.  A lot of aircraft will have teardrop fairings fitted to round undercarriage legs, same for wing struts.

[skippydiesel]

My apologies to all -

 

 I dont step back from my observation regarding the drag effect of circular structures .

 

However I thought I had better search for a "teardrop" tail beacon - couldn't find one!!!! Seems they only exist in my fevered imagination. Again my apologies for going down this imaginer track.

 

For the future; This is a great opportunity for anyone with the skills/knowledge to design/ build/test/market a streamlined tail beacon😈

[facthunter]

They aren't much use anyhow except over relatively short distances to indicate you are active and/or have engines running..   Nev

[Jim188]

Hi All,

 

The Kuntzleman, Flashing Tail Beacon was made mostly for G.A. Experimental Aircraft.

 

Where the builder wanted their Exp. G.A. registered Aircraft's "Special Certificate of Airworthiness" to be certified for Night Visual Fight Rules as well as for IFR, my guess, not to many Jabs will have their SCOA approved for IFR. 

 

This Tail Beacon was put on many G.A. Experimental Built Jabs, as well as some J230 that were built by Jabiru Australia to meet NVFR specs for  G.A Flight Training Schools, many year ago.

 

Whilst the Kuntzleman Tail Beacon is LED, it was built to G.A. NVFR lumens standard.

 

This may explain why I am heading down this track.

 

Cheers

Jim188

  

Edited October 11 by Jim188

[RFguy]

Jim, I will get one of the lens and those bulbs and see what I can come up with. I've built alot of led flashers and lights with modern leds. I have a 19,000 lumen flasher on the bike...

[Jim188]

Hi Glen, that sounds good to me. At present, the 3D printed cup and the internal fit is a good interference fit, to fit the black base of the light into it. 

 

But the 3D printed cup outer diameter to fit into the Jabiru tail moulding is about 1  mm to small in radius currently, So will get a new one printed up. But the current 3D printed cup would be Ok installing with a centre bolt and a bear of sealant, but I think a little tighter fit would be nicer for the install.

 

Cheers

Jim188

Edited October 13 by Jim188

[skippydiesel]

i had the pleasure of a conducted tour of an immaculate RV 4 on Saturday (Wedderburn Fly In).

 

Its LED tail beacon was tiny,  about 20 mm diameter and only raised about 10 mm above the vertical fin/stabiliser.