Jim188

Hi All, Well I am very please in how this Flyleds, Flashing Tail Beacon has worked with ease using the Jabiru tail mount. It's certainly brighter than the old LED unit and far less costly than purchasing a TSO approved Flashing Tail Beacon. Not taking into account my own time, but even with all the other bits I purchased in trying to repair the old Kuntzleman Tail Beacon. I am still under $235.00 all up with the Flyleds Flashing Beacon, I guess I am lucky having a Experimental Type Jabiru so I can use non TSO or certified parts. Thanks everyone for help and advice along the way. Cheers Jim188

Hi All, Firstly, thanks to every one for your help and advice along the way with this thread, it's been a slow process in trying to workout how to get the Kuntzleman Tail Beacon apart, while still being able to put it back together again. Well on the Christmas Break, I finally lathed back all but the base of the tub from the Kuntzleman Tail Beacon. I then tried soaking the exposed epoxy in a couple of different solvent brews and not one soften this epoxy in anyway. So with OneTrack's advice in mind about it being nearly impossible to remove these types of epoxies, I have given up for now in trying to find away into the beacon electronics. So with this change of direction, I ordered one of the FlyLeds Flashing Beacon that Skipdiesel and Tasmag talked about, so thanks guys for your advice and help about this smaller Red Flashing Beacon. So I ordered one of these unit over the Christmas break and it happen to arrived on New Years Eve, so thanks to Flyleds who are in Australian and based in Victoria, thanks Paul. So at first glance of the unit, I was more than happy with the unit and even happier after I compared the Kuntzleman and Flyleds Beacon side by side for brightness. To me the Flyleds Flashing Beacon seems to be at least the same or even a little brighter than the Kuntzleman Beacon. So where to from here, I am thinking the best way forward is to redesign my 3D drawing to make up a mounting spacer/hub that can hold the new flashing unit into the top of our Jabiru's tail beacon shroud. Cheers Jim188

Hi All, Well its a bit of a problem that Kuntzleman no longer make their Tail Beacons so we can't just buy a replacement. Well, I have made another parting cut on the beacon's tub, this time 15mm down from the Tub/lens joint line, the depth of cut was 4.5 to 5mm through the Tub's wall. So now having the benefit of hindsight, if anyone is looking to do this, I would say, this should be the position of your first parting cut, then you would be able to lathe back PVC off the Beacon Lens threaded area so you should be able to use this Beacon's lens again with a new NIBCO PVC End Cap for the Tub. As you can see in the pic below, there are some electronic components sticking out of the epoxy resin so be careful. Anyway, I can now get a good look at the LED tower and all it's soldier joints around the bottom of the tower and the wires coming out of the epoxy. Sadly, it seems my electronic fault, is now pointing towards being in the electronics that are in the resin. So I am thinking my next step will be to lathe off the remaining side walls of the tub to expose the epoxy resin. I am hoping the attachment bolt coming through the bottom of the tub will be attached to the LED Tower and this can be used to help hold the unit by screwing it into threaded hole in a round bar that is then being held by the chuck. Until next time. Cheers Jim188

Ah, One-track, I am pretty sure having now taken off the lens and not seeing any solder joint issues around the LED tower. I am now wondering if I could heat the epoxy to either remove it or maybe even heat it up so to reflow the solder joint that are in the epoxy tub Cheers Jim188

Thanks Skip, ok, I will follow this up with the specs for the unit. Thank you both for your advice and help. Cheers Jim188

Hi All, Well, I finally got around to parting the lens off the tub of my Kuntzleman Beacon to see if I can fix what seems to be a dry joint. As pictured below, I removed the Lens, by putting the Tail Beacon in my lathe and I hand turned the chuck whilst using a 3mm parting tool. As you can see, I cut the lens off just above the top of the tub. But now having seen the inside, I would make this cut next time down 15mm's from the top of the Tub/bottom of the lens. This 15mm down from the Tub/lens line would make the cut just below the bottom of the Lens and a few mm's above the epoxy level in the Tub, the depth of cut into the tub wall will be about 3 to 4 mm's. So be careful when cutting through the side of the Tub as there are some electronic components that stick up past the top of the epoxy, so if you go a mm to deep when cutting into the Tub's side wall, you could be cutting into these electronic components, see my second picture below. Now, I need to see if I can repair Kuntzleman electronics, I was hoping there would be a crack or a dry joint that I could see around LED tower. But after cleaning the LED tower's solder joints from the old flux residue and inspecting it under my electronic microscope, I can't see any cracks or dry joints around the LED tower, so it's not looking very good for a simple fix and looks like my issue might be in the electronics which is covered with epoxy. RFGuy, Glen, do you think this epoxy could be removed? I am going find some Tub's online, my tub is made by NIBCO a PVC 447-015 1 1/2" SCH 40, slip on end cap PVC water pipe fitting. So Glen, I am hoping you are still able to help with some electronic so to rebuild and used the Kuntzleman LED tower. I am pretty sure the lens from the link below and the red one shown in the background of the pic below, will work as the replacement with a little lathe work on the top of the lens to take the Kuntzleman LED tower and heatsink. Cheers Jim188 Link to the same type of lens, https://www.menacemarine.com.au/small-red-beacon-light?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsJO4BhDoARIsADDv4vCyz24FiTrWPaQZ8PJgj3cpTYWsOZnHLeATGp4-ZhlWKzSmFpRd2ZEaAg7aEALw_wcB for about AU$ 19.00 each.

Many thanks guys for your help and time with my posts. Boy, my googling skills are not as good as I thought or is it that Google, now days drops large numbers of web listing of those that don't pay to be founded. I agree with Glen, about the FlyLed having lesser brightness. But, I also think the FlyLed Beacon seems a good option, if you don't want to waste your time trying to re-manufacture the Kuntzlman's Beacon with its higher lumen power and the FlyLed Beacon price is great as well. My Kuntzeman Beacon still works, after you tap or twist the base and lens, it will start to flash properly and last about month or so, then the LED array will go dim to a point where you can hardly see the LEDS, but they are lighting up, going red and flashing. But as time has gone on, it's now getting harder and harder to twist the unit to start it flashing properly again. So I am pondering the idea, if the FlyLed Beacon electronics could drive the Kuntzleman LED Array which seems to work fine when the power is getting to the LED Array. I thinking there is about a 20% chance the FlyLed Beacon electronics would be able to supply the required amperage needed for the Kuntzleman LED Array to operate. Cheers Jim188

Thanks Skippydiesel, for that information, did you happen to get the name of the beacon. Believe me, I have been looking for a direct replacement of a manufacture unit that we could use. Jabiru did not know of any or have a direct replacement, either. Cheers 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

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

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

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

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

Hi Flyboy1960, I get it, some people around here like to have this Ford versa Holden, banter thing happening with Rotax and Jabiru, Sadly, but you missed my point, I was not flying a flag for anyone. I was just very surprise to see the Rotax numbers like that coming from RAAus, because I have never meet anyone in my aviation world who knows of a 912/914 Rotax failure or anyone who may wish to acknowledges this, but it obviously does happens by the looks. Have great day. Jim188

Hi All, I read with interest all this banter about Jabiru engine and their reliability issues. I think we all know Jabiru has had some engines issues and that's why if you own a Gen 1, 2 or 3 you should know about the different up grades that Jabiru has brought forward for these engines. But does every Jabiru engine owner do those up grades, I don't think so ??????? I find it interesting on this forum, does anyone every ask when a Jabiru engine failures, has the engine owner done all the appropriate engine up grade or maintenance as directed by Jabiru, e.g. replacing single value springs with double springs or replacing pistons with recess piston crowns. What about pilots that don't really don't understand the importance of doing a cruise climb with a Jabiru Gen 1, 2 or 3 engine and that owner is always having compression, head bolt or torque issues and it's never their own fault. Maybe before we jump straight into blaming Jabiru for every engine malfunction or fault, we should understand there is at least 4 possible factors that can contribute to an engine malfunction or failure. The Pilot The Owner or Maintainer Parts (or the person who approved the substitute parts) The Manufacturer. I heard a Jabiru crankshaft that failed, the owner was sure it was Jabiru's fault. What most people never got to hear, is that engine had a bad prop strike a year or so before and the owner never bulk stripped the engine, did I hear someone ask, what's a bulk strip? Or what about the Jabiru engine that failure where the owner never did the double value spring upgrade in a timely manner. Then one day, smashed a valve into the top of a piston and then blamed Jabiru for having such a shit engine, because the owner never did the valve up grade as told. I am guessing some on this forum are not even members of RAAus, but in their Magazine issue 103, page 95, for the first half of 2022, there was 16 engine malfunctions or failures. 9 were Rotax and 7 were Jabiru, oh boy, and for all this time I have been hood winked by all those Rotax flying pilots telling us their engines just never, never, never, never ever fail and now that just seems to be one big porky. 😃😂 Jim188