Help with simple circuit

[Rich Grise]

At least I think it is simple...

I have 2 12v wingtip lights that I need to be able to control with
one switch and one wire running through a wing in an airplane.
This is for just one wing. That's the gist of it. ....
I was thinking about relays with a capacitor to keep the line live for
2 seconds to be able to flip another relay... but now I am confusing
myself again.

Any Ideas???

Seems like it should not be too difficult.
Thanks so much for any advise!!!

Well, after all of the suggested circuits, discussions about
FAA regs, production circuits, and all of that crap, you could
have already fished a new wire through the wings. ;-)

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[ehsjr]

MacGyver wrote:

At least not at my airport. I am really looking for a jpeg diagram &
parts list, as I am having trouble following the ascii diagrams in this
page.

Set your reader to view the posts with a fixed font, like
courier. A couple of solutions have been posted in ascii,
so you are missing out if you can't read them.

Ed

Thanks so much for any help you can offer. I honestly thought this
was going to be a simple circuit!

It is.

 

[John Fields]

Hey John thanks for reading... The spars are really the ground, but for
all intensive purposes it's the whole wing minus the fibreglass tip.
Not looking to profit from this, just want to get it done. I just
don't see much of a market for it. Not too many planes are out there
these days without strobes already installed.

---
OK, no problem.
---

At least not at my airport. I am really looking for a jpeg diagram &
parts list, as I am having trouble following the ascii diagrams in this
page.
Thanks so much for any help you can offer. I honestly thought this
was going to be a simple circuit!

---
Simple, but tricky!

As I understand it you've now got a SPST toggle switch in the
cockpit supplying 12V to a couple of grounded nav lights and you
want to use the existing wiring (one wire) to also selectively
switch ON and OFF a couple of strobe lights located approximately
where the nav lights are. As Jim (RST Engineering) pointed out
before, (I think) you're looking at four states that you want to
implement with the toggle switch:

NAV STROBE
-----|--------
OFF OFF
ON OFF
OFF ON
ON ON

The way I'd implement it would be like this:

NAV STROBE TOGGLE
-----|--------|---------
OFF OFF DOWN(2)
ON OFF UP(1)
OFF ON DOWN(1)
ON ON UP(2)

DOWN(2) is actually the normal resting state of the toggle, and if
it were moved to the ON position from there (UP(1)) the nav lights
would go on and the strobes would stay off. Then, if the toggle
were placed in the OFF position (DOWN(1)) the nav lights would go
off and the strobes would come on. Next, if the toggle were moved
to the ON position again (UP(2)) both the nav lights and the strobe
lights would come on and, finally, if the toggle were moved to the
OFF (DOWN(2)) position, both sets of lights would go OFF, completing
the cycle. Now, if the toggle were moved to the ON position (UP(1))
the cycle would begin anew. Also, there'd be two LEDs by the
switch, one which would light when the nav lights were ON and one
which would light when the strobes were on.

If you like it I'll work up the design and post it to abse some time
this weekend.

 

[John Fields]

---
OK, no problem.
---


---
Simple, but tricky!

As I understand it you've now got a SPST toggle switch in the
cockpit supplying 12V to a couple of grounded nav lights and you
want to use the existing wiring (one wire) to also selectively
switch ON and OFF a couple of strobe lights located approximately
where the nav lights are. As Jim (RST Engineering) pointed out
before, (I think) you're looking at four states that you want to
implement with the toggle switch:

NAV STROBE
-----|--------
OFF OFF
ON OFF
OFF ON
ON ON

The way I'd implement it would be like this:

NAV STROBE TOGGLE
-----|--------|---------
OFF OFF DOWN(2)
ON OFF UP(1)
OFF ON DOWN(1)
ON ON UP(2)

DOWN(2) is actually the normal resting state of the toggle, and if
it were moved to the ON position from there (UP(1)) the nav lights
would go on and the strobes would stay off. Then, if the toggle
were placed in the OFF position (DOWN(1)) the nav lights would go
off and the strobes would come on. Next, if the toggle were moved
to the ON position again (UP(2)) both the nav lights and the strobe
lights would come on and, finally, if the toggle were moved to the
OFF (DOWN(2)) position, both sets of lights would go OFF, completing
the cycle. Now, if the toggle were moved to the ON position (UP(1))
the cycle would begin anew. Also, there'd be two LEDs by the
switch, one which would light when the nav lights were ON and one
which would light when the strobes were on.

---
I don't really like the OFF position being responsible for a long
term anything but OFF, so how about this:

The switch starts in the OFF position with everything off, then if
it's moved to ON the nav lights will go on. Then, if it's toggled
OFF and back ON again in less than one second or so, the nav lights
will go off and the strobes will go on. Finally, if it's toggled
OFF and ON again in less than one second or so, the strobes will
stay on and the nav lights will come on.

In order to turn off the lights during any part of the sequence, all
that's necessary is to place the switch to the OFF position and
leave it there for a few seconds, at which time eveything will go
off and the circuit will return to its quiescent power-down state
where it consumes no power.

 

[RST Engineering \(jw\)]

Yeah, but he gave me an idea for another $500 column, and that made it
worthwhile to me at least {;-)


Jim

 

[Rich Grise]

Yeah, but he gave me an idea for another $500 column, and that made it
worthwhile to me at least {;-)

Jim

So, do I get any kickback for prompting this $500.00? Please send your
check (payable to 'Richard Grise') to:
Rich Grise
c/o ABI Engineering
12143 Rivera Rd.
Whittier, CA 90606

Thanks!
Rich

 

[MacGyver]

I would love this!!!
As I said before though, I don't have any reason to ever have the
Strobe lights on witout the NAV lights, so that can be taken out of the
equition.
Please post how you would accomplish this.
Thanks so much!
Sean

 

[MacGyver]

This would certainly work for me, but like I said, we can simplify it
even more by ditching the Strobes without Nav position.
If you do post a diagram, could you please e-mail me the post too. My
browser is not ASCii friendly.
Thanks!!!

Sean (OP as you guys refer to me) haha
[email protected]

 

[MacGyver]

Would love to read the column! What magazine was it.

 

[MacGyver]

Maybe I'll send ya Photos when it's all done! haha

 

[John Fields]

I would love this!!!
As I said before though, I don't have any reason to ever have the
Strobe lights on witout the NAV lights, so that can be taken out of the
equition.
Please post how you would accomplish this.
Thanks so much!
Sean

---
OK.

BTW, when there's more than one person in the thread, if you'd leave
a little of the post you're replying to in your reply, that would
make it a lot easier to figure out what/whom you're responding to.

 

[RST Engineering \(jw\)]

It will be Kitplanes magazine, March '06 issue.

Jim

 

[Rich Grise]

This would certainly work for me, but like I said, we can simplify it
even more by ditching the Strobes without Nav position.
If you do post a diagram, could you please e-mail me the post too. My
browser is not ASCii friendly.
Thanks!!!

Sean (OP as you guys refer to me) haha
[email protected]

Hey, I've got it! Run the nav lights and strobe simultaneously, all of
the time, and shroud them while you're taxiing. Then, when you're at
the threshold, set the brake, jump out of the plane, go grab your shrouds,
and take them with you. ;-) You could use a couple of recycled pillowcases. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[John Fields]

---
OK.

BTW, when there's more than one person in the thread, if you'd leave
a little of the post you're replying to in your reply, that would
make it a lot easier to figure out what/whom you're responding to.