In the process of the annual, one of the things I wanted to add was wig-wag landing lights. After flying around in the SE part of AK where rain with low vis and low ceilings are pretty much the norm I decided I wanted more visibility. In addition to low vis up there, the terrain also funnels everyone into the same channels, passes, etc. The importance of being seen, and seeing others, really got hammered home.
So I added landing lights out in the wingtips. I contacted Javron and got his "light kit". It includes the pre-shaped lens cover, the precut and bent trim, etc. That really helped. The material removed (LE) was 7 oz and the mount, trim, and lens was 14 for a net gain of about 7 oz per side. The wires were 8.8 oz and Can't find the light weight. I'll get it.
I used the Baja Designs Squadron Pro Flush Mount LED lights. These puppies crank out 4900 lumens and are relatively light.
Link here
https://www.bajadesigns.com/Products/led-auxilary-lights.asp
Then I used a switch from Perihelion Designs that controls all the wig-wag in one simple toggle switch. Link here......
https://periheliondesign.com/product/wwd-electronic-module/
It is really quite simple and light. I will edit this post when I get home with all the weights. I think, all up, including the lights, wire, mounting etc it added about 4 pounds. But......there's more......weight that is.......in order to drive this, and also the fuel pump on the fuel pod, (I'll post on that later) I needed more electrons. So I went from the B&C 8 amp alternator to the B&C 20 amp unit.
This is the B&C 8 amp unit. It is the orange bell shaped thing. The new alternator fits with just a couple of "adjustments". See that knurled knob at the bottom of the oil filter? That is the Tac drive. Since I have electronic mags, I don't use that, as it is for the cable that connects to your tac. With electronic mags we take a electrical wire and electrical signal from the mags themselves to show our RPM. That little knurled knob is just a aluminum dust cover.
This is the new B&C 20 amp alternator. There are a couple of these, the 410-H and the 425-H. The "410-H" is made for Lycoming and will clear that tac drive and allow you to use a tac cable. It is 6" long and is a REALLY tight fit (i.e. it doesn't fit) between the engine and the firewall. You have to either move the engine out a 1/2" via spacers that fit between the motor mount and the fuselage, or get a mount extended out 1/2" (Javron makes both the spacers and the mount, depending on which solution you opt for). My understanding is you can also get, via special request, B&C to make the wires that come out of the back of the alternator moved to where they come out the side of the alternator. This would also help with the tight fit between the firewall and the back of the alternator.
The other option is to use the B&C 425-H. The website says this one is designed for Cont, Rotax and other engines. It will not clear the tac cable BUT is is about 3/4 inches shorter so it fits into the firewall. The mount to the engine is the same so it fits into the Lycoming engines just fine. No need to put a recess into the firewall or move the engine forward. So......I had two issues to adjust. The Tac drive cap, and the oil filter (Casper Labs unit).
The little safety wire tab sticks out pretty far. I drilled a second hole a little closer to the base. then shaved off some of the tab and thus shortened it. That solved one issue. Looks like this......
Shorter safety wire tab
Then I sanded off a little of the side of the tac drive dust cap. Filled the break thru with JB weld so it is still intact as a dust cover.
This is what the dust cover goes on, the tac drive. You can see that the top part has no threads, so I felt comfortable taking just a little off there. It is still fully functional and perfectly sound.
And now we have clearance to the alternator. Plenty of room between the firewall and back of the alternator to get it on and off and for all the wires and it fits nicely. So......you can use the 425-H if you shave the tac drive dust cover (assuming you are not using a tac drive cable) and you will not have firewall fit issues. Or you can go with the 410-H and it will clear the tac drive but you will have a tight fit to the firewall. Take your choice. They both work and have advantages and disadvantages. I am just trying to tell you what I have learned to help out.
The 8 amp alt has several components that also must be mounted and considered. The 20 amp has just one regulator and is much simpler in that respect. The 8 amp worked quite well for me and I had no issues with it. But adding the wig-wag lights, and a fuel pump for the pod, would have been really pushing the limits of that unit. 20 Amps will be more than ample.
Again I will try to remember to edit this post to add weights when I get home. Found my notes.....the 8 amp unit with all its condensers, regulators, relays, etc weighed 57.5 oz
The 20 amp with its regulator weighed 97.9 oz
Added weight is 40.4 oz or about 2.5 pounds
Hope this helps
Bill