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Strobe Power Supply Removal

H

Hawkeye426

Registered User
Hi all,

I think I already know the answer here.. but I figured I'd ask to confirm my suspicion. I've got a 59 Supercub that was redone in 2011 and I am replacing the strobes with LEDs. Upon opening the inspection plates I was mortified to discover that the inspection holes are too small to remove the old wingtip mounted strobe power supplies. Has anyone got any bright ideas on how to do this short of cutting open the wing, as this is something I'd really rather avoid.

Thanks,
 
Let me get this right. You have a single power supply for the strobe, which is mounted IN the wingtip? Is this mounted on the inboard or outboard side of the end rib? Can you read a name and model number on the power supply? Trying to find info on the size of the unit.

Web
 
There seem to be two power supplies. One in each wing tip. I am unable to read any writing on the power supplies as they are screwed onto the outermost wing ribs. The power suuplies are about 4,3/4" by about 6" and my inspection hole is only 4,1/4".

Thanks
 
Check to see if you have a larger panel, somewhere inboard of the power supply. You might be able to remove the hardware and pull the power supply to the larger opening. Otherwise you have two choices. Leave the power supply in place until you have 'reason' to pull the fabric off the wing tips. Or, cut a slit in the wing tip just large enough to extract the power supply and then learn how to apply a patch to a fabric wing (get some supervision for this).

Web
 
wireweinie said:
Or, cut a slit in the wing tip just large enough to extract the power supply and then learn how to apply a patch to a fabric wing (get some supervision for this).

Web
Click to expand...

In the medical world they’d refer to this procedure as an episiotomy.
Difference being, you’d use a baseball stitch and patch to repair slit.
 
Unfortunately, all the inspection covers are the same size... Also the wing rib would seem to prevent access from the inboard side anyways. I guess I'll probably wait till something else requiring fabric repairs is needed.

Thanks,
 
Buy or make a bigger ring reinforcement, glue it on from the inside, cut out the fabric, paint and install a new larger cover. Or, if they work? Leave them there and save your money. Old-school strobes work great.
 
Last edited:
Do a rectangular inspection panel right at the power supply. Won’t add much weight and no one will notice except you.
 
can you get enough access to actually detach the unit from the rib? if so, you may be able to disassemble the unit in the wing and remove the pieces. a lot of those units have a sheet metal cover that can be removed. of course you will destroy the unit in the process, but if that’s preferable to cutting the fabric, it may be an option.
 
Retrofitting a new access panel isn’t difficult. Here’s one I did.
 

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Could you disassemble or cut/grind the power supply as much as you can through the inspection hole to make it removable? It would have to be a pretty big undertaking for me to leave those in if they were completely unneeded. No question I’d cut and repair fabric if that was the only option.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
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