Whelen Stobe not working

[NorthIdahoAvidflyer 374]

The new Magnum has a set of Whelen wingtip strobe / position lights. When I was going over the instrument panel functions I found that the position lights are working but the strobe lights are not flashing. Each function is on a separate switch. I have never had a set of Whelen strobes. Where should I start my search to isolate the problem? 

Any help would be appreciated.   

[Av8r_Sed 82]

Check to see you’re getting 12-14 volts at the power supply and the wiring is good out to the stobes. I had mine go out and found an internal fuse in the power supply was blown. It’s a pain to open one of those up because they used rivets which have to be drilled out (OK, they’re aluminum so not too challenging).  If you do open it, remember you’re dealing with high voltage. 

At Oshkosh one year, I found Whelan was selling refurbed units they pulled from under the counter. Wouldn’t hurt to ask them if you still need one by then.

Or go LED. 

[1avidflyer 1983]

If you end up needing a power unit, I have some.  I've found that they take most of the power a 582 puts out.  I think the LEDs are the way to go as well.  JImChuk

[ChrisBolkan 130]

I have wehlen strobes and box that came off my magnum when I put LEDs on. You are welcome to any of the parts to fix your magnum. I have not been able to give them away. It's the nice multi flash box.

[Gunderson 28]

The large electrolytic capacitors in the Whelen power supply are susceptible to loss of polarity if not used for many months or years.

There is a method to recondition the caps to get them back to working condition if they haven't been damaged by trying to run them too long without polarization.

That method is described in comment #7 on this thread:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=35298&highlight=power+supply+Dan+Blumel 

I had this problem with a project that I bought that had never used components, including a Whelan system, but had sat idle in a garage for 25 years.

[Cloud Dancer 69]

I agree to what's already been said on this topic. I'll add that if you take the cover off do not touch the bulb with your fingers. The oil from a finger print is enough to create a hot spot on the bulb and lead to premature failure. Kind of like the old halogen bulbs you need to clean them with alcohol to remove oil from finger prints. If you have voltage at the unit and it's still not flashing, listen for a high pitched whine from the high voltage section. Remember those cheap disposable cameras with flashes? That whine in those cameras is the flash section charging up and you can hear that if your under a specific age and still have most of your hearing. If you can hear the whine it's probably the bulbs burned out. If you can't hear the whine and there is power to your unit then the fault is in the high voltage section of the circuit.