Strobe problems....?

[CSY Man]

Sent this of the Aqua Signal customer service.
(Perhaps some of you guys know the answer: Do the strobe "bulbs" go intermittent before the fail completly, and how long should they last?)

Hello from Florida.
My series 40 strobe light on top of the mast has been more and more intermittent lately:
Once I week I turn all the lights on my sailboat ON to make sure they work.
The strobe has been reliable, but lately I have noticed it sometimes work and sometimes not.
Today I went into the wireing for troubleshooting, but found everything good all the way to the foot of the mast, where I measured 13.1 volt at the connection.
When I turn the switch to ON, I get an initial current draw of about 0.8 amps or so, then no current.
If the bulb was simlpy burned out I would suspect there would be no indication of current through the circuit?
Am I perhaps looking at a moisture somewhere in the system leading to a short..?(The breaker does not pop. All other lights in the mast works good, no water intrusion in the main panel)
Sctratching my head on this one, but I would be happy to change the strobe/bulb if I knew it was indeed burned out. Total time on the bulb since I installed it 8 years ago is probably 3 hours..Not sure how long they should last?
(No power surge or lighting stike on the boat, operation normal and a healthy electrical AC and DC system, new batteries, etc)
Any ideas?

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

When I turn the switch to ON, I get an initial current draw of about 0.8 amps or so, then no current.
If the bulb was simply burned out I would suspect there would be no indication of current through the circuit?

I would assume the 0.8 amps you are measuring is the current used to charge the capacitor. This stored energy is then fired through the "bulb".
I would therefore expect a "bulb" failure would produce the symptoms you describe.
The capacitor charges but the stored energy is not fired.

Was the 13.1V under load? If not before you replace anything however check the voltage at the masthead under load.

[hellosailor]

A strobe "bulb" consists of a high voltage flash tube itself, plus the electronics to make the voltage. There's going to be a power capacitor and other discrete electronics, and all of them are subject to failure. Could also be a bad connection between some of them, or moisture getting into the system.

But the strobe tube itself? Usually just keeps working till it burns out and stops. If you can access the electronics, check for moisture, cold solder joints, or a bad power capacitor. If not--odds are you're looking at replacing the whole thing.

[AnchorageGuy]

You say you found it good at the base of the mast. Did you start from the top down or just checked the wiring in the boat to the base?

[CSY Man]

12345

You say you found it good at the base of the mast. Did you start from the top down or just checked the wiring in the boat to the base?

Yes and no....

Had a guy up the mast yesterday to put in an LED Tricolor ligth.
Told him I have had strobe problems and to check for bad or corroded terminals/connections up there. He said it looked good and the strobe worked as he was up there.

Next day the strobe does not work at all, not a big surprise as it has been intermittent for a long time..

Yup, good point. Wonder if the capacitor is built-in in the bulb or the bulb base, OR if I have to chase it down and replace it by itself.

Here is a picture of the strobe light...with the photographer in focus instead of the bulb of course..


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[AnchorageGuy]

well he said it looked good. And what does that mean? I would start from the top and check that you have good voltage and contacts at the bulb are tight and clean. Many times the problem is in the attachment for the bulb. If that is good then you need to check components. A new bulb will tell you if that is an issue. They are expensive but if that does not make the problem go away you can return it.

[hellosailor]

usually the strobe tube is mounted directly to an electronics board, and the high voltage bits and capacitor are connected very closely to it. I can't tell from the picture, but would expect the strobe tube to be sitting above/below the electronic board, in the same section of the entire housing.

Although the strobe tube and electronics can be replaced individually--they are usually designed to be replaced as one module rather than paying for a tech to do the soldering. The strobe tube's "contacts" are usually wires, soldered to the electronics board, so the only exposed/vulnerable connections should be for the entire strobe assembly to the switched 12-volt supply line.

Which reminds me of the EPIRB with strobe on top that I saw in the bracket of a commercial charter fishing boat one day. As it swung back and forth, you could see the strobe housing was literally 1/2 full of water. Hmmmmm......

[CSY Man]

well he said it looked good. And what does that mean?

No corrosion, no signs of water intrusion, no loose connections..In other words: It looked good....

Although the strobe tube and electronics can be replaced individually--they are usually designed to be replaced as one module rather than paying for a tech to do the soldering.

Aye, I can see head-aces trying to replace the pieces up there....

[Wotname]

FWIW, we repair high end aviation strobe units. I can't remember the last time we replaced a strobe bulb but they do fail very occasionally. Usually the capacitor(s) fail or less often the PCB develops physical problems like cracks, dry joints etc. Occasionally discrete components fail but again rarely (except the high voltage caps).

Just make sure you are getting 12+ volts right at the terminals of the strobe power supply unit while it is turned on. If so and no light, then the power unit is faulty. Remove, fix or replace .

[AnchorageGuy]

My point is the same as Wotname. If the voltage at the power supply in the masthead unit was not checked then looks good does not help you.

[CSY Man]

Okay thanks guys.

been traveling the last few days and have not had any time to deal with the problem. Will send a guy up the mast to measure voltage as the next step and will look for a place to get parts if the voltage uh, looks good.

Aqua Signal never got back to me, will post their response as soon as I get it.