Whelen flash distribution

Solvarex

Banned
Member
Jun 2, 2010
561
25
Canada
I just picked up a Whelen 800S beacon with an amber 2022 dome on it. I got another dome with it that's not a Whelen dome, but sort of fits the beacon (just a bit too large, I think it's a Sho-Me). One thing I noticed was the flash distribution inside each dome was significantly different than the other. Specifically, the no-name dome distributes the flash relatively evenly around the lens and fills it out. The amber Whelen dome exhibits a characteristic I've noticed on other cheap beacons that I really don't like, and the flash is distributed more or less in the center of the beacon. Basically you have a 6" round dome but you could shrink it down to 3" diameter because you don't see any flash at the edges, only the core of the light. It seems Grote beacons have this problem too.


I tried an L21 high dome on it and it did the same thing. Strangely enough a blue dome from a 2526 filled out almost completely, and a red 2022 dome did as well. Is this a problem endemic to only amber Whelen beacons or something?
 
The newer Whelen lenses have a different design than the old lenses, including amber. That is the higher, full sized domes have changed, and fill the lens with light. The low profile are the old design. The older design is not filled, but I find it a has little more intense flash.


There are 2 types of newer lens, the tapered high gain lens, like on the 800, and the newer flat top/can shaped with new optics, like in the 2526.


Dan
 
The optics in the various types of strobe beacon domes are designed specifically for the light they are intended to be used on. The strobe tube mounting position can often throw off the intensity of the strobe's flash in the optic lines in a non manufacturer specific dome, especially those with wider spaced optics near the top or center. Swapping and using domes of different manufacturers can also affect the size/width of the flash as well as the intensity because of the difference in the position of the optics.


I agree that the type of domes that only show the flash in the center of the dome and have wasted/unlit space to the outer part are much worse visually than those domes that have optics that fill the entire dome with a flash.
 
Cool, thanks for the info fellas! I honestly didn't think there'd be much to be said on this topic as it seems a little obscure compared with "wot is teh best led!!" ;)


Correction to my original post, the dome is from a Whelen 2012 which I believe uses a U-shaped tube rather than the 800S helix tube; I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Can someone recommend which dome I'd want to look for to make this beacon perform as it's supposed to? FWIW this is essentially an older 800D beacon that has the Sun Snow & Fog (SSNF) incandescent bulb that flashes simultaneously with the strobe, hence the 800S. I pulled the bulb as I don't need the feature.
 
In my limited experience, the 800 with the short dome seems brighter than the 800/1200 with the newer tapered style tall dome, and both seem brighter than the SS360 which is higher wattage, maybe because the SS360 has 2 layers of plastic the flash has to go through. If I was buying a HD amber beacon I'd probably go with the 800 short dome.
 
All of the Whelen can shaped strobes use the same domes now, with the choice being short or tall. Again, I've found that the slightly older optics in the short dome give a brighter or more intense flash, while the taller domes fill the dome more.


The style exception is the tall tapered aerodynamic self cleaning dome on the 800 and 1200 strobe, also not as intense as the short dome talked about above, which will fit the 800 and 1200. The SS360 is totally different.


Stick with a Whelen dome for a Whelen strobe, NO exceptions!


Dan
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
55,161
Messages
454,486
Members
19,721
Latest member
ipietruszka