Air Force picks frequency converter for C-130 instrument

Nov. 1, 2005
Engineers at the Edwards Air Force Base Test Center, Calif., needed a frequency converter for an electric motor in the trailing cone assembly of the C-130 Hercules transport plane.

Engineers at the Edwards Air Force Base Test Center, Calif., needed a frequency converter for an electric motor in the trailing cone assembly of the C-130 Hercules transport plane.

They found a solution in the ED4KRM-1 from Falcon Electric Inc. in Irwindale, Calif.

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The trailing cone is a probe-like instrument that measures the airspeed, air pressure, and altitude while the aircraft is in flight. After the aircraft is airborne, the trailing cone assembly extends out of the fuselage and remains extended during flight.

Engineers had chosen a 1-horsepower, 60-Hertz electric motor to move the cone, but they needed a frequency converter to power it from the airplane’s 120-volt, 400-hertz power supply.

The Falcon ED4KRM-1 met their demands for mil-spec, anti-explosion, and lead-time requirements. It also weighed less than competing units, and offered battery backup as an emergency power source. For more information, see www.falconups.com.

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