Whelen Engineering Company TA165NF1 User manual

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Field Service Retrofit Guide:
Traffic Advisor Arrow Model TA165NF1
Retrofit Kit P/N 01-0419389-00
51 Winthrop Road
Chester, Connecticut 06412-0684
Phone: [phone]
Internet: www.whelen.com
Sales e-mail: [e-mail]
Customer Service e-mail: [email protected]
®
ENGINEERING COMPANY INC.
Automotive: Field Service Retrofit Kit
©2020 Whelen Engineering Company Inc.
Form No.14D34 (042120) For warranty information regarding this product, visit www.whelen.com/warranty
This guide has been designed to document the retro-fit
procedure as performed on Traffic Advisor Model
TA165NF1. Before beginning, a clean, flat work
surface of sufficient size is needed. Be sure that the
work surface will not scratch, mar or damage the unit
in any way.
Important! Many of the parts removed during the
disassembly procedure will be reused. Use all the
parts in this kit where provided. Do not discard
any original parts until the entire procedure has
been completed.
This procedure will require the following tools:
• 3/8" Nut-driver or Socket wrench
• #2 Phillips Screwdriver
• #1 Phillips Screwdriver
• De-pinning Tool
• Diagonal Cutters (for cutting strain relief
Cable Ties)
Disassembly...
1. Lay the arrow face down on your work
surface. Make sure that the arrow is oriented
as shown in the image at right.
TA165NF1 Retro-fit kit Parts List (P/N 01-0419389-00)
Description Qty.
SCREW, 6-32 X 3/8" PPH ROLOK 20
CLAMP, 3/8" 2
GROMMET, 3/8 ID 3/4 OD 1/2 THK 2
WASHER, #10 EXT TOOTH LOCK 4
EXTRUSION, TA 500 LED (13.50”) 4
EXTRUSION, TA 500 LED (49.35”) 1
SPACER, 2" 6
BRACKET, SNAP-IN HALF 2
CABLE TIE 2

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3. Carefully turn the TA165NF1 over so that the
light-heads are now facing upward. Now pull
the three extrusions approximately 6 to 10
inches away from the castings as shown.
4. Using a #2 Phillips screwdriver, remove the
end plate caps by removing the two (2) #6-32
Phillips Pan Head screws securing them to
the extrusion.
2. Using a 3/8” nut driver or socket wrench,
remove the seven (7) 10-25 nuts and
corresponding #10 lock washers (shown
circled).

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6. On the main extrusion, it's a good idea to
loosen the snap-in clips (only a few turns)
using a #1 Phillips screwdriver. This allows
the light-heads to be removed from the
extrusion without damaging the clips.
7. With the snap-in clips loosened, the
lightheads can now be removed from the
main extrusion, exposing the main harness.
Refer to the manual included with your Arrow
for detailed lighthead removal information.
5. With the end plate caps removed, slide the
lightheads out of the small extrusions. With
the lightheads removed, unplug the lighthead
harness from the main harness. Now extract
the main harness cables from the end casting.
Remove the end casting from the main
extrusion as shown here.

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9. Remove the clamp from the harness. Now
remove the grommet from the grommet hole.
Carefully cut the grommet off the cable and
discard. The harness cable can now be
carefully extracted and removed from the
extrusion.
This completes the disassembly procedure.
The following section will document the
reassembly procedure using the components
included with your retrofit kit.
Reassembly....
Note: The reassembly process involves
reconnecting harnesses and lightheads, as
well as populating connectors. A wiring
diagram has been provided on the last page to
serve as a reference when making these
connections.
1. Locate the short extrusions included with this
kit. Install the end cap plates with the foam
pads removed during the disassembly
process (step 4). Secure these using the 6-32
screws (two per end cap plate) included with
your kit.
This extrusion will now be assembled using
components removed from your existing
extrusion.
8. Locate the two (Left and Right) 9-position
connectors that go to the control head.
Accurately record the wire locations in each
connector by color and pin position. Using a
de-pinning tool, remove all wires from the
connector. With the connectors removed, the
harness may now be extracted from the
extrusion. Note! After the harness has been
extracted, make sure the 'wings' on the pins
are bent outwards (for reinsertion into the
connector during reassembly).

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3. Slide all the components over as far as you
can, to the left so that the first half-clamp
installed is against the end plate.
4. Slide the 2” spacer included with your kit into
the assembly. Do not tighten the snap in
brackets at this point. The installed
components must be able to slide freely when
the remaining end cover plate is installed.
2. Place the extrusion face up on your work
surface with the end cap plate on the left.
Working left to right, install the following
components in this order:
Half-clamp
Lighthead
Full Clamp
Lighthead
Half clamp
Important! Make sure that the lightheads
are oriented so that the end of the
lighthead Y-harness is extended
approximately 6 inches beyond the open
end of the extrusion.
The clamps should snap into the extrusion,
however you may need to loosen the clamps
by rotating the screw CCW a little to allow the
snaps to engage.

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6. IMPORTANT! Locate the four (4) notched
end cap plates used on the short extrusions.
Remove the adhesive-backed foam pads
from the plates.
7. Attach a notched end plate to the extrusion
using two (2) #6-32 Phillips Pan Head screws
(included with your kit). Note the notch in the
end cap plate allows clearance for the
lighthead harness to exit the extrusion
(approximately 6”) without it being pinched.
5. Flip the assembly over and insert the two (2)
original 10-24 hex head bolts into the channel
in the back of the extrusion. These bolts will
be needed to install the assembly onto the
end casting.

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9. This completes the reassembly of the short
sections of the Arrow. Remember, there must
be approx. 6 inches of harness outside of the
extrusion. If not, it will be necessary to dis-
assemble the end plate and rotate the light-
heads to obtain the required harness length.
Repeat this reassembly procedure (steps 1
thru 8) for the three (3) remaining short
extrusions before proceeding.
10. NOTE: Each half of the main extrusion is
independent of the other half. The re-
assembly procedure outlined here must be
repeated for the remaining half.
Rebuilding the main extrusion begins by
inserting the pinned wires of the input cable
through the grommet hole. Make sure to
insert the wires from the inside of the
extrusion as shown. Pull this cable through
the grommet hole until there is only about an
inch of outer harness insulation inside the
extrusion.
8. After the end cap plate has been attached,
the snap-in brackets should now be tightened
using a #1 Phillips screwdriver. This secures
the components within the extrusion.

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11. Locate one of the new wire grommets. Insert
the pinned wires through the grommet and
slide the grommet along the length of the
input cable to the extrusion. Work the
grommet into the grommet hole until it is fully
and properly seated in the hole.
12. At this point, with the grommet fully seated,
there should be approximately 1 inch of the
outer cable jacket inside the extrusion (see
photo). Locate the cable clamp (included) and
position it as shown. Squeeze the two clamp
tabs together to hold the cable in place. A
cable tie should be placed around the clamp
to reinforce the strain relief.
13. Following the original lighthead layout, lay the
harness out in the extrusion. Be sure to avoid
large clumps of wire in a single area.

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14. Before proceeding any further, slide the two
(2) 2” spacers in to the middle of the
extrusion. the extrusion may now be
populated with its lightheads. To install the
lightheads in the extrusion, simply place them
straight down in the extrusion where they will
sit on the rails.
15. Once the lightheads have been placed in the
extrusion, the snap-in clips should be
inserted. It may be necessary to loosen the
screw on the snap-in bracket to allow proper
engagement. The snap-in brackets push in to
the extrusion and should 'snap' into the
groove (IMPORTANT: Do not to tighten the
snap-in bracket at this time).
At both ends of the extrusion you need to
place the 4 position cables through the
machined slots. Refer to the wiring diagram
make sure to verify the location (upper or
lower extrusion) for each.
16. Before placing the end cap plates on the
extrusion, make sure to slide the six (6) #10-
24 HD bolts to their original location in the
channel on the back of the extrusion. These
bolts will be used to secure the arrow casting
to the extrusion (3 per casting) later in the
reassembly process.

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17. The end cap plates with the foam pad can
now be installed onto the extrusion using two
(2) #6-32 x 3/8” Phillips pan head screws
included with your kit.
18. Once the cover has been secured, all the
installed components should be in their
correct location. Tighten the snap-in brackets
to lock everything into position.
19. To assemble the “arrow” assembly (the short
extrusions and their casting), the aluminum
plate on the back of the arrow casting must be
removed. This will make routing the wire
harness easier. Remove the two (2) #8-32
screws used to secure the plate to the
casting. Remove and retain the plate and its
hardware.