---------------------------------------------------------- AeroElectric-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Mon 04/22/24: 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 09:19 AM - Food for thought (speedy11@aol.com) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 09:19:52 AM PST US From: "speedy11@aol.com" Subject: AeroElectric-List: Food for thought I'm not looking for replies - although you are welcome to if you like .=C2 - This posting is simply food for thought. I built a RV-8 with dual busses that can be split.=C2- Each buss can be p owered by its own ships battery (2 batteries on board - one forward and one aft) and each buss can power all critical items.=C2- (Note - the engine is not electrically dependent since I use P Mags)=C2- I installed two EFI Ss - one primary and the second is mainly used as an engine monitor, but it can also convert to the backup attitude/nav EFIS in case the primary fails .=C2- Additionally, each EFIS has its own backup battery.=C2- So, with multiple redundancies, I felt comfortable with using it in IFR.=C2- That is not to say that the RV is a stable platform in IMC, especially when hand flying - but that is another story for another time. So, I am in VFR pattern, left base to final, in turbulent air, and I someho w bumped one of the multifunction buttons on the primary display.=C2- ( T hat is another subject worthy of discussion - that is, being able to make s elections or changes on the EFIS during bumpy flight conditions)=C2- When I bumped the button, both EFISs went blank.=C2- Confusing, needless to s ay.=C2- Now I have no airspeed indications - in fact, I have no indicatio ns at all!=C2- So, I simply set a power setting that I knew would work (a nd my AOA was still functional), so landing was fairly straight forward.=C2 - =C2-BUT, I thought - what if that had happened in IMC?!?=C2- Of cou rse, in IMC one would simply engage the autopilot and command it to level f light, but there would still be that moment of confusion. What happened was I had bumped a multifunction button that controlled the d imming function on the EFIS.=C2- I wired them such that dimming one EFIS simultaneously dimmed the other. I couldn't think fast enough during a crit ical phase of flight to analyze what might have happened. Lessons learned - 1. Know how to quickly readjust the dimming function.=C2 - 2. While it is convenient, consider not wiring the dimming functions to gether - rather make each EFIS independently dimmable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message aeroelectric-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/AeroElectric-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/aeroelectric-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/aeroelectric-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.