Henry:
Re: My instrument panel is about 80% complete and the next piece of
hardware is
the dimmer system. I've been looking at numerous systems and
controllers:
Is one better than another: i.e. solid state vs using rheostats?
My plan is to have 2 systems: 1 for flight instruments and 1 for
radio/gps/transponder.
What experience or suggestions do you or anyone have....
Rheostats are inefficient in that they convert energy into heat while
dimming. Heat is not a good thing behind your panel. A rheostat can
get so hot that you can smell it while flying. This can be
disconcerting, to say the least.
Solid state units usually have heatsinks, indicating that they are
also inefficient, but not as bad as rheostats.
Other considerations are size. Rheostats are relatively small, while
solid state units are usually 2 pieces (large control circuit with
heat sink and small rheostat or pot in the panel).
The latest unit on the market as you mentioned is the MaxDim. It is
completely solid state and self contained. It fits in the same space
as a rheostat. There is no heat, no heatsink, no space penalty,
weighs 1 ounce. It is an FAA-PMA part and STCd for certified
aircraft. That means it has gone through rigorous testing and passed.
There is no EMI as with some other solid state units to interfere
with your radio systems.
Extremely easy wiring: 3 wires... Ground, power, and dim.
And now the shameless plug... I'm a dealer for this product and sell
them on ebay below ACS' price.
The other issue re lighting your radios... most radios and some
instruments have built in lighting controlled by a built in photocell
that adjusts its own lighting level. All you do is hook up your
system voltage (12 or 24) to the correct pin and forget about it. It
has been my experience that the instrument/radio manufacturers system
works quite well.
Phil
RV7 emppanage/wing ... Cessna 177
