P-Mag P113 Updates

For those of you running 113 style P-mags the Men in Texas have a hardware and software update available.

If you have not sent your P-mags in for the hardware update, contact E-mag Air about your mag?s eligibility for this update.

The trigger magnet was expoxied to the drive shaft and there have been some instances of this failing. The hardware update captures the magnet in a brass holder which is secured to the shaft with screws. Of course there is minor software update they will perform as well.

The only cost for the upgrade is shipping and of course down time. They even return the P-mags with new gaskets.

For the record, I did not have an issue with either of my P-mags. With over 90 hours on the -9 they continue to perform as advertised. These upgrades are part of their quest for continual improvement and eventual certification.

(Please do not post any comments about how brand X ignition is better than P-mags, there are other threads out there for that, this if for disseminating information regarding an important update to this product. - - Thanks)

P113 Updates

Does this update add the 114 features or does it just fix the magnet reliability issue?

I just sent mine in last week after a long discussion with Brad at Emagair. The no cost upgrade for the model 113 brings the unit up to the current 113 standard, including fixing the magnet, if required, and upgrading the code. It does not upgrade it to the model 114 features. If you want the model 114 features, the upgrade costs $350.00 per unit. I spent a long time discussing the difference with Brad and he said it is not necessary to upgrade to the 114 features. There are really only 2 differences between the models. The 114 uses internal power unless the internal power is not sufficient and then it uses external power. The 113 is the opposite, it uses external power whenever it can. I don't see any advantage one way or the other, as the power drain when using external power in minimal. The only other difference is that the 114 can do some sensing as to the condition of the spark plugs and can tell you if the plugs are fouled or dead. To use this feature you need to use the serial output connected to a computer running their monitoring application. The rest of the functionality is the same. The reason for the cost to upgrade is that the 114 uses a different chip and they would have to replace the existing chip in the 113 and there is a cost involved to do this. I chose not to do it as I could not justify the expense for minimal change. Brad stated that they do not really expect many people to upgrade to the 114, but in any case it could be done at any time in the future if people decide it is worth it.

I had a very nice conversation and I was impressed by their honesty and straight forwardness. The website outlines all the issues they have run into in the past and how they addressed them. I have noticed that there have been few, if any, complaints aired about their products for the last few months and he said that they feel that they have solved any of the issues that users have experienced and that they are moving ahead toward certification.

FYI - E-Mag Air does have an Upgrade program for those of you with P&E 110, 111, 112 style ignitions.

They also offer a 10% discount for active military. Check their site for details.

Hey fellas,
This is good news and all, but how about some specifics? I just sent my P-mags in 2 months ago and got them back in mid-December. Can you tell me what version of firmware you got?

Mine was upgraded to version 27. From what I understood from Brad at Emagair, my sensors were the "screwed on" type. Wish there was a way to verify that with part numbers, though!

lostpilot28 said:

Can you tell me what version of firmware you got?

Click to expand...

FW version 27 for mine, which came back yesterday.

Thanks Bill, that's good to know. I've been keeping an eye out for any word of problems, but fortunately haven't seen anything in a while...hope it stays that way!

YeeeHaaaa

With this update they re-enabled the blow-in-the-tube method of setting the timing. That was so COOL!

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you plug the E/P-mags in and bolt them down. Turn the prop to TDC. Not 18 BTDC but TDC. Put them in Ground Service Mode and blow in the Manifold Pressure tube leading to both E/P-mags. (Make sure this is disconnected from the rest of the Manifold Pressure lines first.) The LED on the back of the E/P-mags will change from solid red (out of time) to flashing red. Blow in the tube a second time and the LEDs will start to flash green. Power cycle the E/P-mags and note the green LED, indicating it is timed. Go fly! Awesome!