Xtreme EMS and Bendix D3000 Magneto
 

Hey folks

I have an old RMI uMonitor in my -8 that is 10 years old and I have been thinking about upgrading to the MGL Xtreme EMS. Unfortunately, there are a couple of complicating factors:

1. I have one of those Bendix D300 all in one magneto monstrosities on my IO-360-A3B6D.

2. The tach pickup for the RMI uMonitor was essentially just a connection to the back of the ignition switch for each side of the mag. There is no "sensor" per se.

My question is:

Has anyone used an Xtreme EMS and managed to connect it to a D3000 mag unit successfully? If so, how did you pick off the mag signals to drive the tach on the EMS?

The MGL web site doesn't show any connectors/sensors related to that kind of mag; just the standard single mag types.

Thanks in advance

Mark - when I last saw your airplane with its cowls off I didn't pay enough attention to what was under the hood. Is there space to put a Vans-style tach generator in place where the tach cable would normally attach? Or alternatively (as I've done in my airplane) mount the tach generator remotely on the end of a short tach drive cable?

The MGL EMS is quite flexible in the inputs that it can use so I would hazard a guess that you could get away with using a tach generator rather than having to worry about connecting to the mag.

Or you might even be able to get away with wrapping a wire around your P-lead - that wire would act like an antenna to pick up the pulses running down the P-lead. That's how other instruments like a TinyTach get their signal. Might be worth a try.

Back when I had the D3000 mag on my IO-360-A3B6D together with a BMA EFIS 1, I used an electronic sensor that screwed into the mechanical tach drive similar to this one:



Here's the datasheet on that sensor.

Eventually installed a dual crank-triggered Lightspeed Plasma II and got rid of the mags entirely, which eliminated the need for this adapter also.

I have the Xtreme EFIS/EMS connected to an older version of the UMA mechanical tach sender. Works fine.

Thanks, guys, much appreciated. It is good to know how fleixble the MGL unit is, and since I have a mechanical tach generator attached to one of Van's tachs already it looks like I have a way ahead.

I guess it is almost time to break out the cheque book.... sigh....

Cheers

3000
 

I should think that if the MGL works directly off 2 single mags, it should work off the 3000 mags. That mag is simply two mags in one body with a single drive.

I had a 3000 mag on my engine at one time and it worked well with my Grand Rapids.

Shoot an email to the manufacturer. I don't think you need to buy extra eqpt.