EarthX Fault Signal Wire Send Into G3X, VP-X or Idiot Light?

[jliltd]

Update: Solved. See Post #7 Below.

Installing a new EarthX ETX680 battery in place of an Odyssey PC680 on a buddies RV-8. The new EarthX EXT battery has a signal wire coming out of it to send fault codes to either a panel warning LED light or an EFIS/MFD glass panel via discreet code input.

Currently the RV-8 has a newly installed 10" Garmin G3X Touch GDU 465 and a Vertical Power VP-X solid-state switching bus system.

Has anybody wired the EarthX signal wire to either directly to a Garmin G3X GDU 46x or via the GEA 24 or through the VP-X to the G3X warning system? Is either a good option for fault annunciation? If so how was the discreet input configured?

Or should we cop out and stick to the separate simple idiot light on the panel?

Thanks,

Jim

P.S. On a related note, has anybody mounted their EarthX EXT680 battery sideways or lying down? The EarthX site says they can be mounted in any orientation. Since the new EarthX lightweight custom battery box requires top insertion it would interfere with the RV-8 engine mount tubes if installed upright on this aircraft. I have done the F Atlee Dodge Enersys SBSJ-16 (Odyssey PC680) STC modification for a Cessna 180 and the instructions have the battery oriented at a 45 degree angle for the same reason. I figured that would be a good solution for this particular RV-8.

[scrollF4]

Hi Jim.
I don't have a G3X, but I do have a VPX and a Skyview. That wire receives a positive charge from the battery manager computers when there's some problem they want to report. It causes the warning light to illuminate steady or to flash either quickly or slowly depending on the problem. Since my VPX and Skyview aren't geared to interpret that steady or flashing signal, I determined it best to put that bright little red LED front/center on my panel. That light should illuminate for only one reason: The battery managers are trying to get my attention. By not running it through the VPX or Skyview, I have "cut out the middle man".

That's my approach, for your consideration.

[maus92]

I have an EarthX ETX680 battery, G3X GDU460's, and VP-X Pro. The battery fault warning output wire is connected to the Garmin GEA24 as a discrete input, configured as "Active Low." It works - I had a blinking CAS alert a couple of months ago, which apparently indicates an internal cell imbalance. EarthX replaced the battery under warranty, and commended me for actually hooking it up, which apparently a step that some builders / installers omit. Download the manual from EarthX - there is a diagram and instructions for Garmin and some other EFIS vendors.

[mbuehler]

What voltage / output are you seeing on the monitoring wire? The instructions for my GRT Hx were to make an alert that looked for less than 2.5volts on the monitoring wire. I only see 1.8v per the GRT (2.0 on a voltmeter). No warning light on the battery though, so not sure if the instructions are wrong or there is a problem.

Waiting for a call back from EarthX. I think I'm supposed to see 12v on that wire per the instructions?

[jliltd]

The EarthX fault wire that comes out of the battery is normally open and grounds to battery negative for alerting. So if there is an LED warning lamp on the panel the negative pole of the LED is attached to the EarthX lead. The positive pole of the LED is connected directly to the main bus power. So if there is a fault in the EarthX battery the lead goes to battery ground, not positive voltage. It switches ground.

Jim

[mbuehler]

I think the person I talked to on the phone was confused then, they said 12 volts. If it grounds out on error, then 0v would indicate a problem, and the ~1.8v I'm seeing is it healthy. I'll adjust the alert accordingly (and I'll double check with them when they call back).

[jliltd]

So I decided to go with the same configuration as maus92 described in his post above. I guess it doesn't make any sense to route through the VP-X as there is no reason.

I connected the EarthX battery alert circuit wire to a new 22ga wire routed into the Garmin GEA24 engine LRU's discreet Input #4 (Pin 43 on the 50-pin J244 connector). This connector uses standard-density D-Sub socket connector (female contact) so I crimped one on the lead with a DMC AFM8 crimper and K13-1 positioner. Then I inserted it into J244 connector's position 43 and buttoned everything up. I fired up the G3X in configuration mode and accessed the GEA 24 menu for Discreet Input #4 and designated it as "Active Low", categorized it as "Red" alert and made the alert annunciation come up on the EFIS screen as "EARTHX ALERT". Everything seems to work well and when the lead is grounded to the batteries's negative post (per EarthX instructions) the alert is triggered.

Really neat and no LED alert lamp required on the panel.

Jim

[jliltd]

As an aside, EarthX Customer Service states their batteries can be mounted in any orientation we like. Sideways, upside down. At an angle. Any way you like.

Jim