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  #1  
Old 02-24-2013, 06:00 AM
Robert M's Avatar
Robert M Robert M is offline
 
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Location: South Carolina
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Default Wiring in a light to fuel pump system

DISCLAIMER: I know very little about how electricity works.

I was wanting to put an indicator light in the circuit for my fuel pump to indicate operations. I've tried a few things but nothing works. I can get the pump to run but no light or the light comes on and no pump.

Here's a pic of the current wiring...



I didn't have it in the pic but there is a 5 amp fuse between battery and switch.

Any suggestions as to adding a light to the system?
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Last edited by Robert M : 02-24-2013 at 06:14 AM. Reason: added photo
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  #2  
Old 02-24-2013, 06:16 AM
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Just put em in parallel similar to this...
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  #3  
Old 02-24-2013, 06:51 AM
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REALLY, it's that easy? DANG!
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  #4  
Old 02-24-2013, 07:01 AM
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For what its worth, I installed one. I still forget and leave the darn thing running. I have a blue light. I have had passengers ask "What does that mean?"
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  #5  
Old 02-24-2013, 07:21 AM
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GrayHawk GrayHawk is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AltonD View Post
For what its worth, I installed one. I still forget and leave the darn thing running. I have a blue light. I have had passengers ask "What does that mean?"
Aha! You should never use blue. The eye is not very sensitive to blue. The luminance value (brightness) comes from about 30% Red, 60% Green, 10% Blue. You should use red or green (or red+green = yellow) and then make it flashing and then put some words on it (legend) like "DANGER".
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  #6  
Old 02-24-2013, 07:57 AM
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agirard7a agirard7a is offline
 
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Default Dummy light

I rigged up a white indicator light on my panel
For the fuel pump.

Very easy. Just hook it to the panel switch
to the fuel pump. When the pump is powered, the light
Is as well.

Steinair sells very nice little indicator lights.
various colors.
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Old 02-24-2013, 08:32 AM
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DeltaTango DeltaTango is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GrayHawk View Post
Aha! You should never use blue. The eye is not very sensitive to blue. The luminance value (brightness) comes from about 30% Red, 60% Green, 10% Blue. You should use red or green (or red+green = yellow) and then make it flashing and then put some words on it (legend) like "DANGER".
In the airline world, a blue light is used to show "a temporary system in normal operation".

It's my opinion that different color lights are a good idea to allow the pilot to react to a situation based on color. If all warning lights are red then we learn to ignore a light because we expect to see a red light when the fuel pump is on. If the red light happens to be "low oil pressure" we might not notice until something bad happens.

I would keep the number of lights to a minimum. Use green or blue for things like fuel pumps, flaps. I would save red and yellow for things that are bad and will be bad soon items.

David
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  #8  
Old 02-24-2013, 09:10 AM
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rvmills rvmills is offline
 
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IMHO, placement of annunciator lights is important too. When I purchased my plane, the buddy that sold it to me and checked me out in it, would ask me "what the heck is that boost pump light still doing on". It was a little green LED placed way down in the lower right corner of the panel (RV-6), just above the air vent...almost worthless there!

When I did a panel upgrade, annunciator placement was an important element to me. I went with this:


I did use blue, because (as David said) blue in the jet at work means system or valve position or normal operation (including fuel crossfeed and spar valve position). I just used blue to indicate boost pump (it equates to fuel in my brain), and green to indicate landing light (like 3 green, green equates to landing gear or landing light in my pea-brain).

FWIW, I set my annunciator system methodology up as cool colored lights (green/blue) OK for TO and LNDG, hot colored lights (yellow/red) not OK for TO and LNDG. I think I heard Paul Dye describe it that way...probably stole it from him!

I don't disagree that blue or green are less attention getting, but also concur with not wanting to desensitize to red or yellow lights. Put them in front of your eyeballs, and all colors should work OK. And if you fly at night, the blue and green being a bit dimmer is not a bad thing during TO and LNDG either.

Sounds like the OP has the light rigged already, so none of this may matter to him, but those contemplating an annunciator panel might take nugget away.

Cheers,
Bob
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  #9  
Old 02-24-2013, 09:29 AM
AirbusPilot AirbusPilot is offline
 
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Like me just install an Andair pump, it is so noise that you don't forget is on
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  #10  
Old 02-24-2013, 09:40 AM
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L.Adamson L.Adamson is offline
 
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My fuel pump switch lit red, and a amber light was included with the annunciator lights. I had a problem forgetting the fuel pump with Piper products.
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