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EarthX in RV-12 and regulator

lvpazik

Member
So the odyssey in my recent RV-12 purchase is six years old and needed to be replaced. I did some research and opted for an EarthX. I spoke with the Company, and they said the EXT680 will replace the Odyssey pc680. I asked if the EXT900 would be "ok" since it added some additional power and the price difference wasn't much. They said "yes, either would work". I purchased the EXT900 from Aircraft Spruce and installed it this past Saturday the 29th. Friends of mine rotated out today and they had to turn back....twice. The charge showed 13.5 on the Dynon and was "yellow" instead of "green". The fuel pump fuse blew and the engine RPM on the Dynon fluctuated between 5500-7500. There was no diff in engine sound so I don't believe the fluctuation was actually occurring however it was crazy on the Dynon. Then they momentarily lost power. They returned, did a ground runup with no incident and rotated again after replacing the fuel pump fuse. They had to abort the takeoff roll after losing power. IN reading some articles, a different regulator is needed in order for the EarthX to work? They recommend one I can't even locate to get a price on; A Schicke GR6. I have no desire to start swapping out regulators. These issues only appeared after installing the EarthX. Anyone out there have to change the regulator to make a Lithium-Ion work? Again, this airplane has been flawless and these issues happened today, first flight after installing the EarthX. I look forward to some feedback and no, it is not an "IS" model Rotax....twin carbs....with only 80 hours on the entire airframe/powerplant.
 
RV-12 ULS LSA with full IFR panel

I replaced my stock battery with an EarthX. I also have a second EarthX battery with a completely separate second electrical system. The second battery is charged by a pad mount B&C and the other charged by the standard Rotax alternator. The VR was changed to the SH VR that was supplied by Van’s prior to new B&C VR release. I don’t have any problems with power loss or charge. I have and do experience the same RPM issue after the change. I was going to investigate the possibility of a lose connection and did not consider the EarthX as a possible cause.
 
These issues only appeared after installing the EarthX. ..... Again, this airplane has been flawless and these issues happened today, first flight after installing the EarthX.

Just for testing purposes consider reinstalling the old PC680 battery (freshly charged) without making any other changes and see if your "issues" disappear. If they do, install the EarthX again and determine if it's the EarthX that is behaving badly.
 
Thinking aloud...

At startup, the current sunk by the EarthX battery will be significantly higher than the PC680, but for a shorter period of time. This isn't a problem per se, unless the alternator isn't set up to handle it. An EarthX ETX 680 will sink +60A right after starting, a ETX900 will sink +80A, and so on. You want to size the alternator to be larger (capacity) than the battery, not the other way 'round.

The Yellow -vs- Green indication is a matter of where the set points are for the gauges in the Dynon or Garmin software. What you should be looking at is absolute ##'s. (Volts 13.2 - 14.7 -- OK)

Is a .4V difference in the ships running voltage going to blow a fuse? Possibly -- higher voltage (the push) means more current (the flow), more flow generates more heat (the resistance) in the fuse so it could blow...certainly.
 
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Earth X battery in RV-12 with Rotax ULS

After speaking with EarthX who claims the battery is absolutely compatible with the Rotax, then speaking with Tony at Vans who is their electrical expert, I listened to Tony who said the battery was not compatible with the system in the standard Rotax and RV-12. I re-installed a new Odyssey and all the issues immediately went away. The only common/singular denominator to the issues absolutely traced back to the EarthX battery. Now I've got a brand new EarthX ELT900 for sale that I paid $500 for. First $350 takes it and I have the receipt from Aircraft Spruce proving it was just purchased.
 
I will take it. PM sent

After speaking with EarthX who claims the battery is absolutely compatible with the Rotax, then speaking with Tony at Vans who is their electrical expert, I listened to Tony who said the battery was not compatible with the system in the standard Rotax and RV-12. I re-installed a new Odyssey and all the issues immediately went away. The only common/singular denominator to the issues absolutely traced back to the EarthX battery. Now I've got a brand new EarthX ELT900 for sale that I paid $500 for. First $350 takes it and I have the receipt from Aircraft Spruce proving it was just purchased.
 
EarthX battery not compatible to RV12 with 912 ULS

Did Tony explain what the incompatibility problem is with the EarthX battery? I’m just wondering what is different about a RV12 ULS Installation compared to other 912 ULS installations.
 
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