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RV12 Silent Hektik went silent

mowenski

Member
After more than 100 hrs of opertion, I'm doing my runnup last week and noted that my voltage and current indicators were showing low voltage and no charging activity. Back to the hangar. I have checked the connections to my SH regulator and they appear fine and the VREG indicator on the Skyview shows normal. Can this be that the VREG warning is off but the regulator is not behaving?

Thanks,
Mark
 
According to Van's electrical wiring diagram, there is no connection between the
voltage regulator and the Skyview. And there is no Skyview input labeled VREG.
Could the VREG indicator on your Skyview be for something else?
 
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My version of the RV12 wiring diagram (RV-12_ULS_SV-AP-KNOB_04-06-18.pdf) has the SH 'warning' signal going from the regulator pin L to the EMS 37-pin connector pin 9. It was added when the Silent Hektik regulator option described on plans 46-19 rev 3.
 
Mark, You are right that the regulator has a connection to the Skyview.
But evidently there is a failure mode where the regulator has failed but tells the Skyview that it is OK.
I installed a John Deere AM101406 four years ago and it has not failed yet.
I mounted it with heat conductive paste and a shroud with air blast tube to keep it cool.
I also attached a thermocouple to it to monitor the temperature which gets up to about 150 degrees F
after takeoff when the battery is recharging. In cruise the regulator temperature drops to 130 - 135F.
The John Deere AM101406 is available on eBay for $19 with free shipping. I bought a spare one but haven't needed it yet.
Van's ELECTRICAL DRAWING has a B&C AVC1 voltage regulator.
 
I did same as Joe - John Deere AM101406 from eBay and mounted to a 3/16” aluminum sub-plate with thermal paste. Mounted on firewall shelf in original location with no add’l cooling air. Runs warm at ~ 170F. No problems for several hundred hours now. For comparison – top ignition CDI runs cooler at ~125F.
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I know as soon as I post this my Ducati VR will fail (Murphy’s Law), but even in the Phoenix heat I get about 500 hours TBF for the Ducati mounted on the forward side of the firewall in the original spot. However, I do carry a spare VR in my tool kit as well as two extra spark plugs and a spare mechanical fuel pump. I figure that should keep me from getting stranded somewhere.

BTW, I carry a tool kit in my Cherokee too. In it I carry an assortment of AN hardware, flare plugs/caps and aluminum adhesive tape. Each because of a past problem on the road that was solved by them: failed sensor line, missing faring bolts and a broken Hartwell latch on the oil dipstick door.
 
I know as soon as I post this my Ducati VR will fail (Murphy’s Law), but even in the Phoenix heat I get about 500 hours TBF for the Ducati mounted on the forward side of the firewall in the original spot. However, I do carry a spare VR in my tool kit as well as two extra spark plugs and a spare mechanical fuel pump. I figure that should keep me from getting stranded somewhere.

BTW, I carry a tool kit in my Cherokee too. In it I carry an assortment of AN hardware, flare plugs/caps and aluminum adhesive tape. Each because of a past problem on the road that was solved by them: failed sensor line, missing faring bolts and a broken Hartwell latch on the oil dipstick door.

There's a few things I do to go easy on my Ducati VR, so that it isn't forced to recharge at a high current (amperage) rate.

First, I never do my monthly Dynon Skyview update uploads unless I have a power supply on the main battery. I don't ever let that main battery get run down.

Second, once I start the motor up and oil pressure is looking good, usually about 70 to 75 psi on initial start up, I run the motor up to 2500 rpm, making sure the generator is putting out at least 13.7 or 13.8V and I have a positive charge rate of + 1 amp to + 4 or +5 amps. Never more than that. Once the charge rate come down to +1 to +2, I turn on Avionics and Com circuit breakers.

Third, once I am at my hangar, after landing but before putting the plane away, I will run the motor up to 3000 rpm and wait for the current charge rate to drop to no more than 2 amps. Once it hits two amps, with Avionics and COM turned off, I pull the throttle all the way back, then turn off ignition B, wait for the idle to drop a bit, then turn off ignition A, then turn off the Main.

I almost always show, before next start up, 13.02 to 13.08V on my Digital Multi Meter, for level of battery charge, a week or two later, next time I fly. AGM batteries will recharge and take a LOT of amps, very quickly, if they are down from a full charge. That LOT of amps is what cooks your VR. Don't let your VR provide a lot of amps, by never running the battery down, and you should have a lot less headaches and failures and running the Voltage Regulator too hot and too hard.

Avoid ever letting your Skyview show that you are charging at a +9 or +10 amp charging rate. Put a charger on it, if it's low, in the hangar, and get it topped off, fully recharged, if you let the charge drop, in the first place, due to lack of use.

Keep that PC680 fully topped off, use another charger on it, if it's low in voltage!

This applies to RV12 Legacy planes, and any RV-12IS built with the 912 ULS motor.
 
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B&C Installed and working!

Update: So, I replaced the SH regulator with the newly recommended B&C and I'm back in business! 14.2V appeared promptly rather than the 5-step sequence I was used to seeing with the SH. Footprint matches the SH so mounting the unit is straight forward requiring 2 different screw part numbers since since the flange is not as thick. Wiring was basically unplug SH / plug B&C with a delete of the short ground jumper.
 
Silent Hektik VR failed at 185 hours of use. Upgraded to the B and C regulator. Interestingly, the temp indicator on the failed unit showed getting to 150 F but not to 160. I have the NACA scoop in the cowl. We’ll see how long the B and C VR lasts.

Bill Gardner
SLSA 12049
N969RV
 
I followed Joe's mods back when - John Deere, blast tube, still going strong - back up in fly away bag, never have had to touch it. Knock on wood.
 
Has anyone been succesful with intalling the new B&C regulator in the original location on the shelf? .....Tom
 
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