AOG in Florida--Need an assist

[TS Flightlines]

Hey Todd---your scenario and solution might be a good thing for others with your equipment to know. Maybe the Vertical Power guys, or Mark, could provide some insight for a backup plan so you can fly safely.

I (we) would be interested in knowing what they say.

Tom

[SMO]

Originally Posted by TS Flightlines

Maybe the Vertical Power guys, or Mark, could provide some insight for a backup plan so you can fly safely.

My backup plan is quite simple. I have three switches that all bypass the VP-200 and have their own fuses. One is for my EFIS and Autopilot, one is for my 430W, and the third is for the fuel pump. The 430W gives me a com and GPS, the EFIS gives me second GPS and everything else. So far the only time I have used these switches is on the ground for testing.

I also have a backup EFIS that will run on its own battery power, however it's purpose is to backup the main EFIS in case of failure there. It also has a built in GPS.

Note that while the VP-200 reads the position of the mag switch, the switch itself is directly switching the mags, the VP-200 can be completely off line and it still does its job. In my case I run one mag and the other side is an electronic SDS unit. I modified the wiring at the switch so it turns on the SDS instead of disconnecting the mag ground wire.

One thing I have not done, and probably should do, is wire a backup start button somewhere so if I get stuck AOG like Todd, I can get the airplane started.

[dmaib]

Originally Posted by Auburntsts

Note: make sure you keep a thumb drive with the system software and the config settings file on the plane!! The applies to any avionics that you can save and import/export settings. It's also a good idea to have electronic copies of ALL your aircraft system manuals with you too. I had my laptop and had everything but the dang config file. Had I not been able to export my config file (as painful as that was with a barely readable screen) it would have worse having to manually reconfigure the replacement DU as that would have taken hours sitting out on a hot Florida ramp.

I have shipped my DU off for what I hope will be a full repair and will post the results, good or bad, and all of the details once I know them.

Mark suggested I always have the thumb drive on board when I first installed the system, so I have always carried it. Haven't had to use it. (Yet!)

Curious where you are having it repaired and will eagerly await your results.

[Auburntsts]

FWIW I have some backups too, but it's really designed as a worse case get my butt back on the ground setup in case of a inflight failure: entire primary EFIS system has a backup direct battery connection as does my boost pump. I also have an external stater switch but it's not a true backup as the VP-200 still has to functioning to some degree and not transitioned to the preflight mode were the start code is required. I don't have any radios on a backup circuit as I have a handheld but this whole experience has got me rethinking a number of things about my current electrical architecture.

Now for my episode, I still had control of all of systems--initially. That's because if you shut the VP-200 down with the master power switch without shutting items off individually or changing modes it comes back on in the same state (I do not use auto mode switching). So I could have flown with it as it was (because I didn't turn anything off until I started fiddling with it), but the problem was I didn't know exactly what was wrong so didn't feel comfortable doing so VFR much less IFR.

[Michael Wellenzohn]

Hi Todd
I actually have all aircraft data from plans to configure files AFM etc. on a SD/USB card and in the cloud as backup.
Cheers
Mike

[bacstabber]

Twice, my Display Unit showed only vertical or horizontal lines then went dark. I wasn't able to control any of my electrical system because I could not see anything on the display. Luckily, when the first encounter occurred, I was able to send my unit to Astronics and former employees of Vertical Power that now worked for Astronics were familiar enough to diagnose the problem as being a ribbon cable between two circuit boards needed to be reseated. The second time, an old and vastly experienced electronics engineer across from my hangar examined my display and again found a ribbon connector loose. After reseating the connector, the Display Unit again worked fine. Apparently, since the connector connected to the underside of the above circuit board, gravity and vibrations allowed it to work loose enough to fail the screen. My friend was aware of my previous failure and made a small foam block that he mounted/wedged between the connector and the circuit board below to prevent the connector from loosening up again. I now have confidence that this will not be my problem in the future. I just pray that nothing else happens to disable my Display Unit with it now being an orphaned system.

[DaleB]

A little hot melt glue makes a good retainer for connectors too, in cases where the manufacturer made a poor choice.

[SMO]

Thanks for posting that, Jack. Really good information to know.