RE:Mag (Emagair) Info Needed

[fstringham7a]

I have been following the various threads on the good/bad/ugly of the Emagair products. I did purchase, some months ago a P-mag combo and have them wired up and the ignition wires in place. I should be close to DAR time early in 2008 (Feb/March).

It has been interesting to me to read the various posts on this product and note the polarity of facts and opinions this product line creates.
I have especially been interested in the real life experiences of various pilots in regards to the actual function/performance/ of the E-Mag products. I have especially been enlightened by Scott Cards experiences and resolution to his problem.

Finally I am not ready to throw in the towel on the P-Mags I have installed. But, would sure like to here from those that have had a more positive experiences with them. Especially those of you that have experienced problems and how your problem was resolved....short of changing systems. Would also appreciate some imput on final set up/timing/blast tube location requirements and any sage words of advice from the E-Mag seasoned veteran. I am also open to any of you that had less then satisfactory resolutions to E-Mag probems.

Now I know that many of you respected RV builds, especially FWF gurus, have some real strong opinions on this subject. Please provide facts.....just the facts.....(this sounds like a Dragnet episode from my youth). I sure don't want to start a Mag war siimilar to the old infamous primer war.

TIA Frank @ SGU RV7A ....ndy....bgc............

Originally Posted by fstringham7a

I have been following the various threads on the good/bad/ugly of the Emagair products. I did purchase, some months ago a P-mag combo and have them wired up and the ignition wires in place. I should be close to DAR time early in 2008 (Feb/March).

It has been interesting to me to read the various posts on this product and note the polarity of facts and opinions this product line creates.
I have especially been interested in the real life experiences of various pilots in regards to the actual function/performance/ of the E-Mag products. I have especially been enlightened by Scott Cards experiences and resolution to his problem.

Finally I am not ready to throw in the towel on the P-Mags I have installed. But, would sure like to here from those that have had a more positive experiences with them. Especially those of you that have experienced problems and how your problem was resolved....short of changing systems. Would also appreciate some imput on final set up/timing/blast tube location requirements and any sage words of advice from the E-Mag seasoned veteran. I am also open to any of you that had less then satisfactory resolutions to E-Mag probems.

Now I know that many of you respected RV builds, especially FWF gurus, have some real strong opinions on this subject. Please provide facts.....just the facts.....(this sounds like a Dragnet episode from my youth). I sure don't want to start a Mag war siimilar to the old infamous primer war.

TIA Frank @ SGU RV7A ....ndy....bgc............

43 hours so far on dual P-mags. No major operational issues. They did have to upgrade the circuit boards in one of my units so the tach pulse would be compatible with my engine monitor. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised that they did this, as they clearly state that the tach pulse is a courtesy function and not the main purpose of their product. They did this 1.5 years after original purchase.

I did have to send the units back for firmware upgrades three times prior to first engine start and once after. That part of their whole business model is somewhat annoying, but not unexpected with a new product.

I have learned that the actual hardware inside the units is not the same for all 113 series ignitions. Depending on when you bought yours, some of the features described in the manual may or may not be available -- some features in the newer firmware isn't compatible with older hardware. I do wish they would have been more forthcoming about this during my upgrade iterations. It took some prying on my part because this information isn't readily available.

All in all, I'm happy with the product. Customer service and support is outstanding, and the product works as advertised. My wiring is very simple -- one power switch and one P-lead switch for each ignition. The power lines are protected by fuses. No dual-function switches, no pullable breakers, no maintenance mode switches, etc.

-Geoff

[lostpilot28]

I have no functional experience with the dual P-mags that I have, but I did just send them in for the latest firmware upgrade. When I bought them (used for 40 hours or so) they were upgraded to v.25. I was told by Brad at Emag Air that v.27 was the latest. He conveyed to me a couple days ago that he thought this version was solid.

I'm looking forward to using them in my -7A...just hope I don't have to send them in again for another firmware update!

Originally Posted by lostpilot28

He conveyed to me a couple days ago that he thought this version was solid.

I'm looking forward to using them in my -7A...just hope I don't have to send them in again for another firmware update!

He told me that every time I upgraded.

The real question to ask him is this: given the hardware that's in your particular units (as identified by serial number), what functionality that's described in the manual may not work with them? For example, EICAD won't control some of the things it's supposed to control in my units that were manufactured in early 2006. Nothing in the manual tells you this, by the way. It has nothing to do with the firmware version and everything to do with the hardware.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if I encounter failure modes such as others have described, but so far I'm happy.

-Geoff

[rwtalbot]

I haven't flown mine yet, but Brad has been very helpful with helping me out with upgrades and I believe the units will be ultimately more servicable in the field than a Slick Mag. It would not be hard! Certainly the company has their service mentality right.

I do have a Mag here that I may install till the units prove themselves on my aircraft in flight testing. I would probably do that with Lightspeed or any other unusual ignition. I have heard horror stories about just about every ignition on the market too.

Richard
RV7A - Finishing Up

[tommylewis]

I first flew on April 11 with two PMAGs. I had one PMAG fail at 13 hours, Brad replaced the circuit board. I now have 246 hours on the RV and have been all over the country with it. I am very pleased with their performance and the resulting economy.

[scard]

I will add that Brad's (emagair) customer service is impeccable for the most part. However, he is also a good salesman. The more I worked with them, the more uneasy I became with some of the company's basic engineering process. Revision control seems to be lacking, as well as customer notification of changes (part of revision control). This ignition is every bit as "experimental" as an efis or other piece of computer equipment that we're putting in our planes, where the manufacturer is releasing bug fixes at a very rapid rate. That is why we love the experimental category. Just understand where your own priorities are.

[videobobk]

We have over 100 hours on one E-Mag, one slick. We ran about 10 hours with two slicks and the change was an eye-opener. Smoother, better economy, everything promised. The E-Mag has gone back one time for upgrades--a minor bummer. I once flew a Cessna that had both mags fail (rental maintenance issue) so I have to say I have as much faith in the E-mag as the Slick on the left. Probably will replace it with a P-Mag.

Bob Kelly

[Martin Sutter]

My RV6 has #2 pre-production P-Mag with about 300hrs and a Slick on the left. The P-Mag went back once for firmware upgrade. It has had no operational issues and dropped the fuel burn by 1 GPH at cruise.

My RV7A has two P-Mags, 250 hrs total time. One unit had a board failure immediately after it went in for upgrade. Other than that flawless performance, low fuel burn, smooth running and instant starts despite fuel injection.

I run both installations with the EMAGAIR recommende automotive spark plugs (@1.59 a piece at O'Reilly's). They run exceptionally clean with no lead fouling and show little wear.

Martin Sutter
RV6 N868CM
RV7A N678CM

[cguarino]

I have two P-Mags on my RV-4. I've flown them for about 200 hours with only one problem which was quickly resolved. They do what they say they will do. Better fuel economy, easier starting, more power at altitude and smoother running. As for the company. I live about 7 miles from EMag. I've been there many times and have sat around BSing with Brad and Tom on quite a few occasions. Tom is a real 20 lbs brain kinda guy. The stuff he thinks up is amazing. Brad is the businessman. He keeps Tom's ideas practical. Otherwise the P-mag would pick your nose for you. They have had growing pains just like any new business. Imagine taking a E-Mag from the whiteboard to the UPS box. They had to machine cases, build electronic circuit boards, machine shafts and fine compatible parts. All from scratch. This is no small project for two guys. Also, Tom's unrelenting drive to make things better causes hardware/software changes and sometimes these changes cause unforeseen problems. You just can't think of all the stupid human tricks pilots will do to their ignitions. Bottom line. These a couple of talented, hardworking guys that are striving to give us the best electronic ignitions possible. Give them a chance. They are learning something new everyday and improving their product. BTW, you won't see them post here. Unlike some manufacturers who get all caught up in web forums defending their products, they purposely avoid them. I don't think they have the time. I can't complain about my ignitions, but then again when I need a firmware update, I just go over and get it done. I can see how shipping them back for updates could get old real fast but it is the cost of progress. You could always go back to your 1920's era mag.