Tip: Roll-Your-Own Annunciator Panel

[Danny King]

Paul,
Where were you when I was building the Doll. Your annunciator panel is very creative. It may not be rocket science but in your case....it's close.
Well done.

[rickmellor]

Paul, I noticed that you don't have the EIS on the panel. Where'd you put it?

-Rick

[gasman]

Paul, the pictures that you posted are 1296 X 972. They look great, but they stretch the entire page of the thread so you have to scan right and left to read. Doug says in his instructions, that the best fit is about 600 X 400.

I enjoy reading ALL of your stuff, but I don't like to work at it.

By the way, have you found anything that you do not like about the GRT? That is what I have in mind for my upgrade. I am looking at the Sport. What do you think.

Thanks,

Warren

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by gasman

Paul, the pictures that you posted are 1296 X 972. They look great, but they stretch the entire page of the thread so you have to scan right and left to read. Doug says in his instructions, that the best fit is about 600 X 400.

Warren

Sorry about the picture sizes Warren....that was over a year ago, back when we were all still learning how to post pictures correctly....never went back to clean them up.

The GRT it is an outstanding EFIS - if you build a comparison matrix with all the possible features you can think of for an EFI, and then go down the list for all of the available glass panel displays, you'll find that it's hard to beat. I have no direct experience with the Sport - I fly a full Horizon, so keep that in mind.

Paul

[gasman]

Thanks Paul, I have a good fealing about this company and you just added to it.

Warren

[KJBSouth]

Some people call them “Idiot Lights”, lights that are on under some condition, and off when that condition is not present. There are strong opinions on whether or not they are useful. Annunciator functions can be implemented through the glass panel displays that some are installing, and therefore an annunciator panel is just adding unnecessary complexity.

If forgetting to turn off a fuel boost pump after takeoff, or not remembering to turn on strobe lights before starting the engine makes one an idiot, then count me in. Our RV-7 is going to have an annunciator panel. Exactly what conditions will be monitored is yet to be determined. Two prototypes have been built. Continue reading at our Blog.

[vlittle]

Nice DIY blog. I used similar lamps in my HR-II with a dual SkyView.

For those who want a pre-built lamp controller, Makerplane sells 4, 6 and 12 channel controllers. Google IL-4A, IL-6A or IL-12A. These units drive the FMS Microjet annunciators. Occasionally show up on ebay as well.

[Aggie78]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

Actually, I am embarrassed to say that I have still not converted my folder full of chicken-scratched wiring notes into decent-looking schematics. I have all the data - just haven't taken the time to learn a decent graphics program and do the drawings. I mean, who has the time when they have a flying airplane ?!

The wiring is really simple for this though - each LED is powered from the circuit it is sensing with +12 volts. This goes through the LED, followed by a 700 Ohm resistor, and then ties in to all the other LED ground sides before going through a 1K Ohm pot, and then to ground. Any good Aggie should be able to figure that out ! (If you didn't attend Texas A&M, I appologize....)

Almost all of my lights are status indicators, which are wired directly off of the circuit they are showing. For instance, the "Landing Light" LED is just saying that there is voltage on the Landing Light wire downstream of the switch, and the same thing with pitot heat, fuel pump, etc...

The Oil Presure light is driven by a pressure switch through a relay (I had to invert the signal). The EIS is similarly driven through an inverting relay. The power for those relays comes off a circuit breaker on the Essential Bus which is for panel indications.

Sorry I don't have an actual drawing - maybe someday, when it gets low and rainy, and I'm stuck inside....

Paul

My RV-7 came with a set of Infinity stick grips with multiple switches, one of which controls flap extension/retraction.

The way the flap switch works, it is a "press and hold" to extend, but when moved to "UP" the switch will stay in position and operate the flap motor until it is moved back to the center "OFF".

I can't tell you how many flight hours I have logged with the switch inadvertantly left "up" with the flap motor continuing to operate until I discover it later. Sometimes, much later. Sometimes, not until shutdown. The high ambient noise of the cockpit, along with the Bose noise cancellation results in an inability to hear it running...Additionally, I was once unable to extend the flaps at all inflight, and discovered after landing that the grip mounted on the pax side switch had been moved to "UP", completely locking flap operation out on both sides.

While I could install limit switches, a far simpler solution for me would be a simple annunciator light, "ON" whenever the flap motor is getting power. Not being an electrician or electrical engineer, wiring is somewhat of a dark art to me, so I pulled this old thread up to see if I could get a little insight into wiring one of these:

http://www.steinair.com/storedetail.cfm?productid=197

into the flap circuit, then mounting it next to the boost pump light already in the panel.

I noticed in this thread, Paul wired a resistor (700 ohm) into his circuit after the LED...Why? And, would the product from Stein Air require the same thing? Also, I'm assuming the magic juice (electricity) flows one way with flap extension, and another way with flap retraction...but I seem to recall only 2 wires (red & black) going to the flap motor...how do I wire this in so that the light goes on no matter which way the flaps are moving?

Can I just splice in anywhere in the line to the flap motor, or would I be better off tapping in where the wiring comes out of the bottom of the Infinity grip at the bottom of the control stick? Solder? Or crimp connectors?

Any other advice/recommendations appreciated!

Rob S.

[vlittle]

What you need is a bridge rectifier, available from you favorite electronics part shop.

Connect the wires labeled '~? to the two flap leads, the '+' wire to the LED anode and the ?-' wire to the LED cathode through a 330 ohm (plus or minus) resistor.

If you want to be able to dim this lamp along with other lamps, you'll need the world famous IL-4a or IL-6a from Makerplane, both of which are designed to work with flap circuits.

Cheers

[Veetail88]

Or, you could save all that trouble and swap out the switches in your infinity grips with spring loaded ones. Can't be left in either the up or down position.

Call JD at Infinity. He'll sell you the switches and a modified socket to get the top nuts off the switches that are deeply recessed into the grips.

I just swapped out the switch on the rear stick as I've had several cases of the switch getting bumped in the up position accidentally and finding myself without flaps on landing. (I have a limit switch rigged to the flaps that cuts out the circuit in the full up position.)

In the 8, it takes some real contortions to get your finger on that rear stick in flight!