petehowell

petehowell

Well Known Member
Hello,

Looking for opinions as to if a boost pump "on" light is a good idea. It would be very easy to wire in right now.
 
I put one in and I like having it. It seems to work as a good reminder when I'm coming in on approach as to if I've turned the pump on or not. Also the light on mine is run by the same power that runs the pump, some people may not agree with that but I use it as a check to see if I've popped that fuse or not. Not like you wouldn't notice that horable noise that come from the facet pumps.
 
Make it dimmable

If you do use a light, definitely make it dimmable. You're gonna be running that boost pump on every takeoff, landing, and when switching tanks. If you're doing that at night, you really gotta make the thing dimmable so it's not a horrible distraction.

I don't personally have a light for the pump on my panel, nor do I think it's necessary. Don't need the parts count, point of failure, extra distraction on the panel, extra weight & cost (yeah, minimal), etc.

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D
http://www.rvproject.com
 
I like the light...

Just from my own experience, it is easy to get busy on an IFR departure, and find that after you've climbed to cruise altitude and are cleanng things up, the pump has been on for 20 minutes....at least for me it is! That can (slightly) screw up my fuel totalizer (reads 10% high when the pump is on).

Since I built an annunciator panel, I dedicated one light to telling me the pump is on. Dimmable - yes. In the critical path - NO! Added parts count - sure, but can't cause the pump to fail....

No argument with Dan - just another point of view. :)

Paul
 
Ironflight said:
Just from my own experience, it is easy to get busy on an IFR departure, and find that after you've climbed to cruise altitude and are cleanng things up, the pump has been on for 20 minutes....at least for me it is! That can (slightly) screw up my fuel totalizer (reads 10% high when the pump is on).
Click to expand...

I always had a heck of a time, remembering to turn the pump off, in a Piper Archer. Even left it on, on my check ride.

I'm afraid I went to the extreme with the RV! :D
The fuel pump switch lights up, as well as a small LED annunciator light.
 
I like mine

It is a handy reminder during busy departures that your pump is still running since RVs generally make more noise than the pump. Since I opted for steam guages it sits between my low oil pressure and low voltage annunciators. Besides, after many long years of flying the heavies it is kinda comforting to have that little green light shining on final approach even if the wheels are down and bolted.
 
I've added a blue lamp for my boost pump. It's in a 4-lamp field with Stall/Engine/Boost/Flaps annunciators.

I made all of the lamps dimmable by using the Vx Aviation IL-4A (www.vx-aviation.com).

I designed this controller to take any type of input (switched power, switched ground, reversing) and allow it to be dimmed. It's not quite as easy as it sounds... you can check the schematic in the datasheet and build it up yourself if you only need one or two channels.

FYI, the Flaps indicator is there because I replace the Van's switch with a ON-OFF-(ON) switch like some Cessnas have. On a go-around, I just flip the switch up and let it run. The light reminds me to turn if off (center the switch). To me, this is more reliable than a flap preset system with relays and limit switches. It just needs the pilot to make the decisions.

Let' face it, we've all left a boost pump on. Adding a lamp enhances reliability by minimizing pump wear and ensuring more accurate fuel totalizer results. A lamp failure does not cause any other problems other than a lack of indication. Ditto for the flaps indicator.

I know some folks put timer circuits in the their boost pump and/or flap control circuits. The big downside is that a failure in the relay or control circuitry will disable the respective functions... not a good thing.

Vern Little
9A ready for first flight (almost)
 
HI Joe

I have a wig-wag setting for my wingtip taxi lights. If the switch is all the way up, both lights are on. If it is all the way down, the lights are off. If it is in the middle - you get (as my 7 yr old calls it) DANCE PARTY. The lights alternate flashing back and forth.

Copied the design from Bob Knuckolls - drop me a message and I can send you a wiring diagram.
 
I did the exact same thing as Pete - orange LED from Radio Shack for $1.99. I made so many trips this past weekend to Aircraft Spruce (P/N 17-212), Fry's (Linrose Super Brite LEDs) and Radio Shack finding the best indicator lights to use. I tested them yesterday in the bright sun and actually found the Rat Shack LED to be the most readable... but it has to be almost directly in line with you.

I drilled the holes in my panel for them yesterday. I'll try to get some pics up soon (my memory card was full of Christmas pictures with our new baby - the kind with arms and legs).

my other indicator lights are going to be: EIS Warning, EFIS Warning, Low Volts, and maybe CO Monitor.

Happy New Year everyone.
 
Ironflight said:
pump has been on for 20 minutes....at least for me it is! That can (slightly) screw up my fuel totalizer (reads 10% high when the pump is on).
Paul
Click to expand...
I mounted the flow sender between the manual pump and the carb on my O-360-A1A. The flow remains the same with the boost pump on or off. There is a momentary (like 1 second) jump in readings when the boost pump is turned on or off but then it settles back down within a couple of seconds.

Gary
 
Fuel pump on shouldn't affect FF on a carb engine, on a TCM (read ECI's FI) style system's Fuel pump is on, it WILL affect FF. On a Bendix style, is theoritically shouldn't, but still can to some extent.
 
Shouldn't.....but....

Well, I was typing my previous message with a really lousy keyboard and no time...what I should have said is that I get a momentary jump in FF when I turn the pump on (and yes, you might think it shouldn't but nevertheless, it does!), and it does settle out after flow into the gascolator, etc. stops. My 'ducer is just downstream of the electric pump (a known compromise), and it sees the pulses from that loud thumper first-hand. (and once the -8 is running, you don't hear a thing from the pump!)

Overall, my calibration has been excellent, with a disagreement at fueling time of about one half gallon in twenty - more than good enough for me.

Paul
 
Boost pump light

Gentlemen,

I initially had the white Cessna style switches to control the lights, pitot heat and fuel pump. Ran this way for about 300 hours.

When I did some wiring update to my avionics, I also changed the switches. I chose the Caltrans automotive rocker switches with a green led in the rocker that lights up when the switch is on. I have flown this configuration the last 80 hours, both day and night, and I like the fact that I can see at a glance which switch is on. At night, the little leds are not blinding at all, as the direction of the led is not pointing directly at my eyes.
 
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