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Rainier Lamers

Well Known Member
I have updated the website www.MGLAvionics.co.za with details on the new MGL Servo.

User manual as well as the promised interface document available - so now anybody that wants to can use a servo in any way they like (military applications, as usual, excluded - sorry).

The first batch of servos are in the field and most of them are flying with excellent user feedback. Full production has been commisioned and we are expecting regular stock from February onwards.
This has been a long development and I'm glad it's over, but the result is worth it.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
Very nice!

Curious question from reading on your site...being a stepper and not a clutch, how much residual torque does it add to the control system? (or "friction" if you will)

Personally, I think I prefer this approach. :)
 
This particular servo has very low (and smooth) residual torque when compared to competing products. The reason for this is that the motor is disconnected from the circuitry when not engaged so it does not play "generator" which adds to the force needed to turn it over.
You would never be able to feel the residual torque once installed. One of our regular customers is the "airplane factory" with the Sling (the one that flew around the World recently). This is a great aircraft (somewhat like a RV12 but MUCH nicer). I have flown it (and I have ordered one as a result). It handles like a small fighter with very light controls, very responsive and superbly balanced.
Anyway, they where very concerned that the servo's residual torque would spoil the finger touch controls. Once they had the first one flying they immediately phoned me to tell me "absolutely no issue at all".

What you will feel is a slight "vibrating" fed back to the stick when you move it (servo not engaged). This is due to the slight changes in residual torque as the rotor in the motor turns past the stator protrusions (the rotor is a big magnet). However, I can only feel this in my own aircraft when stationary on the ground (engine off). Once engine on, I can no longer feel the effect - I think this is due to engine vibrations just being so much larger that it masks this.

Having said this, from a residual torque point of view, it is still no match to Trio's servo of course as Trio has an electric clutch that simply disconnects EVERYTHING so it's as close to zero as makes no difference.

We now have a nice soluton to the "Stepper based servo" vs "DC motor based servo" debate. You can have either...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

DCat22 said:
Very nice!

Curious question from reading on your site...being a stepper and not a clutch, how much residual torque does it add to the control system? (or "friction" if you will)

Personally, I think I prefer this approach. :)
Click to expand...
 
Say Rainier....

...are your servos compatible with the TruTrak system?
I'm upgrading to the Gemini next year and need a trim-sensing servo to go with it.

Thanks, and congratulations. BTW, I just met another Afrikaner this week at our National Ag Aviation convention in Savannah, Ga...nice guys.

Best,
 
OK, first let me put the record straight.
I'm not an Afrikaaner.
This refers to decendants of the orginal Dutch settlers in South Africa.
I'm German, born here from German parents that died early, grew up in Germany (raised by relatives and foster homes) but decided to throw roots here when I was 25 (the weather was great and, as you say, the people are great too...).

Unfortunately our servos are not compatible with those of trutrak other than that certain dimensions may be similar. Trutrak was not willing to let us use their servos or protocols so this directly forced us having to make our own. Which we did.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics



pierre smith said:
...are your servos compatible with the TruTrak system?
I'm upgrading to the Gemini next year and need a trim-sensing servo to go with it.

Thanks, and congratulations. BTW, I just met another Afrikaner this week at our National Ag Aviation convention in Savannah, Ga...nice guys.

Best,
Click to expand...
 
Stand alone AP

Rainier

Since you have the servos.... Any plans on doing a stand alone autopilot with say an ADI or DG?
 
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RV8RIVETER said:
Rainier

Since you have the servos.... Any plans on doing a stand alone autopilot with say an ADI or DG?
Click to expand...

Stand-alone in the traditional sense, probably not.
The reason for this is that our autopilot algorithms are so tied into the rich sensor base of our EFIS systems, the reason they fly so well. We would have to throw just about everything out in order to get back to a basic system and then drive it from some external source like a normal AP, thereby breaking the intimate link between navigation source and final servo control.

Sooooo....

Why not use an XTreme with built in AP (the same that runs in our big EFIS systems) and connect our new servos ? That should be as cheap as it gets while giving you what is perhaps the most advanced AP on the planet at the moment (not my words, just repeating what others say). And you get a complete EFIS and engine monitor thown into the bargain. Even if you just use it as navigation / AP system - it's still difficult to beat.

The XTreme does not yet have the AP, but the nav system is just about ready for (free) release and the AP is next...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
Autopilot head?

Rainier
Do I recall correctly some discussion of a dedicated autopilot switch/knob combo? If so, do you have an approximate size?

The Rv-3 is getting your new Xtreme, and I'm thinking I might want to add a wing leveler in the future. (I'm getting ready to punch holes in the instrument blank here). While the Xtreme will do the controlling, I'm speculating that since the Xtreme has so many possible functions, it may be nice to off-load some of the knob turning/switching to another device, so the Xtreme can keep doing whatever it's doing- engine or AHRS info.

best
Stan
 
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