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dick seiders

Well Known Member
Maybe I missed it along the way, but I don't recall hearing what the min. battery voltage is that will support the electronic ignition operation. Anyone out there know how low voltage can go before losing the ignition and engine?
Would be a good thing to know if a battery/charging issue arose. Thanks for the feedback.
Dick Seiders
 
Hey Dick - -

The 912 produces its own power for the ignition. If the engine is running, then it should be charging the battery also, so that should not be a problem. If the battery is low/bad, you may have a problem starting the engine.

John Bender
 
The Rotax has a total of 3 alternators, one for each ignition and one for ship's power which also keeps the battery charged. Each ignition is independent of the other. It is kind of like having magnetos, except they are electronic. The battery could malfunction and the engine will keep on running, like John B said.
The AGM type of battery used in the RV-12 does not like to be run down. It will suffer more damage than the old type of flooded cell battery if the master switch is inadvertently left on.
Joe Gores
 
I don't know about battery voltage, just that it must be sufficient to spin the engine between 150 (I think) and 220 RPM. In other words, you probably can't prop it. As stated above, the AGM battery does not like to be run down and it does like to be kept on a float charger. This not only keeps the charge up, but supposedly benefits battery life. Mine is on a float charger appropriate for AGM batteries 24/7 while in my hangar and has been for over 4 years.

Not just any old car charger will be good for your battery and you don't want to be doing any quick charges. Mine is a Mean Well ESP-120 that I got from Lockwood Aviation Supply. Supposedly made to float charge at 13.5V. I'm sure there are many others that are cheaper and will do the job but my knowledge of battery chargers stops at that.
 
Thanks for the feedback all of you. I asked the question because several folks who know a lot more than I (everybody knows more than I about that) about electronic ignitions advised me if I lost the battery in flight for any reason I would lose the ignition as well resulting in engine shutdown. This got my attention as I didn't believe that would happen as long as engine was running, but then I always drove with mags before. I couldn't find anything to clarify or dispute that so asked the question. I will go back to my sources for further explanation.
Dick Seiders
 
dick seiders said:
Thanks for the feedback all of you. I asked the question because several folks who know a lot more than I (everybody knows more than I about that) about electronic ignitions advised me if I lost the battery in flight for any reason I would lose the ignition as well resulting in engine shutdown. This got my attention as I didn't believe that would happen as long as engine was running, but then I always drove with mags before. I couldn't find anything to clarify or dispute that so asked the question. I will go back to my sources for further explanation.
Dick Seiders
Click to expand...

Dick,

I suspect your friends were thinking of an automotive type electronic ignition, not realizing that in the Rotax setup the electronic modules are powered by their own independent voltage source.

John
 
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