[bjohnson1234]

I have a LASAR system and my left mag has stopped working as a standard mag. It still works when the LASAR system is on, but it's completely dead without it. The right mag still works fine both with and without the LASAR system powered on. What I'm debating at this point is just continuing to fly it as-is. It was a triple redundant system (electric + 2 mags) and now I feel like it's not really any different than having one electronic ignition and one mag which seems to be a pretty common setup. I spoke with Joe at Champion and he did not recommend flying it that way, but I wonder if that's just about liability. The only total failure scenario I can see is the loss of both the LASAR and the right mag, but that doesn't seem any more likely than losing both mags in a standard setup. Does anyone see anything I'm missing here? It's actually a little easier to test both systems with only one mag because of the EGT drop when the LASAR kicks back in and I have the dash light to alert me of any problems with the controller.

 

[RV6_flyer]

How many hours do you have on the LASAR mags? There were two ADs by Serial Number on the mags. One was for the Carbon Brush and the other was the Plastic Cam that opens the points.

IF the plastic cam, (same part number as other Slick Mags) has worn, the points will be closed all the time and cause your problem. If you have a few hundred hours on the bad plastic cam, it could be worn to the point that the points are always closed. Last year (2013) I saw inside a LASAR mag that had 2,000 hours. Other than a little dust from the brush and the worn plastic cam, the mag was like new. The plastic cam had worn that the points did not open and stayed closed all the time. Flipping the plastic cam in the shaft slot so that the wear spot was repositioned allowing the high spot on the cam to open / close the points, the LASAR mag now had an indication on the LASAR Timing Box that showed the points opening and closing.

Last time I checked, the plastic cam cost ninety cents at Aircraft Spruce.

 

[bjohnson1234]

They have a few hundred hours on them. When I spoke with Joe Logie he said attempting to service the mags was a recipe for disaster due to their internal complexity so I had basically written off attempting to repair it, but maybe it's something I should look at. Did you service the mag yourself or did someone else do it? He did say there was a shop in Canada that was qualified to work on them, but if it's that simple maybe I could do it myself.

How many hours do you have on the LASAR mags? There were two ADs by Serial Number on the mags. One was for the Carbon Brush and the other was the Plastic Cam that opens the points.

IF the plastic cam, (same part number as other Slick Mags) has worn, the points will be closed all the time and cause your problem. If you have a few hundred hours on the bad plastic cam, it could be worn to the point that the points are always closed. Last year (2013) I saw inside a LASAR mag that had 2,000 hours. Other than a little dust from the brush and the worn plastic cam, the mag was like new. The plastic cam had worn that the points did not open and stayed closed all the time. Flipping the plastic cam in the shaft slot so that the wear spot was repositioned allowing the high spot on the cam to open / close the points, the LASAR mag now had an indication on the LASAR Timing Box that showed the points opening and closing.

Last time I checked, the plastic cam cost ninety cents at Aircraft Spruce.

 

[RV6_flyer]

They have a few hundred hours on them. When I spoke with Joe Logie he said attempting to service the mags was a recipe for disaster due to their internal complexity so I had basically written off attempting to repair it, but maybe it's something I should look at. Did you service the mag yourself or did someone else do it? He did say there was a shop in Canada that was qualified to work on them, but if it's that simple maybe I could do it myself.

I am not an expert. I have had 5 LASAR mags apart. Yes I took them apart without someone that had done it before me to show me. Other than the top of the mag where the EI sensor is, they are almost the same as a Slick mag. Some of the parts are the same in both the LASAR and Slick mag. The brush and cam are two parts that are the same.

My background is Electrical Engineering and I have done work with electrical stuff and electronics. I am also an A&P and know how to take a mag apart. There is no money for an A&P to work on mags and I like most A&P recommend that airplane owners buy new or have a mag shop work on the mags. I do typically do the work on the mags of my own personal airplane. As a homebuilder, I like to know how Every Part of my airplane and how it works. That is why I took the first LASAR mag apart. Joe Logie also told me that it is not recommended to take them apart.

I have purchased LASAR parts from Bart and Sue when they ran the shop in Kamloops. When the LASAR mag was a little bit higher priced than the Slick mag, I would have just replaced them. Sometime around the time Champion purchased Unison Ignition, the price went up by a factor of 4. At that time, I figured that if I cannot work on the LASAR system, I should switch to something else.

I have shown one friend with LASAR mags how to take his apart. The LASAR mag did not work and he had a spare. His Plastic Cam in the LASAR mag was bad. If he sees this thread, he may add some comments.

 

[bjohnson1234]

One thing I don't want to risk right now is losing the left mag completely. My thought is to just keep flying it until I am ready to replace the entire system (probably with pmags). I just don't want to invest the time or money right now because I feel like I have just lost one level of redundancy in a triple redundant system. What I'm really concerned about right now is if it's not as safe to fly as I think it is. However, if I lose the other mag I may try to take them both apart and fix them before replacing the entire setup. If I decide to go that route would you mind a phone call to talk about what you've learned from taking them apart? Thanks.

I am not an expert. I have had 5 LASAR mags apart. Yes I took them apart without someone that had done it before me to show me. Other than the top of the mag where the EI sensor is, they are almost the same as a Slick mag. Some of the parts are the same in both the LASAR and Slick mag. The brush and cam are two parts that are the same.

My background is Electrical Engineering and I have done work with electrical stuff and electronics. I am also an A&P and know how to take a mag apart. There is no money for an A&P to work on mags and I like most A&P recommend that airplane owners buy new or have a mag shop work on the mags. I do typically do the work on the mags of my own personal airplane. As a homebuilder, I like to know how Every Part of my airplane and how it works. That is why I took the first LASAR mag apart. Joe Logie also told me that it is not recommended to take them apart.

I have purchased LASAR parts from Bart and Sue when they ran the shop in Kamloops. When the LASAR mag was a little bit higher priced than the Slick mag, I would have just replaced them. Sometime around the time Champion purchased Unison Ignition, the price went up by a factor of 4. At that time, I figured that if I cannot work on the LASAR system, I should switch to something else.

I have shown one friend with LASAR mags how to take his apart. The LASAR mag did not work and he had a spare. His Plastic Cam in the LASAR mag was bad. If he sees this thread, he may add some comments.