I have an RV7A with a TruTrak 380, driven by a Garmin 430w. It works fine on the ground, but cuts off in the air. I was told the TruTraks had issues with the solder boards, so i replaced the head unit with an xCruse. It still cuts off in flight after 10 to 15 seconds. Has anyone seen the problem, and have a solution? The local avionics shop is now telling me I need to replace the servos and possibly the wiring. I had had extensive conversations with Mid Continent and Bendix King with no solution. Thoughts?
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TruTrak Cutting Off
- Thread starter rs14
- Start date
blaplante
Well Known Member
"cuts off", as in it disconnects like you pressed the disconnect?
If so, might be the problem I chased... (on a D10a), a wire was rubbing against a sharp edge. Clue was that the autopilot was actually saying "autopilot disconnect".
If you have a stick AP disconnect button there's lots of wire that could have an issue...
If so, might be the problem I chased... (on a D10a), a wire was rubbing against a sharp edge. Clue was that the autopilot was actually saying "autopilot disconnect".
If you have a stick AP disconnect button there's lots of wire that could have an issue...
From your description I can’t say for sure, but I may have had a similar issue. The A/P would power up normally, but would occasionally reboot. I eventually traced mine down to a switch issue.
My A/P power is controlled by a toggle switch on the panel. Some behind the panel wire jiggling could reproduce the issue. Turned out to be a defective toggle switch (yes, it was an “aviation grade” switch). The rivet that secured one of the fast-on posts was loose—enough to allow an intermittent break in the power connection. I can’t definitively say it wasn’t loose from the outset, but I doubt it. I didn’t disassemble it to look inside. The issue surfaced about a dozen years after the airworthiness certificate was issued. The plus side was that it was an inexpensive and relatively easy fix.
My A/P power is controlled by a toggle switch on the panel. Some behind the panel wire jiggling could reproduce the issue. Turned out to be a defective toggle switch (yes, it was an “aviation grade” switch). The rivet that secured one of the fast-on posts was loose—enough to allow an intermittent break in the power connection. I can’t definitively say it wasn’t loose from the outset, but I doubt it. I didn’t disassemble it to look inside. The issue surfaced about a dozen years after the airworthiness certificate was issued. The plus side was that it was an inexpensive and relatively easy fix.
Where did you find an xCruse? Spruce is quoting 160+ days on back order.
