Draker
Well Known Member
I'd like to have a cockpit indication that lights up when the starter is engaged. Searches on VAF show the way many builders do this is by wiring a lamp between the I terminal on the starter solenoid and ground. This works because the I terminal goes to +12V when the starter is engaged.
Instead of having a lamp on my panel, I thought I would wire the I terminal to one of my Garmin GEA 24's "discrete" inputs, and configure it as active high. Unfortunately this does not work because the I terminal floats when the starter is disengaged, and the Garmin will not recognize this as "off". My thought is to wire a basic electronics 10K resistor between the I terminal and ground, to pull-down the discrete input to GND when the starter is disengaged.
Is this a sound plan?
Will this detrimentally effect the function of the starter solenoid?
What is the failure mode for the resistor? I imagine it just burns out and I'll get an incorrect starter annunciation on my panel. I'd like to avoid the possibility of a short from I to ground which would be bad.
With such a set-up, can I still connect a "starter disengage" wire between the I terminal and the starter? I believe Vans documents this as an optional method of controlling the starter activation.
Instead of having a lamp on my panel, I thought I would wire the I terminal to one of my Garmin GEA 24's "discrete" inputs, and configure it as active high. Unfortunately this does not work because the I terminal floats when the starter is disengaged, and the Garmin will not recognize this as "off". My thought is to wire a basic electronics 10K resistor between the I terminal and ground, to pull-down the discrete input to GND when the starter is disengaged.
Is this a sound plan?
Will this detrimentally effect the function of the starter solenoid?
What is the failure mode for the resistor? I imagine it just burns out and I'll get an incorrect starter annunciation on my panel. I'd like to avoid the possibility of a short from I to ground which would be bad.
With such a set-up, can I still connect a "starter disengage" wire between the I terminal and the starter? I believe Vans documents this as an optional method of controlling the starter activation.