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In
our Installation and Operating Guide, we try to keep necessary and helpful
information from becoming "too much" information. As a
result, there are undocumented features and techniques left out of the
manual. Some of these items can be very helpful - when and if
needed.
On this page, we will indulge a little extra
"print" to expand on some of these items. Not all comments
will apply to all installations, to all ignitions, or to all firmware
versions. This section assumes you already have a basic working
knowledge of the system. We also DO NOT list the many safety
precautions/procedures/standards that may be required - proceed with
caution. Tips and tricks will be added on an ongoing basis so keep
watching. If you have a tip - send it to us and we can pass it
along. Don't need to "BLOW"
- Alternate for "blowing" in the MAP
tube (Quick-Set timing): The manual calls for
blowing in the MAP tube (0.5" psi for one second) for each of the
(two) Quick-Set timing commands. If disconnecting the MAP tube
is inconvenient, you can pinch (or fold) the MAP tube approximately
1" away from the nipple at the ignition, and then pinch the
trapped air chamber to simulate the "blow". This can
make our simple timing routine - even simpler.
Sight-line to the ignition LED
- A shiny wrench held at the proper angle can
help if you are needing to wiggle the prop, and at the same time, look
for the green or red LED on the back of the ignition. Some
have installed reflective/polished metal tape (or polish a strategic
spot on the firewall itself) to accomplish the same thing. Fiber
optic tube can provide a flexible line of sight directly to the
cockpit (or where ever) - if you want to go to that much trouble.
Alternate TDC signal - Audible
timing reference and a way to check tach output
- In most "recent" versions of the
firmware, the ignition will signal TDC (concurrent with the green LED)
by sending continuous tach voltage to the tach terminal (#6 on the
green plug). This has two nifty uses.
- You can connect a small piezo buzzer to
terminal #6 (tach) and to terminal #1 (ground) and mount a buzzer
at a remote location (by the prop or in the cockpit). This
provides a convenient (audible) TDC signal (green LED equivalent)
without a sightline to the back of the ignition. You can
check ignition timing without removing the cowl - you can
"hear" the TDC (green LED) signal. The LED
function is unchanged (still works).
- The other use is testing your tach
output. Previously, confirming our tach circuit, or
measuring the tach output voltage (5 volt vs. 12 volt) required an oscilloscope.
Now, with the ignition 1) in setup mode and 2) positioned at TDC
(confirmed by a continuous green LED), you can check the tach
circuit output with a simple volt meter. Note: You may need
to disconnect other tach leads from the plug to make sure you are
testing the ignition output (alone), and eliminate interference
from the tach wire or the tach instrument. If your firmware
version doesn't have this feature, it will register nothing (no
voltage).
Reminder - We have a Troubleshooting
Tips guide on our Downloads page.
9 volt Battery Prop-Starting
You have seen our booth demonstration at
airs shows where we power the ignition with a 9-volt battery in order to
show:
- How Quick-Set timing (blow-in-the-tube)
works.
- How little current the ignition draws.
The ignition will make sparks powered only by the small
battery. We explain that emergency prop-starting could be
accomplished in the same way.
Earlier this year a customer relayed a story of
how this routine was put to the test. His group had flown to an
out of the way spot (small airport) for an overnighter. In the
morning, they discovered one of the planes had left the master switch on
and totally drained the battery. Remembering our demonstration,
they scrounged a 9 volt battery, wired it in, and prop started the
engine.
Bottom Line - If you're going to keep a flashlight in your
flight-kit
anyway, you might as well get one that uses 9-volt batteries. Remember, if starting this way you'll want to make
sure the 9-volt supply is isolated and powering the ignition ONLY (not
back feeding the rest of the buss). You might keep the master
switch OFF, or pull the ignition breakers, or make certain everything
else on
the buss is OFF while you are prop starting the engine. Once the
engine is running, give it some time to charge the battery so you'll
have power from the craft if needed (you still want the ignition to have two
sources of electrical power).
More to come . . . . keep watching.
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Setting New Standards 
