Gary,
I also have the 914 with an RC Allen AI. I find that when at idle the AI drops
offline, with the "OFF" flag being displayed. However, as soon as I am off idle
the unit will come back online. I find that with the Rotax generator the
main bus voltage is usually just above 12 volts at idle (which is close to the
oven-circuit battery voltage. As RPM increase the output of the generator will
increase and the main bus voltage will rise to about 13.2 volts. In your e-mail
you mention a bus voltage of 12.1 volts with GPS, radio, transponder, and
the AI all on at 4900-5200 RPM. At this engine speed the output of the
generator
should be around 13.2 volts. I suspect the problem is not with AI but rather
your electrical system. Since you haven't added anything electrical to
your plane in 6-years I suspect you are experiencing degradation of your
electrical
system due to most likely oxidation at the electrical connections. I would
first try cleaning the electrical connectors from the voltage regulator to
the main bus, especially the ground wire to the case of the voltage regulator.
If that doesn't fix the problem there are some easy tests you can perform on
the generator. Give that a try and report back.
Erich Trombley
N28ET Classic Mono 914
Being VERY electrically challenged, I'm hoping some of my smarter Europa
friends
can help point me in the right direction to solve a recent problem. I have
an R.C. Allen electric artificial horizon instrument which began to
"tumble" several
months ago. I returned it to the factory and they said it tested OK, but
replaced the bearings anyway. I reinstalled it, but same thing happened.
When I telephoned the factory they suggested that perhaps I wasn't getting full
electrical power to the unit. I'm assuming by that they mean 13.2 volts (2.2
volts per battery cell, times 6 cells). The voltmeter in my panel reads 11.9
volts with radio, GPS and transponder turned on, and reads 12.1 volts when I
turn off the radio, GPS, and transponder. My Ammeter reads
003.............whatever
that means. Increasing my RPM from 4900 to 5200 increases the voltmeter
reading by about .1 volt. Do I have a voltage problem? If so, why? I've
been flying my trigear 914 for 6 years without this problem, and have not added
any additional electrical equipment to the plane in the 6 years. My battery
is 2 months old. Should I be looking at my alternator.........or my
regulator/rectifier..........or
what?
Gary,
I also have the 914 with an RC Allen AI. I find that when at idle the AI drops
offline, with the "OFF" flag being displayed. However, as soon as I am off idle
the unit will come back online.I find that with the Rotaxgeneratorthe main bus
voltage is usually just above 12 volts at idle (which is close to the
oven-circuit
battery voltage. As RPM increase the output of thegenerator will increase
and the main bus voltage will rise to about 13.2 volts. Inyour e-mail you
mention a bus voltage of 12.1 volts with GPS, radio,transponder, and theAIall
on at4900-5200 RPM. At this engine speed the output of the generator should be
around 13.2 volts. I suspect the problem is not with AI but rather your
electrical
system. Since you haven't added anything electrical to your plane in 6-years
I suspect you are experiencingdegradationof your electrical system due tomost
likelyoxidation atthe electrical connections. I would first try cleaning
the electrical connectors from the voltage regulator to the main bus, especially
the ground wire to the case of the voltage regulator. If that doesn't fix the
problem there are some easy tests you can perform on the generator. Give that
a try and report back.
Erich Trombley
N28ET Classic Mono 914
Being VERY electrically challenged, I'm hoping some of my smarter Europa
friends
can help point me in the right direction to solve a recent problem. I have
an R.C. Allen electric artificial horizon instrument which began to
"tumble" several
months ago. I returned it to the factory and they said it tested OK, but
replaced the bearings anyway. I reinstalled it, but same thing happened.
When I telephoned the factory they suggested that perhaps I wasn't getting full
electrical power to the unit. I'm assuming by that they mean 13.2 volts (2.2
volts per battery cell, times 6 cells). The voltmeter in my panel reads 11.9
volts with radio, GPS and transponder turned on, and reads 12.1 volts when I
turn off the radio, GPS, and transponder. My Ammeter reads
003.............whatever
that means. Increasing my RPM from 4900 to 5200 increases the voltmeter
reading by about .1 volt. Do I have a voltage problem? If so, why? I've
been flying my trigear 914 for 6 years without this problem, and have not added
any additional electrical equipment to the plane in the 6 years. My battery
is 2 months old. Should I be looking at my alternator.........or my
regulator/rectifier..........or
what?
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