REFLECTOR:A (re)volting problem
Dave Black
reflector@tvbf.org
Wed, 01 Oct 2003 20:06:39 -0400
Chuck,
I agree with Paul:
> The 24 volt pitot may have been chosen with premeditation, so that the
> heat would be less and not cook off the paint or melt your pointy glass
> nose.
In my own experience, pitot tubes get EXTREMELY HOT and a 12v one could easily
exceed the amount of heat you'd ever need. Whether a 24v pitot tube operating
on 12v will be hot enough, only time will tell.
I'd suggest you not change anything until you've had some flight experience
with ice. I believe the 24v tube will do a nice job for you.
As far as running that tube on 24v, putting the batteries in series is easy
enough. Trouble is, the ground side of one battery will be at the 12v
potential of the other. So the possibility of unwanted short circuits is very
real.
A voltage converter would thus seem like a safer idea. Though one capable of
high amperage is probably not easy to obtain.
Then there's the concept of either changing the heating element or tapping it
in the middle and feeding both halves in parallel. Either of these would be
easy to accomplish, if you can open the unit.
Bottom line:
I'd suggest you DO NOTHING until you're certain you actually have a problem.
Best,
Dave Black
Shortwing RG