REFLECTOR: Bus, Battery & Back Order

[Terrence Miles]

Keith,
Thanks.  I should have mentioned that I also plan a big--very bright low 
voltage warning and guage.  That is the best argument for splitting off the 
aux batt in flight and running only the the main batt---I mean the situation 
when the alternator goes inop, you don't notice, now the batt drains off and 
your first indication is a dark silent cockpit.  Also planned is an ammeter 
so I can watch the download and know what I have.

Also on the GRT.  I have found to drop the EIS altitude and airspeed is 
looking like big dials 3.12 inch versus 2.25 inch versus none at all if I 
stay w/ the EIS.  My choice for Big dials due little are cheaper.  Little 
altitude mean a single needle, little IAS means 180 kts max.  To get over 
about 220 kts you to buy tso'd stuff.  I am looking at $275 ias and 155 alt.

Check out Stein air on autopilots.  TruTrak is announcing soon a retangular 
shapped autopilot.

see ya
Terry

>From: "Keith Hallsten" <KeithHallsten at quiknet.com>
>Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
>To: "'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'" <reflector at tvbf.org>
>Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: Bus, Battery &  Back Order
>Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 19:35:43 -0700
>
>Terry,
>
>Waiting for exhaust?  As I recall, Clint Anderson had mine in my hands the
>same week I ordered it, even though I told him there was no rush.  They 
>were
>custom made with a 45-degree bend aft where the stacks come through the
>cowl, but otherwise like the "straight down" Velocity IO-540 stacks in the
>photo on the Custom Aircraft Parts website.  Beautiful work, too.
>
>Your scheme for electrical seems pretty reasonable to me.  As long as you
>have active notification of a low-voltage condition, it's not that hard to
>shed load manually, and it's not an emergency.
>
>I have also been meditating on backup for the single-AHRS, two-display GRT
>EFIS.  Although I may change my mind again, I am also settling on 
>mechanical
>airspeed and altimeter.  Therefore, I'll probably leave out the backup
>airspeed and altimeter in the EIS - I'll talk to them at OSH next month
>about the value of cross-check info to the EFIS.  The GRT EIS 6000 will be
>the only source of engine instrumentation (loss of engine instruments is a
>nuisance, not an emergency).  I plan to use either a TruTrak Pictorial 
>Pilot
>or their upcoming ADI Pilot as the
>autopilot-and-combination-backup-attitude-indicator.  After that, the
>backups come out of the flight bag!
>
>I'm going with the internal GPS in the EFIS as the only panel-mount GPS for
>the first couple of "VFR only" years.  I plan to leave a space for a GNS
>430, but not install it until and unless I establish that I need the
>additional capability the way I fly.  I'll have a handheld GPS with fresh
>batteries up and running on cross-country flights.
>
>I'm putting in a single SL-30 Nav/Com, and carrying a handheld comm radio 
>as
>backup.  I'm going to talk to the vendors at OSH about satellite weather
>options - that seems like a pretty valuable capability in a cross-country
>airplane.
>
>Keith Hallsten
>(I mounted my straight heated pitot out the nose of the XLFG this week.
>Looks cool!)
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
>Behalf Of Terrence Miles
>Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 12:27 PM
>To: reflector at tvbf.org
>Subject: REFLECTOR: Bus, Battery & Back Order
>
>
>Hi to everyone but in particular to Brian, Keith, Al G, and Kurt who I 
>think
>
>are deep into wire issues.
>
>Here's what I got.
>
>For Electrics:  Here's my current plan and why.  Two big batts in the nose.
>
>One stacked on top of the other.  For now I am going to slap the ground
>leads together and run them in parallel with B&C L60 alternator (60 amps)
>and the B&C external voltage regulator and the o'volt protection.
>
>I may one day with not a lot of effort, put in a 2nd aux battery contactor,
>but I see its practical value as limited due to what follows next.
>
>I have decided in favor of a single power bus.  I can't see a strong enuf
>reason to break things into separate buses to power up or shed in event of
>alternator problems.  I will instead pull out a checklist and do a load 
>shed
>
>procedure at each components control head/ panel switch/CB/whatever.  (Two
>mags, by the way until I have her in the air and de-bugged)
>
>When I re-read the Nuckols stuff  on dual batt & single alt, I decided it
>wasn't for guys like me.  I can put two equal amphr batts right side by
>side...read no #2awg wires running all over hell.  I don't have dual EI's.
>Sure as sh--t the day I loss a alternator would be the day the #1 comm 
>would
>
>be TU and I have to repower the main load buss to access #2 comm and get
>myself confused say 2 years down the road by which time all the electron
>theory will be faded into dim memory.
>
>GRT stuff:  Single AHRS system, 2 screens, EIS in the radio stack, no
>airspeed&Alt add-on to the EIS in favor of round dials below the GRT
>screeens.  Decided basically to abandon the two spare power leads.  I am
>told a solenoid controlled contact can draw an amp to 1.5 amps just to hold
>closed, and the diodes will cost you a volt in pressure.
>
>Some of the above was driven by electrical abnormal checklist drafting.
>Some from the local tower operator/Cozy guy/ex USAF avionics tech.  For
>backup, his personal philos is a bag of external hand helds.
>
>What do you four think of this?  Anybody else want to chime in?
>
>I called Affordable panels this week.  He is an RV vendor...uses the
>Approach Hub stuff.  He is very backed up.  I am looking to make the major
>buy with Stein Air.  Anybody have any comments on him?
>
>Where's everybody else on this topic.  Are you guys going to wire up your
>own intercomponents in the avionics rack?
>
>Last but not least...anybody else waiting for engine mounts and exhaust
>systems besides me??
>
>Regards,
>Terry
>
>
>
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