REFLECTOR: Need a topic... gear down check

[Richard J. Gentil]

Rich,

You could use a radar altimeter. Also the Avidyne System in the Cirrus uses the GPS to give you TAWS terrain warnings when you are more then 5 miles from an airport and it calls out 500ft when you are on approach before landing at an airport. 

I would think that something like that would be what you are looking for in order to integrate with a gear warning if the gear is still up. 

Richard 

Sent from my iPhone 5

On Jan 23, 2013, at 1:54 PM, Rich Ervin <rich_ervin at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Any way to build this based on altitude or distance to ground? Some simple range detecting device that can measure the distance to the ground?
> 
> To: reflector at tvbf.org
> From: dtnelson at us.ibm.com
> Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:56:02 -0600
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Need a topic... gear down check
> 
> OK, because the reflector is quiet, I'll bring the team up to speed on a little side project I've got going & again ask for any input...
> 
> I've never been happy with the gear up warning system... I like to fly a tight pattern, and often times I won't have the throttle fully cut off until I'm right over the numbers.  A warning system based on throttle position therefore doesn't give much warning.  So, since winters are long here in Minnesota, I dreamed up a really complicated but maybe better solution.  
> 
> In net, I'm working on programming for a very small (think size of a pack of cigarettes) and very cheap ($35) Single Board Computer, which will be interfaced to watch the various gear position microswitches.  It also is taking the RS-232 serial data stream from my Dynon D10-A and my Garmin GNS 530W as inputs to set up the following test...
> 
> If I am within, say, 3 miles of my GPS destination, and
> if I am going less than 120 knots (maximum gear extension speed), and
> if I am less than say, 300 feet AGL, and
> if my gear is NOT extended.... THEN
> My wife Ali's voice will come over the intercom, loud and clear, saying "PUT YOUR GEAR DOWN, STUPID!  YOU'RE ABOUT TO CRASH!!!"
> 
> What dya all think?  Pretty cool if I can get it to work!
> 
> I'm using a SBC called a Raspberry Pi... it's got a 700 mhz processor, 512 MB of onboard RAM, two USB ports, audio and HDMI outputs, an onboard ethernet port, and an onboard SDRAM slot.... all for $35 (!).  I've got the interface electronics worked out (buffers, voltage shifters, a MUX for the two RS-232 serial data streams, etc.), and I'm working on the programming.  
> 
> Obviously, this is pretty much a "one of" implementation, since it's dependant on my Dynon and Garmin panel.  If it all works as planned, though, it should be just a SMOP (Simple Matter Of Programming) to adopt it to other panels. 
> 
> Any thoughts out there?  What else could I use it for, like other warning systems?
>   
> Dave
> 
> Dave T. Nelson
> T/L 553-4327, Voice 507-253-4327, Fax 507-253-3648
> Program Director, ISC ECAT NPI & Test Engineering
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