Cold weather operation of Dynon products

[rogerinak]

I'm just about ready to order instrumentation for my airplane project and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to use both a D180 and D100 but am concerned about these boxes working properly in the cold temperatures sometimes present here in Alaska. Have any of you used the Dynon products at or even below the extreme low end of the tempersture spectrum as specified by Dynon and if so, how have they performed? On a separate but related note a heated pitot is mandatory in my mind. I sure wish one was available since I'd love to be able to use the AOA information! Thanks for any insight that you might be able to shed on this topic.

 

[dynonsupport]

We have quite a few customers that use our products in very cold climates and have reported good results. The EFIS can operate way down to -30C (-22F) and still be in specification. If you did manage to keep the EFIS colder than that, operational performance may be affected since our calibration tables do not go colder than specification.

There are a couple of factors that should negate this as an issue in the real world. First, the EFIS, like any other electronic device, heats it self up a bit. This effect can vary based on how cold it is outside, but overall will help pull the EFIS's internal temperature up some.

Additionally, we would expect that over the course of some short amount of time, even in extremely cold temperatures, that most cockpits would be warmed up above -22F for pilot/passenger comfort. Hence, the EFIS should be in its operating range as well.

 

[OZRV]

Are there any plans of heating the pitot tube for protection against ice

 

[dynonsupport]

We have been working on a heated pitot for a few years, and do hope to release a heated version of the AoA pitot sometime in the future.

 

[cschanche]

> We have been working on a heated pitot for a few years, and do hope to release a heated version of the AoA pitot sometime in the future. <

I plan to complete my RV-7A next summer, with a D10A. I could use the heated pitot now, but can postpone the installation of the pitot- and AOA- plumbing and wiring until around late spring 2007. Will the heated pitot be available then? Do you have any progress to share with us at this time? Will it have 3/16" OD pitot and AOA lines as the non-heated version? What awg wiring and circuit breaker should I pre-install? Will it fit the standard Gretz mount? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[dynonsupport]

We still don't have a time quote for the heated pitot, but it will probably be done by the time your plane is ready.

The pressure connections to the probe are the same as our current probe and it mounts the same way.

You'll need the right sized wires for a 10A load out at the wing. You'll need a few extra 22 AWG wires for a status light as well.