Mag Check

[Roger]

On most all checklists for piston engines is the mag check. With “steam gauges” it’s easy to “eyeball” the difference but with our fantastic glass panel displays we have to do the math in our head!

It seems that with all this computing and display power that maybe the 120 could do it for us – showing the difference in drop with a setting for max allowed, etc. and alarmed of course.

Any thoughts on this Dynon….

PS - did I mention I love my glass panels and the new software version is great...many thanks for the great work.

Roger
www.ctflyer.com

 

[dynonsupport]

Put black tape over the digital number. Observe needle. Observe needle looks an awful lot like a steam gauge. "Eyeball" it

Seriously, we'll add it to the list, but if you think about it, it's a tricky thing to do. You'd have to tell us you were about to do a mag check, which would probably take you longer than subtracting some numbers in your head. If you didn't tell us, we'd be seeing drops all the time as you fly. Even when you did tell us, there would be some tricky detection to do in figuring out when you've switched mags due to our hardware design.

I can see that a Rotax might be harder- what is your typical drop? A dinosaur engine is only 50 RPM so the math is almost always easy.

 

[Roger]

Max drop is 300 - max difference is 120...

Maybe voice recognition should be in the next update!!! (I suppose it would have to be actuated by the key when doing the check)

Part of the problem is you're so accurate...let's say you have your throttle close to 3200, maybe 3233 is showing - so o.k. lets see that's 3233 minus 300, ah that's ah, where's my calculator - honey where'd you put the calculator? Oh figure it out - is it below 2933? No, o.k. were all right there because it shows 2942 I think and that's more then 2933 so we're o.k. on the first one let's go to the second. It shows 3158 so that's o.k.. Now lets see we had - what was that first one again? 29 something I think and the second one is 3158. Is that bigger than a 120 difference. Darn where's that calculator again - Oh the heck with it - looks good to me, let's go!! :-/ ;D

 

[dynonsupport]

We'll just update the firmware to only show you thousands. Then your drop and difference will always be zero. Except when it's "1"

 

[mcook]

I know it can be done in software with enough effort, but I think a far more valuable thing for most engines would be an EGT marker. When the D-120 senses one mag is grounded, place a little marker at the EGT point. You're looking for all EGTs to rise in unison and about the same amount during one-mag operation. When both mags are going, remove the marker. Repeat the process for the other mag.

See, easy. Should have this ready for beta test by the afternoon latte hour, right?

--Marc