flyingcheesehead

I'm really curious how this is wired. I'd love to have my lights do what Don's do, but with the MaxPulse instead of the too-expensive PulseLite system. I contacted Seaton Engineering (MaxPulse maker) and they gave me an idea using diodes that might do what I want.

Do you still have all six overhead light switches? Does the RECOG switch still do anything? The MaxPulse installation instructions make it look like you are supposed to bypass the original switch in the circuit. If the switch still works, do you need to have it on to get any pulse, or does turning it on turn the lights on solid regardless of the MaxPulse setting? Does the MaxPulse just control your recognition lights? I'd really like to make it flash like Don's...

Interesting. Do you still have a rotating beacon? That's what our sixth switch is.

Dangit Don, one post ago I had it all figured out what I was gonna do! But that is really sharp, I like the idea of alternately pulsing the taxi and recognition lights. How are your switches set up? Do you still have the split L&R taxi light switch? Is there a separate "Pulse" switch? Are your light switches on the panel or are they the newer overhead style? I wonder if the MaxPulse is capable of this?

Interesting. Can you post a pic? Sounds like that might be a good solution.

So you don't have the control visible at all? Or am I misunderstanding your description? I would like the ability to switch between solid on and wig-wag, but I certainly don't need all the options the MaxPulse provides. I'm more interested in a nice clean (and easy) install.

Hi all, We've got the new Whelen LED recognition lights, and I'd like the ability to pulse them, with hopefully minimal installation cost. We have the overhead light switch panel in a 1997 M20R, and I'm guessing that's where the wires go. Is there a replacement switch that could have off/pulse/on positions instead of just off and on? That would be ideal. Barring that, what else is out there for pulsing modern LED lights? As far as I can tell, the MaxPulse unit is about it, and it seems that would need to be installed in the panel and involve running extra wires to get there. What other solutions are there?

Here's a foolproof way that does NOT require three arms or hands. First, purge the lines as atpdave and carusoam describe above, with full throttle, mixture cutoff, and pump on. I like to do this by switching to the right tank and leaving the door open, because you can hear the sputtering of the return line in the right tank. When it stops sputtering, the purge is complete. Second, prime the engine exactly as if it's a cold start - Throttle a few turns in from idle, pump on and mixture rich for a few seconds, you know the drill because you do it all the time. Third: Pump off, all three engine controls firewalled. Start cranking (left hand) while simultaneously pulling the throttle slowly back with your right hand. It'll catch and start, and since you're already pulling the throttle toward idle it's very easy to avoid the "zoom" that most techniques cause.

What I really need to do is get the big French Mooney and the little American Mooney in the same place and get a pic with both of them!

Well it's not my avatar, but here's a pic I took the other day. I call it "a losing battle."

Well... Uh... I'm not sure it did. This is the first year in 17 years of flying that I've ever been not night current. Haven't used the lights a ton, and the only time I'd have them off with the master on would be during the day. It was the shop that discovered it at annual, and I told them to stop troubleshooting it because most shops aren't particularly good at electrical stuff. No other work done since lights were installed. I can't find the installation instructions, but they were pretty primitive. I mean, it's a simple bulb replacement. It was a single sheet. There's nothing new about the wiring. It sounds like the switch itself is also a breaker for the lights (as it was from the factory). How do I turn it off now? Well, with the master. Yes, that'll probably be the next thing I do... But I'm also pretty certain that it is coming from the annunciator panel. Got some PMs to that effect as well. That's the only place I can figure out where it'd be leaking current from the starter relay CB. ("START POWER" is one of the annunciators.)

That's just the problem - I don't have the drawing! For my s/n it should be number 800304 R5 Rev Y, but a schematic for any R should be better than the only one I could find which was for a J and thus missing recognition lights and other stuff that's running out there.

It's not "big iron" but I fly a TBM 850 and a TBM 900 for work (the "big French Mooneys") with the G1000 and GFC 700. For us, it's two positive rates, gear up, 115 KIAS, flaps up and YD on. We use manual electric pitch and rudder trim to set trims for takeoff prior to taxi, but the GFC700 does have the ability to trim the rudder, so the before-takeoff adjustment of rudder trim is the only one we do manually. We generally disengage the YD on final at the 500-foot callout. FWIW, I'm not particularly impressed with the YD on the GFC700. In bumpy air, it seems to constantly lag behind the actual motion of the airplane, as if it's just reacting too slowly to yaw. It also gets easily overwhelmed when the gear doesn't retract or extend perfectly evenly. However, having read the experiences of those here, I plan to include YD in my eventual GFC 500 purchase.

Hi all, I'm having an odd electrical issue and I'm hoping someone has an M20R wiring diagram or can offer some insight on how this might be happening. I have LED nav lights installed a year ago from Aero-Lites - It's a model they don't sell any more. The left one does not turn off when the nav light switch is turned off in the plane. I started pulling breakers to see what other circuits could be causing this. It appears that the only breaker required to power them normally is the 40A Right Aux one - Is the switch also a breaker? Now the really odd part. The juice that keeps it running can come from two different sources. If the Gear Warn breaker is in, the nav light will remain on at a medium (not full) intensity. If the Starter Relay breaker is in, it will remain on at a low intensity. Putting both in does result in a slightly higher intensity than just the Gear Warn breaker being in. What could be causing this? Thanks!

Things are definitely a bit weird with the G3X interfacing right now. The GDL 69 works with the GTN I think, but not the G3X, while the GDL 5XR units work with the G3X but not the GTNs. And five years ago most of us were looking at turn coordinators and altimeters/VSIs when our spinny gyro AIs went out.

Done, thanks! But please see PMs...

As Steve said, they've always offered the "package deal". The reason their site is worded that way is that the AI version of the G5 does *not* come with a GMU11 by default, so in those instances the G5 shows ground track instead of magnetic heading IIRC. If you buy the G5 HSI version (which is more expensive because it does include the GMU11), the GMU11 is included. In either case, it's a great upgrade over the KI-525A.

Right, because the G5 has been running the autopilot the entire time. The GFC500's brains live in the G5/G3X, in the TXi installations the TXi is merely feeding commands to the G5 to make it work. So, in your TXi/G5 installation, if the G5 fails, you lose the autopilot. Period. With a G3X/G5 installation, the G3X is capable of running the autopilot without the G5, and vice versa. At least, that's my understanding of it based on a discussion with a Garmin autopilot engineer and many of Garmin's materials.

I do expect the whole package to be about $5K or less. Aerovonics looks interesting, but I have doubts as to whether they can certify both the instrument and the autopilot interface, remain at their stated price point, and remain in business. If they pull that off, awesome! I wouldn't be surprised if Garmin bets against them by pricing the new solution closer to King's stated target price if not above. Something that can keep my KFC150 going for the moment and then later drive a GFC 500 and serve as a backup to the G3X Touch, complete with miscompare monitoring, that's priced reasonably, is something I will plunk my money down for immediately. Of course, I'll still be crossing my fingers that my KI-256 lasts until Q2 next year which is the soonest I'll be able to get into the shop for an upgrade! You mean the GMU11 magnetometer? Pretty sure that's included with the G5 HSI, which is why it costs more than the G5 AI.

G500/600/TXi are only single AHRS, with the exception of the dual-7" TXi display with battery backup, so the second AHRS doesn't exist to do it in the first place - It's not just missing a switch. The G1000 does have the ability to run the GFC 700 autopilot off of either PFD/AHRS in the dual setups. There's a button on the GMC 710 controller, above the AP and YD switches, labeled "XFER" which is used to select which side you're using. But, in a Mooney we only have a single PFD/AHRS. To me, this is what's so compelling about the G3X Touch/G5/GFC 500 combo in particular. The G3X and G5 have miscompare monitoring against each other, and either one of them can run the autopilot in the event the other one fails.

James, I'd like to order a set, but I'm not sure what fuel caps I have on my 1997 Mooney Ovation. Can you help me out? Thanks, Kent

I was thinking that a setup that will continuously self-adjust the course needle on an eHSI, coupled with a WAAS GPS, should be allowed to fly the approach even though it's technically not. Why? Because it would be a helluva lot easier to fly with that setup than it would be with a DME setup even though that's the legal way to do it. However, I bet your 430 doesn't do the needle on an arc *inside the FAF*. Garmin is generally pretty good about keeping you legal - For example, on my GTN when loading an ILS approach it gives the warning about GPS being for monitoring only, and automatically switches the CDI to VLOC at the FAF.

I was over there yesterday and asked about it, and they have gotten it resolved now. It also looks like they're selling a fair number of 3100s for planes that have an existing S-TEC, especially the twins because Garmin's price advantage evaporates when you have to buy the GFC 600 instead of the 500.

You nailed it. On the approach that I posted, the DME is used for lateral guidance inside the FAF and thus you cannot use your GPS to substitute for DME. IMO, they should change this for equipment that allows you to have a lateral guidance needle inside the FAF. I don't know that this would help us any, but some of the curved RNP approaches that can be flown with modern avionics that goes into some of the larger equipment should be able to do that approach if the avionics can provide a needle on an eHSI or something. But, the FAA isn't known for keeping up with the pace of technology.

Not entirely true... Practically speaking, good enough for most of us, but GPS cannot be used in lieu of DME on an arc inside the FAF, such as on this approach: Now, that's not a great loss there, since there's an RNAV(GPS) with lower minimums, but there's at least one other approach like this... I just can't remember where.