larryb

I use a CO2 inflator for my bike. I have one in my Mooney toolkit but have never used it. I've used it several times on the bike. The advantage is it can just sit at the ready for years. This inflator looks cool but the downside is making sure the battery stays charged.

I started out with a GXM 40 antenna mounted under the glare shield in my J model. It worked great, never a signal drop out. When I got my K it was another story. Could not find a location either under or on top of the glare shield that worked. Many signal dropouts. Even tried a different GXM 40. Same result. I suspect some sort of interference but never found it. I gave up and went with the GDL52 and remote antennas and never looked back.

I have the GDL52R mounted in the tail with a gps/xm antenna on top of the cabin and an ADSB antenna mounted inside the fiberglass belly pan. It has worked perfectly for years. It also has more robust connectors than the portable version.

My experience is that the relays are the weak link. Mooney made a few mistakes in the design of that circuit that impact reliability, at least in my 1997 Encore.

Last year I had a GFC 500 installed in my plane which already had the Aspen 2500. I had a GI275 installed to control it. The Aspen system and the autopilot systems are completely independent. That means flight director shows on the 275 and not the Aspen. Altimeter must be set in both.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/v5htpg56mo4smumeulxxf/ABkeXx0_cIr6Co371xzlSHg?rlkey=7rvebe53si4h88tquenz13h7a&st=bq1hhhoi&dl=0

You mean this? It has fans and a power pocket for voltage converter.

Well that aircraft spruce page shows no stock. So they don't actually have one. However Main Turbo obtained a core from somewhere and the housing was acceptable. So we are back on track.

Thanks! I'll forward this to my shop.

Plane in annual. Shop finds turbo needs work. Shop sends turbo to Main Turbo. Main Turbo finds turbo housing is toast and no housings nor turbos seem to be available anywhere. So... Does anybody have one lying around? TCM/Garret M/N TA04111 P/N6459151-1 Thanks, Larry

Took a full re-install to get past this hang

I was able to update the app itself but have been stuck here for an hour

No I wouldn’t. Mate N Lok are not sealed and are not positive locking. They are kind of friction locked. I’d use them for non critical things such as USB power ports, music, less important lighting, etc. And only in dry low vibration areas. I think of the auto pilot as a safety critical item. Of course we all know how to fly the plane without the AP but I would want my AP install to be as robust as possible. After paying thousands for the AP it doesn’t make sense to be cheap on the servo power wiring. Also, I am an EE but not an A&P nor an avionics tech. These are just opinions.

Another retired EE here, and I do like the Molex connectors. I use them extensively for personal projects. The few issues I have had are in the initial crimping and assembly. I've never had one fail in service. Having the proper crimper makes using them (or any connector really) much faster and easier. Crimping with needle nose pliers and then soldering is tedious. I would use them in a plane in non-critical areas. That said, I probably would not use one for autopilot wiring. I would want the best and most reliable connector. I consider the Molex to be adequate, certainly not the best. I have no experience with the Deutsch connectors but I would look into them. I like that they are environmentally sealed. CPC connectors are not environmentally sealed. Finally, Molex connectors are not the same as Mate-N-Lok. The are similar but not compatible with each other. My Mooney has a number of Mate-N-Lok connectors from the factory. Larry

They can also loosen up. Every couple of months I like to take a screw driver to them and make sure all are snug. On my previous Mooney I had a loose screw cause a lot of wear ruining the spinner. And the tightening order matters too.

How old is your detector? After 2 years they typically need a new battery and calibration. My Sensorcon started reading higher than normal after 2 years. I did get a couple of alerts in the 40 to 50 range. The airplane was inspected and no trouble found. I got a new battery but then decided to just get a new unit rather than deal with calibration. Magically my airplane was fixed with the new unit. Larry

I used this for the inside of the O2 push-pull cable. They sell all sizes, so measure yours and order appropriately. https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/9495K92 Larry

A few years ago I built a device to measure humidity and thermostatically control the engine heater. Through experimentation I found keeping the engine at 90 degrees keeps the humidity less than 40%. For a constant amount of moisture a higher temperature results in a lower RH.

I look at MP and fuel flow. If you don't have normal fuel flow then you aren't making proper power and/or your temps will soon be too high.

Mine is a factory original 1997 Encore. Factory tank sealant and factory paint. I don’t know that I have any sealant issues, just the paint issue.

Have you thought of dripping fuel on painted surfaces for an extended amount of time? Perhaps something in the air is making the difference vs soaking the part. Or perhaps variations in the evaporation rates are causing the concentrations of the chemicals to change?

My aircraft, which I posted in #49 is a 1997 encore with factory paint. The paint missing around the rivets bubbled up and rubbed off 1 week after my first tank of GU100. The paint there was fine before but is is possible or likely the rivets seeped a bit of fuel before. Regarding the drain port it is actually only a few years old. It was replaced under my ownership when the previous one leaked. Not sure why the current one is leaking, perhaps a bit of debris bought in the valve.

This is my plane one week after taking about 15 gallons in each side. The seeps are not new but the result of the seep is stripped paint. I’d be very wary of using this fuel if your tanks are not perfect.

The Garmin 796 (and maybe others) has a NMEA sentence output that includes HAT, which is height above terrain. I did build something with a Microchip PIC to decode this and airspeed and the gear position and alarm if necessary. It worked well. It didn’t talk but it did light up and beep. But now I have the LHS and am no longer using my old design.

I use the sensorcon. It wasn't a huge amount more CO or even enough to trigger the alarm. But it wasn't enough to make me look around. I don't recall exact numbers.