AOA installation

[Bennett]

I don't use Pay Pal so I will mail a check at the end of this week. No hurry about getting the unit as it will be a couple of weeks before I have the time to have it installed.

[Marauder]

Ok Rip. It arrived today with everything nicely packed. Thank you! The display is a lot smaller that I thought it would be. BTW -- you a smoker? If so, QUIT!! If not, tell your shipping person to! When I opened the box, I smelled either pipe or cigar smoke. Bet is on cigar...

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[rq3]

Ok Rip. It arrived today with everything nicely packed. Thank you! The display is a lot smaller that I thought it would be. BTW -- you a smoker? If so, QUIT!! If not, tell your shipping person to! When I opened the box, I smelled either pipe or cigar smoke. Bet is on cigar...

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Hi Marauder, glad it arrived safe and sound. Feel free to use a transistor radio battery to fire it up and see the display. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm an ex-smoker, by many years, and have to deal with a special issuance medical every year as a result. The urethane potting compound for the display has an odd "roast pork" smell, but it dissipates pretty rapidly (a few days).

Holler if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rip

[David Mazer]

Mine has no odor at all.  So it must dissipate completely.

[Marauder]

Hi Marauder, glad it arrived safe and sound. Feel free to use a transistor radio battery to fire it up and see the display. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm an ex-smoker, by many years, and have to deal with a special issuance medical every year as a result. The urethane potting compound for the display has an odd "roast pork" smell, but it dissipates pretty rapidly (a few days).

Holler if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rip

Now that is bright!

[rq3]

Mine has no odor at all.  So it must dissipate completely.

Thank God for that! I'd hate to have to find a different potting compound (optically clear, zero outgassing after cure, low moisture transmission, sub-55C glass transition temperature, correct durometer, extremely low ionic contamination, proper uncured viscosity, proper pot time, UV resistance, temperature tolerance, reasonable cure time, tintability).

And that's just the potting compound. I love engineering. The devil is in the details, and I'll have a little chat with my supplier about their outgassing specs.

It would be nasty if they used this stuff on the space station, and the astronauts had to take up cigar smoking to mask the odor!

Rip

[bnicolette]

Chris when are you having that installed?

[rq3]

Now that is bright!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389924016.582525.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1389924062.382427.jpg

Marauder, welcome to trying to photograph LEDs! It's not easy; a digital camera doesn't deal with them the way the human eye does. The dimmer function won't work until the probe is installed and calibrated, but personally I'm VERY sensitive during night flight to overly bright displays. The LEDs on the CYA-100 are direct sunlight viewable, and dim over 1000 discrete steps under varying lighting conditions. They are still attention getting at night, but not overwhelming.

Rip

[Marauder]

Thank God for that! I'd hate to have to find a different potting compound (optically clear, zero outgassing after cure, low moisture transmission, sub-55C glass transition temperature, correct durometer, extremely low ionic contamination, proper uncured viscosity, proper pot time, UV resistance, temperature tolerance, reasonable cure time, tintability).

And that's just the potting compound. I love engineering. The devil is in the details, and I'll have a little chat with my supplier about their outgassing specs.

It would be nasty if they used this stuff on the space station, and the astronauts had to take up cigar smoking to mask the odor!

Rip

I love it when another person in the electronics field talks specs... Makes me want to go out and redesign something

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[Marauder]

Chris when are you having that installed?

Probably in the next week. I finally got a slot for my starter swap and I will see if he can do it then.

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[carusoam]

You guys are way cool!

Best regards,

-a-

[Marauder]

Marauder, welcome to trying to photograph LEDs! It's not easy; a digital camera doesn't deal with them the way the human eye does. The dimmer function won't work until the probe is installed and calibrated, but personally I'm VERY sensitive during night flight to overly bright displays. The LEDs on the CYA-100 are direct sunlight viewable, and dim over 1000 discrete steps under varying lighting conditions. They are still attention getting at night, but not overwhelming.

Rip

The iPad camera isn't doing it justice. I tried to catch it while it was in test mode. I am amazed by the size of the unit. I was expecting something twice the size. I haven't decided how to install it. I will be re-working the left side of the panel this Spring and may leave it the far left 2.5 hole temporarily until then (might need the space left of the Aspens for another one)

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[rq3]

I love it when another person in the electronics field talks specs... Makes me want to go out and redesign something

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Any and all input welcome!

Rip

[Marauder]

Any and all input welcome!

Rip

Will do. The first datapoint will be from my mechanic. If it doesn't go well, I will be sure to edit out all the swear words

I'm sure it will go fine. My mechanic is pretty detail conscious and if he thinks something needs to be improved, he'll let me know. He will also tell me what he likes about something.

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[rq3]

The iPad camera isn't doing it justice. I tried to catch it while it was in test mode. I am amazed by the size of the unit. I was expecting something twice the size. I haven't decided how to install it. I will be re-working the left side of the panel this Spring and may leave it the far left 2.5 hole temporarily until then (might need the space left of the Aspens for another one)

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I have the same problem. It's tough for me to read a size (1.125""x.0.250"), and actually visualize the thing in my hand. My original prototypes were huge in comparison, and WAY too big. I finally decided to settle on the average needle swing of a VOR or glideslope indicator, since the CYA-100 was designed to be a command instrument.

If you think about the display LEDs as pixels on a screen, the tighter they are, the quicker you'll respond (less time between pixels). Of course, you could have 1000 LEDs projected on the windshield....wait, what, did I just say that?

Rip

[rq3]

Will do. The first datapoint will be from my mechanic. If it doesn't go well, I will be sure to edit out all the swear words

I'm sure it will go fine. My mechanic is pretty detail conscious and if he thinks something needs to be improved, he'll let me know. He will also tell me what he likes about something.

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Excellent. I'm looking forward to any and all input. Good, bad, or indifferent.

Rip

[rq3]

Will do. The first datapoint will be from my mechanic. If it doesn't go well, I will be sure to edit out all the swear words

 

No, don't edit the swear words. My day job is at my maintenance shop. Every day I curse the engineers that designed our planes, because they never had to actually work on the product that they designed. I need to hear blunt and brutal feedback from installers.

Rip

[Bennett]

Just sent in my check. Looking forward to having the unit installed at my next oil change at LASAR. The calibration sounds almost too easy compared to all the trouble I had trying to calibrate the unit I had installed in my DOVA LSA.  Any feedback from early installers would be appreciated. Thank you. 

[DonMuncy]

My avionics gurus finished up the installation of my Alpha System, panel mount AOA today. I have to reinstall the glare shield, seats and pilot side interior panel before we can do the inflight calibration. It is too cold (for me) to work in my hangar today, so it will be a few days. The total install time was 26 hours, but they billed me for 20, to account for their learning curve, since it was their first AOA. 

[David Mazer]

20 hrs!  Holey cow that was a long time.  I think my total installation was just a few hours.  Certainly less than 5.  Of course, I didn't actually install it into the panel nor is it heated but I can't image it taking more than another couple hours to install it in the panel from someone that knew what they were doing (meaning, not me).

 

As far as calibration is concerned, Bennett, it is a breeze and certainly simpler than the calibration I did on 2 previous AOA systems (Dynon and Lirt Reserve).  It really is as easy as described.

[aviatoreb]

20 hrs!  Holey cow that was a long time.  I think my total installation was just a few hours.  Certainly less than 5.  Of course, I didn't actually install it into the panel nor is it heated but I can't image it taking more than another couple hours to install it in the panel from someone that knew what they were doing (meaning, not me).

 

As far as calibration is concerned, Bennett, it is a breeze and certainly simpler than the calibration I did on 2 previous AOA systems (Dynon and Lirt Reserve).  It really is as easy as described.

 

20 hrs is roughly what I remember having been billed for my alpha systems installation - and it seemed reasonable to what was done - it is a more complicated installation.  Sending pressure tubes through the wings to the probes, plus heated probes require wires through the wings, and mine was also coupled to the audio system for the voice warnings, plus physically find a space to install it in the panel, and finally there was the electronics box (small) which I believe they put in the tail.  It was a quality install but yes expensive in comparison to the CY system - still less expensive than any other avionics I could imagine putting in.

CY is definitely very attractive and a clever simpler engineered design.

[Marauder]

20 hrs! Holey cow that was a long time. I think my total installation was just a few hours. Certainly less than 5. Of course, I didn't actually install it into the panel nor is it heated but I can't image it taking more than another couple hours to install it in the panel from someone that knew what they were doing (meaning, not me).

As far as calibration is concerned, Bennett, it is a breeze and certainly simpler than the calibration I did on 2 previous AOA systems (Dynon and Lirt Reserve). It really is as easy as described.

David -- is this the CYA unit you are talking about?

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[DonMuncy]

The greatest amount of time was spent routing and securing the tubes from the wing mounted unit through the front edge of the wing into the cabin. Some of it was clearing a spot to put it in the panel.

Erik, unless your unit is different than mine, I doubt the electronic box was mounted in the tail. It has the tubes going to it, and it wouldn't make much sense to run those tubes back there from the wing. 

[David Mazer]

David -- is this the CYA unit you are talking about?

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Yes indeed.  I have some pictures on another thread I started just after I installed it.

 

CYA-100 AOA

[Marauder]

Yes indeed. I have some pictures on another thread I started just after I installed it.

CYA-100 AOA

I hadn't realized you installed one! Can you send the video you mention to us under PM? Curious to see what it does in flight.

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