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KFC 200 will not engage


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Hello all. 

 

On the way back from OSH, my autopilot will not engage. From my reading, the panel switch is magnetic. Mine will not stay in up position. Panel fuse operates normally and makes no difference. 

 

Is there an inline fuse somewhere?  Anyone have a wiring diagram? 

 

Trim works fine. 

 

tks

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Expect when the BK AP starts up... it does a self test...

the celebration of a good self test is the light and sound show... beep, beep, beep (about five or so) with a blinking light to match...

This is based on fuzzy memory of a KAP150... slightly newer than the KFC200...

It has a test protocol of all the servos, computer, and the trim servo is the one that often gets forgotten...

 

If the trim servo CB has been shut off, the test fails, no light and sound show is given, and the AP sits there and does nothing...

PP thoughts only, stuff I learned by reading the KAP book a while back...

Best regards,

-a-

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Thought I remembered seeing a similar post about a year ago.  Found the post I remembered. But not totally your issue but mat help in troubleshooting. Also I highly recommend calling Autopilot Central.  They will troubleshoot over the phone with you - walk you through the steps then provide a recommendation.

past article:  

 

 

Autopilot central: http://www.autopilotcentral.com/      (918) 836-6418

 

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Just went through the same thing. Contact Bob Weber at webairconsulting.com

It’s a fairly easy and cheap to fix if it is the same problem as mine. The clue is that the autopilot works if you hold the switch in the on position but it won’t magnetically latch in place. Bob can talk you or your hangar fairy through it. 

Mark
 
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Fixed. The same problem as Mark. The magnet on the On-Off arm had slipped out of it's socket. Two cent fix. Big clue for the future is if your On-Off switch does not seem to travel like it used to, there could be something blocking it. Like the magnet. Whew!

 

For you more experienced should I post this fix as a new post? I'd hate to see anyone pay loads of money for a loose magnet. 

 

Thanks to all. 

 

pr6nEXYqrFXO9kBGA_ttOAGTaKhvncYKNNhaSGD1

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  • 3 years later...

Sadly my KFC 200 is now acting up with a similar issue.  Was flying home yesterday and disengaged the AP using the trim tab.  Now the switch will not stay in the ON position.  If I hold it up it functions fine, will hold a heading and altitude.  Made a quick video to show the symptoms...

 

 

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If the magnet fell out of place it can be repositioned - if the switch cracked it may need to be replaced.  KFC290 Lever Switch, p/n 088-00535-0002.  It was around $225 when I looked for one last year (from wipaire.com).  

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Finally pulled out the control box and opened it up, looks like the black plastic on the switch has cracked, all the plastic is very very brittle.. Oddly I cannot find the plastic remnants unless they were dropped on removal. Just looking at the device I can't really see how the magnet holds the switch in the "on" position. I am getting in contact with the autopilot guys from Tulsa to see if they are able to fix it.  I am hopeful that is it

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Edited by firelog1101
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10 hours ago, firelog1101 said:

Finally pulled out the control box and opened it up, looks like the black plastic on the switch has cracked, all the plastic is very very brittle.. Oddly I cannot find the plastic remnants unless they were dropped on removal. Just looking at the device I can't really see how the magnet holds the switch in the "on" position. I am getting in contact with the autopilot guys from Tulsa to see if they are able to fix it.  I am hopeful that is it

20230705_174221.jpg

20230705_174320.jpg

20230705_174204.jpg

Autopilots Central used to be the go-to place. Not so much anymore. They are very expensive and I've heard too many stories about how they didn't fix the problem. Talk to @Jake@BevanAviation

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Pretty common failure, the control head needs a new lever switch. The plastic switch gets brittle with age and breaks. Hopefully, you found the little piece of metal that floats between the contacts. Trying to glue the switch back together does not always produce reliable results. The switch contact is designed to float for alignment to the electromagnet. When you glue the contact in place it can no longer self-align to the electromagnet and produces poor latching.

The current list from Honeywell is $678.53 for the lever switch. I do have stock and will honor the old price of $241.00 plus labor. However, when I have to order more, I will have to go to the current list from Honeywell.  My current lead time is 5-7 business days.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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