Tach Solutions

[Ethan]

Good morning good Mooney People,

I have a 1981 Mooney 232 (m20k) with a failing factory tachometer. I would like to replace it next annual. I would pike something that fits in the relatively small hole if the original. I would also like something with a good visual representation (not just digits). Any ideas? 
 

Thanks in advance,

 

Ethan

[Phil EF]

These are great stand alones. 

[Ethan]

Thanks Phil,

I guess I have limited choices, the EI, or a UMA for analog presentation. I am leaning toward a UMA just because it looks similar to the original and I love the needle presentation. 
 

Any reviews on the UMA for a 231?

[toto]

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

Thanks Phil,

I guess I have limited choices, the EI, or a UMA for analog presentation. I am leaning toward a UMA just because it looks similar to the original and I love the needle presentation. 
 

Any reviews on the UMA for a 231?

Sounds like you’re leaning in the opposite direction, but I believe the Horizon digital tach is also available if you have a 3 1/8 hole. 

ETA: Scratch that. Apparently Horizon just went out of business last year. 

[OR75]

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

Thanks Phil,

I guess I have limited choices, the EI, or a UMA for analog presentation. I am leaning toward a UMA just because it looks similar to the original and I love the needle presentation. 
 

Any reviews on the UMA for a 231?

I have and like the UMA needle unit.  great customer service. The sending unit is a weak point . It will be great if you have a single mag and can use a mag pickup (not physical contact).  I wish they had a dual mag version of that.

The unit is very stable (unlike some cables units) but there is a bit of a lag. Noticeable during the mag drop but not an issue really .

How does the EI unit pick up the signal from the engine ? mechanical ? mag ?

[toto]

2 minutes ago, OR75 said:

How does the EI unit pick up the signal from the engine ? mechanical ? mag ?

It uses the P-lead. 

[PeteMc]

17 minutes ago, toto said:

Scratch that. Apparently Horizon just went out of business last year. 

I like my Horizon and would have recommended it also if they were still around. 

No issues with my P-1000, but it will be interesting to see who likes what in the non GI275 EFIS or JPI Pirmary options.

 

[toto]

7 minutes ago, PeteMc said:

I like my Horizon and would have recommended it also if they were still around. 

No issues with my P-1000, but it will be interesting to see who likes what in the non GI275 EFIS or JPI Pirmary options.

 

I have a Horizon P-1000 in the Piper and it’s been flawless. I have the EI 2.25” in the Mooney and I’ve had zero problems, but I don’t especially like the look of it. There are very few options for a 2.25 tach, unfortunately. 

[Will.iam]

I have the EI 2.25” and it is very accurate to a photo tach meter. The led’s goto red as o go over 2700 rpm so very eye catching on those mornings when the oil is not quite up to temp and i get a little overshoot. Has hour meter recording and last flight max rpm recall. Like the big LCD readout for the RPM’s since it’s all the way across the cockpit for me. 

[OR75]

On 10/1/2022 at 11:48 AM, toto said:

It uses the P-lead. 

it works with Dual mag also ?

[toto]

50 minutes ago, OR75 said:

it works with Dual mag also ?

Yep 

[Ethan]

On 10/1/2022 at 11:45 AM, OR75 said:

I have and like the UMA needle unit.  great customer service. The sending unit is a weak point . It will be great if you have a single mag and can use a mag pickup (not physical contact).  I wish they had a dual mag version of that.

The unit is very stable (unlike some cables units) but there is a bit of a lag. Noticeable during the mag drop but not an issue really .

How does the EI unit pick up the signal from the engine ? mechanical ? mag ?

The UMA looks the best to me too. Is the only weak point about the Tach sending unit the lag time, or does it have other reliability issues? Thanks

[OR75]

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

The UMA looks the best to me too. Is the only weak point about the Tach sending unit the lag time, or does it have other reliability issues? Thanks

What sending unit would you be using ? 
if mag pickup , you are golden ( only single mag is approved ) 

if dual mag , the unit can interfere with the vacuum pump and prone to vibrations 

[N201MKTurbo]

I have the UMA tach and it has worked flawlessly for the last 15 years. The only weak point is the tach pickup. It tends to fall apart fairly often. I have had to take it apart and re-solder its wires a few times. The connector won't stay together. it is a CB radio microphone connector. Not the best choice. When I put it together I lockwire it all together with 0.020 wire. It hasn't come apart since I started doing that.

[Phil EF]

The EI works off P leads so works with single or dual mags. 
No sending unit to fail. 
Also alerts if one mag doesn’t get grounded during mag checks. Confirmation of Bendix mag switch function. 

[OR75]

5 minutes ago, Phil EF said:

The EI works off P leads so works with single or dual mags. 
No sending unit to fail. 
Also alerts if one mag doesn’t get grounded during mag checks. Confirmation of Bendix mag switch function. 

I just wish their unit looked better (seriously the liquid crystal displays reminds of those watches from the 70s and 80s)

Funny how some manufacturers make great robust product but the interface looks like s....   

 

[Ethan]

8 hours ago, OR75 said:

What sending unit would you be using ? 
if mag pickup , you are golden ( only single mag is approved ) 

if dual mag , the unit can interfere with the vacuum pump and prone to vibrations 

This is great information from everyone thanks!

Primarily, I  want a good, reliable tach - secondarily, it would be nice if it looked good. The EI looks kind of silly with that ring of LED lights - but from all accounts it's really accurate, reliable and it just wires up to the back of the magneto switch on the panel. Seems like the right choice.

Thanks to all the responses here, I understand the UMA is built to use the P-lead with Slick magnetos and doesn't play well with Bendix mags. I have the pressurized mags and would probably have to use the tach generator to run the UMA tach. It's good to know the tach generator is the weak link. I would rather just avoid reliability issues no matter the look of the tach. Also, I ran this by my very able mechanic and he told me that though the UMA is TSO's it is not STC'd for the 231. Depending on the FSDO, that may or may not be or become an issue.

Thanks again.

[Utah20Gflyer]

I replaced my tach last year with the Electronics International and like it.  It has been very accurate and reliable although I would agree it isn't the slickest looking instrument around.  

[OR75]

3 hours ago, Ethan said:

This is great information from everyone thanks!

Primarily, I  want a good, reliable tach - secondarily, it would be nice if it looked good. The EI looks kind of silly with that ring of LED lights - but from all accounts it's really accurate, reliable and it just wires up to the back of the magneto switch on the panel. Seems like the right choice.

Thanks to all the responses here, I understand the UMA is built to use the P-lead with Slick magnetos and doesn't play well with Bendix mags. I have the pressurized mags and would probably have to use the tach generator to run the UMA tach. It's good to know the tach generator is the weak link. I would rather just avoid reliability issues no matter the look of the tach. Also, I ran this by my very able mechanic and he told me that though the UMA is TSO's it is not STC'd for the 231. Depending on the FSDO, that may or may not be or become an issue.

Thanks again.

not that it should change your decision, but this is an instance where you are replacing a TSO# with the same TSO# , so the STC is not really the issue.

I am guessing you current tach is TSO-C49b 

[Marauder]

This is great information from everyone thanks!
Primarily, I  want a good, reliable tach - secondarily, it would be nice if it looked good. The EI looks kind of silly with that ring of LED lights - but from all accounts it's really accurate, reliable and it just wires up to the back of the magneto switch on the panel. Seems like the right choice.
Thanks to all the responses here, I understand the UMA is built to use the P-lead with Slick magnetos and doesn't play well with Bendix mags. I have the pressurized mags and would probably have to use the tach generator to run the UMA tach. It's good to know the tach generator is the weak link. I would rather just avoid reliability issues no matter the look of the tach. Also, I ran this by my very able mechanic and he told me that though the UMA is TSO's it is not STC'd for the 231. Depending on the FSDO, that may or may not be or become an issue.
Thanks again.

I’ve had my EI for 5 years and it is rock solid. I have two primary tachs in my plane. A JPI 900 and the EI. The JPI has been out of the panel a number of times for issues. The EI just keeps on working.




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[Vance Harral]

By all accounts, the EI tachs are reliable.  Having said that, I'll throw in a couple of minor gripes I have about the one in a flight school airplane I give instruction in.

First, no matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to remember to record the tach time before the student turns off the master, I essentially always forget.  That requires turning the master back on to get the tach time, which is of course an opportunity to accidentally leave the master switch on.  Analog tachometers with a mechanical tach time display don't have this problem.  This is a pretty minor gripe, though, and arguably less critical in an airplane you own.

Second, the display when mounted on the lower left-side panel in a 172 is essentially useless from the right seat under most conditions.  Between the acute angle, and even the slightest amount of sunlight on the instrument, I often can't read either the LCD numbers or the LED lights without leaning over far enough to be a little creepy.  This may be particular to the airplane in question, though.  In Maurader's picture above, the tach is obviously mounted on the opposite side of the panel from where the pilot sits, and I'm sure he'd mention if the display was an issue for him.

Again, these are minor gripes, just throwing them out there for you to consider.

[Marauder]

By all accounts, the EI tachs are reliable.  Having said that, I'll throw in a couple of minor gripes I have about the one in a flight school airplane I give instruction in.
First, no matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to remember to record the tach time before the student turns off the master, I essentially always forget.  That requires turning the master back on to get the tach time, which is of course an opportunity to accidentally leave the master switch on.  Analog tachometers with a mechanical tach time display don't have this problem.  This is a pretty minor gripe, though, and arguably less critical in an airplane you own.
Second, the display when mounted on the lower left-side panel in a 172 is essentially useless from the right seat under most conditions.  Between the acute angle, and even the slightest amount of sunlight on the instrument, I often can't read either the LCD numbers or the LED lights without leaning over far enough to be a little creepy.  This may be particular to the airplane in question, though.  In Maurader's picture above, the tach is obviously mounted on the opposite side of the panel from where the pilot sits, and I'm sure he'd mention if the display was an issue for him.
Again, these are minor gripes, just throwing them out there for you to consider.

It is mounted where the original tach and MP were located. The numbers are large that have backlighting which makes it easy to read.

Oh yeah, as for the tach time -




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[Utah20Gflyer]

21 hours ago, Vance Harral said:

By all accounts, the EI tachs are reliable.  Having said that, I'll throw in a couple of minor gripes I have about the one in a flight school airplane I give instruction in.

First, no matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to remember to record the tach time before the student turns off the master, I essentially always forget.  That requires turning the master back on to get the tach time, which is of course an opportunity to accidentally leave the master switch on.  Analog tachometers with a mechanical tach time display don't have this problem.  This is a pretty minor gripe, though, and arguably less critical in an airplane you own.

Second, the display when mounted on the lower left-side panel in a 172 is essentially useless from the right seat under most conditions.  Between the acute angle, and even the slightest amount of sunlight on the instrument, I often can't read either the LCD numbers or the LED lights without leaning over far enough to be a little creepy.  This may be particular to the airplane in question, though.  In Maurader's picture above, the tach is obviously mounted on the opposite side of the panel from where the pilot sits, and I'm sure he'd mention if the display was an issue for him.

Again, these are minor gripes, just throwing them out there for you to consider.

My EI tach is on the far right of my panel and so far no issues reading it.