What is it for (electrial part inside the right wing by the gear door) ?

[RonM2OC]

On my 1975 M20C, one of the inspection panels on the right wing (about 1 foot from the gear door and the rearward inspection plate) has a small slot about 1/8 inch wide and about 1/2 inch long.

On removing this inspection plate, there is a small electricl device (maybe a little over 1/2 inch long, 1/4 inch wide by 1/2 inch tall) that has three soldering pins on top of which two pins have white wires attached to the pins. The third pin is not use. The dark brown or black device has four small legs that allow the device to set about 1/16 of an inch above the inspection plate that it is attached.

I have looked at the wiring diagrams, but just have not figured out what this electric device could be used for. or what it is.. I think I remembered someone asking about this same thing on this great site, but could not find the article again.

THANKS all,

Ron

Clicking on the image will bring up additiional descriptive words under the enlarged image

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33456-what-is-it-outside-view/

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33457-what-is-it-side-1-view/

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33458-what-is-it-side-2-view/

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33459-what-is-it-side-3-view/

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33460-what-is-it-top-perspective-view/

http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/image/33461-what-is-it-top-view/

[jrwilson]

Does it glow a little? Flux capacitor is my guess. I keep mine in the left wing, but I guess you could put it in the right wing...

[N33GG]

Microchip GPS tracker so the feds can automatically assess various fees in the future???

[N33GG]

I do like the flux capacitor guess. Good one!

[thinwing]

close...magnetic flux gate sensor...do you have a hsi/rmi or other remote sensing compass?''kpc

[N33GG]

I haven't seen many magnetic flux detectors that small and only using two wires, but who knows...

[Hank]

My remote compass unit is installed somewhere in the tailcone.

[Newmooneyguy]

Since it's near the gear could it be a gear position sensor possibly?

[OR75]

certified aircraft ... it should have a part number written on it.

[RonM2OC]

Do not have an hsi/rmi or other remote sensing compass. Do have a vertical card compass which is so much better than the OEM compass

[N201MKTurbo]

I would say it is a Stall warning device.

[takair]

Looks like it could have been an old airspeed switch. The pictures are a little fuzzy. Where the hole is in the skin, can you see anything inside? My guess is that it may have had an arm that extended into the breeze. When in motion, it may have tripped the switch. Do you have a hobbs meter that doesn't work?

[thinwing]

Your Right..now that you have posted pics...thats no remote compass sensor....did the a/c have an angle of attack instrument at one time???I think safe flight made one...this one looks like stall vane is broken off or missing...kpc

[peter]

Underwing courtesy light? I've seen something similar in business jets to aid passengers boarding the aircraft at night.

[Marauder]

Whatever it is, I don't see any indications of it in the parts manual (at least not where it is described to be located). Mystery...

[Marauder]

Got me wondering. On another thread someone is asking about the retractable step. Could this be an airspeed switch to tell the step to retract. My understanding is that it will retract before takeoff and once the plane is moving at a certain speed. Could this be it?

[danb35]

Could this be an airspeed switch to tell the step to retract.

The auto-retracting step does so based on vacuum. When the engine's running fast enough to generate vacuum at the pump, the step retracts. Nothing electrical about it.