Larry Flesner wrote: >>I just got off the phone with Mark Langford and he has his problem resolved and intends to head to California, making it to the first fuel stop this evening. Good luck Mark.<<
Problem solved on N891JF, and everything finally ironed out about an hour before sunset. The "main" side of the DPDT (double pole double throw) switch was apparently in the process of failing first thing this morning, and by lunchtime it was totally dead...infinite resistance on that pole. This also explains a problem I had a few days ago trying to get the thing started. I didn't think I had another switch, but went home and looked long enough to find its twin brother (I often buy two of these kinds of things to have a spare). I had the whole panel pulled out about 6" just so I could get my head behind it to see what was going on. So after swapping out the switch there was a lot of reassembly and experimentation with a way to power the main ignition off the "backup" battery while the starter was running, since the starter pulled the coil voltage down to something like 9 volts. I finally got that straightened out just before sunset, and by then both main and backup batteries were low anyway and it refused to start for that reason! I left it charging tonight. Part of me says "leave at the crack of dawn and try to make it to Chino by dark, but that's a long shot, and a classic example of "gottagetthereitis". Besides, there's the matter of the high winds that make it unlikely I'll make it in a single day (and I have no lights), and the fact that I've just had almost every "flight critical" connection on the plane apart that I'm going to order a 30A DPDT switch to make sure this never happens again, although I'm only pulling 5.4 amps through this 10A switch....a switch just like the one in N56ML that ran for 1130 hours without a hiccup. Having said that, the defective switch now rattles, so something failed catastrophically inside, rather than just eroded due to arcing. I was able to cross one more thing off my punch list today though...actually measuring the current consumed by the Compufire ignition while in operation. This was done by running the current through my Fluke 77, so confidence is very high that it's an accurate number. I was a bit amazed that it pulls 4.1A at idle, and by 3200 RPM it has dropped to 3.75A. Go figure on that one, but it agrees with Mike Stirewalt's comments that Steve Bennett had similar results. You can pretty much plan on 4.1A full-time to be conservative. Another comment on 1JF's electrical system is that I'm using an ancient single phase alternator (from a Kohler) with an equally antiquated voltage regulator. I was really concerned about noise and a dirty waveform from this thing, but my radio is completely noise free, and all electronic systems are steady. I'd have never guessed that was going to be the case, and expected to be swapping it out for a newer generator setup. I think the highest consumption I've managed (with everything turned on) is around 7A, and it's an 18 or 20A generator. Many thanks to Joe Horton's efforts to help get me in the air. Last night (before we knew I had an ignition problem) Joe knocked out a couple of items off the Chino punch list, such as making a new shoulder harness cable in a matter of minutes. He doesn't ask where something is...he has radar that seeks it out and puts it in his hand in seconds. This guy shows up, looks around, finds something to do, finds the tools to do it, and before you know it he's looking for something else to do...and whatever it is, he knows how to do it and get it accomplished flawlessly in no time. He's not just a self-starter, but a one-man fabrication facility. I wish I was a tenth the fabricator Joe is. I was looking forward to the flight with him and Larry, but maybe next year... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com website at http://www.N56ML.com --------------------------------------------------------
