avweb on LED's

[Oliver]

Looking to replace my heat lamps and found an interesting article:
sorry if it been referenced already.

http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVWebInsider_FAACounterSafety_203196-1.html

 

[wireweinie]

After reading this, I can only say "Duh!"

And the first comment under the story:

There must be a corollary to the "easier to ask forgiveness than ask permission" along the lines of "if you don't need permission then don't ask for it."

This guys is a real A&P!

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[DJ]

Makes sense. There are other small products that go as far as having STCs when a straightforward reading of the regs puts them squarely in the minor alteration category. Figure that one out???

 

[wireweinie]

Makes sense. There are other small products that go as far as having STCs when a straightforward reading of the regs puts them squarely in the minor alteration category. Figure that one out???

It's usually the path of least resistance, with the feds, if you want to market an aircraft part. At the owner/tech level, we can save a lot of extra work if we read the certification basis (Part 23, CAR 3, CAR 4, etc.) and FAR part 43. Follow the regs and force the feds to prove you wrong. And, if you've followed the regs, how CAN they prove you wrong?

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[N86250]

Makes sense. There are other small products that go as far as having STCs when a straightforward reading of the regs puts them squarely in the minor alteration category. Figure that one out???

Rick Petri, I think it was, spoke of this at an IA renewal seminar several years ago. His take on it was that some foreign countries use our FAA rules and regs instead of setting up their own system, but don't recognize minor alterations for some reason. In order to sell to that market a manufacturer must get an STC so his stuff can be installed in those countries. Then they hide the fact that the STC isn't necessary here in the US and so we pay extra because of ignorance and the manufacturer recovers his costs for acquiring the STC quicker. When he said that, I looked at the FAA people in the room expecting somebody to call him on it. Nobody even raised an eyebrow. Actually the FAA folks looked bumfuzzled. jrh

 

[logjam]

Out of the comments section of the same article:
"You forget another argument : on LEDs (let's say all the lights including panel), with an alternator failure at night, one would have a couple extra minutes of electricity thanks to the lower current draw of LEDs. There is similar lack-of-risk-assessment capability within the FAA when it comes to electronic ignition. There's no need for any solution to be perfect, as long as it bests the current one. Did you know the basics of a good ADHRS can be bought for just about $250 ? How many backups are that for a single gyro ? Not to mention weight. This isn't a fresh problem either, just ask the Starship engineers. Thank God for experimentals, or do you think their existance just serves as an excuse for the FAA's lethargy ?"
Please excuse my changing of the subject, but can anyone tell me which good $250 ADHRS he is talking about? To get back on subject: You can't even buy an STC'd bulb for $250 bucks. There. I fixed it...no more thread hijacking accusations!

 

[wireweinie]

No clue about the price but I just talked to a LONG time pilot the other day about an AvMap Ultra. Sounds like it is a very basic ADHRS unit. Do some good homework and see if it might work for you.

As far as the current draw on a power source, it's simple math. The 12 volt, 1290 style light, is shown as pulling 2 amps. The Aveo Galactica, as an example LED, pulls .6 amps on a 12 volt system. If you have a left and right nav, plus tail, that's a total of 6 amps vs 1.8 amps. At night, that means quite a bit of extra time when you are in a position to need your lights back on. That extra battery power translates to a number of other systems; keeping the radios available, possible an ignition system, or even an electric landing gear system. Couple that to the inherent crash safety of no heat produced by the LEDs themselves and much smaller wire to power them and it's hard to, NO, it's impossible to explain the lack of movement on the fed's part, to get some of these 'new style' parts blessed off.

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[Sasquatch]

I read that comment to mean the parts needed to build a basic ADHRS unit would only be about $250, not that there was a commercially available unit at that price point. Dynon and AvMap Ultra are closer to $1000.

 

[kestrel]

I read that comment to mean the parts needed to build a basic ADHRS unit would only be about $250, not that there was a commercially available unit at that price point. Dynon and AvMap Ultra are closer to $1000.

https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/23

 

[logjam]

I read that comment to mean the parts needed to build a basic ADHRS unit would only be about $250, not that there was a commercially available unit at that price point. Dynon and AvMap Ultra are closer to $1000.

When I first read that that's how I took it too. Then my ADD kicked in, and my DYX, followed by my CRS, now I can't remember why I asked the question.

 

[Sasquatch]

https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/23

Thanks for the link, interesting site.

3 axis accelerometer and gyro card: $50
GPS card: $50

Of course you'd need a display, you can build stuff cheap, all depends how much your time is worth.

 

[hotrod180]

What the heck is an ADHRS?

 

[ron]

A device that all aircraft should have in this modern world

 

[skywagon8a]

https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/23

Boy, electronics is amazing stuff! No matter how hard I try, my brain always clouds up when trying to understand how it works. I suspect that at least one of these devices will be able to produce an inexpensive lightweight collision avoidance system for drones so that we do not have to worry about the future conflicts.

 

[Chicken Hawk]

What the heck is an ADHRS?

Air Data and Altitude Heading and Referencing System.......ADAHRS

 

[aktango58]

A device that all aircraft should have in this modern world

Horse$hit.

 

[wireweinie]

When I first read that that's how I took it too. Then my ADD kicked in, and my DYX, followed by my CRS, now I can't remember why I asked the question.

Hey you kids! Get off my grass! . . .

 

[wireweinie]

Neat idea if your into the 'trons' at that level. Definitely buildable. But how do you test it and make sure it's signals are accurate and usable? Outside of a lab somewhere, at least.

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[hotrod180]

Air Data and Altitude Heading and Referencing System.......ADAHRS

So...airspeed indicator, altimeter, and compass seem to meet the definition.
Anything more is optional.

 

[wireweinie]

So...airspeed indicator, altimeter, and compass seem to meet the definition.
Anything more is optional.

Kind of. A true ADHRS system does use pitot pressure and static pressure for airspeed and altitude, but they also use a series of accelerometers and rate sensors (kind of electronic 'gyros') to sense changes in direction and speed of those changes. You need one of these circuits for each axis. Think of an ADHRS unit as a bunch of gyros, fabricated electronically, and put in one indicator. While they do need electric power, they don't need as much as an electric gyro and they don't need a vacuum system. Neat system unless you're a fan of kilts.

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[hotrod180]

So, an Electronic Flight Instrument System. Most GA folks refer to those as an EFIS, rather than ADHD's or whatever. That sounds like what the air force (or a defense contractor) would call it.
Evolving terminology is hard enough to keep up on, without people using different names for the same thing.

 

[gbflyer]

ADAHRS is a black box that the EFIS gets its information from. My buddy the ex-AK Air avionics guy says the ones they use are big ol boxes like 40 or 60 pounds. The Dynon for an experimental is about the size of 1 - 1/2 packs of cigarettes.

ADHD is something a doctor would prescribe a mild stimulant for.

 

[wireweinie]

ADHD is something a doctor would prescribe a mild stimulant for.

Sounds familiar for some reason . . .