Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #35003
From: Tracy Crook <lors01@msn.com>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: EC2 mixture changes
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:23:31 -0500
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Good suggestion from Al,  Buly.  I can't remember, do you have an EM2?  If so, check the MAP table with the EM2 and get familiar with what the correction curves look like for your engine (no two are exactly alike).  Good idea to check it periodically for any signs of data corruption if you think something is amiss. So far, Al's controller is the only one that I know of that has had this problem.  Not unit specific because it has happened on 3 different EC2s in Al's plane so I have concluded that it is something unique to his installation.   I'd like to get to the bottom of it and any other reports would be helpful.
 
Al and two other composite aircraft have reported mixture changes when transmitting on the radio.  Sometimes the problem is frequency specific.  I have identified a fix for this and it should be implemented on any EC2 that exhibits this problem.  A .1 uF capacitor is added directly across pins 1 and 2 of the A controller MAP sensor to eliminate this problem (B controller is not affected).    RFI problems are a bitch to find sometimes.  There is already a capacitor across these two pins on both A & B controllers.  The one on A is only a couple of inches away from the sensor on the circuit board but that makes all the difference.  The part must be physically close to the sensor to eliminate this RFI problem.  All future EC2s will have this added capacitor installed.
 
You can experience odd changes in the EC2 behavior for several other reasons.  For example,  I have to change the mixture control from the normal position when I do a hot start and take off because  the air temp sensor has been heat-soaked from heat in the engine room.   As it cools off on takeoff, the mixture gets richer and I then return the mixture control to it's normal position.  
 
Tracy (autopilot installation hell almost over) 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Al Gietzen
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 9:58 AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Yet another non-event story

> >I noticed my mixture bar was going from lean to totally 
> desapearing. Turning the knob to full rich was not enough.
> I saw this a few times.

Buly;

It would be interesting to know if you had it previously tuned giving you
correct mixture.  I have had on-going problems with spurious changes to
settings in the EC2.  Carefully tune it one day, and find things have
changed the next, and have had tuning changes occur during flight.  I have
noted changes in the mixture table, stage point setting, injector pulse
width. Many, many hours spent trying to determine cause, but as yet no
explanation.  It has been assumed that it is specific to my installation -
composite pusher with EC control box at the firewall, EM2 acquisition module
at the firewall, display on the panel.  The problem is primarily with
controller A which communicates with the EM2.

This may not be relevant to your installation, but it would be worth paying
close attention to getting it tuned correctly, and see if it stays that way.

Al


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