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Subject: RE: [FlyRotary] UV-Tron Fire Detection System
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 06:52:26 -0500
Message-ID: <87DBA06C9A5CB84B80439BA09D86E69E02499AC5@MAIL01.austin.utexas.edu>
Thread-Topic: [FlyRotary] UV-Tron Fire Detection System
Thread-Index: AcWt3eqdwLQfhdaSQzKKQTHDJUDC7QARFbuw
From: "Mark R Steitle" <mark.steitle@austin.utexas.edu>
To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>

Michael,
Thanks, and please keep us all posted on what you find out about the
fire retardant coatings.  I am very interested in something along those
lines.

Mark


-----Original Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On
Behalf Of Michael Burke
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:40 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] UV-Tron Fire Detection System

Hi Mark,
Brilliant work there mate. I've made a note of it and will be installing
when I get to that stage.
    I've come across a company thats manufacture a new super duper fire
retardant that is so good it put out a rail tanker (Acetone) fire in a
few
minutes. I will be writing to them for more information. Read this
article.
http://firechief.com/mag/firefighting_rogue_firefighting_agent/

Michael Burke
Australia.

PS. My sympathies to all members of this list and their loved ones who
have
suffered as a result of the cyclone. wish I was there to do something.


Last week we were discussing various methods of dealing with fire
dangers in
our aircraft.  I decided to try out the Hamamatsu UV Tron flame sensor,
and
promised to report my findings to the Fly Rotary group.


I located a pre-assembled circuit board from Superdroid Robots, a
company
that supplies a variety of parts for robots.  They were the only place I
could find that carried the Hamamatsu C3704 flame detector and driver
card.
So, I ordered both along with a relay board.  (Attached is a picture of
the
boards.)  The UV Tron sensor is the clear glass "bulb" in the
foreground.
The small board on the left is a voltage converter, allowing it to be
connected directly to 14v.


I hooked it up to a 12v cordless drill battery and tested it using a
propane
fire starter.  It could easily "see" a flame from 6' away (maybe more,
but I
didn't test it beyond 6') and up to 90* right or left.  I didn't test
up/down, but the spec sheet indicates that it is about the same in the
vertical and horizontal planes.  I could not get it to false trip by
using a
fluorescent or a halogen light.  There is about a .5 second delay before
it
trips the relay.  The tech rep at Superdroid Robots indicated that the
UV
Tron sensor could be remotely mounted up to 3' away from the board.  I
plan
on mounting it in a small box on the firewall with the leads running
though
the firewall to the circuit boards inside the cabin, wired to a big red
flashing LED on the panel.  Everything in the picture (including s&h)
ran
$150.  I look at it as cheap insurance.  Hopefully, I will never need
it.


Mark S.


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