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Hi, Leon....thanks for responding. I am not
quite sure I understand what you meant about the risks I have taken so
far. I have done many full power runups on the ground with the nose of the
aircraft up against my van (with a large 8inch deep block of foam inbetween),
and adjusted the mixtures until I got the highest rpm's I could, then continued
leaning until the egt peaked, then started to surge, then richened it back up
until it ran smoothly and the egt's stabilized. I got up to 5100 rpms
static, and most people told me that the prop would most likely unload in
flight. How can I obtain more than 5100 rpm's unless I fly it? I
have 9.5 hours of smooth, uneventful flight, without the engine ever missing a
beat. I always climbed to at least 2500 feet directly above the airport
prior to making any mixture changes. My primary concern with my engine is the
lack of power, which you said was because I have a turbo engine without a turbo,
which would only give me around 140 horsepower. After reading your
recommendations, I am presently building a street ported 4-port with NA rotors
and housings.
I guess I don't understand
your statement "Considering the risks Paul has taken so far....he should take
the engine out of the aircraft, take it to a professional engine tuner and stick
it on a dyno, and get it properly tuned". If I take it off the aircraft,
do I also take along both fuel pumps, filters, hoses, surge tank, MicroTech
ECU, handset, exhaust system, wiring harness, etc?
As far as bucks,
that is no problem. I would gladly spend the money for safety. I
talked to Dave Atkins several times regarding this. He was somewhat helpful, but
I kinda got the feeling I was taking him away from his work.
He is over 2000 miles away, so coming to Alabama to tune if for me is not
an option. I checked with the local Mazda rebuilder, and he
has rebuilt many rotaries, but has never used a MicroTech ECU. I
had no luck locating anyone familiar with the MicroTech in the yellow pages of
the phone book. That's one of the reasons I
am considering a carburetor....all of the A&P mechanics at the airport are
familiar with the aircraft carburetor....none of them are familiar with the
MicroTech. I would be more than happy to pay for the help....I just can't find
it. As far as MicroTech, I even contacted MicroTech USA and asked them if
they had the original factory default settings so that I could reset my unit to
factory default settings, and they told me to contact the dealer I purchased it
from. I asked Dave Atkins, (I purchased it from Dave) and he does not have that
information. I called MicroTech back, and they informed me that was because
Atkins Rotary is not an authorized MicroTech dealer. Guess I am out of
luck. Thanks for all the support, MicroTech.
I wish to point out
that I am in no way condemming the MicroTech ECU. It was easy to install with
it's pre-wired harness and excellent instruction manual and schematics. It has
more features than I will ever use, to include data mapping. You can even limit
rpm's, boost, turn on auxillary cooling fans, change the timing, mixture, amount
of milliseconds the injectors are open, adjust how much extra fuel is injected
for cold start enrichment, hell, I think it will even cook your breakfast and do
the dishes. Finding someone familiar with the MicroTech for
assistance is another story, however. Paul Conner
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 9:34
PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Microtech EFI and
Tuning, was Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Bad day at the airport
Hey Tom,
Couldn't help reading your comment:
"Microtech isn't that cheap and sofar not proven that reliable
overall."
That
sort of comment REALLY, REALLY gets up my nose, especially
coming from someone who is inexperienced in these matters. I've been
selling and tuning these things since the early '90s!! I was
also involved in the early development of them for rotaries as far
back as '1992. So let's tackle your assertions:
PRICE
Firstly, price wise, they are $1250 AUD here in
Oz. If anyone is silly enough to pay double that in the US, then
good luck!!! At current exchange rates (76 cents), that's
UNDER a grand USD. Plus $85 AUD for a 3 Kg EMS courier bag, (gets
there in a few days, ask Todd Bartrim), plus whatever fees,
taxes, and import duties you pay at your end. That
price includes the hand set. The LT-8/LTX-8 units, without
the handset, are $1050/1095 AUD (around $800/830 USD).
For another $150 AUD ($115 USD), you get the laptop dongle
and software for a full EIS display on a computer screen, and
includes full Data Logging etc. See:.
So for Under $2,000 USD (plus taxes and import
duties etc), you can have COMPLETE redundancy (buy two units and one
handset), plus a full EIS display, plus Logging!!! Compare
that with whatever else is available on the market!!!! NOTHING even
comes close price wise!!!!
RELIABILTY
Secondly, there have been literally THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of
units sold here and overseas over a period of 12 years, `and they are
VERY, VERY, VERY reliable. If you can't afford a Motec
or an Autronic, then the ONLY (in my opinion anyway) other reliable
option is a Microtech. But PLEASE don't blame the equipment when it
is the OPERATOR!!! Which brings me to the next point ...
TUNABILITY
Thirdly, as with any fuel injection/engine management system
(doesn't matter WHAT brand), you still need to have the engine tuned
correctly. I have already stressed on several occasions in my
correspondence to Paul Conner that he MUST get the engine tuned
properly. If he can't do it himself, then PAY a professional to do
it. It 'ain't hard if you know what you are doing. It's almost
impossible if you DON'T!! Get the Pro to check out the rest of the EFI
system while he's at it.
You either understand how an engine works, or you don't. If
you don't, then pay a Pro to do it for you. Just like you don't
attempt to fix your own teeth, or set your own broken limbs, or
remove your own appendix!!!.
With the aid of a good Air/Fuel ratio meter, I can set up a
Microtech pretty close in about an hour. That's all it takes.
The instructions are clear and precise. But as engine tuning is a "black
art", it does require a certain amount of experience, and a great
deal of understanding. Tuning engines while flying is just asking for
it!! Which brings me to the next topic ...
RISKY BEHAVIOUR
Considering the risks Paul has taken so
far, (the potential loss his aircraft, not to mention
others), and not to mention his own life &
limb (and possibly those of others), I am of the opinion that he should
take the engine out of the aircraft, take it to a professional engine
tuner and stick it on a dyno, and get it properly tuned. CHEAP
insurance!!!
Al Geitzen did his tuning on a dyno. Al's
smart, even if we don't agree on BMEP and running turbo rotors in NA
aircraft engines!! (}:>) (Yea Al, I luv youse
too!!). See, Al now knows exactly how much grunt he's
got from his 20B, and at what RPM. No guesswork here. So he can go
to a prop manufacturer and get exactly the right prop first go.
So why is it all so hard to do things properly???
If bux are really tight, (and I don't think that's a problem,
otherwise we wouldn't be talking about buying a couple of Ellisons or a
Cessna would we??!!) Then at least tie the plane down and get a
professional tuner to come out and tune the sucker at the airport, and
make sure it is reliable on the ground (lots of high speed taxi testing with
the turkeys) before trying to soar with eagles.
You are just asking for trouble if the engine
isn't tuned properly, and especially if all the bugs
aren't ironed out of the EFI system and fuel supply etc. Who
actually knows what caused the fan to stop in Paul's case? Water in the
fuel, blocked tank vent? Blocked fuel filter?? Pump
failure?? Electrical failure?? Why blame the EFI??
Anyway, that's my handful of very abrasive
industrial diamond paste for today.
Cheers,
Leon
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 3:13
AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Bad day at the
airport
Paul, Ellison is a substitute for a carburetor, some kind of 'new'
technology that's been around for some time and seems to be simple &
successful and has a good reputation. Avgas only, like a Cessna.
While there's no venturi they still recomend carb
heat. I'm sure there's a size that's overkill for the motor
now on your bench. They offer units for hp greater than
most of these rotaries can put out.
Your statement of 'carburetor or Cessna' really rang a bell with me,
kind of a wake-up call. As for expense, for me I wouldn't have to deal
with the cost or issues you're encountering with the fuel-injection
setup. Microtech isn't that cheap and sofar not proven that reliable
overall.
Rusty, why would you need more than
one? Consider Tracy's current intake setup for his
Renesis, essentially remove the injector hardware and replace his throttle
plate with an Ellison.
I've been sketching manifolds this morning and i can see they'd not be
that difficult to make out of either aluminum or steel.
Warning, I have no first-hand experience with Ellison's. Just
what I've gleaned from magazines and the internet.
My .01cent
Tom
Paul <sqpilot@bellsouth.net> wrote:
Does an Ellison throttle body have injectors,
or is it a substitute for a carburetor? Paul Conner
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