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Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Crickets & progress
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From: Tracy <rwstracy@gmail.com>
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Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2013 18:09:04 -0500
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
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Not much new here either but have a few squawks & details to report.

The AeroTurbine muffler has about 15 hours on it and still working well but I=
 do see a loose piece of SS inside.  No danger of it clogging things up so l=
eaving it to disintegrate.

After flying with the EC3 closed loop software for awhile I have a better fe=
el for how the O2 sensor responds to mixture.   Its more like a switch than a=
 linear sensor in that it's full range of output occurs over a very narrow r=
ange of mixture.  Guess that's why they are called narrow band sensors!   An=
yway, it makes it a little tricky to set the EC3 target mixture.  Best resul=
ts are obtained by setting the target at a fairly lean mixture.  Because the=
 best fuel economy is achieved at a mixture below which common narrow band s=
ensors work at,  It is not possible to get as good fuel economy in closed lo=
op as you can by carefully tweaking the mixture in open loop when in cruise.=
  The difference is not large (about .3 GPH) but enough to make me want bett=
er.

After seeing this, I decided to experiment with a wideband sensor.   They ha=
ve come down in price so even penny pinchers like me can afford them.  $150.=
00 range.  They typically put out a voltage between 0 & 5 volts instead of 0=
 to 1 volt like narrow band does.   The polarity is opposite as well so rich=
 mixture is at low end of range instead of high.   With the latest version o=
f the software (after Feb 2013) you can now setup the EC3 to use either  typ=
e sensor.   With the wideband sensor it is much easier to target the exact m=
ixture you want and to achieve the best fuel economy in closed loop.

Both the Renesis in the -4 and the 20B in the -8 have been wonderfully non-e=
ventful.=20
 I'm always amazed at how long the apex seals take to fully seat in.   The 2=
0B cranking speed compression is still improving after 120 hours.  The 13B w=
as at around 250 hours when it reached maximum.

Tracy

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 9, 2013, at 3:52 PM, Chris Barber <cbarber@texasattorney.net> wrote:

> I so dislike when this list goes silent.=20
>=20
> Phase One report:  After addressing a clogged fuel filter (ultimately remo=
ving it....very small passages in the screen) I flew again on Thursday. Just=
 a quick hop around the patch. This is sometime more an issue than it would s=
eem at a towered field with heavy military/NASA traffic under Class B.=20
>=20
> No squawks and nice data log with the latest Dynon 5.1 update. Along with "=
Clouds Ahoy" ya get a pretty nice picture off the flight and parameters.  Th=
is was only the ninth flight but was more fun as I seem to be getting things=
 sorted. Still haven't left the pattern :-)
>=20
> Chris
>=20
> Sent from my iPhone 5
> --
> Homepage:  http://www.flyrotary.com/
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