Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #53564
From: Wolfgang <Wolfgang@MiCom.net>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Gear warning indicator
Date: Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:54:50 -0500
To: <lml>
Hmmm . . .  The gear position switches provide a GROUND to the bulbs. If one or more of the lights are lit by a gear position switch, the voltage at that side (my diodes) of the bulb is GROUND which can not feed any voltage back to the circuit.
 
Look again and hopefully you will see the error of your ways.
 
Wolfgang

 

From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@roadrunner.com>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Gear warning indicator
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:40:07 -0500
To: lml
Excuse me!! This looks to have at least two design faults.

Problem 1: If the airspeed switch is closed and any one (or more) of the green "down and locked" lights are energized via the gear position switches, 12 volts will be applied thru one or more of the diodes to this "blinker" and it will try to operate - e.g., the 1000 mike capacitor will charge thru the 100 ohm resistor until the voltage reaches the relay pull-in voltage.

Problem 2: Unfortunately, as soon as the capacitor charges sufficiently to pull in the relay, the relay contacts close and the 12 volts is shorted directly to ground. Hopefully, only blowing a fuse or popping a breaker, but effectively taking at least the gear light circuit down.

Neat!

Dan Schaefer

PS: Stick the resistor on the other side of the relay contacts to at least solve the shorting - not sure what to do to keep this thing from blinking the lights when at least one gear leg is down and locked. But what do I know? I'm just a retired EE and things have a way of getting fuzzy in 10 years!

DS --
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