X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from elasmtp-masked.atl.sa.earthlink.net ([209.86.89.68] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 6.0.7) with ESMTP id 6549832 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 21 Oct 2013 19:55:16 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=209.86.89.68; envelope-from=colyncase@earthlink.net DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=dk20050327; d=earthlink.net; b=KgOVowAIie4GBIEVWsoghzmWVd/EWoRJi3DZDvb+d6ub62MtiesbOljADHqinHxI; h=Received:From:Mime-Version:Content-Type:Subject:Date:In-Reply-To:To:References:Message-Id:X-Mailer:X-ELNK-Trace:X-Originating-IP; Received: from [70.20.45.53] (helo=[192.168.1.24]) by elasmtp-masked.atl.sa.earthlink.net with esmtpa (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1VYPJ4-0002Kx-H3 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 21 Oct 2013 19:54:43 -0400 From: Colyn Case Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1085) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-425-365555724 Subject: Re: [LML] Hot TITs on X country leg. LIVP Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 19:54:41 -0400 In-Reply-To: To: "Lancair Mailing List" References: Message-Id: <74D48780-2E46-4C11-99DE-897A1E8E1B80@earthlink.net> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1085) X-ELNK-Trace: 63d5d3452847f8b1d6dd28457998182d7e972de0d01da940890c84924c858714bc1b431fa70c3333350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c X-Originating-IP: 70.20.45.53 --Apple-Mail-425-365555724 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii So to get to GA accident rates we as a fleet have free of failures that = could contribute to a fatality (on all systems including the pilot) = 99.999% of the hours flown. A system that fails 1% of the hours flown is about 1000 times more = dangerous than that. Something to think about when selecting components. On Oct 21, 2013, at 3:15 PM, Gary Casey wrote: I was going to guess that. Honest, I was :-). But just one correction: = The high exhaust temperature with one ignition off isn't due to = "incomplete fuel burn." The burn is virtually complete whether running = on one spark plug or two. But the burn RATE is much different. With = two plugs there are two flame fronts and the burn completes sooner. The = slower burn rate on one plug means that a significant portion of the = burn happens during the expansion stroke and less heat is converted to = power. Hence the exhaust temperature is higher. Further, when the = mixture is leaned past the best power (or maybe peak EGT) the flame = travel is even slower and consequently the exhaust temperature will = likely just continue to go up when leaning, not peak and go down. Most people have had great luck with the Lightspeed system, but I am on = my fourth in just 400 hours with none of the failures were due to = installation errors and all were different problems. The last one has = been running perfectly for over 100 hours, so I guess I'm past the near = side of the bathtub curve :-). Klaus was never very forthcoming about = the failures, but here is what happened: 1. With about 10 hours on the plane the inverter power device for one = channel (two spark plugs) quit and then after about 10 minutes it = completely shorted and blew the fuse. 2. One of the channels started to intermittently trigger off the = previous channel, putting the spark at about 140 BTC. Now, THAT gets = your attention. Fortunately, it happened on the ground at the beginning = of the takeoff roll. No real explanation, but "later model" components = were installed. 3. One of the channels would quit after 10 or 20 minutes of flight. = Again, no real explanation was given. The ignition coils were also = replaced at that time as the "new" coils were supposedly "better." 4. Still going strong at 400 hours. I will say it starts and run = faultlessly, and I REALLY like the improved performance above 10,000 = feet produced by the extra timing advance. Gary Casey =20 Time to fess up. The failure mode turned out to be a failed electronic = igni=3D tion system. I run one Plasma III lightspeed and one mag. The = lightspeed q=3D uit and I didn't recognize it. It had to have happened during climb out = or a=3D t level off. The run up prior to take off was entirely normal. =3D20 The hot TIT's and EGT's were the result of incomplete fuel burn by the = mag t=3D hat was the only ignition still running. Fuel in the exhaust stacks = burns i=3D n the turbines and heats everything up real fast. I don't understand = why le=3D aning made it worse though. Can anyone explain that? Lest anyone jump on Klaus, let me be quick to admit it was not a failure = of h=3D is system but rather an installation defect. As a matter of fact he = got o=3D n the phone with me on a weekend day and helped trouble shoot it. He = overni=3D ghted a loaner to me when I didn't have enough tools or access to do = adequat=3D e system checks and did not laugh at me too badly when the loaner did = not fi=3D x the problem. A check of the ground for the power circuit showed about = 2 K=3D ohms resistance. The fix was to wire in another ground. Best regards, John Barrett --Apple-Mail-425-365555724 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii So to = get to GA accident rates we as a fleet have free of failures that could = contribute to a fatality (on all systems including the pilot) 99.999% of = the hours flown.
A system that fails 1% of the hours flown is about = 1000 times more dangerous than that.
Something to think about = when selecting components.

On Oct 21, 2013, at = 3:15 PM, Gary Casey wrote:

I was = going to guess that.  Honest, I was :-).  But just one = correction:  The high exhaust temperature with one ignition off = isn't due to "incomplete fuel burn."  The burn is virtually = complete whether running on one spark plug or two.  But the burn = RATE is much different.  With two plugs there are two flame fronts = and the burn completes sooner.  The slower burn rate on one plug = means that a significant portion of the burn happens during the = expansion stroke and less heat is converted to power.  Hence the = exhaust temperature is higher.  Further, when the mixture is leaned = past the best power (or maybe peak EGT) the flame travel is even slower = and consequently the exhaust temperature will likely just continue to go = up when leaning, not peak and go down.

Most people have had great luck with the Lightspeed system, = but I am on my fourth in just 400 hours with none of the failures were = due to installation errors and all were different problems.  The = last one has been running perfectly for over 100 hours, so I guess I'm = past the near side of the bathtub curve :-).  Klaus was never very = forthcoming about the failures, but here is what happened:
1. =  With about 10 hours on the plane the inverter power device for one = channel (two spark plugs) quit and then after about 10 minutes it completely shorted and blew the fuse.
2.  One of the channels started = to intermittently trigger off the previous channel, putting the spark at = about 140 BTC.  Now, THAT gets your attention.  Fortunately, = it happened on the ground at the beginning of the takeoff roll.  No = real explanation, but "later model" components were installed.
3. =  One of the channels would quit after 10 or 20 minutes of flight. =  Again, no real explanation was given.  The ignition coils = were also replaced at that time as the "new" coils were supposedly "better."
Gary = Casey
 

Time to fess up.  = The failure mode turned out to be a failed electronic igni=3D
tion = system.  I run one Plasma III lightspeed and one mag.  The = lightspeed q=3D
uit and I didn't recognize it.  It had to have = happened during climb out or a=3D
t level off.  The run up prior = to take off was entirely normal. =3D20

The hot TIT's and EGT's = were the result of incomplete fuel burn by the mag t=3D
hat was the = only ignition still running.  Fuel in the exhaust stacks burns = i=3D
n the turbines and heats everything up real fast.  I don't = understand why le=3D
aning made it worse though.  Can anyone = explain that?

Lest anyone jump on Klaus, let me be quick to admit = it was not a failure of h=3D
is system but rather  an installation = defect.  As a matter of fact he  got o=3D
n the phone with = me on a weekend day and helped trouble shoot it.  He = overni=3D
ghted a loaner to me when I didn't have enough tools or = access to do adequat=3D
e system checks and did not laugh at me too = badly when the loaner did not fi=3D
x the problem.  A check of = the ground for the power circuit showed about 2 K=3D
ohms = resistance.  The fix was to wire in another ground.

Best = regards,
John = Barrett

= --Apple-Mail-425-365555724--