Not unlike the probs John Slade was having because the two oil injector ports on his rotor housing were not plugged. Wasn't John's fault, but that of his rebuilder. Or the wiring probs John had along the way - I think he smoke tested a few boxes before it was sorted out. He's flying now and having a blast. I say this because there has been at least one contact to Chris offlist where someone was becoming skeptical of the rotary because of our "problems".

I agree, Dave. I had more than my fair share of issues and did let the smoke out a couple of times. (Thanks be to Tracy for putting it back with a smile each time).
I think it comes down to three things:

    1. An amateur (i.e. some who doesn't do this for a living) like Chris or I, is bound to make a few mistakes as we learn.
    2. There are a lot of wires and switches in a rotary / EM2/ EC2 installation - i.e. a lot of opportunities to make mistakes.
    3. The equipment is not designed for idiots. Sometimes it's not as forgiving as your average household appliance when mistakes are made.

This is not "plug and play". The entire installation, beyond the crucial ignition & injection - is complex. Any engine installation with redundant plugs, injectors, ECUs, batteries, possibly dual alternator and, in my case, dual fuel systems, is going to be complex by definition.  There are many opportunities to make errors, and the errors tend to compound and/or hide one another. Much of the complexity is the result of adding the redundancy. It's a challenge to get everything right. It takes time, effort and tenacity, and can be very frustrating, but the end result is a system that is very unlikely to add unintended glider time to your logbook.

Chris, if it makes you feel any better, I also had a set of those NC radio shack switches. I think they sell sets with both types in the same pack. I was lucky enough to catch the mistake early on, but I can understand how it could be missed.
John
Turbo Rotary Cozy IV
94 hours