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MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:08 pm
by Gripdana
For connection of the warning light. Do I hook one end of the light to the EFIS and the other end goes to power? Is an announciator switch needed or does the light come on during the self test?
Dana Baker
Sonex 1534
Scratch building

Re: MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:21 pm
by fastj22
Gripdana wrote:For connection of the warning light. Do I hook one end of the light to the EFIS and the other end goes to power? Is an announciator switch needed or does the light come on during the self test?
Dana Baker
Sonex 1534
Scratch building

The warning wire (white) will go to ground when an alarm is raised. So if you want a warning light, you would provide 12V to one side of the light, and the other side to the warning wire. I don't think the light comes on during self test.
BTW, the alarm on Xtreme screen can't be ignored. Its big, red and annoying. You really don't need an alarm light.

I was toying with using the alarm wire to trigger an audio alert into my intercom. Even played with MP3 circuit boards and samples from Star Trek "RED ALERT". Lost interest in the project after a few failed attempts.

Re: MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:37 pm
by Gripdana
Ok. So it works like the oil pressure sending unit? I already drilled the hole for the light. I guess if the display goes out it should work. If I hook up a test switch the switch will be to ground? Thanks for the help.

Re: MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:47 pm
by fastj22
Gripdana wrote:Ok. So it works like the oil pressure sending unit? I already drilled the hole for the light. I guess if the display goes out it should work. If I hook up a test switch the switch will be to ground? Thanks for the help.

Yes, like the idiot light for the oil pressure. Another test would be to configure the EFIS to throw an alarm, like OAT alarm at room temp.

Now I'm not sure if you lose the EFIS screen that the alarm light will work. In fact I really doubt it. The alarms are programmed into the EFIS and they raise the condition. If the screen is dead, I bet the EFIS is dead too, so if you are attempting to build redundancy with the light, you won't get it. Good news is I have dual xTremes with almost 100 hours on them and zero failures in the displays. I have lost an oil pressure sender, an EGT sender, my OAT is becoming irratic and my Princeton fuel probe died when I switched to auto gas. None of which was MGL, but the MGL depended on it.

Re: MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:09 pm
by Gripdana
Thanks for the help. Electronics are not my best area and since the components of the panel are so expensive I don't want to blow something by hooking it up wrong. I'm fishing for a good reason to have that hole for the light I don't really need.

Re: MGL Etreme EFIS warning light

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:37 pm
by fastj22
Gripdana wrote:Thanks for the help. Electronics are not my best area and since the components of the panel are so expensive I don't want to blow something by hooking it up wrong. I'm fishing for a good reason to have that hole for the light I don't really need.

If you want redundancy for something really important like oil pressure, get a sender that has both the idiot light switch and the pressure sender. Then wire the light to the switch, the pressure sender to the RDAC. If you lose the computer, the idiot light will still work if the light can get power.