Canopy Open Warning Switch

[Spaceman]

Has anyone rigged up a switch to the canopy to detect whether it's closed all the way or not? It seems like it would be fairly easy and a good backup safeguard against accidentally taking off without it latched. I hadn't really thought of it until I was wiring up my Garmin stuff and found they had a preset you could use on one of the discreet inputs for a canopy switch, where it'll display a message anytime the canopy is open, and it'll generate an alert if you increase engine power with it still open. I'm sure it would be pretty simple to wire a light on the panel that's on whenever the canopy is open, alternately.

I figured why not, so I ran a wire from the Garmin box and just left it behind the seat to add later. I picked up this little limit switch, so now I just need to figure out where to mount it so it'll be out of the way and also catch the canopy right as it closes all the way.

Canopy Switch.jpg (349.26 KiB) Viewed 2230 times

Has anyone else done this and found a good mounting spot?

[GraemeSmith]

I don't think you want to use it to detect the canopy is closed. Because it often is. What you really want to detect is - canopy LATCHED.

You could mount that vertically under the cockpit rail (if we call your picture horizontal) so that as the canopy latch moves forward it presses on the roller on the switch.

[Carlos Trigo]

I don't think you want to use it to detect the canopy is closed. Because it often is. What you really want to detect is - canopy LATCHED.

You could mount that vertically under the cockpit rail (if we call your picture horizontal) so that as the canopy latch moves forward it presses on the roller on the switch.

That’s exactly what I plan to do!

Even so mine is a B-model, tilt up swing back, canopy, I plan to put the micro-switch lever/roller just in front of the hook angle which latches the canopy.

Cheers
Carlos
XENOS-B

[n307tw]

Hey there Spaceman!

As a fellow Garmin guy this is the switch I used for my cargo door and what I plan on using for my canopy. It’s a normally closed output when “open”which grounds the discrete input. When the door or canopy is closed it opens the contact interrupting the grounded signal to the Garmin unit. I hope this helps, if you go this route let me know how it works out for you.

I plan on mounting the switch on the square longeron so that it will interact with the locking bar on the canopy. It will detect when it is latched rather than open like Graeme stated above. I think that’s more important than the open function since we have the slight ajar option on the B-Model canopies. I hope that clarifies my intentions.

Stens 430-409 Interlock Switch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OKA2BW?re ... b_ap_share


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[Spaceman]

Yeah that makes sense to have it sense that the latch is fully closed too, good point. I guess I'm thinking on our B model canopy if you have it in the 1" raised position you could have it "latched" but not closed. But if you put the switch at the lower front corner of the latch I guess you could have it only trigger when it's fully closed AND latched... That's probably the best way to do it. That button style switch you linked would work better for that than the one I have!

[Spaceman]

Just to follow up, I installed the switch that Tim recommended today and it works perfectly! I just drilled and tapped two holes on the underside of the upper longeron and installed it there. In this spot the only way the button gets pressed is if the canopy is all the way closed (not in the ~1" propped open position), and the latch is all the way forward.

20210524_212949.jpg (464.57 KiB) Viewed 1883 times