Ultimate instrument package
 

Here is a project that I am thinking about for my gyro. I like to think of it as the ultimate instrument package. I think that I can take a industrial graphic display panel like one or more of these.

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/...izes)/EA1-T6CL

Then connect it to a PLC and power the whole thing with a 12 – 24 volt dc to dc converter
I would have the ultimate instrument package. It would give the possibility for any kind of gauge that you could be imagined. Tough problems like getting a accurate indication of the exact amount of fuel left in a odd shaped tank like a seat tank would be possible by just adding a sensor like this to the bottom of the tank

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/...D25-10-0100WCH

A similar sensor could be added to a Pitot tube for a air speed indicator. Or it would be possible to have a rotor speed indicator that also turns on a green light when a predetermined speed was reached. Add to that the possibility of having push buttons that you did not have to drill a separate hole for or individually wire. The possibility’s are almost endless and it could save space and weight.

The only big problem is that with my lack of time it may take a long time to finish.

By the way sorry but I think that the electronics geek side of me is showing LOL.

Marc

Hi Marc,
Good project, but the price will be somewhat higher than say an EIS if you count your effort.
I've considered this solution myself.
My main concern would / is reliability...MTBF numbers are not readily available for industrial PLC controllers (in my experience).
But I agree that a programmable touch-screen controller would be sweet!

Please keep us posted on progress if you decide to go forth.

Chris

I know very little about such matters, but a big concern for me would be how readable it is in direct sunlight. Most such screens become very hard to read when sunlight hits them. I noticed the unit you selected is rated for indoor use only. I suspect it would have limited value in a Gyro on a bright day.

Doug and Marc,
3000+ NITS displays are available for direct sunlight viewing, but costs increase exponentially.
http://www.omega.com/Auto/pdf/OCSXL_Series.pdf

Chris

A really useful instrument for low-flying gyros would be a radar detector of power lines that could give the pilot an acoustic warning through the headphones circuit.

I'm working on something similar, but using Android platform, It'll be an app for your phone or tablet, and you just connect to the PLC through your USB (or maybe bluetooth).

It's how I'm spending my time while I work my way towards flying.

The MTBF figures are probably almost impossible to get and if they could be had they would probably be for a industrial environment with a lot less vibration. The flip side of this is that I have built industrial panels with PLC control that have been in service around 20 years operating about 80 hours a week with zero problems from the PLC. I own a milling machine that I have put about 10 thousand hours on with no PLC failures. These PLC's have operated in a much less than ideal environment. About all I can do is make a educated guess and that would be that a PLC mounted in a enclosure with vibration isolators would have a much better MTBF than our engines. I would still be reluctant to use them in anything that would be critical to engine operation. On a slightly different subject I have thought about replacing the ECU in a truck with a PLC .

Marc