Update on Review of Plasma II Ignition System
MikeremlaP
to the Lightspeed manual that Klaus has not called out. Since he won't do it,
I wanted to get the word out to users out there. (Go to bottom of this post -
see SQUAWK.) Sorry, newsgroup readers, for being so tardy. (These posts take
me hours to craft.)
It's been a year and a half now since I installed a Lightspeed Plasma II
Ignition system on our Glasair. 400 hours have passed. Thought I'd update my
comments from last time.
The unit has been trouble free, except for the problem I mentioned in my first
post (the coil with the un-swaged connector). The only problems I've had have
been caused by the "nut behind the wheel."
For example, the automotive plugs ran so clean, that after the first
inspection, I changed to a different type plug and left them in for 250 hours
without inspecting them. Two problems with that.
The gap grows fast. (Exponentially?) Actually, the system ran better as the
gap increased, and I was able to lean more with the larger gap, but large gaps
stress the coils more and letting them grow probably isn't a good idea. (You
can "feel" the gaps getting larger because the engine will run smoother deeper
into leaning.)
The porcelain (or more properly - ceramic?) on one of the plugs cracked,
probably from heat, and must have dropped a piece in the cylinder.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to break a valve and I suppose (hope?) it either
disintegrated or blew out the exhaust. (I've looked for it.)
That problem was probably my fault, as I was using different plugs than the
ones Klaus supplies. I was using a set of Champion QN-84's, which is a marine
plug designed for Capacitive Discharge Ignition Systems. (Spiral wound resistor
(inductor) instead of standard resistor - supposed to have less RFI at low
frequencies.) They were the coolest in the series I could buy, but probably
still ran just a tad too hot. (Ceramic was kind of whitish. I live in
Phoenix, which probably doesn't help.)
[Actually, Champion does have a CDI plug that runs cooler, but it's a
surface-fire design. I tried them for one flight and took them out. They
fouled and shorted on descent. That brings up another interesting observation
about these "waste spark" designs, where one coil fires two plugs. If a plug
or wire should ground out somehow, you don't just lose that cylinder, but you
lose two cylinders. I don't expect you'll short a plug with conventional plug
designs, but if you should, or should lose a coil, you'll lose two cylinders.
I made the mistake of letting one of the spark plug wires get too close to a
cylinder fin, and in flight, this resulted in chaffing of the insulation. Had
the fin contacted the core, it would have shorted out two plugs, not just the
one. Something to think about.]
So I'd recommend checking your plugs every 100 hours - if for no other reason
than to check the gap. (Which reminds me - I have a plug inspection coming
up.) I don't have enough time on the plugs Klaus supplied to know if they'll
make 300 hours. They're at 200 hours now. They're cheap enough that replacing
them every 200 hours isn't prohibitive. One comment on automotive plugs in
general is that, because they aren't as massive as aircraft plugs, I don't
think they're as durable. Dinky automotive plugs don't have the surface area
of huge aircraft plugs. I wonder if they're more prone to cracking or hot
spots? I keep trying to think of ways to go back to aircraft plugs for their
robustness, and for their shielded barrel.
- I had to change out my bottom plugs from the fine wire platinum to the
extended reach 37BY's. The fine wires kept fouling after installing the Plasma
on the top plugs. I guess with the top plugs firing so far advanced at idle,
the bottom plugs don't get hot enough to scavenge the lead. I really think the
Plasma would be better used on the bottom plugs, and wonder if he's being
truthful that the top plugs "respond" better to timing changes. (That is, does
he say this for marketing and ease of installation purposes? It really does
make a cleaner installation on top.)
- Performance numbers seem to be the same as last time I wrote. We see a 5%
increase in fuel economy. Have been able to make it to 15,500 with less
struggle than before. (Couldn't make it to 15500 in the summer before.)
- I was wrong about the Green Light on the Hall Effect sensor. It's an LED,
not an incandescent. (Bright LED - had me fooled.)
- SQUAWK. The Lightspeed web site still advertises the Plasma systems as
"maintenance free" and touts that electronic systems have no moving parts.
It's true that purely electronic systems have no moving parts, but if you have
the Hall Effect sensor (which is really a nice unit), it does have a rotating
shaft. True, the shaft isn't under any load to speak of, but it's a moving part
nonetheless. And this brings up a sore point.
Since I'm a nit-picky kind of guy, I kept visiting Klaus' web site to keep up
with the latest and greatest. I noticed one day that the day stamp on his
"Manuals" web page had changed. So I decided to check out the manual again.
Turns out the manual had changed. And a fairly important change in my opinion.
As I said, the system is advertised as "maintenance free," and there was no
mention in the manual that I downloaded when I bought our system of any routine
maintenance you needed to perform. Back then, the Hall Effect sensor was
relatively new, and I suppose Klaus was still getting feedback from the field
about it.
Turns out you need to take the back off the unit at the first 50 hours and
check for any oil leaks. After that first check, then you're to check every
100 hours forever. I guess there must have been some problems with the seal on
some units. Clearly, the seal can't last forever. So not quite "maintenance
free."
It hasn't been an issue for us (no oil so far) and I don't mind doing this
minimal check - BUT - don't you think there ought to be a notice on his web
site for all his customers who bought his system before this change was added
to the manual? You know, something like a list of "Service Bulletins"? I can
understand a small entrepreneur in the homebuilt market probably doesn't charge
enough to send out notices in the mail, but it costs almost nothing to keep a
list of updates on his web site, and to put a note in the manual to check that
list periodically. (Or even an e-mail list.) But he seems less than
forthcoming to me.
From a "Golden Rule" standpoint, wouldn't you want someone alerting you if
there was a problem with something they sold you? I mean, if people started
falling out of the sky because there was some part problem that occurs after,
say, 2000 hours, shouldn't he warn his customers? I wrote him about this, but
he seems adamant that no notification is needed, since he doesn't make a
certified system and so far, he hasn't done it. So if you buy one of these
systems, you're on your own.
Compounding the problem is that you'd never know the manuals had changed
because the Revision numbers on the manuals don't change! For example, if you
look at the Plasma I manual, it has a rev date of 0297, presumably last
updated on Feb 1997. But if you drill down to Section 1.2, you'll see an note
pertaining to units sold before 2001! Pretty slick trick writing from the year
1997!
I know it's more fun designing the new Plasma III unit than to keep up with
paperwork, and I'll confess that I'm not the best at keeping documents up to
date. But then, I'm not selling a product to you all. Seems like an easy
enough thing to do to change the date of the manual.
Fortunately, the Plasma II manual did have a date change from the original "cut
and pasted" 0297 to 4/01, but it has a whole new section on the direct crank
trigger assembly, so I know it changed from the hard copy dated 4/01 I have
from last year. (I wasn't able to open the downloadable version of the Plasma
II ignition system - it has some html code in I can't get past. Did Microsoft
change WORD format again or is this a webmaster mistake?) Lack of proper
Revision numbers, coupled with lack of problem alerts, make it very difficult
to keep up with any changes of which you might need to be aware.
So those are my comments. I notice that GAMI has been working on a full
feedback ignition system, which all those textbooks I bought last year at
Klaus' insistence, tout as the optimal design. (Klaus' is a feed-forward
system.) It looks to be a fully shielded system (no RFI), and will be STC'd.
It'll probably cost a bit more than Klaus' system, but you'll also have the
peace of mind that Service Bulletins provide. I wouldn't mind beta testing one
for them, and have asked, but so far, no response.
Hope this helps,
Mike Palmer <><
Excellence in Ergonomics
Scott Derrick
Thanks for the review. I installed a Plasma II in my Velocity a few months
back(50+ hours). I love it!
I opted for the direct crank sensor so won't worry about the Hall Effect
Sensor maintenance. I figured I might as well get rid of as many moving
parts as possible. Installing the magnets was fairly easy.
I now run 40-50 LOP in climb and cruise. Even running 100 degrees lean of
peak is smooth and there's no better way to cool your engine. I've run mine
at 18,000 ft. with no problems. I still have the original plugs. I was
going to change them to a more expensive racing plugs but after hearing your
experience I think I'll let them be.
Klaus is an interesting guy. He shouldn't be involved in customer service
or any other task that involves relating to his clients. He has no tact and
never learned the retailers Golden Rule, "The customer is always right!".
With all his rough edges, I'm glad he is there making and selling a great
product.
Scott
"MikeremlaP" <miker...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020810034028...@mb-cu.aol.com...
> Been meaning to write this for 6 months now, as there was an important
change<snip>
Kathryn & Stuart Fields
problem I've had has been a broken wire from the crank trigger unit (my
fault). I'm running mine on an 0320 mounted vertically in a Safari
helicopter. The Plasma unit fires the "Bottom" (in this case the forward
set) and a Slick magneto fires the "top" (the aft set). The mag check shows
the Plasma unit much stronger than the Slick mag. I can fly the helo with
the mag shut off. So far no lead fouling. I'm running the plugs that Klaus
recommended on the "bottom" and regular A/C shielded plugs on the "Top".
With the engine vertical, the oil return is taken from an adapter in the
accessory case. If I tried one of the Hall effect units, I would have a
constant oil bath on top of the unit. It would surely test the seal. So far
the magneto continues to function with an oil bath on the drive gear.
How much RFI do you have with your unit? I have to run a higher squelch on
my radio than I would like. When I set my squelch, I have to be sure to set
it with the engine at full chat as the RFI increases with RPM. I also have
a video camera mount in the helo that I can't seem to get the RFI out of the
picture. Klaus says that I don't need shielding, but..I'm beginning to
disbelieve him on this issue. I've tried all of his improving connection
tricks.
With all of this, I like the Plasma unit much better than the magneto
system.
I appreciated your data and I agree I would feel much better if I knew that
I would receive a bulletin if any problems showed up. I would like to know
if others have problems and not wait until 25 similar problems showed up to
have Klaus officially declare it to be a problem. Safari owner's have a
similar problem with data flow. I'm running a forum for Safari owners to
get problem data exchanged quickly. I'm finding out that a lot of people
don't like to share their problems.
Thanks again for sharing what you have found on the Plasma system
Stu Fields
Builder, Pilot and Broker for the Safari Kit Helicopter
"MikeremlaP" <miker...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020810034028...@mb-cu.aol.com...
Bernie { the } Bunion
> I'm running a forum for Safari owners to
> get problem data exchanged quickly.
That's good.
> I'm finding out that a lot of people
> don't like to share their problems.
That's not so good.
> Stu Fields
> Builder, Pilot and Broker for the Safari Kit Helicopter
Stu... I'll bet there are many people in this group who would be
very interested in reading about your exploits in building and
flying a Safari kit. As well as any other general comments you
care to make on the Safari kit.
Warts. Wrinkles & All.
And if your willing to share your thoughts you might want to
consider crossposting them to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
They would be very interested in hearing from you in that newsgroup.
Bernie
MikeremlaP
Short answer: none at VHF. Moderate at VLF (ADF 300KHz and below). I did a
fair amount of shielding. Do a dejanews.com search for
Lightspeed Plasma II Ignition
and you'll find my review from last April. There I detail the noise
suppression mods I made.
Note - if you're flying an original Plasma unit (ie. a Plasma I), it's a
multi-spark unit, and will therefore make more noise than the single spark
Plasma II.
Kathryn & Stuart Fields
first user report on the Klaus ignition that I've seen.
I have a article that appeared in a ham radio magazine on reducing ignition
RFI The author signs himself as a P.E and the derivations support that
claim. He took his RFI down low enough to use his ham rig in his car with
the engine running and communicate with others at a great distance. The
article came from the Jan/Feb issue of QEX. The author's name is Stuart
Downs WA6PDP and has an e-mail of stu....@trw.com
There is a lot of detail with supporting calculations and theory in this 5
page article. I think that you would find it very interesting. I haven't
tried this yet but it is certainly in my hopper. Klaus keeps saying it
isn't necessary but he doesn't have his ears blasted off. I set my squelch
during warm up and then when I apply full power and pull pitch, the RFI
increases, the squelch isn't enough and I have to set down and push
collective down and lock and re set the squelch. Once at an airshow even
after doing all of this the receiver let go right in my ear during my show
time. I had to land in the grass and turn the radio off to finish my part
of the mfrs. showcase. Thanks again for your info.
Stu Fields
"MikeremlaP" <miker...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020812032741...@mb-mv.aol.com...