Question about light inside de cockpit

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Rich
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Rich »

I do so little night flying anymore this gets a lower priority. Maybe the connectors will be accessible and just disconnecting and reconnecting will work. Meanwhile floodlight from my iPad will have to do should it become a factor.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Steve »

Rich: I hope it is your connectors as well, since I had the experience of replacing that inverter (it wasn't the connectors), and it can be difficult to work at the bottom of that hole, especially with all of the cabling and pitot/static tubing in the way. I suspect it is likely the inverter, since MTBF seems to be about 18-20 years, based on mine... 8)

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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Rich »

I can confirm that finding (never mind replacing) the peripheral inverter and dimmer will be a daunting task in my plane. The drawings in the IPC in no way reflect the locations of stuff. I do not find that surprising. The cramming of stuff in the "small" instrument panel leaves all sorts of mysterious little boxes embedded among/below equally mysterious boxes and wiring harnesses. I did discover a few things in the very rare tiny clear spots:
- The DB9 connector to an initially undetermined box wasn't quite fully seated. Painfully snaking my hand down in there I finally did get this corrected. It probably wasn't important. I determined later it was the KCM 100 module, which contains airframe - specific configuration values for the KAP 140.
- I discovered evidence the most recent encoder certification did involve some manipulation by the technician, was bungled, and likely produced degradation in the correspondence with the altimeters. While within tolerance, this resulted in my adjusting altitude pre-select procedures for the autopilot.
- I can find no evidence that there is provision for producing lighting specifically for placards, switches, or breaker. Aside from inverters and such there would need to be some sort of lighting source in the vicinity, either behind the panel or exposed in front. Maybe they're there but I couldn't spot anything amid all the visual obstructions.
- The lighting control module in my plane is one thing really prominent in the instrument panel snake nest. It's front and centered on the cooling fan.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Steve
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Steve »

Rich wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:24 am- I can find no evidence that there is provision for producing lighting specifically for placards, switches, or breaker. Aside from inverters and such there would need to be some sort of lighting source in the vicinity, either behind the panel or exposed in front. Maybe they're there but I couldn't spot anything amid all the visual obstructions
Rich:

The placard itself is the light source. It is an electroluminescent (EL) panel with a placard appliqué. The leads for each EL panel pierce the aluminum instrument panel as a ribbon cable behind the respective placard and then run to the appropriate inverter. The photo below shows the supply for my CB placard as the white ribbon sealed to the aluminum panel with clear RTV on the left side of the photo, above the CB:

DSCN4863.jpg
You have a different style instrument panel, so some of the placards are different, but you could look for the white ribbons, and try to trace the leads from there...

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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

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Steve wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:11 am You have a different style instrument panel, so some of the placards are different, but you could look for the white ribbons, and try to trace the leads from there...

Steve
Ok, I see that now. But tracing the wiring in the lower regions of my panel can be major surgery. The front view doesn't really convey the challenge. The left side of the back of my panel is crammed with wiring, the backs of instruments and tubing for pitot and static. The center stack avionics and their connectors protrude all the way to the fuselage edge. My only real hope is the inverter and its connectors turns out to be mounted below the transponder or AP where I can get hands/tools on it as required.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by astaib »

On my side, the placards light is not working anymore.
It makes me think that it is a bad connection somewhere, I shook the connector from the power supply and the connector to the placards but it doesn’t changed anything.

I have the tentation to change the inverter, but if it’s really a bad connection it won’t change the issue !
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Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Steve »

Rich wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:44 pm
Steve wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:11 am You have a different style instrument panel, so some of the placards are different, but you could look for the white ribbons, and try to trace the leads from there...

Steve
Ok, I see that now. But tracing the wiring in the lower regions of my panel can be major surgery. The front view doesn't really convey the challenge. The left side of the back of my panel is crammed with wiring, the backs of instruments and tubing for pitot and static. The center stack avionics and their connectors protrude all the way to the fuselage edge. My only real hope is the inverter and its connectors turns out to be mounted below the transponder or AP where I can get hands/tools on it as required.
For sure it is not fun working back there! I was happy that when I replaced my mechanical AI recently - the RC Allen unit was only about 1" deep, compared to the 8" deep BF Goodrich unit supplied with the aircraft. I have found that the best way to both visualize and access the retro-panel space is tho stand in the cockpit, rather than trying to access from one side or the other.
Old AI from behind instrument panel
Old AI from behind instrument panel
New AI from behind instrument panel
New AI from behind instrument panel
Of course, the big B/K HSI is right below, blocking access as before. One technique I used when I had to work on the ignition switch many years ago, was to remove the instrument directly above it (a KI-208 in my case). This allowed easy access through the 3.25" hole vacated temporarily by the removed instrument.
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by astaib »

I finally change the inverter for the placards and ordered it from Quantaflex. Now it works just perfectly…

Another question about the flood light. It is turning on and off, but there is no dimming. It immediately turns on to max intensity.
Any idea of what it can be ?

Thanks.
Arnaud
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
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Rich
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Re: Question about light inside de cockpit

Post by Rich »

astaib wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:35 pm I finally change the inverter for the placards and ordered it from Quantaflex. Now it works just perfectly…

Another question about the flood light. It is turning on and off, but there is no dimming. It immediately turns on to max intensity.
Any idea of what it can be ?

Thanks.
Reference Wiring Diagram DA4-9233-10-01 (or -03) Either the resistor in the switch or the wiring. If you can get to the connector at the dimmer (I have no clue where mine is) pull the connector and check that the resistance across the wires from the switch that connect to pins 5&6 reacts as you turn the control. The master need not be on for this check and I would leave it off.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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