Compass replacement

[perossichi]

The compass mounted on the glare shield of my 2002 is leaking fluid and needs replacement. Any advice? I find the original equipment to be hard to read (not that it is needed much anymore except as required).

there appears to be a screw mount for the current compass. Is that a universal mount or do I need to consider how to mount a new compass?

thanks in advance

peter r

[Rich]

I removed the original and installed a Pegasus PG2C-28V in what was a spare instrument location right next to the altimeter.

It's kind of a challenge getting the correction card in place. I made an Excel spreadsheet to enter the values. It's that white rectangle you see right below left of the compass.

[arksat]

Did you see any significant difference in compass interference when you installed it inside the panel, not at a top?
Just out of my curiosity.

[Rich]

Did you see any significant difference in compass interference when you installed it inside the panel, not at a top?
Just out of my curiosity.

No. Of course you need to swing any compass you install but once done it's just fine. Pegasus provide a special tool to adjust the calibrating magnets. It's a tiny plastic triangular "screwdriver". Do not lose this tool.

One other advantage in the panel is that the leads for the compass internal lighting are no longer subject to the flexing/breaking from canopy opening/closing as well as constantly being subject to being rotated by such operation. And it it doesn't sit up there directly subject to the hot sun.

[Steve]

My compass is on top of the glare shield. It did develop a leak about 2 years ago, discovered by a growing air bubble rather than any actual fluid leaking. Couple of new seals and a fluid fill, and she has been good as new.

[Rich]

Mine leaked some years back and it's not particularly expensive to repair and refill. I replaced mine for a number of reasons:
1. I never cared for this type of compass perched all by its lonesome on top of the panel.
2. Chronic problems with the compass light wiring.
3. The extra mass on the glare shield combined with the flexing of same produced lots of shaking, especially taxiing with the canopy in half-open mode.
4. The compass correction card got replaced a few times being exposed to wind and the canopy raising and lowering.

The replacement compass and its installation were fairly inexpensive as these things go and there was a ready spot for it. I also knew it would work OK because a friend of mine had previously done the identical conversion in his DA40.

[Rich]

BTW, if someone absolutely needs that ugly little nodule on the glare shield I still have a completely functional one I'll be glad to supply cheaply.

[astaib]

I tried to also make this conversion, once installed, I closed the canopy and the compass drifted from 30 degrees.
I think that the metal frame of the canopy structure is jamming it.
So I removed it, but I really don’t like neither the position on the glareshield

[Rich]

I tried to also make this conversion, once installed, I closed the canopy and the compass drifted from 30 degrees.
I think that the metal frame of the canopy structure is jamming it.
So I removed it, but I really don’t like neither the position on the glareshield

Mounting it where I did, I have no such effect. It's only about 5 cm to the left of where the original was, which was right on center. Of course it's much lower down. Frankly I was surprised that it works well, surrounded by all that stuff. But it does.

[perossichi]

Rich- I assume that you replaced your compass with one mounted in the instrument panel. Is that correct?

p