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Drop-in electronic ignition replacement for magneto

H

Hangar 1271

Well Known Member
I have a 10 year old impulse mag that was serviced about 5 years ago with a G3i conversion to run auto plugs and it may be failing. I know about the Surefly drop-in replacement and I know it can use auto plugs. Are there any other options for self-contained, drop-in replacement of a mag to convert electronic ignition and what is your experience if you've used it? Thanks.
 
From your description, Emag/Pmag is what you are looking for.

Lots of folks here swear by them.

I have been using SDS for the last two planes, great units, but they are not a direct drop in replacement.

E-MAG Electronic Ignition

emagair.com emagair.com
 
Mechanically, the P-Mag will be a "drop in". Electrically, you will need to provide power (12v) for engine start. Preferably, this is done through a dedicated, direct to battery connected and fused (some may prefer circuit breaker) switch.

I have a little green LED that reminds me that the P-Mag in "ON".

I have been using them for years with no problems, so far (I hope that I am not jinxing things! 😁).

Call them and speak to Brad. He is very accessible and helpful.
 
Thanks for the replies. It looks like the E-mag/P-mag is a direct replacement and another option but it costs $100 more and then requires a $500 gear (I think, There is a note on the Spruce site that says a gear will be provided). I'd rather not spend an additional $600 unless there is a good reason. Hopefully there will be some people on the forum who have experience with the Surefly and I can get there opinion too.
 
Hangar 1271 said:
Thanks for the replies. It looks like the E-mag/P-mag is a direct replacement and another option but it costs $100 more and then requires a $500 gear (I think, There is a note on the Spruce site that says a gear will be provided). I'd rather not spend an additional $600 unless there is a good reason. Hopefully there will be some people on the forum who have experience with the Surefly and I can get there opinion too.
Click to expand...
The PMag uses a non-impulse mag gear. PMag sells them for $265. I replaced my impulse mag with a PMag and removed the gear. Found a engine shop that would trade me even up for a non-impulse gear. So no extra expense for the gear. I doubt anything will be more drop in when converting from a magneto to electronic ignition. Plus timing a PMag is simple. I know nothing about the Surefly.

Pricing – E-MAG Electronic Ignition

emagair.com emagair.com
 
A little curve in the road...... How was your experience with the G3i conversion? Surefly says to run standard aviation harness/plugs, but....

I'll have a Slick and Surefly combo - had looked at the G3i kit for my harnesses to run lower cost/disposable auto plugs.
 
Hangar 1271 said:
Thanks for the replies. It looks like the E-mag/P-mag is a direct replacement and another option but it costs $100 more and then requires a $500 gear (I think, There is a note on the Spruce site that says a gear will be provided). I'd rather not spend an additional $600 unless there is a good reason. Hopefully there will be some people on the forum who have experience with the Surefly and I can get there opinion too.
Click to expand...

I replaced the impulse Slick on the left side of my O-320 with a SureFly. The installation was drop-in using the impulse gear and timing the unit is simple. I use fixed timing so it is an exact swap for the Slick. A short, fused lead to the battey supplies power to the SureFly. All in all, a very simple and transparent replacement.....I no longer need to be concerned about an impulse coupling failure or periodic maintenance. The right-hand Slick is along for the ride in a support role or in case it is ever needed for a solo performance. I highly recommend the SureFly as a replacement for a Slick mag.
 
iwannarv said:
A little curve in the road...... How was your experience with the G3i conversion? Surefly says to run standard aviation harness/plugs, but....

I'll have a Slick and Surefly combo - had looked at the G3i kit for my harnesses to run lower cost/disposable auto plugs.
Click to expand...
314 hours with the G3i harness on my Surefly with zero issues.
.032 gap on NGK iridum plugs.
 
Hangar 1271 said:
I have a 10 year old impulse mag that was serviced about 5 years ago with a G3i conversion to run auto plugs and it may be failing. I know about the Surefly drop-in replacement and I know it can use auto plugs. Are there any other options for self-contained, drop-in replacement of a mag to convert electronic ignition and what is your experience if you've used it? Thanks.
Click to expand...
FYI, While putting a new ignition may be simple, you may find tach/eis plays differently , creating new issues in seeing proper tach reading. I recently came to choice …. new slicks due to other work needed by EIS for tach reading. I found impulse coupler can fail, but seldom seen by a query of A&P here and local to me.
 
After replacing my Slick mags with dual PMags we discovered my GRT EIS didn’t allow for two separate RPM readings. There was a work around (which Brad at EMag helped us with). The EIS limitation was due to the age of my EIS motherboard not being programmable to current two tach reading firmware which resulted in the unit sent back to GRT for an upgraded motherboard. Around a $500 cost. It was my choice to do the motherboard upgrade because the work around EMag suggested did allow RPM readings for the mag check to be displayed with the older EIS system.

I still like my PMags, the engine runs so much smoother. The change out was worth the cost.
 
Like Sam Buchanan above, I swapped the left impulse slick for a Surefly. Very straight forward install. I use variable timing and have balanced the injectors with Airflow Performance nozzles. It runs very smooth rich or lean of peak. The right mag is a non-impulse slick. All the plugs are UREM37-BY with the surefly driven plugs gapped to .032". I'm very happy with this setup.
 
Long ago in a galaxy far away before VAF, iPhones glass panels and pre drilled Vans kits there was Electroair. I bought one of Jeff Roses first systems to back up the one serviceable mag I had building a salvage 0-320. That system, now 29 years old still works well and I have used Autolite 386 plugs (along with many others) with literally no issues. Later I would replace the mag with an early P-Mag which is also functioning flawlessly.
Sone things I like about it are reliability and the ability to hand crank with a dead battery.
For what it’s worth…

V/R
Smokey
 
Well, on closer inspection by somebody who knows what they are doing, there was lead fouling on both spark plugs. I swapped in new plugs and, poof, problem resolved for now. I may still consider the change but I'll wait until Sun N Fun to see if I can get a deal.
 
Tankerpilot75 said:
After replacing my Slick mags with dual PMags we discovered my GRT EIS didn’t allow for two separate RPM readings. There was a work around (which Brad at EMag helped us with). The EIS limitation was due to the age of my EIS motherboard not being programmable to current two tach reading firmware which resulted in the unit sent back to GRT for an upgraded motherboard. Around a $500 cost. It was my choice to do the motherboard upgrade because the work around EMag suggested did allow RPM readings for the mag check to be displayed with the older EIS system.

I still like my PMags, the engine runs so much smoother. The change out was worth the cost.
Click to expand...
Why did you have to do that motherboard upgrade? With the Pmags, it should pick up the rpm reading whether or not the Pmag is running?
 
My EIS was an early model that only had one tach reading input. I upgraded to have both PMags be able to provide independent rpm inputs. There is a work around that Brad at EMag suggested but I chose to upgrade my EIS motherboard.
 
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