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Pilot induced misfife

pa38112

Well Known Member
This past weekend I did something that really caught my (and especially my wife’s) attention. I have an O-360-A1A with duel P-Mags. I have an engine Bridge controller on the P-mags ( https://www.enginebridge.com/product/engine-bridge-ei/ ) that sets the advance, and can also be used to monitor the mag temperatures. It does both via a Wi-Fi connection with my i-phone. There is a waring in the instructions that sending new setpoints to the p-mags while the engine is running will cause a quick studder in the ignition. I have done it, but prefer to send the updates before start-up.
This weekend I was cruising along at 9,500 FT, 2,600 RMP, 8.2 Gal LOP. I decided to look at my mag. Advance and temperatures. I then saw an option for viewing the prop position. I have not used this feature before, so I pressed on that button. About 2 seconds later the engine began to misfire. I went full rich and backed off of the throttle, but it continued. The last thing I had done before this was to try looking at the prop position, and I remembered the warning about sending new settings, so I closed the Wi-Fi connection to the Engine Bridge and the misfire stopped. In all, I think it lasted about 10 – 15 seconds, but my wife’s crying went on for a good 10 minutes.
Just passing this along for others to learn from my mistake…
 
Having an ignition system that can be controlled over WiFi is something that I could never do.

I'm an industrial electrician and have seen a lot of advances over the last 40 years. The new machines with servo drives, touch screens, etc. are fun to watch, but machines with no electronics are still the most reliable.

The parts that keep you airborne should be dirt simple. IMHO

Mark
 
I don't test any engine function with the wife on board, anything 'unusual' sends her into orbit :eek:

Sounds like Mark and I agree on a few things.
 
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I don't test any engine function with the wife on board, anything 'unusual' sends her into orbit :eek:

Sounds like Mark and I agree on a few things.

I have lots of gadgets in my airplane and love playing with them - but anytime I have a passenger on board (ANY passenger) I stay well within the tried-and-true boundaries. Others do not have the risk tolerance or knowledge of engine operations that some of us do, and do not appreciate "non-standard" operations.

The "observe prop" function is interesting in that it did something to the ignition timing, apparently. That deserves some investigation.
 
prop position

...The "observe prop" function is interesting in that it did something to the ignition timing, apparently. That deserves some investigation.
It was probably freaking out since I guess the prop position is changing more than 36 times a second at 2200 RPM. I think this is a useful feature on the ground, not so much when the engine is running. :)
 
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