Kit Aircraft Modifications

Had a conversation with Rogers/AT&T the other day. They are my local carrier here in Ontario, Canada. Basically, they were happy to have the units run on their system and they have a product that will allow you to run your unit for under $10 per month.

I am going to get one of their SIMs into our Beta units and start using it in our hangar on my partner’s RV-9A.

I am still waiting on my overseas partners to get their ducks aligned and send me some extension antennas and finalize the product specifications. Once this is done I can assemble some final production units that can be sent out for CSA/UL testing. The units will not be released to the public until they have received the certification.

Dave

Hi All,

This project has been plodding along at a pace that frustrates me somewhat. This is partly due to the difficulty in dealing with development partners overseas and the fact that i have a lot of irons in the fire right now.

One of the stumbling blocks with this system is the fact that the customer has to establish a relationship with a cellular carrier for this unit to work. In the beginning we were thinking that we would hold a corporate account with T-Mobile and the customer would simply logon to an account controlled by us to add minutes to their cards. This is a non starter for me simply due to the PITA factor.

I have been in conversation with Rogers/AT&T about setting something up where I supply the SIM card pack with the units as a distributor and the customer then activates the account to get the unit up and running. I should hear back from them within the week.

Once this is set up and I get some more units from overseas we can get them UL/CSA tested and released for sale.

 Dave

I have been in discussions with Dan Yager of quickheads.com and we are working on putting a package of parts together for the Quickie series of aircraft.

My company, Effectus AeroProducts manufactures accessories and components for kit aircraft and I am pleased to be able to work with Dan on getting these parts made available for these aircraft that no longer have factory support.

We’ll announce the availability and parts lists here on the blog when they become available.

Dave

I have been asked to make up some fan grills for other builders like the ones I posted a week or so ago. They can be customized to your specific aircraft type or I can put your aircraft identification number in the design as well. They are 4.5″ x 4.5″ and have a bolt pattern that is 3.5″ x 3.5″(this can be varied depending on your specific fan size).

Contact me if you are interested in having thes made for you. Approximate cost for 2 grills made from 20 guage 304 stainless is US$ 50.00

I ship them flat which means that you have to bend out the louvers. They will have a mill finish as most builders will want to powder coat or paint them to their specific color of choice.

Here is a picture of the one in my plane.

Dave

Hi Everyone,

I have set up a new website to sell the Dil2Start GSM Cellular Remote Switch

I would be pleased if you would go to the Dial2Start site and learn about how this unique device will save you time when you go flying by having the aircraft pre-heatedwhen you get there.

Dave

Hi Everyone,

Since I last posted about my wish to develop a Cellular based switch for turning on your aircraft engine pre-heater many things have been happening.

I was contacted buy a board manufacturer that makes a product that exceeds my requirements and along with them we have refined the design to meet the specific needs of the piloting community.

We now have a product that will independently switch 2 circuits. The circuits can be turned on simply by calling the unit which comes out of the box with its own phone number. The board has a 4 mode GSM module built into it which, along with the supplied SIM allow you to call it or SMS text it.

To trigger the pre-programmed functions you simply call the supplied phone number. The unit will not answer when you call. It senses the incoming call though and this triggers the board to turn on the relays in a pre-programmed fashion.

To configure the unit you have to send it SMS text messages. These messages have a cost that is deducted from the pre-paid T-Mobile card that is supplied with the unit. This card is re-loadable on the T-Mobile website and the SIM in the unit has no life limit.

I am excited that this unit is going to be able to be called to initiate a two circuit sequence that will see your battery trickle charger turn on for a predetermined amount of time before the engine heater is switched on.

This unit will address the two major problems we encounter when wanting to fly infrequently in colder climates (can you say winter time!) It will charge up your battery for the best performance in cranking over the engine and will pre-heat the engine for you without you having to go to the hangar to plug it in and wait.

This system is also a superior way to approach pre-heating your engine from an engine longevity stand point. Many out there have their engine pre-heaters on a timer circuit where the engine is preheated every morning in anticipation of good flying weather. This is not good for the engine as it promotes corrosion in the crankcase. These engines should be pre-heated then flown then allowed to cool to aviod unnecessary moisture build-up.

The units we are going to market are of very high quality and have been tested here for some time. The only issue we had wiwth the initial prototype was the signal strength in the all metal hangar. We have overcome this with the use of an external antenna and extension lead. The units will be UL tested for compliance in the North American market.

Below is a photo of the board sitting in the clear lidded box. We are going to be marketing them through distributors such as Aircraft Spruce and the price will be under $300.00 US

I am looking into developing a cell phone controlled remote switch that would allow you to call a number and have the airplane start pre-heating before you even leave for the airport.

I have found a circuit board that when triggered by the light of the cell phone screen will energize a relay that inturn energizes a recepticle you can plug your engine heater into.

The cell phone would be of the inexpensive pre-paid type and would be pluged in and powered on all of the time.

The cool trick is that you don’t have to even have the phone answer the call. The phone always activates the screen light when the incoming call is received and that is what triggers the control circuit via the light sensor.

The unit can be programmed to energize the recepticle for  0.5s, 2s, 30s, 1 min, 5 min, 15 min, 30min and 1 hour after which it will shut down automatically.

I am going to have to do some more research regarding the actual recommended cell phone and whether or not it would be included or be purchased independently by the customer. This might be a better way to go because the customer would likely want a local number to call to avoid any possible charges. The phone has to be a non-flip type phone as the unit has to be mounted beside the circuit board and have the light sensor siliconed to its screen.

I am interested in what you have to say about this.

E-mail me with your comments HERE

Dave