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EFii or Lightspeed or E-ags

WingnutWick

WingnutWick

Well Known Member
Any strong reasons to go one way or another? I've heard about E-Mags, what's the scoop on these? Same performance as electronic ignition? Ease of installation of them?

Thanks for the input!
 
WingnutWick said:
Any strong reasons to go one way or another? I've heard about E-Mags, what's the scoop on these? Same performance as electronic ignition? Ease of installation of them?

Thanks for the input!
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I started off with dual Lightspeed ignitions on the RV-8A. I removed them the 300 hour point after experiencing repeated failures (three unit failures requiring a trip back to Lightspeed on my dime, a coil failure and a Hall Effect seal failure).

I replace the Lightspeeds with dual pMags. They have been flawless for over 600 hours. I'm on the short list to install the new six cylinder pMags on the RV-10 this spring.

Carl
 
Another one for SDS.

Pro's: Cost, simplicity, quality of manufacturing, ease of installation, quality of instructions, supportive communication and reliability (it's made it a whole 5 hours so far on my 6A! :D )

I've got mine backed up with a slick on the impulse side.
 
Me too, I started to post earlier then thought better of it, but I cant hold off. Not everyone has a good experience with Pmags, I had several failures over 200 hrs, 3 bearing fails and 2 in flight shut downs that Emgair was unable to diagnose. There appears to be a design weakness that only reveals on certain installations, so I can't recommend one.
SDS is the way to go, not only the most affordable, but after installing/flown Pmags, ElectroAir, Slicks, LSE, I'd buy another SDS even if it was the most expensive.
Tim Andres
 
Since this is turning into a popularity contest, I'll say that I have had great service from P-mags, but after experiencing what SDS has to offer, they are the standout choice for me.
 
tim2542 said:
There appears to be a design weakness that only reveals on certain installations, so I can't recommend one.
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Failure mode if very important... for any of these systems. My biggest concern with the P-mag failures is that they sometimes continue to provide a spark yet loose the proper timing. Now the engine is backfiring and running worse than it would with just one ignition.
 
Toobuilder said:
after experiencing what SDS has to offer, they are the standout choice for me.
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Where do you guys mount that keypad for the SDS system? It doesn't need to go on the instrument panel... does it? If I can hide that somewhere... I might have to install one of these when its time.
 
I've got mine in the dash. It's been nice, at least initially, to have the keypad accessible to make adjustments. Once you're happy with the curve, though, it can be hidden. Maybe a swing-down panel or something?
 
j-red said:
I've got mine in the dash. It's been nice, at least initially, to have the keypad accessible to make adjustments. Once you're happy with the curve, though, it can be hidden. Maybe a swing-down panel or something?
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Exactly.

One point of caution (which should be common sense for any component mounted on a swing down panel) is to ensure proper strain relief for the harness. You do not want the connector to get yanked out as you swing the panel.
 
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