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CO detector

Ron B.

Well Known Member
Having less than 100 hrs. on my RV-14A my CO detector gave up. I received a call asking if I wanted to purchase another one at a discounted rate but with less than 100 hrs. on the original one I declined. I asked if they had determined the cause of the failure and they answered premature sensor failure. Sounds like a defect to me, but oh well. Is this a detector's standard life one can expect or am I the unlucky one? These things are quite pricy for what they are but I'm not prepared to purchase one every year. They are supposed to last five years then they need to be re-calibrated and that is bad enough. Cessna's have flown for years I guess I'll have to agree with a Cessna freak" if it's good enough for Cessna it's good enough for me"
 
Mine has to be replaced...I have 7 years on it and it has worked perfectly!

But, I share a simliar frustration about price and product.

My CoGuardian model I purchaed 7 years ago is no longer avialable and they can NOT recalibrate it. Not sure why...they build it, why can?t they just replace the guts???

Now, I wouldn?t object to replacing it with new, but my unit is bigger then the new ones they offer so I would have to rebuild my side panel to make the smaller one fit.
 
Anyone managed to tap into the alarm output on one of these and wire it into an input on an EFIS (I'm thinking G3X) so you can get a visual warning and audible warning in the headset? Maybe a lower cost solution to our integrated CO detector problem.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/co300.php
Tom.

No, but I integrated my CO Guardian into my G3X MFD. Requires a RS232 line, but the configuration is simple, and the PPM can be displayed on the menu bar if you like.
 
Anyone managed to tap into the alarm output on one of these and wire it into an input on an EFIS (I'm thinking G3X) so you can get a visual warning and audible warning in the headset? Maybe a lower cost solution to our integrated CO detector problem.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/co300.php
Tom.
I wired a CO2 Guardian to provide an external alarm input to my DYNON SkyView. It provides a visual and audible alarm whenever the threshold is reached. You can also use the <TEST> button to mark a particular time on the EMS data file that SkyView constantly monitors and records. VERY useful for troubleshooting issues and identifying EMS values at a certain point of a flight. You can see it on the far right side of the panel.

Completed%20panel%20on%20ground.jpg


:cool:
 
Last edited:
Anyone managed to tap into the alarm output on one of these and wire it into an input on an EFIS (I'm thinking G3X) so you can get a visual warning and audible warning in the headset? Maybe a lower cost solution to our integrated CO detector problem.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/co300.php
Tom.

Should be pretty easy for the GRT. Solder a wire on the appropriate piezo or led lug and run it to a transistor. You would probably need a 5v power supply for it. Run the output to one of the analog inputs on the GRT. I believe there are various alarms that can be configured for those, but can't recall for sure.

Larry
 
I wired a CO2 Guardian as an external alarm input to my DYNON SkyView. It provides a visual and audible alarm whenever the threshold is reached. You can also use the <TEST> button to mark a particular time on the EMS data file that SkyView constantly monitors and records. VERY useful for troubleshooting issues and identifying EMS values at a certain point of a flight. You can see it on the far right side of the panel.

Completed%20panel%20on%20ground.jpg


:cool:

As I read their literature, it says

"The 353N-201 is specifically designed to integrate with and report on the Dynon SkyView line of PFD and MFD displays for homebuilt aircraft. Both alerts and CO levels can be displayed."

and it appears that they are claiming that it can be reset/tested from the Skyview, thus obviating the need to cut a hole in the panel (kind of reading between the lines in the User/Install manual).

I'd *love* to have this *if* it's as they say, but there's nothing about it in the Dynon docs. (I did post this question on the Dynon forum, as well). Has anyone done this? Is this correct?
 
Should be pretty easy for the GRT. Solder a wire on the appropriate piezo or led lug and run it to a transistor. You would probably need a 5v power supply for it. Run the output to one of the analog inputs on the GRT. I believe there are various alarms that can be configured for those, but can't recall for sure.

Larry

Thanks Larry. I was thinking something along those lines. I guess I'll be the guinea pig and give it a shot. I'll probably feed it into my GEA24 or GAD27.

Tom.
 
I wired a CO2 Guardian as an external alarm input to my DYNON SkyView. It provides a visual and audible alarm whenever the threshold is reached. You can also use the <TEST> button to mark a particular time on the EMS data file that SkyView constantly monitors and records. VERY useful for troubleshooting issues and identifying EMS values at a certain point of a flight. You can see it on the far right side of the panel.

Completed%20panel%20on%20ground.jpg


:cool:

hey, I think there is room for one more GPS screen on the upper left. :)
 
As I read their literature, it says

"The 353N-201 is specifically designed to integrate with and report on the Dynon SkyView line of PFD and MFD displays for homebuilt aircraft. Both alerts and CO levels can be displayed."

and it appears that they are claiming that it can be reset/tested from the Skyview, thus obviating the need to cut a hole in the panel (kind of reading between the lines in the User/Install manual).

I'd *love* to have this *if* it's as they say, but there's nothing about it in the Dynon docs. (I did post this question on the Dynon forum, as well). Has anyone done this? Is this correct?
I know you can hide the detector behind the panel but not sure if the newer units can be controlled by SkyView. I did my installation in 2013 and could not do the TEST from within SkyView. That is why I mounted it in the panel so I had easy access to the <TEST> button.

hey, I think there is room for one more GPS screen on the upper left. :)
NEVER enough "gadgets". :D
 
Ron - a thought or two for your consideration...

I have a CO Guardian unit that is now 12 years old and still going strong, but of course that's because we're not flying yet.

When I spoke to the folks at C0 Guardian I was actually speaking with the owner's daughter. Whe provided me with tons of very useful information. One item which came as a bit of a wake up call was the stipulation that VOCs drastically reduce the life of the sensor. When I advised I was still building the airplane while my CO detector was aging out, I was told to remove it from the panel / airplane if I was going to be using any chemicals, especially solvents and paints.

I followed her advice and our unit is still functional. I also ensure it is powered off to the greatest extent possible (it's wired to come on with the master). It would be nice to think I might get a year of flying out of it before having to replace it (same deal as you - can't service the old unit, must buy a new one).
 
Mine has to be replaced...I have 7 years on it and it has worked perfectly!

But, I share a simliar frustration about price and product.

My CoGuardian model I purchaed 7 years ago is no longer avialable and they can NOT recalibrate it. Not sure why...they build it, why can?t they just replace the guts???

Now, I wouldn?t object to replacing it with new, but my unit is bigger then the new ones they offer so I would have to rebuild my side panel to make the smaller one fit.

because the "guts" are no longer available. the sensor technology is changing so fast on this type of part, that they be come obsolete very quickly. Figaro sensors just release a new CO sensor that is a giant leap forward. 10 year life, no water bath, 1/10 the size of previous sensors.

bob burns
RV-4
N82RB
 
Ron - a thought or two for your consideration...

I have a CO Guardian unit that is now 12 years old and still going strong, but of course that's because we're not flying yet.

When I spoke to the folks at C0 Guardian I was actually speaking with the owner's daughter. Whe provided me with tons of very useful information. One item which came as a bit of a wake up call was the stipulation that VOCs drastically reduce the life of the sensor. When I advised I was still building the airplane while my CO detector was aging out, I was told to remove it from the panel / airplane if I was going to be using any chemicals, especially solvents and paints.

I followed her advice and our unit is still functional. I also ensure it is powered off to the greatest extent possible (it's wired to come on with the master). It would be nice to think I might get a year of flying out of it before having to replace it (same deal as you - can't service the old unit, must buy a new one).

I placed my order for mine on Feb. 12, 2016 and flew in Aug. of that year. All my painting was carried out in another building. I'm willing to bet that your boxed unit would need to be sent back for calibration according to the manufacturer before they would suggest using it if it's 12 years old.
 
I've performed a live CO test on the unit and it alarms reliably... so far! I would love to have a 10 or more year sensor as I agree with other posters - the per-flight-hour cost of this sensor, with its short life, is very high.
 
because the "guts" are no longer available. the sensor technology is changing so fast on this type of part, that they be come obsolete very quickly. Figaro sensors just release a new CO sensor that is a giant leap forward. 10 year life, no water bath, 1/10 the size of previous sensors.

bob burns
RV-4
N82RB

Great find Bob. I checked and the most applicable unit I can find on their website is the CMM5042. It has a 0-2V output and some simple pinouts we can connect to so I am thinking that we should be able to feed this into the Garmin GEA 24 or similar, then flag specified alarm levels. Only problem is I haven't found yet where to source the CMM5042. Anyone know where to purchase one of these?
Regards,
Tom.
 
I wrote an E-mail to sales as to my situation and how I felt about my unit and the sales department agreed to replace the unit at no cost. As per forum rules, I never revealed the manufacturer with my post, therefore I feel I should not reveal them during my praise. They know who they are, Thanks.
 
Bob, or anyone else,
Do you know where to source the CMM5042 sensor? I have contacted Figaro directly, however they appear to be uninterested in selling a single sensor, and Internet searches yield nothing. I'd sure love to be able to track one down.
Tom.
 
I got a 10year unit from Home Depot which has a display that shows ppm. It is part of my scan. I currently am seeing 30 ppm which I am trying to track down. If I had an alarm only, I wouldn?t know about it.
 
Hi Rick. My plan B if I can't find one of these particular sensors is to just take an off the shelf sensor like you suggest, solder a connector to it's alarm and feed it into my G3X system discrete inputs. I just wanted to be able to trigger an audible alarm in my intercom without having to drop $300USD on something that doesn't make my aircraft go any faster!
Tom.
 
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