Recent content by dtnelson

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  1. dtnelson

    In with a bang, out with a whimper

    Don't I also remember scuttlebutt that firing the gun also shook the composite airframe apart?
  2. dtnelson

    Panel switch/ circuit breaker recommendations

    FWIW, I've had two of the Potter & Brumfield switch circuit breakers fail in my airplane. One, interestingly enough, failed resistively - i.e., it made a very resistive contact (which dropped the voltage to my com to the point that it became "lights on but nobody's home"... hard to diagnose!)...
  3. dtnelson

    Best way to splice to small electrical wires together?

    A word of caution regarding solder termination sleeves... These were not originally intended to connect signal wires. They were intended as a way to connect a ground wire to the outside (braid) of a coaxial line. Because there is no mechanical joint, as opposed to a properly soldered wire...
  4. dtnelson

    Best way to splice to small electrical wires together?

    No, the issue was how to splice two small electrical wires.
  5. dtnelson

    Best way to splice to small electrical wires together?

    My rules of thumb: Solder where I can assure that both ends of the joint are adequately supported against vibration. Use aircraft grade crimp joints elsewhere; with a high quality crimping tool In either case use shrink tubing over the joint both to reduce vibration fatigue and contamination...
  6. dtnelson

    Rolls Royce Sets Electric Records

    Was that the Nemisis airframe? That would explain the large frontal area, and bumps in the cowl where the cylinders would normally be... Thanks, Dave
  7. dtnelson

    Voice annunciator for my project

    I had an idea a few years back regarding using an Arduino to monitor (1) how far I am from my GPS destination, (2) How high I am (AGL), How fast I'm going (i.e., am I below gear extension speed), etc., and (3) is the gear down? If the answer is NO, then my plan was to have my wife's voice come...
  8. dtnelson

    NSR Nylon Brake Line

    What Marc said. If you don't think it can happen to you, it will. It happened to me. Both of the airplanes I've built since then have had solid lines as Marc suggests. I've successfully used Versatube, a very soft aluminum, where there is no flexing. It's much easier to work with and can be...
  9. dtnelson

    Cold Weather Flying Tips?

    Simple rules from a Minnesota pilot: Dress for success. That means layers, electric sock heaters, etc. DON'T forget - you must be dressed for survival in an off airport landing too! Seal the cockpit! Even small air leaks will feel like little knives cutting you after awhile. I carry a roll...
  10. dtnelson

    What is your biggest gripe about your hangar?

    The Reversion Clause... What the heck is a reversion clause you say? Well, here at KRST (Rochester, Minnesota), where we are trying to renegotiate our land lease, our airport manager is insisting on a reversion clause - a clause in the contract that causes the ownership of the hangar to revert...
  11. dtnelson

    Garmin SL40....that's dirty pool old man !

    If you're willing to try to fix it, may I suggest removing one of the other four caps of similar size, measuring the capacitance, and replacing the burned out cap with the same value? Might be worth a try. The problem is that it's very possible that something else was involved in the cap's...
  12. dtnelson

    Dash/Breaker Labeling

    A trick I learned from a Cozy driver buddy (Bob Bittner)... - Use whatever tools you like on your computer to lay out and print your desired labels. I've had to print a few to get the spacing just right. - Take your printout (digital form works best) to your local office supply store, & have...
  13. dtnelson

    HUD

    I apologize if this is a dumb question; it probably is; but I've often wondered if using something like this used to project a display from my (Garmin) glass panel onto a semi-transparent glass, mounted at an angle, would work? (Blatently trying to take advantage of the expertise on this...
  14. dtnelson

    Solder Splice Connectors

    Thanks to RV7Charlie for clarification on those "solder ring" splice joints. Personally, I would NEVER use something like that as an alternative to either a real solder joint or a crimped joint. Why? You cannot get a good mechanical connection on the wire before soldering (and no, the shrink...
  15. dtnelson

    Solder Splice Connectors

    RV7 Charlie has it right ... the issue isn't the melting point of the solder. The reliability issues from solder joints comes from (a) people who don't know how to correctly solder, and (b) the stress risers that occur at the point where the solder ends and the solderless wire begins. This can...
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