Tachometer solutions for single magneto, hand prop VW?

[cluttonfred]

What tach solutions are folks using for single magneto (Slick or Vertex), hand prop VW? Tiny Tach is great but not if looking for a classic or antique appearance. Other magneto-driven solutions are quite expensive and many still require electric power. Is there an affordable solution for an analog tach that is either mechanical or can run off a small battery? Cheers, Matthew

 

[Pops]

I have seen pictures where people have made a tack drive that went into the distributor hole.
For me, I like my Tiny-Tack. After 5 years the battery in my Tiny-Tack gave up the ghost. I dug in the potting material in the rear of the case and found the battery and solder to wires to the terminals and wired it to a 2 -AA batteries for 3 volts. I just change the batteries at inspection time each year. If you loose power you will lose the hour meter, so use another set of batteries with alligator clips to keep power to the tack while changing batteries.

Dan

 

[N8053H]

I have seen pictures where people have made a tack drive that went into the distributor hole.
For me, I like my Tiny-Tack. After 5 years the battery in my Tiny-Tack gave up the ghost. I dug in the potting material in the rear of the case and found the battery and solder to wires to the terminals and wired it to a 2 -AA batteries for 3 volts. I just change the batteries at inspection time each year. If you loose power you will lose the hour meter, so use another set of batteries with alligator clips to keep power to the tack while changing batteries.

Dan

Dan some more great info from you. I also use the Tiny-Tack.

I was using a tack that was powered or worked off the P-lead. After changing or buying a New Mag this tack was not working correctly. It worked fine with the old Mag. Not sure why it did not work with the new one. It would read 800 RPM's at max throttle. So it was replaced.

It was getting replaced anyway after I saw its hooked to the P-lead. What a bad idea. If something goes south in the gauge it " Could " cause the engine to shut down. I believe in hooking nothing to the P-lead but the kill switch.

If you want that gauge send me a private message with the info needed and you may have it. Others have sent me stuff for free, my way of paying it forward. In aviation we need more of this.

Tony

 

[Dana]

My tach runs off the P-lead. It's fused, in accordance with the Mosler manual, so it shouldn't cause any issues.

Dana

 

[cluttonfred]

Thanks, guys. I would really prefer an anolog alternative to the Tiny Tach. So, if I understand correctly, the tach running off the P lead is not connected to aircraft power? Are there any other tachs that I should be considering, perhaps running from a flywheel sensor or the like? I was planning to have at least a 9v battery and an idiot light for the oil pressure so not a big deal to get a bigger battery and run a gauge with it, I would think.

 

[Dana]

So, if I understand correctly, the tach running off the P lead is not connected to aircraft power?

Correct, at least for the tach in my plane.

Dana