Another question

[RanRan]

Can the LightSpeed electronic ignition back-up battery be wired (switchable) in such a way as to back-up an EFIS? I'm thinking here of Garmin and other glass panels with a "Nearest Airport" button. I would want to know immediately and exactly where to turn in the event of a total electrical failure.

"Carry a chart." I don't think that can be assumed anymore, especially on short trips.

[randylervold]

Can the LightSpeed electronic ignition back-up battery be wired (switchable) in such a way as to back-up an EFIS? I'm thinking here of Garmin and other glass panels with a "Nearest Airport" button. I would want to know immediately and exactly where to turn in the event of a total electrical failure.

"Carry a chart." I don't think that can be assumed anymore, especially on short trips.

In theory it could be but not if the aircraft is an SLSA, only if it has been converted to an ELSA where it can be legally modified. Also, I wouldn't advise it, in the unlikely event of a total battery failure I think keeping an ignition hot would be an absolute priority.

[Pete D]

It would be possible but not recomended. You'd be cutting the time the ignition could run off of the backup battery drasticly shorter.

If you were using a portable GPS it would have its own battery. Current panel offerings, that would be the panel with the Garmin Aera.

Pete

[RanRan]

It would be possible but not recomended. You'd be cutting the time the ignition could run off of the backup battery drasticly shorter.

If you were using a portable GPS it would have its own battery. Current panel offerings, that would be the panel with the Garmin Aera.

Pete

I would make it switchable for temporarily powering the EFIS - just long enough (five minutes?) to find the nearest airport and head there. According to Lightspeed, the 2ah backup battery will run the ignition longer than the fuel will last.

[Ndill]

In theory it could be but not if the aircraft is an SLSA, only if it has been converted to an ELSA where it can be legally modified. Also, I wouldn't advise it, in the unlikely event of a total battery failure I think keeping an ignition hot would be an absolute priority.

I don't know if your LSA or experimental but if it was me I'd wire in a connector on the
panel and just carry a battery with me if you lose ships power just plug in the batterypack.
Try http://www.batteriesplus.com/ they can make you up a ni-cad or li-on battery pack
in whatever voltage you need. This way you don't need to add it to the empty weight.
Also like randy said you don't need to go messing with the ignition backup, there's a reason
why they keep engine power and ships power separated on certifyed aircraft. You don't need a sneak circuit killing the ignition, my 2 cents.

[RanRan]

I understand and that's a decent solution. But being lost with no radio would be no picnic. IF I were to wire it up and save some weight it would because I did my research and was confident that it would work. If I'm reading Lightspeed correctly, a 2ah backup battery will run their ignition for 5 to 6 hours...and I want to land within 5 to 6 minutes. Surely, there's a safe margin there.