"Del Johnson, North Point Solutions, Inc" wrote:

I have been making good progress on the development of a cockpit

management

system designed primarily monitor the engine parameters for the

Mazda

that

is mounted to my Glastar.  I will be using a couple CypressMicro

Psoc

processors to feed a Matrix Orbital 4 row/20 column Vacuum

Fluorescent

Display and to monitor all of the sensors.  I have successfully

written

the

software to talk to the display using I2C serial communications and

have

interfaced with a PIC SPI EEProm memory chip.  The system is capable

of

capturing in-flight data using as may EEprom memory chips that are

needed.

I plan to implement a RS232 serial connection to be used for

entering

calibration and display data.  The CypressMicro system has

programable

firmware integrated into the Psoc chip that allows you to configure

digital

and analog building blocks using GUI tools.  The same type of

digital

block

that is used for SPI communications can be redesignated as a

UART/Rx8/Tx8

module.  The Analog blocks can be configures as op-amps, DAC, ADC,

etc.

Once these blocks are configured that operate independantly of the

CPU

(the

blocks need data sent to them and read from them and they can

interupt

the

cpu when their function is complete such as sending a character out

the

serial line).  I end up writing very little code, usually a start

command,

read or write a value type command and sometimes a stop command plus

setting

up and managing the loop.

Anyway, I'm at the point of configuring and wiring up the pressure

and

temperature sensors.  I started to make a list of what I would like

to

monitor though this system.  I'm sure that I have left a couple

things

out

so I thought I as for help from the other builders.
Here is what I have so far:

Temperature Sensors:

        Water (one sensor per return line for each heat exchanger -

I or

others may

have two)
        Oil Temperature (located on the return side of the heat

exchanger)

        OAT
        EGT

Pressure Sensors

        oil
        water
        Fuel Pressure (2 - for each fuel rail)

        Air Pressure (Pitot & Static)

        Duct Sensors ( at least two for inflight data capture )

Voltage (battery)
Amperage (battery)
RPM
Hobbs Meter

Fuel
        Fuel burn (obtain data from Tracy's EC2
        Tank Level (Capacitive type sensors)
        Fuel Empty Sensors

Please feel free to comment on the list.  If I get this working and

tested

out in my plane I might try to produce it commercially for other

builders.

Right now it is being customized for the Rotary engine but the

pressure

and

sensor inputs can be adapted for other engine installations.

Del if you have the capacity water & oil temps into and out of the

rads

would be
handy. Also air temps in and out of the rads.

This would give us a handle on how well the cooling system
is working. Also a few pressure measurements around the radiators
would indicate how well the scoops and ducts are working.

I would also like to see cylinder head temperature down next to
the combustion chamber adjacent to the lower spark plugs.

Paul Lamar

How about enough channels for each rotor (3 for the 20B) + 1 tit
(turbine inlet temp) for the turbocharged crowd, mounted to read the
temp just before the turbo? Might be useful! Also Oxygen sensor (for EC
tuning).
 [Marc Wiese]

 
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