When starting the engine the other day, I had an ECU A and an ECU B failure. Damn. I am at an airport that does not have a Diamond mechanic. Fortunately, the good people at Special Services in Greenville, South Carolina, (an authorized repair facility) FedEx’d me the serial port connector (loaned) and told me how to do it. Attached are photographs of the process. You will note, that because my airplane is parked outside, I have to use a generator to connect the GPU. Also, I have to use an extension cord from the generator to power the laptop. The whole thing was royal pain. Nevertheless, I think I got it done and look forward to the results when I send the data to Greenville tomorrow. I’m pretty sure it’s just a sensor which should not be a big deal unless I need an upgraded sensor in which case there’s a lot of wiring involved; and I suspect that will cost us small fortune. Stay tuned.
I will use this as an opportunity to learn how to use the Wizard analysis software. But because the POH requires mandatory service when this failure is noted, I have to have a A&P make the decisions as to what must be done.
Special Services Corp. Diamond Authorized Service Center. (864) 242-3383. www.FlySSC.com. Ron Campbell and Sergei
Reading ECU data from serial port
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Mjwatlanta
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Steve
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Re: Reading ECU data from serial port
Wow. What a pain. Assuming one had the serial port connector, could you not just run the laptop and avionics off of their batteries long enough to download the data? How long does it take?
A couple of times I had to connect to my KAP140 via its serial port to my laptop for some diagnosis. The aircraft battery was running the autopilot, autopilot servos, and HSI for about 30 minutes with no problem. Laptop ran off its battery for the same amount of time...
A couple of times I had to connect to my KAP140 via its serial port to my laptop for some diagnosis. The aircraft battery was running the autopilot, autopilot servos, and HSI for about 30 minutes with no problem. Laptop ran off its battery for the same amount of time...
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michael.g.miller
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Re: Reading ECU data from serial port
Yeah you can run the ECUs off the airplane battery, I've done this every time. Actually, don't think I've ever used a GPU with my DA42 before!
Just be sure to pull all of the fuel pump circuit breakers before you turn on the engine masters (and turn them on afterward!). Obviously you don't want to do this indefinitely, but for a quick 10 minute download, it's fine. After you've saved the data on your computer, you can analyze them without being connected to the plane.
Just be sure to pull all of the fuel pump circuit breakers before you turn on the engine masters (and turn them on afterward!). Obviously you don't want to do this indefinitely, but for a quick 10 minute download, it's fine. After you've saved the data on your computer, you can analyze them without being connected to the plane.
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Mjwatlanta
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Re: Reading ECU data from serial port
It seemed to take a long time. Maybe 20 minutes. I did pull the fuel pump breakers as part of the process. The laptop is old and the battery is not very good so I was concerned it would die before the task was completed. Also, the mechanic told me I did not want to run out of battery in the middle as I would have to start over. So, I did this set up and it wasn’t as bad as it looks.
I keep the generator in my locker in a FBO hanger and carry it out to the airplane in the trunk of my car. Pretty much anytime I want to fiddle with the navigation system, I hook it up so it’s become a relatively easy task.
If you buy generator, make sure it has enough juice to run the GPU. GPUs draw a lot of amps.
I keep the generator in my locker in a FBO hanger and carry it out to the airplane in the trunk of my car. Pretty much anytime I want to fiddle with the navigation system, I hook it up so it’s become a relatively easy task.
If you buy generator, make sure it has enough juice to run the GPU. GPUs draw a lot of amps.