Displays Electrical System Information In EFIS Interface For
LSA And Sport Aircraft
Visitors to AirVenture this year are going to be seeing
innovation in a lot of areas. When it comes to keeping track of
your airplane's electrical system, Vertical Power has rolled out
its VP-X Pro and VP-X Sport products, which use Electronic Circuit
Breakers (ECBs) to simplify wiring and provide advanced electrical
system capabilities. Avionics, lights, trim, and flaps are all
powered with the VP-X, eliminating older mechanical circuit
breakers, relays, and numerous individual control boxes.
The company says the VP-X integrates with Advanced Flight
Systems, GRT Avionics, and MGL Avionics EFIS products allowing
pilots to monitor the status of individual devices and the entire
electrical system right from the EFIS. The VP-X Pro includes
Vertical Power's new DualBuss technology that has two independent
power busses in a single system, delivering unprecedented levels of
redundancy and safety. Builders can now easily divide avionics and
other electrical loads between two power busses, and should one bus
controller fail the other bus will continue to operate
independently and be able to provide power to the starter
contactor. Each bus controller is powered by an independent power
supply and microprocessor.
The new VP-X products (Pro and Sport) are half the size of the
original VP-X product. The VP-X Pro has over 30 power circuits to
handle most two and four seat experimental aircraft. The VP-X Sport
has just over 20 power circuits, making it ideal for Light Sport
Aircraft (LSA) and smaller homebuilt aircraft.
The unit replaces 80-year-old thermal breaker technology with
modern solid-state Electronic Circuit Breakers. ECBs can detect
short circuits, over-current conditions, and open-circuit faults.
ECBs are intelligent, configurable, and offer capabilities not
otherwise available with old-style breakers. For example, ECBs can
detect a burned out landing light or disable the starter circuit
while the engine is running.
"The VP-X products offer a tremendous amount of capability at a
very affordable price. We're able to keep the price low because the
user interface is an integral part of the EFIS," said Marc Ausman,
President of Vertical Power Inc. "The VP-X is based on the same
field-proven technology used in hundreds of Vertical Power systems
flying today."
If you're building an airplane with a glass cockpit, monitoring
the status of the electrical system is an important consideration.
"We see Electronic Circuit Breakers made by Vertical Power as a
modern alternative to the old method of mechanical circuit breakers
and complicated wiring," said Rob Hickman, President of Advanced
Flight Systems. "Currently all of our systems display attitude,
moving map, engine gauges, traffic, and weather. We are working on
giving the EFIS the ability to monitor and control the entire
electrical system and even reset circuit breakers in the new VP-X
system."
"The solid-state circuit breaker technology in the VP-X will
allow more system automation while simplifying wiring," said Todd
Stehouwer, Vice President, GRT Avionics.
ECBs are remotely mounted, yet you can view their status and
reset a fault from the EFIS. The VP-X is hidden from view and
doesn’t take up any space on the panel. Aircraft wiring is
simplified using the VP-X. The builder simply runs wires from the
unit to each electrical device such as a radio, transponder,
landing light, flap motor, and trim motor. Then the setup menus in
the EFIS are used to configure each circuit. The system is
completely configurable, allowing the user to set each circuit
breaker value and determine which device or devices are controlled
by each switch. The VP-X supports a single aircraft electrical bus
architecture (with or without an aux battery) with a single or dual
alternator configuration.
The VP-X Pro retails for $1800, the VP-X Sport for $1200, and
will begin shipping in November 2010. A complete wiring harness
including over 600 feet of wire and connectors is also available.
The VP-X is for use with experimental and light sport aircraft.