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.

FMI: www.VerticalPower.com