Electronic total energy vario

Hi Gang
The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave

There are many choices for electronic TE varios. Most are just about
any of the common flight computer vario systems. I fly with a
Cambridge 302 that is configured for electronic compensation. I have
only my mechanical vario on the TE probe. That way I have two
independent systems. The Cambridge 302 with electronic compensation
works very well for me.
Guy "DDS"

On Jul 18, 6:01*pm, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
*The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave

Try the Cambridge 302, Westerboer VW911, LX4000, to name a few.
Electronic TE has been around for a long time.

Kirk
66

On 7/18/2011 7:01 PM, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave


The Cambridge 302 (and I'm sure many others) will do that. see the
manual http://www.cambridge-aero.com/manuals/302_v2.pdf , section 2.2.4.

Tony

On Jul 18, 5:01*pm, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
*The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave

Hi Dave,

The Westerboer 1020 is the latest full featured electronic total
energy vario from Westerboer- Great vario.

Mike

On Jul 18, 5:01*pm, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
*The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave

I don't think Dave is asking about the 302 since it uses a TE probe.
What I think he's asking about is doing the TE calculation in real-
time in silicon using just the airspeed and altitude data from pitot
and static ports. AFAIK, no variometer has ever taken this approach.

I've wondered about this too since it would do away with almost all
the special variometer plumbing as well as the probe. It would also
eliminate a lot of pneumatic artifacts.

Bill Daniels

On Jul 18, 7:35*pm, Bill D wrote:
On Jul 18, 5:01*pm, kd6veb wrote:

Hi Gang
*The electronic TE vario should be possible to implement with modern
electronics today. I have googled this item but have not been able to
find one. Maybe it doesn't exist for whatever reasons. It would sure
simplify some of the complex TE probe systems that stick out of the
empennages of many gliders. Any ideas or thoughts?
Dave

I don't think Dave is asking about the 302 since it uses a TE probe.
What I think he's asking about is doing the TE calculation in real-
time in silicon using just the airspeed and altitude data from pitot
and static ports. *AFAIK, no variometer has ever taken this approach.

I've wondered about this too since it would do away with almost all
the special variometer plumbing as well as the probe. *It would also
eliminate a lot of pneumatic artifacts.

Bill Daniels

The 302 does not require a TE probe. You can connect the static port
to both the static and TE connections on the 302 and use pure
electronic TE compensation. The 302 was designed to do this very thing
as specified in the documentation.

It can be done and it can work quite well. My glider has no TE probe
and is equipped with an old Peschges VP4E NAV vario which is set up
for electronic compensation. In order for electronic TE to work
properly though the pitot and static systems installation must have
little to no inherent error. Not all glider designs meet this
criteria. If you go back and look at the Johnson flight tests in
Soaring magazine you'll find that quite a few gliders have large
errors in the static system which can put the airspeed indication
several knots out (dig up the article on the Standard Cirrus for a
good example of this).

On Jul 18, 8:59*pm, Hagbard Celine wrote:
It can be done and it can work quite well. My glider has no TE probe
and is equipped with an old Peschges VP4E NAV vario which is set up
for electronic compensation. In order for electronic TE to work
properly though the pitot and static systems installation must have
little to no inherent error. Not all glider designs meet this
criteria. If you go back and look at the Johnson flight tests in
Soaring magazine you'll find that quite a few gliders have large
errors in the static system which can put the airspeed indication
several knots out (dig up the article on the Standard Cirrus for a
good example of this).

If the position error is known, why can't the vario computer use a
"lookup table' to produce calibrated airspeed?

On Jul 18, 9:34*pm, Bill D wrote:
On Jul 18, 8:59*pm, Hagbard Celine wrote:

It can be done and it can work quite well. My glider has no TE probe
and is equipped with an old Peschges VP4E NAV vario which is set up
for electronic compensation. In order for electronic TE to work
properly though the pitot and static systems installation must have
little to no inherent error. Not all glider designs meet this
criteria. If you go back and look at the Johnson flight tests in
Soaring magazine you'll find that quite a few gliders have large
errors in the static system which can put the airspeed indication
several knots out (dig up the article on the Standard Cirrus for a
good example of this).

If the position error is known, why can't the vario computer use a
"lookup table' to produce calibrated airspeed?

Bill,

On the current Westerboer, tweaks can be simply done (manually), to
get the correct total energy. Probably on others also. The 1020 works/
worked well in both a RS-15 and Mini Nimbus- both with questionable
static locations.

Mike