$429 Dimmer Switch

And it's not even for the Dept. of Defense! :-)

For those of you thinking about airplane ownership (and I know you're
lurking out there!), we just got the bill to replace one of the two dimmer
switches (and a few light bulbs) in our Pathfinder's panel.

$104 in parts, 5 hours labor (It's a real bitch to diagnose and get at in a
Cherokee...).

Total: $429.73.

Gotta love aviation.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

And it's not even for the Dept. of Defense! :-)

For those of you thinking about airplane ownership (and I know you're
lurking out there!), we just got the bill to replace one of the two dimmer
switches (and a few light bulbs) in our Pathfinder's panel.

$104 in parts, 5 hours labor (It's a real bitch to diagnose and get at in
a
Cherokee...).

Total: $429.73.

Gotta love aviation.

Get in there and do that kind of thing yourself and pay somebody to check it
and sign it off !

And you still refuse to learn how to use a multimeter and get your hands dirty?

Sheesh. There is no hope.

{;-)

Jim



"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-And it's not even for the Dept. of Defense! :-)
-
-For those of you thinking about airplane ownership (and I know you're
-lurking out there!), we just got the bill to replace one of the two dimmer
-switches (and a few light bulbs) in our Pathfinder's panel.
-
-$104 in parts, 5 hours labor (It's a real bitch to diagnose and get at in a
-Cherokee...).
-
-Total: $429.73.
-
-Gotta love aviation.

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Get in there and do that kind of thing yourself and pay somebody to check
it
and sign it off !

Um, well, it took quite a while to determine that it was a problem with the
dimmer itself.

The circuitry for this thing is just totally bizarre. Rather than just
being a simple rheostat, it's hooked into some transistors, and capacitors,
and resistors -- all for no apparent reason. At first the shop thought it
was one of the transistors, but it blew instantly when they installed a new
one (at no charge to me), so they had to keep digging.

Mumble, grumble. Stupid 30 year old planes. I'm sure the new Cirrus panel
has everything in the dimmer circuit on a single chip, hidden somewhere in
the armrest, or something.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Mumble, grumble. Stupid 30 year old planes. I'm sure the new Cirrus
panel
has everything in the dimmer circuit on a single chip, hidden somewhere in
the armrest, or something.
--

Naw, the FAA probably still requires the same "proven" circuit that is in
your plane.

Err, that transistor is there so that the rheostat doesn't double as a space
heater. It is there for a very good reason, although today there are better
ways to dim rather than a pass transistor. For that price, you could have
installed one of the pulse width modulated dimmers and done away with the old
fashioned piper circuit. Would have required a 337, but then it would be the
last time you'd ever have to deal with it. You might have even been able to
get separate dimmer circuits for instrument and overhead lights out of the
deal.

Jay Honeck wrote:

Get in there and do that kind of thing yourself and pay somebody to check
it
and sign it off !

Um, well, it took quite a while to determine that it was a problem with the
dimmer itself.

The circuitry for this thing is just totally bizarre. Rather than just
being a simple rheostat, it's hooked into some transistors, and capacitors,
and resistors -- all for no apparent reason. At first the shop thought it
was one of the transistors, but it blew instantly when they installed a new
one (at no charge to me), so they had to keep digging.

Mumble, grumble. Stupid 30 year old planes. I'm sure the new Cirrus panel
has everything in the dimmer circuit on a single chip, hidden somewhere in
the armrest, or something.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Jim Weir wrote:

And you still refuse to learn how to use a multimeter and get your hands dirty?

The last few posts by Mr. Honeck usually contained the words "inn full" and "no
time", or similar phrases. If it took a skilled professional 5 hours to find and
fix, how long do you think it would've taken Jay to do it?

Paying the mech was probably a good deal cheaper in the short run.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

"Jay Honeck" writes:

And it's not even for the Dept. of Defense! :-)

For those of you thinking about airplane ownership

Here is a test my mechanic suggested for those thinking about buying a
plane (or boat, etc).

Go to the bank and request $100 from your account. Get the cash in
the form of a crisp new $100 bill.

Go outside, and with a match or lighter set fire to the $100 bill.
Hold it in your hand and watch it burn. Throw the remainder on the
ground, grind it out, get in your car and drive away.

If this doesn't bother you in the least then you are ready to buy. If
it does, better take up some other hobby.

"Bob Fry" wrote in message
...
"Jay Honeck" writes:

And it's not even for the Dept. of Defense! :-)

For those of you thinking about airplane ownership

Here is a test my mechanic suggested for those thinking about buying a
plane (or boat, etc).

Go to the bank and request $100 from your account. Get the cash in
the form of a crisp new $100 bill.

Go outside, and with a match or lighter set fire to the $100 bill.
Hold it in your hand and watch it burn. Throw the remainder on the
ground, grind it out, get in your car and drive away.

If this doesn't bother you in the least then you are ready to buy. If
it does, better take up some other hobby.

So...you think flying is a waste of money?

A WHAT? Read the title at the top of the 337 form. **MAJOR** repair.

Sheesh.

Jim


Ray Andraka
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

- Would have required a 337,


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com