Aspen Failure PIREP

[Ted]

As some of you know, our 310 has an Aspen that was installed in August of 2011.

When I was somewhere south of Cozumel en route to Belize near a point where there was no radio contact and no places to land. Generally considered a bad place for something bad to happen.

And with a "poof" of smoke, the Aspen quit. Screen went black, no more feed to the autopilot. My first thought was "Well, that wasn't exactly what I was hoping for."

After turning off the unit and pulling the breaker, I made sure there was no fire in the cabin. Being a veteran of Lucas electrical systems, I know that when wires release their magic smoke that actually conducts energy, they stop working, so I figured there was no point in messing around with the unit anymore.

About 2,000 miles later when I got back home, I called the avionics shop that had done the instal and talked to them about the problem. He said he'd never heard of one giving up the ghost with a little smoke cloud and that really surprised him. Overall, he said he hasn't seen many failures and has seen them to be reliable units. My personal feeling is that the unit overheated. It was very hot in the cabin. I was very warm despite having all the shades closed, cling-tints shading me, light clothing, and having my boots off. I also had the full avionics suite going - 530W, radar, transponder, #2 Nav/Com. So, there was a decent amount of heat behind the panel. I don't think the unit should have failed under these conditions (it certainly was still well within DO-160 requirements), but it did. Maybe there was a defect in the unit.

Anyway, the avionics shop submitted a warranty claim to Aspen, who quickly drop-shipped a rebuilt unit to me to have the local shop install. It takes all of about 5 minutes to change out - a pitot connector, a static connector, and then the 25? pin connector with two allen keys holding it in place. Very convenient to be able to do locally without having to fly to the avionics shop. They even included the pre-paid FedEx label for return shipment, so the dead unit is heading back tomorrow.

The rebuilt unit even has the newest firmware installed, which has benefits of slightly larger text in certain areas, and I've heard is supposed to help the unit run cooler. Next month when the plane goes to the avionics shops for a couple of new goodies, we're going to add a cooling fan to help the units back there. I think this should help the situation for all of the electronics.

Ideally, parts in our planes should never break, especially after only 15 months and ~300 hours. Two friends of mine who have Aspens in their planes (including one of the first adopters) have had zero problems with them whatsoever. I know Steve is at the opposite end of the spectrum, and so far I suppose I fall somewhere in the middle. What impresses me more is the customer service when a failure happens. I think Aspen handled it well, and I appreciate the fact that the unit is so easy to change out.

Maybe I should buy a spare unit and keep it in the plane with me.

 

[Jim Burns]

Had an Aspen installed in our Aztec this past August. Have about 35 hours on it. So far no problems.

Having a spare on board would surely guarantee that the one in the panel wouldn't go smoke. Just made a trip to Vegas and back... had the following spares aboard: vac pump, mech fuel pump, elect fuel pump, alternator, and a starter. All we would have needed to take was a spare right magneto... which we didn't have.

BTW, we had the avionics shop move our AI and HSI over for our #2 Nav head and they installed a toggle switch between them, the Aspen and the autopilot so we can drive the autopilot from the "old" equipment if needed.

 

[Geico266]

Any idea what went wrong?

 

[Ted]

Had an Aspen installed in our Aztec this past August. Have about 35 hours on it. So far no problems.

Having a spare on board would surely guarantee that the one in the panel wouldn't go smoke. Just made a trip to Vegas and back... had the following spares aboard: vac pump, mech fuel pump, elect fuel pump, alternator, and a starter. All we would have needed to take was a spare right magneto... which we didn't have.

BTW, we had the avionics shop move our AI and HSI over for our #2 Nav head and they installed a toggle switch between them, the Aspen and the autopilot so we can drive the autopilot from the "old" equipment if needed.

Of course, Murphy would make sure that if you had a spare, the main one wouldn't have issues. Technically speaking, though, a second one adds a bunch of heat right next to the original unit, which would increase the probability of failure.

We'd considered having a toggle switch between the two, but it doesn't make a lot of sense really. For one, the failure probability is pretty small. Two, I don't use the autopilot a ton in the 310 (it trims out and hand flies very nicely). Three, it adds more failure modes and potential diagnostic issues with the relays. Since our current #2 Nav is just a VOR and not a GPS, it also wouldn't help us much anyway.

 

[Ted]

Any idea what went wrong?

My guess is it overheated and some critical circuit inside it let out the magic smoke.

 

[JHW]

The only one i ever flew with, granted it was an early one, ran uncomfortably hot all the time. Too hot to hold your finger to the side of it for long.

 

[Geico266]

My guess is it overheated and some critical circuit inside it let out the magic smoke.

Magic smoke bad.


In the experimental world I would have tried to fix it in flight.

 

[Marauder]

Ted -- I agree these units run hot. I was downloading my Aspen databases (Jepp and Seattle Avionics) for my dual Aspens and I noticed the cooling fan came on even though the plane was sitting in the hangar and the temps were in the mid 20s. I think the cooling fan is a good idea.

As for your AP, if you have an Aspen MFD to go along with your PFD, Aspen can provide your avionics shop a wiring diagram for an AP switchover during reversion. Here is a picture of the switch.

 

[Ted]

The only one i ever flew with, granted it was an early one, ran uncomfortably hot all the time. Too hot to hold your finger to the side of it for long.

This one normally runs warm, but not a great deal warmer than the 530W.

Magic smoke bad.

In the experimental world I would have tried to fix it in flight.

There's not a great deal you could have done without some fairly intricate tools and a soldering iron in this case. If you had a second Aspen and an allen key, then you probably could swap it out easily enough.

Ted -- I agree these units run hot. I was downloading my Aspen databases (Jepp and Seattle Avionics) for my dual Aspens and I noticed the cooling fan came on even though the plane was sitting in the hangar and the temps were in the mid 20s. I think the cooling fan is a good idea.

As for your AP, if you have an Aspen MFD to go along with your PFD, Aspen can provide your avionics shop a wiring diagram for an AP switchover during reversion. Here is a picture of the switch.

Since right now we only have the PFD, it's a non-issue. There's no point in setting it up to work with the #2 Nav. When we have a GPS in the #2 slot and if we decide to add an MFD, then we might look into the Aspen wiring diagram and see if it makes sense. I'm a fan of redundancy, but I'm also a fan of not adding extra failure modes.

The jury's still out about whether or not to add the Aspen MFD. It's not in the budget right now, so we'd be looking at sometime next year at the earliest. Synthetic vision seems like it would be more useful, really.

 

[LDJones]

That's a bummer! I just started flying with the Aspen in a friend's Bo A36. Great device. I hope this was just a freak anomaly.

I bet you missed it on the flight home!

 

[Ted]

That's a bummer! I just started flying with the Aspen in a friend's Bo A36. Great device. I hope this was just a freak anomaly.

I bet you missed it on the flight home!

I'd prefer it was predictable, that would make it repairable.

I did miss it on the flight home, but not as much as you'd imagine. Keep in mind that with the Aspen dead, I still have:

2 ASIs
1 DG (w/heading bug)
1 CDI
2 AIs
2 Altimeters
1 TC
1 530W

And I'm sure some other bits I've forgotten. Point is, it's still quite capable on backups, and better-equipped than many planes I've flown in instruments.

More than anything, I was sitting there thinking "We paid how much for this thing and it quit already?"

 

[Everskyward]

More than anything, I was sitting there thinking "We paid how much for this thing and it quit already?"

At least you could also say, "It's still under warranty."

 

[Ted]

At least you could also say, "It's still under warranty."

Exactly. Although I have heard that Aspen is also very kind to people who've had them fail after the warranty period runs out.

 

[LDJones]

Exactly. Although I have heard that Aspen is also very kind to people who've had them fail after the warranty period runs out.

I'm thinking the manufacturing costs are fairly nominal so doing right by their customers buys them a lot for a fairly low cost. That's been Lightspeed's model and seems to be working well for them.

 

[Ted]

I'm thinking the manufacturing costs are fairly nominal so doing right by their customers buys them a lot for a fairly low cost. That's been Lightspeed's model and seems to be working well for them.

I'd agree with that, and am also a satisfied Lightspeed customer who's made several warranty claims - we own 3 Lightspeed headsets. Like Lightspeed, Aspen makes a great product and the reputation is they stand behind it.

One could argue the technical merits of the Aspen vs. the G500/600, and I think there are pluses and minuses to both. I think most people agree that Garmin doesn't have great customer service, though. So for those times when it does break, well...

Personally I would like to see Garmin unseated from their throne. Of course, as I say this, we're going to be installing a 430W to compliment the 530W. So I suppose I'm not as interested as I say I am.

 

[tmyers]

Maybe I should buy a spare unit and keep it in the plane with me.

Ted,

Go ahead and buy the spare, I will keep it in my plane for safe keeping.

 

[Ted]

Tim, that might not work so well when I'm in a foreign country.

 

[tmyers]

Hey I would take great care of it though,

Just havin fun today, great day to fly. Maybe one day I will be able to afford some of those nice things.

 

[Alexb2000]

Seems like all the glass panel aircraft have really large cooling fans. Maybe it's not the Aspen, but as you said the cooling fan was inadequate and the environmental conditions never pushed it that hard before.

 

[LDJones]

Seems like all the glass panel aircraft have really large cooling fans. Maybe it's not the Aspen, but as you said the cooling fan was inadequate and the environmental conditions never pushed it that hard before.

Getting a bright, daylight-readable display takes some juice, and juice is heat.

 

[Marauder]

Seems like all the glass panel aircraft have really large cooling fans. Maybe it's not the Aspen, but as you said the cooling fan was inadequate and the environmental conditions never pushed it that hard before.

The Apens come with their own cooling fans but they are small. http://www.aspenavionics.com/products/general-aviation/evolution-1000/ (picture on left, bottom is the fan).

At the avionics shop that installed mine, they have a dual Aspen setup in the same box as a G500 and 750. You could fry an egg on the Aspen display.

 

[timwinters]

I'm thinking the manufacturing costs are fairly nominal so doing right by their customers buys them a lot for a fairly low cost. That's been Lightspeed's model and seems to be working well for them.

And E.I.'s

 

[Ted]

Seems like all the glass panel aircraft have really large cooling fans. Maybe it's not the Aspen, but as you said the cooling fan was inadequate and the environmental conditions never pushed it that hard before.

The general feeling is that Aspens do run warm. The cooling fan was added (early models didn't have it). Supposedly the new version of firmware that exists in the warranty unit I got also helps it run cooler, but the display is the real source of heat. Anything you can do to reduce heat will help the problem, though.

I still believe Aspen makes a good unit and I am happy with our purchase decision, although I will admit to questioning it somewhat after the failure. But overall I think their architecture is better than the G500, and they are learning their way along as you'd expect from a new company. I think we will likely add synthetic vision at some point, and potentially another Aspen. We'll see. For now, I'm glad to have the plane back.

 

[Ted]

One thing I might do differently is manually dim the display a bit. I find they have it programmed on the bright side (although the new firmware might change this). While better than dim, that does account for a lot of heat.

 

[Marauder]

One thing I might do differently is manually dim the display a bit. I find they have it programmed on the bright side (although the new firmware might change this). While better than dim, that does account for a lot of heat.

Ted - I have the latest firmware on my Aspens and they still run hot. I did lower the brightness on the PFD and that helps. I also used the MFD with the black screen (IFR mode) and that helps as well.

 

[Ted]

Ted - I have the latest firmware on my Aspens and they still run hot. I did lower the brightness on the PFD and that helps. I also used the MFD with the black screen (IFR mode) and that helps as well.

I'm sure it still runs warm, but any little decrease helps. Good to know on the display options. I'll try that on Saturday's flight up north and see what it does.

 

[Marauder]

I'm sure it still runs warm, but any little decrease helps. Good to know on the display options. I'll try that on Saturday's flight up north and see what it does.

The egg takes about a minute longer now to cook

 

[peter-h]

How does one deal with the "autopilot source" switch, in terms of certification?

I have enquired about doing something similar but it is a complicated Major Alteration because, for a start, the autopilot AFMS needs to be changed, which is a big FAA ACO job.

This has been looked by many people in connection with the Bendix autopilots that use a KI256 as the pitch/roll source. You lose the vac pump and you lose the autopilot... Casteleberry make an exact replica of the KI256 but electrically driven. Yet, there is no practical legal way to switch the pitch/roll autopilot input between one or the other.

 

[Ted]

In that respect, I think one must also consider what one cares about for failure modes. If I lose vacuum (both pumps in my case) I will also lose AP. I would be more concerned in your case about loss of vacuum instruments than loss of AP. The former being a potential safety issue, the latter being no big deal.

Remember that if you add a switch with relays, etc., you are adding failure modes.

 

[peter-h]

You don't actually need a relay to do that. Just a 3 pole toggle switch - if you don't care about backing up the flight director. If you want to back up the FD then yes you need a relay.

Also I would not agree that losing the AP is no big deal

Especially if you have also lost the main AI.

Obviously one can get by but the cockpit workload goes up. If none of us cared about cockpit workload, we would all be flying Tiger Moths

 

[Ted]

To each his own. In 2,000 hours of flying mostly piston twins on hard IFR I have had and used autopilots to varying degrees as workload reducers, but I never cared much if they worked or not - it just wasn't significant enough to me because it's easy to fly withoit them. But I also think people get too dependent on them.

 

[Marauder]

How does one deal with the "autopilot source" switch, in terms of certification?

I have enquired about doing something similar but it is a complicated Major Alteration because, for a start, the autopilot AFMS needs to be changed, which is a big FAA ACO job.

This has been looked by many people in connection with the Bendix autopilots that use a KI256 as the pitch/roll source. You lose the vac pump and you lose the autopilot... Casteleberry make an exact replica of the KI256 but electrically driven. Yet, there is no practical legal way to switch the pitch/roll autopilot input between one or the other.

Are you talking about doing something with an Aspen or something separate? I am not too familiar with the King interfaces with Aspen but do remember reading about their EA 100 product being used in conjunction with their AHRS. From their website: The EA100 gives customers who install the Evolution Flight Display System the option to remove and replace expensive legacy mechanical attitude gyros with a less costly gyro--also reducing or eliminating the ongoing repair and overhaul costs associated with the legacy gyros.

It sounds to me what they described is a direct replacement for the attitude KI256: http://www.aspenavionics.com/products/ea100-adapter-for-autopilots.

If this is the case, installing a MFD 1000 with full AHRS capabilities, it sounds like you could use the switch I posted earlier in the thread as the switching capabilities between the AHRS units in each Aspen.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[CJones]

We have 3 Advanced Flight Systems displays in the RV-10. We ended up mounting some CPU fans that vent onto the windscreen to help get rid of the heat under the panel. As a side bonus, you have a very reliable source for defrost.

 

[Sam D]

If this is the case, installing a MFD 1000 with full AHRS capabilities, it sounds like you could use the switch I posted earlier in the thread as the switching capabilities between the AHRS units in each Aspen.

But you'd still be dependent on a single pitot/static system. If that goes TU for some reason, there goes your attitude information as well. I don't know why this is or if this is just an Aspen thing. But it's something to keep in mind.

 

[Ted]

But you'd still be dependent on a single pitot/static system. If that goes TU for some reason, there goes your attitude information as well. I don't know why this is or if this is just an Aspen thing. But it's something to keep in mind.

Depends. I have two pitot tubes, so if I added a second one I would make sure it was hooked up to the second pitot tube.

 

[Marauder]

But you'd still be dependent on a single pitot/static system. If that goes TU for some reason, there goes your attitude information as well. I don't know why this is or if this is just an Aspen thing. But it's something to keep in mind.

The pitot static is common for both AHRS, so if you have 1 pitot/static system, yes, you will lose the airspeed and the altimeter tapes. That said, the AHRS is not using the pitot static system to determine attitude or control the autopilot. I think the poster was inquiring about whether there was a way to back up the AP function for his King.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sam D]

The pitot static is common for both AHRS, so if you have 1 pitot/static system, yes, you will lose the airspeed and the altimeter tapes. That said, the AHRS is not using the pitot static system to determine attitude or control the autopilot. I think the poster was inquiring about whether there was a way to back up the AP function for his King.

You'll lose attitude as well as airspeed and altimeter.

6.1.1.

Identifying and Handling Suspected Pitot and/or

Static System Failures
Blocked pitot and/or static system ports will compromise the PFD’s attitude solution
and soon cause it to Red-X (fail). Immediately begin flying by reference to backup
attitude sources. Therefore, the pilot must be especially vigilant about verifying proper​

operation of the pitot and static systems both before and during flight.
​

​

 

[Marauder]

Stand corrected. Also explains why the backup AI is required.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk