Flap control test

[ctfarmer]

Hello to all,

 

Still on a steep learning curve about my CTLS and how everything functions.

 

Re flap control.

My operating Instructions state that manual operation of the flaps is accessed by rotating the flap control switch past the -12 position to raise or +35 position to lower and as explained, appears to operate simply as a switch to operate the motor directly without step-wise flap control.

It also explains how to reset the controller in the event of failure of flap functions.

 

My question - Is there a way of separately testing this manual flap control function.

 

best regards peter

[Anticept]

These manual up and manual down positions are an override, and are directly wired through the switch. The other positions wire to the controller.

 

You can also hook up a 3 position center off tilt switch to the appropriate wires behind the panel, but that won't accomplish anything that manual up and down won't on the position switch itself.

 

What are you looking to do?

[ctfarmer]

I wanted to check that the manual switch was working.

 

Just thinking through the operation of the flap switch. Confirming that the two end positions are wired straight through to the motor and the flaps only go to the limit of travel either way eg -12 or +35.

 

So if we were in either -12 or +35 when you move the switch to the manual position at each end respectively, the flap would not move in any event as the flaps were already as far as they could go in that direction.

 

So a test would be to put it in some “middle” position and turn the switch quickly to a far end position and manually it should go to the full limit of travel and then stop.

 

peter

[Anticept]

The pathways that the computer controller uses are small control wires, and they route through two limit microswitches on the flap actuator (one for up, and the other for down), before proceeding back to the firewall, where the flap motor relay is located. Manual up and down uses those same pathways so the microswitches can stop the flaps at the most extreme positions, as manual up and down are basically bypassing any computer control. It is accomplished on the controller board with said up/down manual by routing the connections directly, instead of to the microprocessor's pins. It completely bypasses the microprocessor and any other circuitry on the board, and is the same as taking the +5v connection and touching it to either the up wire or down wire. The computer controller displays the three dashes in the manual up/down position because it is no longer receiving a control signal to any of it's pins, since you routed it directly with the up/down position.