PB-3 Propeller Balancer User Manual
Contents
1. be refitted to provide a suitable mounting position for the optical sensor www smartavionics com 7 Mounting the PB 3 However if the balance weights are to be added to the rear of the spinner backplate it may pay to leave the cowling off if possible during the balancing process so that it is easier to gain access to the weights Once the balancing has been completed the cowling could be replaced and a final reading taken to determine the level of vibration achieved 2 4 Mounting the PB 3 Owing to the variation in aircraft cowling shapes and sizes only generic instructions can be provided here You may find that a little experimentation is required to obtain the best results A rectangle of flexible plastic is supplied that attaches to the PB 3 using Velcro tape This rectangle is first taped to the outside of the cowling using masking tape and the PB 3 is then firmly pressed against it Caution This method of mounting the PB 3 on the cowling is perfectly adequate when the aircraft is stationary on the ground Under no circumstances should the aircraft be flown with the PB 3 attached in this way Caution If the propeller is a pusher i e the cowling is in front of the propeller rather than behind extra care should be taken to ensure that the PB 3 cannot become detached from the cowling and hit the propeller blades As a minimum tape the accelerometer cable to the cowling so that it will restrain the PB 3 in the even2. PB 3 coming away from the cowling the cable should stop it hitting the ground A Important To obtain the best results the cable from the accelerometer should be kept away from sources of electrical interference such as ignition leads magnetos ignition units generators alternators regulators and their associated wiring Be especially careful to ensure that the cable cannot get close to rotating components or very hot surfaces 12 www smartavionics com Chapter 3 Upgrading the PB 3 s Firmware The PB 3 s firmware can be upgraded by connecting the PB 3 to a PC with a USB cable and then using a simple command line program Ipc21isp to send the firmware to the PB 3 Ready to use versions of this program for both Linux and Windows systems are available on the Smart Avionics website The new balancer firmware will be named pb3 version hex where version is the firmware version number 3 1 Upgrading Using a Linux System If you are using a Linux system follow these steps 1 Download the new firmware file and the Ipc21isp program from the Smart Avionics website and save them in a convenient directory 2 Open a command shell and cd to the directory containing the saved files The Ipc21isp program is zipped into an archive so extract it and to make your life easier rename mv the executable to Ipc21isp 3 When you connect the PB 3 to the PC using a USB cable it will appear as a new USB serial device We need to ac
3. flat battery Note The PB 3 may be switched on while charging but if you leave it switched on it will increase the time taken to charge the battery and also itmay stop the charge LED from flashing when the battery has become fully charged A Important Only charge the battery when the ambient temperature is greater than 0 C 32 F and less than 40 C 104 F if the PB 3 s internal temperature is outside of this range the charge LED will flash red www smartavionics com 3 Replacing the Battery Make sure the PB 3 is not exposed to direct sunlight while it is being charged as this could cause the upper temperature limit to be exceeded If you are not going to use the PB 3 for some time months it is best to store it with the battery approximately 50 charged 1 4 Replacing the Battery The PB 3 is powered by a single 3 7V 800mAh Lithium lon battery of type Samsung AB463446BU To replace the battery follow these steps 1 2 Disconnect all cables from the PB 3 and ensure it is switched off Remove the 4 visible screws on the base of the unit and remove the top cover The battery is contained within a plastic holder that is attached to the top circuit board The holder incorporates a flexible tab that clips onto the base of the battery to keep it in place Grip either side of the base of the battery and gently lift the flexible tab sufficiently so that the battery can be removed by pulling it away from
4. the 3 pronged connector To avoid damaging the flexible tab take care not to lift the tab too far no more than 5mm and keep the battery parallel to the circuit board as it is being removed To install the new battery gently lift the tab a little so you can insert the battery and push the battery forward to locate the 3 prongs of the connector into the 3 recesses on the top end of the battery You may need to wiggle the battery slightly from side to side to allow the prongs to make contact Push the battery as far forward as it will go It should then be possible to press the end of the plastic tab down so that it grips the base of the battery Check that the battery is correctly installed by momentarily switching the PB 3 on and verifying that the LED flashes as normal If necessary adjust the position of the battery by raising the flexible tab withdrawing the battery 1 cm or so and then pushing it home again taking care to ensure that the prongs of the battery connector go into the recesses on the top of the battery Replace the top cover noting that the shallow cutouts in one of the flanges should be at the rear end of the PB 3 to clear the connectors Replace the 4 screws which should be screwed fully home but not overtightened The old battery must be disposed of according to local regulations Do not dispose of it in the household waste and do not damage it in any way www smartavionics com Chapter 2 Prepar
5. Revision 7 PB 3 Propeller Balancer User Manual Smart Avionics Ltd www smartavionics com 06 11 2013 PB 3 Propeller Balancer User Manual Copyright 2003 2013 Smart Avionics Ltd Android is a trademark of Google Inc Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 1 Balancing System Overview nen 1 TZ P B 3 Bear Panel ec sack ka 2 1 3 Battery Char ing a na EL 3 1 4 Replacing the Battery 4 2 Preparing for Propeller Balancing en 5 2 1 Additional Items Required i 5 2 2 Positioning the Aircraft an are ivteailecdhewsccsel oe een 5 2 3 Mounting the Accelerometer 6 2 4 Mounting the PB 8 x such 8 2 5 Attaching the Reflective Tape een 10 2 6 Attaching the Cable 11 3 Upgrading the PB 3 s Firmware nen 13 3 1 Upgrading Using a Linux System i 13 3 1 1 Example Ipc2Tisp output uneeeeeeesseesnnennennnnennennnnenennnnn 14 3 2 Upgrading Using a Windows System 2 0n nennen 14 A Software Licences ee aa 17 As KISS FERUIDRaN areata 17 B EMGGompliance scherno 19 C CE Declaration of Conformity s nn 21 MIR an es 23 www smartavionics com ill www smartavionics com List of Figures 1 1 PB 3 HardWare 1 12 PB 3 Rear Panel en ee 2 2 1 Acce
6. asurement control and laboratory use Equipment type Battery powered portable test measurement Environment External Workshop the undersigned hereby declare that the PB 3 conforms to the above Directive Mek Badia Mark Burton Director Smart Avionics Ltd 22 June 2012 www smartavionics com 21 22 www smartavionics com Index A accelerometer mounting 6 mounting bracket 7 sensing axes 6 temperature 7 aircraft positioning 5 B balance weights 5 battery charging 3 replacement 4 C cable 11 F firmware upgrading 13 L Ipc21isp 13 P PB 3 angle 9 mounting 8 R reflective tape 10 W wind 6 windows comm port driver 14 www smartavionics com 23 24 www smartavionics com
7. cess that device by name Linux systems generally name the USB serial devices with names like dev ttyUSBx where x is a number Before you plug the USB cable into the PB 3 execute the following command to list the names of any USB serial devices already present ls dev ttyUSB You will either see a list of names or if no USB serial devices are presently connected to your system Is will gripe because the wildcard didn t match anything 4 Plug the PB 3 into the USB cable switch it on and listthe USB serial devices again You should now see the PB 3 s serial device name addedto the list 5 To send the firmware to the PB 3 execute lpc2lisp control pb3 version hex dev ttyUSBx 115200 12000 Where pb3 version hex is the name of the file containing the new firmware and dev ttyUSBx is the name of the PB 3 s serial device www smartavionics com 13 Example Ipc21isp output Note Some systems may require you to be logged in as rootto access the USB serial devices The Ipc21isp program should display diagnostic output similar to the example shown below the lines have been shortened to fit the page 6 Once the download has finished you can switch off the PB 3 and disconnect the USB cable 3 1 1 Example Ipc21isp output lpc2lisp version 1 74 File pb3 hex loaded converted to binary format image size 90640 Image size 90640 Synchronizing ESC to abort OK Read bootcode version 1 4 R
8. d in the Propeller Balancer App User Manual Fig 1 1 PB 3 Hardware The PB 3 combines the optical tachometer and the signal processor into one lightweight unit Typically the PB 3 is attached to the outside of the aircraft s www smartavionics com 1 PB 3 Rear Panel engine cowling such that the optical sensor can see the reflective tape on the propeller blade through the red panel Optionally the PB 3 can use an externally generated tachometer signal that provides one pulse per revolution 1 2 PB 3 Rear Panel On Off Switch External Charge Activity Tachometer LED LED Connector micro USB Accelerometer Socket Connector Fig 1 2 PB 3 Rear Panel The rear panel contains On Off switch Charge LED Activity LED This functions in the obvious manner but note that to save battery power the PB 3 will turn itself off after 30 minutes of inactivity If that happens to turn the PB 3 on again simply return the switch to the OFF position and then back to the ON position Illuminated when the PB 3 is being charged Green Battery is charging continuous Green flashing Battery is fully charged disconnect the charger Red continuous Fault indication disconnect the charger and contact Smart Avionics for advice Red flashing Battery temperature is outside the allowed range for charging A red LED that indicates PB 3 activity Off Unit is off One flash every 2 Unitis on but not c
9. ead part ID LPC1758 512 kiB ROM 64 kiB SRAM 0x25013F37 Will start programming at Sector 1 if possible and conclude with Sector 0 to ensure that checksum is written last Erasing sector 0 first to invalidate checksum OK Sect r Li sauna RR i e SECLOF 2T alate wile e AE ald E Qe a LR IA SALE Ge SS SECCO dt sarah EL E EROE n Sector AL Loana bed ee u ee ea a Bal bee n Sector DE La e e E sa wee wee ee He RE e See eS Sector Gr 2a wis 6G Be woe ee EEE Sees Be eae ee ALE aw oe wee E ww RE DECLOP St Seen ea SECLOF GE See ai ois whe bee win deere fen SEct r dio Lease Lee e RE na Sector LUI merero a die eal O eis ales ea Seca ear ate Sector IL urea ae Sie eee A ee BS TO een SECL r LAL au ve Wi eee Wa Ww ERG Pale Vee Saw ae Sector 13 va oN deep es oe ta we Ge Oe Rae ee eG ee eee wee eas Sector LAT opp abba ec des eae Se Sees eG Ae RRS Ewes DECLtOr LIE ae ee ee Re eS ee eS Sector LO www ie ww ron wha ee We san Sector OF ns cee nee eka ddn ie a u a Download Finished taking 20 seconds Now launching the brand new code 3 2 Upgrading Using a Windows System If you are using a Windows system follow these steps 14 www smartavionics com Upgrading Using a Windows System Windows computers must have the VCP Virtual Comm Port driver installed The drivers can be downloaded from http www ftdichip com Drivers VCP htm Please follow the FTDI instructions to install the driver 2 Downl
10. esults you should not mount the accelerometer such that the sensing axis is parallel with the engine s cylinders On a Rotax 4 stroke engine that doesn t have a vacuum pump attached the best place to mount the accelerometer is on the rear of the gearbox using one of the available tapped holes and the supplied M6 screw and washer Fig 2 2 Accelerometer Mounted on a Rotax 912 Gearbox If the accelerometer cannot be bolted directly to the engine some form of bracket will be required Obviously the details of this are engine specific but it could be as simple as a strip of metal with a hole drilled at each end If a bracket is used it must be sufficiently stiff to ensure that the accelerometer does not move with respect to the engine However the accelerometer is mounted it must not be subjected to excessive temperatures The temperature of the sensor should not exceed 85 C If necessary thermally insulating material can be sandwiched between the accelerometer and the engine or bracket to reduce the amount of heat conducted to the accelerometer If the surrounding area will be very hot the accelerometer could be wrapped in thermally insulating material once the cable has been attached A Important The accelerometer is robust but may be damaged if dropped on a hard surface It is preferable to refit the engine cowling to minimise the turbulence generated by the airflow from the propeller For some aircraft the cowling will have to
11. hen using the PB 3 1 Do notuse the PB 3 in close proximity to other electrical equipment capable of generating large amounts of electrical interference 2 All electrical equipment in the aircraft that is not required for either safety reasons or to facilitate the running of the engine should be switched off while the PB 3 is being used 3 As described in this manual avoid routing the PB 3 s cables near to sources of electrical interference such as engine ignition components and cabling 4 Only use cables approved by Smart Avionics for connecting the sensors to the PB 3 www smartavionics com 19 20 www smartavionics com Appendix C CE Declaration of Conformity We Smart Avionics Ltd Chorlton Lane Farm Chorlton Malpas Cheshire SY14 7ES United Kingdom declare on our own responsibility that the PB 3 conforms with the essential requirements of the R amp TTE Council Directive 1999 5 EC Conformity is declared to the following harmonised standards EMC EN61326 1 2006 Electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use EMC Requirements RF EN 300328 V1 7 1 2006 2010 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM wideband transmission systems Data transmission equipment operating in the 2 4 GHz ISM band and using wideband modulation techniques Safety IEC 61010 1 2010 3rd edition and EN 61010 1 2010 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for me
12. ing for Propeller Balancing gt Caution Propellers can kill Make sure that the ignition is switched off before touching the propeller Always assume that the engine could fire when the propeller is being moved Make sure that the aircraft is securely chocked or tied down while carrying out the balancing process 2 1 Additional Items Required To carry out the balancing process you will need the following items in addition to the balancer kit Balance weights typically AN970 washers and a means of securely attaching them to the spinner backplate A scale for measuring the weights is useful but not absolutely essential as the balancer works in terms of relative weight rather than absolute weight If necessary a bracket for mounting the accelerometer onto the front of the engine optional depending on engine type and installation details An M6 screw and washer are supplied which can be used to attach the accelerometer to the back of a Rotax 4 stroke gearbox if the vacuum pump option is not fitted A roll of 25mm wide masking tape 2 2 Positioning the Aircraft The following points should be observed regarding positioning the aircraft for a propeller balancing session 1 The position must be safe for ground running of the engine Typically the engine will need to be run at cruise RPM and the aircraft should be braked and chocked and if necessary tied down 2 When deciding where to locate the PB 3 the pos
13. ition of the aircraft should be such that direct sunlight will not fall onto the PB 3 s red window If the www smartavionics com 5 Mounting the Accelerometer sun is low on the horizon it is best if the sun does not fall within the arc of the propeller when viewed from the location of the PB 3 3 If the wind is appreciable gt 5kts point the aircraft as close into wind as possible while observing point 2 above 2 3 Mounting the Accelerometer Remove sufficient cowlings to gain access to the front of the engine Mount the accelerometer 40mm square with a 6mm hole through the middle as near to the front of the engine as possible with the accelerometer s sensing axis pointing directly at the propeller s centre line For single axis sensors the accelerometer s X axis coincides with the direction of the sensor s cable socket For dual axis sensors the accelerometer s X axis coincides with the direction ofthe sensor s cable socket and its Y axis is at 90 to the direction of the cable socket X Axis Fig 2 1 Accelerometer Axes and Orientation Important The sensing axis used must intersect the axis of rotation of the propeller If you have a dual axis sensor remember to configure the Android App to use the correct axis 6 www smartavionics com Mounting the Accelerometer Note that the accelerometer does not have to be directly above the propeller s axis of rotation However to get the best r
14. lerometer Axes and Orientation 6 2 2 Accelerometer Mounted on a Rotax 912 Gearbox 7 2 3 PB 3 on a Europa Cowling ak 9 2 4 PB 3 Angle ofincidenee nenne 9 2 5 PB 3 and Reflective Tape 11 2 6 2 Cable Tapih Sn 12 www smartavionics com vi www smartavionics com Chapter 1 Introduction This manual describes the Smart Avionics PB 3 product and how it is used in a propeller balancing system The PB 3 is marked with this warning symbol to indicate that it emits bright light optical radiation When the PB 3 is active it emits infrared light from the red panel in a narrow concentrated beam This invisible light could irritate or otherwise damage the human eye if viewed at close range Do not look directly into the red panel when the PB 3 is on 1 1 Balancing System Overview The propeller balancing system has these main components Accelerometer This is mounted on the front of the engine to detect the vibration due to propeller imbalance Optical A strip of reflective tape is attached to one propeller blade tachometer and an optical sensor detects the tape as it passes and generates the tachometer signal required by the balancer Signal processor This digitises the vibration signal and sends the resulting data to an Android device using Bluetooth wireless communications Android device This provides the user interface as describe
15. ly too low 2 5 Attaching the Reflective Tape With the engine ignition switched off rotate the propeller so that one blade lies directly on the sensing axis of the PB 3 i e if you could see through the blade you would be looking directly into the sensor s red panel Make sure that the area on the back of the blade where the tape is going to be attached is clean Apply a strip of 25mm wide masking tape to the back of the propeller at the point that the infrared beam will hit the blade Wrap the tape a short distance around the leading edge of the blade but don t wrap it around the trailing edge s Important The tape must be oriented such that it is parallel to the PB 3 s red panel This may mean that the tape is not at 90 to the leading edge of the blade but that doesn t matter The important point is that the tape is parallel with the red panel Now put a strip of the reflective tape on top of the masking tape Again wrap the tape a little way around the leading edge of the propeller to stop it peeling back The purpose of the masking tape is simply to make it easy to remove the very thin reflecting tape when the job is done Fig 2 5 shows the PB 3 mounted on the side of a Europa classic cowling and the reflective tape attached to the rear face of a propeller blade www smartavionics com Attaching the Cable Fig 2 5 PB 3 and Reflective Tape If you subsequently find that the optical tachometer cannot reliably detec
16. oad the new firmware and the Ipc21isp program from the Smart Avionics website and save them in a convenient folder The Ipc21isp program is zipped into an archive so extract it and to make your life easier rename the executable Ipc21isp exe 3 Connect the PB 3 to the PC with the USB cable and switch the PB 3 on Go to My Computer gt Manage gt Device Manager gt Ports COM amp LPT and it should show an entry like USB Serial Port COMx where x is a number 4 Open a Command Prompt window Start Menu gt Programs gt Accessories gt Command Prompt and using the cd command go to the directory folder containing the downloaded PB 3 firmware and the Ipc21isp program Now execute the following command lpc2lisp control pb3 version hex COMx 115200 12000 Where pb3 version hex is the name of the file containing the new firmware and comx is the name of the serial device corresponding to the PB 3 The Ipc21isp program should display diagnostic output similar to that shown in Section 3 1 1 5 Once the download has finished you can switch off the PB 3 and disconnect the USB cable www smartavionics com 15 16 www smartavionics com Appendix A Software Licences The PB 3 uses the following 3rd party software packages A 1 KISS FFT Library Copyright c 2003 2004 Mark Borgerding All rights reserved Redistribution and use in source and binary forms with or without modification are permitted pro
17. t the RPM verify that the tape really is in the correct position You may find that adding another strip of reflective tape next to the first strip will improve the situation Note The Bluetooth radio signal cannot pass through metal so ifthe PB 3 is mounted on a metal cowling you should not expect it to be able to communicate with the Android device when the cowling is between the two units In practice that means that it is unlikely you will be able to operate the balancer from within a metal aircraft s cockpit It will work when you are positioned such that the radio signals can reach you without passing through the aircraft s structure i e you are standing on the side of the aircraft that the PB 3 is attached to 2 6 Attaching the Cable Connect the accelerometer to the PB 3 using the supplied cable and make sure the connectors retaining collars are screwed down take care to only rotate the metal retaining collar and not the plastic body of the connector Any slack in the cable should be taken up by coiling the cable and then applying a few strategically placed pieces of masking tape to stop the cable flapping around in the propeller breeze www smartavionics com 11 Attaching the Cable Cowling Cable Te Tape Fig 2 6 Cable Taping If you tape the cable as shown in the above figure it is unlikely to come adrift Taping the cable securely provides an extra benefit in that in the unlikely event of the
18. t of it becoming detached from the cowling If you have any doubt as to the security of the PB 3 don t risk destroying it and the propeller Position the PB 3 such that the red panel is pointing towards the propeller If the PB 3 s orientation is correct the blades will sweep across the width of the red panel as the propeller rotates The distance from the front ofthe sensor to the propeller should be in the range 15 25cm 8 www smartavionics com Mounting the PB 3 Fig 2 3 PB 3 on a Europa Cowling Fig 2 3 shows the PB 3 mounted on the side of a Europa classic cowling Notice how it is angled slightly up to ensure that the angle of the infrared beam relative to the rear surface of the propeller is approximately 30 A Important To detect the propeller RPM reliably the PB 3 must be positioned such that the angle of the infrared beam relative to the face of the propeller blade is approximately 30 from the normal either in front of or behind the normal Fig 2 4 illustrates this Approx 30 degrees angle of incidence from normal Fig 2 4 PB 3 Angle of Incidence www smartavionics com 9 Attaching the Reflective Tape Ifthe angle is too small the PB 3 will tend to detect the other blades especially if they are highly reflective and the RPM will appear erratically too high If the angle is too large the blade with the reflective tape will not be reliably detected and the RPM will appear zero or erratical
19. urrently connected seconds to an Android device www smartavionics com Battery Charging Two flashes every Unit is connected to an Android 2 seconds device When the tachometer is active the LED function will be inverted mostly on instead of mostly off Micro USB socket Used for charging the PB 3 and upgrading the device s firmware Accelerometer Connects to the accelerometer mounted on the engine connector External Connects to an optional external tachometer An external tachometer tachometer must be used for gyroplane rotor balancing connector 1 3 Battery Charging The PB 3 s battery is charged via the micro USB socket located on the rear panel Any 5V charger fitted with a micro USB B plug that can supply a minimum of 450mA may be used to charge the PB 3 e g most modern mobile phone chargers The PB 3 itself limits the charge current so the maximum current supplied by the charger is irrelevant The PB 3 can also be charged by connecting it directly to a computer s USB port using a cable that has a USB A plug at one end and a micro USB B plug at the other end Do not connect the PB 3 to an unpowered hub When the power source is connected the PB 3 s charge LED will be continuously green while the battery is charging and will flash green when the battery becomes fully charged When the battery is fully charged disconnect the PB 3 from the power source It takes approximately 2 5 hours to recharge a completely
20. vided that the following conditions are met e Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice this list of conditions and the following disclaimer e Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and or other materials provided with the distribution e Neither the author nor the names of any contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS AS IS AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT INDIRECT INCIDENTAL SPECIAL EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES LOSS OF USE DATA OR PROFITS OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY WHETHER IN CONTRACT STRICT LIABILITY OR TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE www smartavionics com 17 18 www smartavionics com Appendix B EMC Compliance To ensure EMC compliance please observe the following conditions w
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