Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: "Rodger & Betty Childs"
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Westach Tachs>>Hello again,>>Just got off the phone with Aircraft Spruce regarding electronic / digital>tachs. A/S bought Micro Instruments and handles their products. I also>talked to UMA and Horizon company reps. They ALL say I need an electrical>source to supply power to the tach head. Although the engine RPM reading>can be done either off the engine or magnetos, the head must have an>electrical power source. Only one company, Westach says their aircraftunit>has two wires.....one to the mag the other to the ground.>NO electrical supply is required to run the tach head.>>I know Micro has a unit that has an eight year battery with its LED digital>system, but A/S recommended that I stay away from it.>>So, it looks like I will be buying a Westach tachometer. I have never hada>Westach product in my plane, but they tell me they have been in businessfor>over 50 years.>>The GN-1 has an A-80 Cont. and no electrical system. The electronic tachis>to give me a more accurate reading of what the engine is doing versus the>old mechanical ones currently in the plane. I have used a handheld digital>tach and found the mechanical tachs are off as much as 500-600 RPM.>>Maybe someone knows of another tach source or some way to create the>electrical power needed to use the other tachs....Horizon or UMA.>>I had no idea buying a tach could be so confusing.>>Mike>Dallas>>________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Flite407(at)aol.com
Hello again,Just got off the phone with Aircraft Spruce regarding electronic / digitaltachs. A/S bought Micro Instruments and handles their products. I alsotalked to UMA and Horizon company reps. They ALL say I need an electricalsource to supply power to the tach head. Although the engine RPM readingcan be done either off the engine or magnetos, the head must have anelectrical power source. Only one company, Westach says their aircraft unithas two wires.....one to the mag the other to the ground.NO electrical supply is required to run the tach head.I know Micro has a unit that has an eight year battery with its LED digitalsystem, but A/S recommended that I stay away from it.So, it looks like I will be buying a Westach tachometer. I have never had aWestach product in my plane, but they tell me they have been in business forover 50 years.The GN-1 has an A-80 Cont. and no electrical system. The electronic tach isto give me a more accurate reading of what the engine is doing versus theold mechanical ones currently in the plane. I have used a handheld digitaltach and found the mechanical tachs are off as much as 500-600 RPM.Maybe someone knows of another tach source or some way to create theelectrical power needed to use the other tachs....Horizon or UMA.I had no idea buying a tach could be so confusing.MikeDallas________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Michael King
I have used a westach on a corvair powered plane that workeds fine.Smalldial made fine tuning rpm a little more difficult than the bid ones but wasuseable.I put a toggle switch in the line from the ignition in case tachshorted out so it could be turned off.Bill-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: Warren Shoun

Original Posted By: "Richard Navratil"
Westach built me a custom tach for my "A" powered piet.31/8" 0 to 2300 rpm calibration and it only requires the mag to power it.Very nice people to deal with and they deal direct. Price was resonable around 125.00 in 1997.Joe Santana 444MH________________________________________________________________________________