Radiant Instruments is reintroducing its line of daylight readable LED based instruments, starting with its LED Fuel Gauge.
Designed to run off of standard 12 volts, the instruments are exceedingly thin and very lightweight, designed for installation in experimental and ultralight aircraft, according to company officials.
“We started our instrumentation offerings over 10 years ago with this type of small, lightweight instrument. Now we’re bringing it back with the benefit of many years of experience in developing aircraft instrumentation,” said James Wiebe, President/CEO of Radiant Technology.
The first of the series is the new LED Fuel Gauge, which includes features such as calibration for empty and full, and low power consumption, at 45 milliamps. Customers can choose input types of standard 0 to 5-volt range or resistive sender.
The LED instruments are offered in two physical sizes. Round is designed to fit a standard 2.25 inch round cutout, while square is even smaller, designed to fit flush to instrument panels in an enclosure that is 2 inches square and a 1/4 inch thick.
The smaller gauge weighs in at 14 grams (1/2 ounce). It also dimmable using a standard external potentiometer (not included). Single or Dual channel is also available.
Retail prices start at $139 and up, depending on variation.
where can i buy one?
Don, if you go to https://radiantinstruments.com/radiant-fuel-gauges/ you should be able to find the one you want.
Crazy flaky gauges make me pine for the visual tubes in my old Grumman, or the floating gauges in header tanks in the old taildraggers
Looks like just what I need for my Sonex. What is this instrument using for a fuel tank sender? Is it a flow meter that measures fuel used, or does it have a capacitance or resistive tank unit.
This is a very nice, thin package.
Some thoughts;
I’ll assume that the unit supplies a stable 12 volts to the resistive transmitter, which is much better than the stock gauges with the voltage varying from 12.5 volts to 14.5 volts with the engine running, which affects where the gauge needle is pointing.
In checking the website and manuals, they do not specify the accuracy. But with 10% increments of the display, the resolution is 2.6 gallons with my 26 gallon tanks. If the accuracy is 1-2 %, than I’d have 3 gallons uncertainty.
Overall, that’s still better than my ‘wobbly needle’ standard little gauges.
But, I can’t use this on my Cessna, so maybe someday.
And to think.. a floating cork connected to a rod is 100% infinitely accurate, 100% of the time. It also produces a readout at the speed of light. Less creates more.
Roger,
The ‘floating cork’ certainly has near infinite resolution, if it has a composite resistive element. The accuracy in a GA aircraft varies with the buss voltage, since there is no precise, calibrated voltage supplied to the transmitters, so 20% variation is normal.
Unfortunately, both gauge designs require buss voltage, so in an electrical failure the gauges go non-op.
That’s why I rely in my wind up clock, set to 12 noon on engine start. It then gives my my flight time, and knowing my engine fuel use, I know my endurance.