Brief Description: Temperature Probe Adapter & Upper Gap Seals
Plans: 1: Calibrate the coolant temperature gauge. Status: 80% complete. So I have decided that until I can be sure my gauge is reading correctly I will never be comfortable regarding the true coolant temperature. Previous tests have led me to believe that the gauge reads about 10 degrees hot with a 330 ohm resistor in series. To verify the actual temps and calibrate the system I need to do better. Today I adapted a food temperature probe to sense the radiator temperature at its inlet. I created a probe mount that is now glued to the side of the radiator. It holds the probe in place during an engine run. I also added a 25 turn potentiometer temporarily to the cockpit to allow me to trim the calibration resistor with the engine running. After running the engine for a while I adjusted the trim pot such that the indicated temperature matched the food probe temperature at around 213 degrees. I also verified the food probe correctly indicated 212 degrees when submerged in boiling water. So this is about I good as I can get. There will be remaining linearity error but where it matters it should be close. I need to disassemble the panels to determine the final resistance value TBD. 2. Fabricate the upper wing root gap seals. Status: 50% complete. These seals are much simpler than the lower seals. They are just a three inch wide strip of painted Velcro tape that wraps around the wing. Both seals were painted and set aside to dry overnight.
