Jim Weir
Jim Weir is the chief avioniker at RST Engineering. He answers avionics questions in the Internet newsgroup www.pilotsofamerica.com–Maintenance. His technical advisor, Cyndi Weir, got her Masters degree in English and Journalism and keeps Jim on the straight and narrow. Check out their web site at www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes for previous articles and supplements.
Wire You Surprised?
There are three basic methods of marking your wires so that 10 years from now you’ll be able to go back and track down trouble.
Diodes, the Universal Component?
Diodes started off life fairly simply. Take an AC signal and convert it to a DC signal. Simple, huh?
Diodes, Backward and Forward
Let’s talk about what makes a diode—what the physical makeup of a diode really looks like on the inside.
Franklin vs. Edison et al. and Marconi
A word we use rather flippantly when perusing electronic circuitry—ground.
Ernie’s Room and Board
Way back in March ’23 (deep in snow here), I gave you the problem of Ernie, who needed a flashing light to see when...
Complex Impedance
A loyal reader writes, “I have a homebuilt Bugsmasher with a couple of com radios. They are a FlashBoom 32X and a LoudenWhapper 22A....
Memories
It was 1985 when this 42-year-old kid wrote an article for an upstart magazine aimed at the homebuilt aircraft market. Appearing in the October...
The 13 Command(ment)s
For most people, 10 are enough. Laying out a PC board, you’ve got a few more.
Remember, now, I’m trying to show you the basics...
In Case You Missed It
Lancair Love Story
Few homebuilders forget the first airplane they constructed, even if they go on to do others. That was the case with Mike Maxwell, who had pretty much given up on ever seeing his Lancair 235 again. But life is nothing if not full of surprises, and Mike was in for a big one.
Dry Tappet Clearance
A flat (standard) tappet disassembled into its various parts. Note that the tappet...
Unusual Attitude
Doug Reeves, creator of the Van’s Air Force web site, shares his personal philosophy about what it takes to fly safely and responsibly.