Hi Ferg,
I used an EV200 in my Europa and it worked fine until I had my "hit by
lighting" incident. It turned the electronics into a small charred spec and
obviously didn't work anymore. Of course this left me flying at 9500' with
the master contactor turned off. Fortunately I have my system set up with
an essential buss that can be feed directly for the battery. I guess it was
some real world testing.
Anyhow, as part of my repairs while I was "on the road" so to speak I
installed a contactor from a NAPA auto parts store for $16.50 and there it
has stayed from that day to this. It was smaller and lighter than the EV200
and it didn't cost $90... I assume that if I get hit by lightning again
(perish the thought) then it will probably continue to work.
I did try a solid state 1600A device for a while. It worked fine until the
engine kicked back and it went the same way as the EV200 electronics. Pity
really because it only weighed a few ounces and I didn't have to pay a one
amp penalty when it was energized.
So, in conclusion, go down to the local NAPA store and by a low tech
contactor or a battery isolator switch, sometimes simple is best.
Paul
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