Hi Folks,
Yes, it's true. I do manufacture the Soft Start Module (SSM).
Although I designed/developed/tested/manufacture the device, it's not my idea.
Conrad told me how it should operate and I "made it so". So it's really a joint
effort. Conrad might be a grease monkey but he's a damn clever one! No, I can't
sell them to individuals. All the units go straight to Conrad.
The whole purpose of the SSM is to stop the engine kicking back on startup. The
problem stems from the fact that the Rotax ignition modules advance the ignition
rather too readily. The SSM keeps the ignition retarded while the starter
is energised (and for a little while afterwards). So the SSM is simply making
up for the bug in the Rotax modules. You may wonder why Rotax don't fix the
ignition
modules and I think the answer to that is rooted in the fact that it's
a certified engine. Once certified, it's set in stone, nothing can be changed
(even if it has bugs).
What's interesting is that not all engines kick back. Some do, some don't.
Cheers,
Mark
PS - my new propeller balancer (the imaginatively named PB-2) has finally been
released. It's only about 12 months late, lots of other stuff (like the SSM) got
in the way
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=167363#167363
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