I have been flying a few years now with an Autronic in an airplane. For a primer on my configuration, go here:
http://www.vems.hu/wiki/index.php?page=MembersPage%2FBrianMichalkI am considering moving over to VEMS. I'm astounded at the capability that's been put together over the years.
The Autronic runs great, but there are some parts of it that I would like to do differently, or have extra features. First, the features that the Autronic has that I need from the VEMS. Then, the extra features.
What I need in VEMS that I use in Autronic
MAP/RPM mixture tuning
per-cylinder mixture trims
on-the-fly updates to mixture tables without restarting the system
hall effect, with one cam pulse, and three crank pulses
sequential injection. One injector per cylinder
Bosch ignition modules (3 each) driving three coil packs. Wasted spark
I believe all of the above feature are supported in VEMS.
Extra features that I'd like to have:
An "economy" knob that moves operation from max power to max economy. I'd like to trim fuel tables and ignition. Ideally, you want to fly all the time at WOT, because that's where the engine efficiency is. The pilot can change RPM through prop pitch control to get economy, and then lean the engine such that it still runs smooth. WOT at 10K feet only gets you 70% horsepower compared to sea level naturally aspirated.
The Autronic software runs only in Windows. I have Linux (with Wine) in the plane to do data collection, and would like to move to Android. I see there are people doing some work on Android, but it's not clear to me what the capabilities are yet.
O2 sensor. My Autronic SMC doesn't support an O2 sensor, and this would be really nice to have. Aviation fuel is leaded, but some people are getting upwards of 50 hours out of their sensors if they run lean.
My Autronic (SMC) is getting quite old. If it breaks, its going to require upgrading to a new Autronic, so I may as well start getting familiar and plan to switch over to VEMS.
So far, I have had no flight issues related directly to the Autronic. I had a glitchy cam sensor, but so far that's it. I do have backup fuel injection and magneto, so I'm not totally reliant on electronics. However, I certainly wouldn't want a failure on takeoff. I might not have enough time to turn on the backup system.
