Bluetooth tire pressure sensors

RotorDude

RotorDude

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GliderDude
Hi,

I saw the FOBO device, which seems to be focused on cars and bikes, and am wondering if anyone has any experience using it (or equivalent) for GA aircraft. My main concern is whether its weight (10 g) is significant enough to cause wheel balance issues. The second concern is space, since it seems a bit wide compared to the valve cap it's replacing.

Thanks,

RD
 
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bnt83 said:
Notice the large footprint? I don't think they will fit GA aircraft, especially with wheelcovers or wheelpants.


There is a similar device available for larger aircraft.

http://www.craneae.com/Products/Sensing/Downloads/SmartStem Learjet 60.pdf
Click to expand...

I think the device you mention is significantly more expensive, though I am not sure of the price. Also, it's unclear to me if it could be as simple to install as replacing a tire valve cap. I also edited my original post to add my own concerns about size and weights, but you were too fast. :)
 
Neat stuff. But is there a tire pressure problem we're not all otherwise aware of requiring constant monitoring? If the only reason you want it is that it is neat, then that's fine.

However, I would be much more worried about how it will stand up to the impacts and temperature swings.
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
Neat stuff. But is there a tire pressure problem we're not all otherwise aware of requiring constant monitoring? If the only reason you want it is that it is neat, then that's fine.

However, I would be much more worried about how it will stand up to the impacts and temperature swings.
Click to expand...

:yes:
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
Neat stuff. But is there a tire pressure problem we're not all otherwise aware of requiring constant monitoring? If the only reason you want it is that it is neat, then that's fine.

However, I would be much more worried about how it will stand up to the impacts and temperature swings.
Click to expand...

I agree about the environmental/reliability questions you raise, but for a (relatively) low cost I assume that can be validated. The company claims (and shows in their videos) that their devices are pretty rugged, but that remains to be seen, esp. when used in aviation (which doesn't seem to be on their radar currently).
Regarding the need issue, sure it's "neat", but my main reason is accessibility. In some aircraft with wheel fairings, it is very hard to access the valves, and using a simple tire gauge can easily cause loss of air, requiring inflation each time the tire is tested. This device could be a vast improvement and thereby enhance safety considerably, if it works.
 
RotorDude said:
I agree about the environmental/reliability questions you raise, but for a (relatively) low cost I assume that can be validated. The company claims (and shows in their videos) that their devices are pretty rugged, but that remains to be seen, esp. when used in aviation (which doesn't seem to be on their radar currently).
Regarding the need issue, sure it's "neat", but my main reason is accessibility. In some aircraft with wheel fairings, it is very hard to access the valves, and using a simple tire gauge can easily cause loss of air, requiring inflation each time the tire is tested. This device could be a vast improvement and thereby enhance safety considerably, if it works.
Click to expand...

Aircraft where it's difficult to access the valve stem, these probably won't fit, so really not a solution.

If you have tight wheel pants and the thing does clear, what happens when the wheel is spinning at 70MPH? Does centripetal force pull the stem out and rub the wheel pants with that giant knob thing on it? How long to batteries last? Buying batteries gets old.

I've seen a lot of OEM automotive tire sensors that were less than reliable.

I came to the conclusion the best way to get easily serviceable tires is to either

#1 Toss the wheel pants

or

#2 Buy an RG

I check tire pressure about every two months, which requires rolling the airplane to a position where I can see the valve stem. Not a big deal for me.
 
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bnt83 said:
Aircraft where it's difficult to access the valve stem, these probably won't fit, so really not a solution.

If you have tight wheel pants and the thing does clear, what happens when the wheel is spinning at 70MPH? Does centripetal force pull the stem out and rub the wheel pants with that giant knob thing on it? How long to batteries last? Buying batteries gets old.

I've seen a lot of OEM automotive tire sensors that were less than reliable.

I came to the conclusion the best way to get easily serviceable tires is to either

#1 Toss the wheel pants

or

#2 Buy an RG

I check tire pressure about every two months, which requires rolling the airplane to a position where I can see the valve stem. Not a big deal for me.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with all you say. But clearly, assuming wheel pants, if this or similar solution did work properly, it would be a significant safety advantage -- you'd be easily able to test tire pressure every flight (including airborne!), vs. once per several weeks.
 
The entire TPM debacle came from idiots driving SUV's (notably Ford explorers) around and crashing them because they were too stupid to periodically check their tire pressures. Since pilots USUALLY have a better level of self preservation for preflighting and since we don't use radial tires, you can pretty much guess a reasonable inflation just by looking (or kicking if you must), I see no real point.

If your tire suddenly goes flat in the air, what are you going to do about it?
 
flyingron said:
If your tire suddenly goes flat in the air, what are you going to do about it?
Click to expand...

For a main, I would put all weight on the opposite tire, for as long as possible. If a nose tire, I would keep the nose up as long as possible. In both cases I'd make sure I am at a suitable airport and runway (long, wide, into the wind), get myself and pax extra ready, plus get the equipment rolling. Of course this is extremely low likelihood, so probably just an academic exercise, but you never know.
 
Not on topic but I thought some might find this interesting. TPMS are ubiquitous on new cars and trucks, even the less expensive models. They're just a few bucks worth of electronics.

I've been involved in racing in some form or fashion for a long time. Between 1996 and 2008 I worked as a mechanic and crewmember on a IndyCar team, then finally gave it up as I'm too old and beat up.

For those of you that don't know these things, the cars have an eight to twenty channel real time telemetry system. There are various slider and rotary pots, transducers, and other data logging devices which have a real time datalink to the engineer's pit computer. They provide info on suspension travel, engine parameters, all sorts of stuff. These values are expressed as graphs, and there are limit alarms and such as you would expect for such a system.

Anyway, when TPMS became available, it was a big deal. If a tire goes down and the car pounds the wall at 220 MPH it's not unusual to be rewarded with $200K in junk parts. We were thrilled with this new development.

Most teams have six to eight sets of wheels and tires for a race. Purchasing the transducers, mounting them on the wheels, integrating the software into the CAN bus and such was a big hit when the technology was new.

The cost? Right around $55K per car. I wonder what it costs to provide it on a new Kia. :D
 
I've had flat tires on the plane. Didn't need to call the equipment or tell the passengers to brace.
 
flyingron said:
I've had flat tires on the plane. Didn't need to call the equipment or tell the passengers to brace.
Click to expand...

Me too, once, on the nose tire. But I never knew it was there, so also didn't call the equipment or the brace position. I just felt that taxiing was really slow, and needed lots of power. So perhaps it's less of an issue for the nose tire in a light plane. OTOH, for a main flat, it would be nice to know about it in advance.
I agree that calling the equipment might be overkill, but you never know.
And not sure if bracing is ever needed for this situation.
 
RotorDude said:
Regarding the need issue, sure it's "neat", but my main reason is accessibility. In some aircraft with wheel fairings, it is very hard to access the valves, and using a simple tire gauge can easily cause loss of air, requiring inflation each time the tire is tested. This device could be a vast improvement and thereby enhance safety considerably, if it works.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

bnt83 said:
#2 Buy an RG
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that doesn't always solve the problem. Even with the fully-enclosed retracts, I also have covers on the wheels that have to come off. Three tiny screws per tire. I don't check them nearly as much as I should as a result.

I'd love to have a solution that would allow me to monitor pressures without getting out the creeper and a screwdriver...
 
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