Viking 130 engine failure at 1150 hours

[2-Bit Speed]

There seems to be a sense that electronic devices are more reliable since they have no moving parts. I would argue that solid-state electronics are neighbors to jet or turbine engines. When implemented well, they last much longer than traditional designs, but be not fooled! Any circuit board with an integrated circuit will have capacitors on that same board. Many of them also have advanced, multi-phase voltage regulation. These circuits can be extremely vulnerable to static shock and capacitor failure in addition to requiring very precise input-voltages.

Capacitors are very advanced chemical monstrosities with lifetimes listed by thousands of hours, which sounds great. The problem is that they lose lifetime rapidly as temperature increases. I learned about some cheap PC motherboards six or seven years ago whose capacitors lost half their life-expectancy for every 20* C above their optimal temperature range, which topped out at 45C as I recall.

Electronics are awesome when designed well. They are eldritch terrors when designed poorly.

 

[slinger]

Not really. Their automobile engines were inline affairs, mostly. When I was a kid my Dad had a 1959 Rambler American (American Motors) that had a Continental four-cylinder inline engine in it. It had a magneto. As an adult we had a Clark forklift in the shop that had a Continental four-banger. Continentals were often seen in welders, generators, and so on.

Continental developed aircraft engines for aircraft. They converted some of their aircraft radials for use in tanks and APCs. Air-cooled, so no radiators or hoses to get shot away. They didn't convert their cast-iron inlines for airplanes. They came up with new designs, all air-cooled, all opposed or radials. The Boeing Stearman used an R-670 Continental radial:

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Lycoming got their start in sewing machines, then in automobile engines. Their aircraft engines were also clean-sheet designs, not converted auto engines.

Um, my Dad had '59 Rambler as well with 195 cu. in. straight six. Factory installed. I wonder if the Continental was a "one off" installation. The Metropolitan of that year had a straight four, but of English Austin heritage

 

[mbauer]

Which ones?

Porsche 928 engine in Mooney Aircraft.

Mike

 

[Racerx]

Porsche 928 engine in Mooney Aircraft.

Mike

Well, it was the 911. And after 41 were built Porsche eventually gave up the type certificate.

 

[mbauer]

Well, it was the 911. And after 41 were built Porsche eventually gave up the type certificate.

Thank you for the correction.

Mike