Pro tip: a cheap multimeter saved me from ordering a whole new autopilot computer

Had a G1000 system throwing a weird intermittent fault code on a King Air last month. The book said to replace the GIA 63W, which is a $15,000 part. Before I put in the order, I checked the 28V discrete input line with my old Fluke 87V. Found the voltage was dipping to 22V for a split second when we wiggled a wire bundle under the copilot's seat. It was just a chafed wire on a grounding stud. Has anyone else caught a big ticket item with just a basic continuity check?

3 comments

3 Comments

richard_ramirez2mo ago

My old Fluke caught a bad alternator diode last year.

lily892mo ago

My Fluke 87 caught a bad voltage regulator last winter.

dakota7874d ago

Does a meter really "catch" something that a simple voltage test wouldn't? I mean, your Fluke 87 is a great meter, but it just reads what you probe. If you had put the leads on the regulator and saw weird AC ripple, that's you catching it, not the meter. The meter just tells you the numbers. It's like saying your hammer caught a bad nail.