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Upgrading a KAP150 to KFC150. Feasible?

10 Posts

Had that question asked to me recently: Someone who bought a plane with a KAP150 AP is massively missing the flight director. He’s got an Aspen installed too.

Can that system be upgraded in any reasonable way? What is required?

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

See here for the IM. Both models are from around 1980 and probably very similar.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Question which has come up a few times looking at airplanes which have either KAP140 or KAP150 non FD AP’s.

Is it possible and what is involved to upgrade one of those to full FD capability, mostly asked when considering adding an Aspen, Garmin PFD or similar at the same time.

Has anyone here done that or knows if it is possible at all?

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Post moved to identical previous thread.

Nobody responded to that one – presumably because there is nobody here right now who is making money out of a job like this Perhaps someone can invite a Swiss avionics shop to participate?

My guess is that Yes, anything can be done if there is STC support for the whole installation (in Europe, an installer will definitely want STC support for the whole installation right down to the last piece of wire). A big factor is whether servo brackets are the same.

What is the exact aircraft?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Mooney_Driver wrote:

Question which has come up a few times looking at airplanes which have either KAP140 or KAP150 non FD AP’s.

Is it possible and what is involved to upgrade one of those to full FD capability, mostly asked when considering adding an Aspen, Garmin PFD or similar at the same time.

AFAIK FD capability is not possible with the KAP140.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

Airborne_Again wrote:

AFAIK FD capability is not possible with the KAP140.

That is the point.

The KAP 150 is a is a KFC150 without FD. So from the outside, you’d need a new AP computer and something to display the FD on, either a KI256 or an Aspen or Garmin EFIS. The main question is, what is behind the panel which also needs changing.

For instance, on the Stec 55x, adding an FD is relatively straightforward. You need a remote display (as they “forgot” to put the FD symbol onto the computer) and you need a switch to activate either FD or AP. And of course you need an Aspen or similar to display the FD bars. The same goes for the S-tec 60-2 which has an optional FD module.

So the question is really, what in terms of components are different between the KAP and KFC and what would theoretically need to be done to upgrade a KAP to KFC installation. Looking at the functions, which are identical and computer, it appears to me that the key component is the mode control panel/computer and an indicator which it can feed. Also the KFC 150 computer has all the buttons to select the FD without engaging the AP, as opposed to the Stec AP’s.

The 140 seems to be yet another step between the 100 (which is a wing leveler with nav function, single channel) and the 150 which has dual chanels with optional yaw damper. I fail to see the difference between the KAP140 and the 150 at the moment, so let’s leave the 140 out for now, even though I could imagine that quite a few G1000 operators with the KAP140 would be interested to get a FD, but those will most probably opt for the Garmin AP instead (if that is possible).

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Here’s the STC installation manual that covers both KAP100/150 and KFC150 in the Mooney. As well as the correct computer you will also need the right adaptor modules.

KFC150_in_Mooney_pdf

Avionics geek.
Somewhere remote in Devon, UK.

What adaptor modules would these be?

That manual is from 1981 Amazing how innovation in GA pretty well stopped, for decades.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

What adaptor modules would these be?

They plug into the KC19x computer and contain the aircraft-specific gain settings and limits.

Last Edited by wigglyamp at 04 Jan 11:45
Avionics geek.
Somewhere remote in Devon, UK.

Thank you @wigglyamp.

It is not Mooney specific and certainly not for my airplane which has the STEC55x/Aspen setup with FD, it is just a question I get asked from time to time when I talk to people who want to buy airplanes. Quite a few (TB20, PA28, M20, e.t.c.) have KAP150 AP’s built in, which, if I read the manuals correctly, is identical to the KFC 150 in function but for the FD “module” for the lack of a better word. So the question comes up, again and again: Can a KAP150 be upgraded to a KFC 150 and what is involved?

Looking at the install manual as a layman, I see a different computer and of course the different ADI. You mention the adapter module which I understand is the “ROM” module which tells the computer which airplane it deals with and what kind of limitations it has. Now, is this module specific to the KFC150 or has the KAP 150 a similar or the same module per airplane type?

So if someone walks into your avionic shop and sais, can this be done, what is your answer?

How would I have to explain the process to someone who is interested in doing this? From my understanding, it involves:
- Order the slide in computer (with the FD button and indicator) to replace the existing one, with the adaptor module in place for the airplane in question.
- Order/provide the indicator for the FD (e.g. the FD capable King model or an Aspen or something similar?)
- Wire up the indicator to the computer.

Anything else? The servos, in/output (NAV/GPSS/ALT Preselect if available) are identical for the KAP vs the KFC variant.

How would the identical question be answered for a KAP140, which is quite often used in DA40s with G1000?

Many thanks for giving me some idea here.

Last Edited by Mooney_Driver at 05 Jan 14:26
LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland
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