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G3X (GAD27) Lighting Control Question

rapid_ascent

Well Known Member
I was planning to turn on my instrument and panel lighting when I turn on my navigation lights. I'm not sure the right way to do this with the GAD27. I didn't see anything in the installation manual that covers this case.

Do I put the switch in-line with the 12V output so that the POT voltage goes to 0V when the switch is open? Can a discrete input be used to control this function? How have others handled this situation?
 
Just me

So with the gad27, the on off of the nav ligths is controlled by switchibg a pin to ground. Either on or off.
For the panel lights, most of us have those on a dimmer, not just on or off.

So think about if you really want thepanel lights to just have an on off with no dimmer
 
Nav lights from the GAD27 is not a "standard" configuration, not sure how/why you would do that :confused:

I run the dimmers the same way generally using a DPDT switch on the nav lights, one side turns on the nav lights while the other side powers the dimmers. I don't normally use the GAD27 for instrument dimming as it's just as easy (or easier) to just use the pots as dimmers directly for the GTN and GDU's.

If you're using a bunch or LED's in the cabin than the PWM output of the GAD would come in handy, I tend to shy away from LED/PWM due to possible noise issues and prefer the soft glow of incandescent bulbs.
 
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Background

Just a little background on gad27. It has three potentiometer inputs toadjust three different sets of lights or instrument backlights. Any of those three can be mapped to a PWM dimmer or analog dimmer depending if you are dimming a LED (pwm) or incadesent (analog) bulbs.
 
Ok. I think maybe my desire wasn't clear. I'm trying to do what Walt is referring to, but while using the GAD27 dimmers. I'm not running the NAV lights through the GAD27 at all. I have a DPDT switch for the NAV lights, one side for the NAV lights and the other side I was planning to use to enable the dimmers. I'm going to have my panel lights, instrument lights and possibly cabin lights on dimmers. I want to be able to turn them off and on though.

I have 3 pots connected to the GAD27. So the 3 pots have +12V, GND and then the 3 pot "outputs" going to the GAD27. I was thinking that I could insert my switch in series with the GAD27 +12 output and the pots that control the dimmed lighting. The other option would be to use a discrete input if that was even possible.
 
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