Description of the issue:
After approximately 1hr 40min into an air ambulance mission on freelance career mode, my PFD shut down suddenly due to “Low Volts”. I’m unsure whether or not this is a bug but I’ve searched for possible answers and found none. Others seem to be having the same issue though.
If applicable, which aircraft is experiencing this issue:
Asobo Studio - Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX (Medevac)
[PC Only] Did you remove all your community mods/add-ons? If yes, are you still experiencing the issue?
N/A
FREQUENCY OF ISSUE
How often does this occur for you (Example: Just once, every time on sim load, intermittently)?
First time its happened after 1hr 40min into flight.
REPRODUCTION STEPS
Please list clear steps you took in order to help our test team reproduce the same issue:
Start medevac mission and use quick start-up shortcut “CTRL + E”
Fly as intended to destination airport
around 1hr 40min to 2hrs, observe “Low Volts” CAS message and sudden shut down of PFD.
YOUR SETTINGS
If the issue still occurs with no mods and add-ons, please continue to report your issue. If not, please move this post to the User Support Hub.
What peripherals are you using, if relevant:
Thrustmaster TCA Airbus
[PC Only] Are you using Developer Mode or have you made any changes to it?
No
I had this happen tooo. As soon as I noticed the voltage drop to 24 volts I assumed that my alternator went bad. I shut down all lights and anything that used power and made it to my destination… barely. Displays quit after dropping lower than 24 volts. My radios no longer worked when down to 20 volts, so I did gain a few errors getting to my destination and landed safely around 18 volts total VFR. I then found out my alternator was shot and repaired it. I have never let my alternator damage get too much since then or it fails during flight.
I managed to fly all the way to my approach before suffering a complete electrical failure. Night time conditions, no runway lights, no comms, no visual aids other than the EFB, and no engine power. I had to feather the prop and glide into the abyss. I landed about 300m from the runway threshold and failed. Three hours wasted.
Is this due to lack of maintenance or is this a bug? I’ve read that it is a bug.
I have only had this happen twice, both times my alternator had a big X on it. I now don’t wait for the alternator to get too low and found that the alternator goes bad fast. I did notice that turning off the backup alternator switch with the yellow light makes my alternator last longer before needing repair. I have no idea if this is supposed to be this way.
I think I may have discovered the cause of this issue. This may not be a bug after all.
I’m still trying to get my head around flying the C208 EX, so I’ve been using Chat GPT during flights as a quick reference.
I just queried the proper configuration of the fuel condition lever in cruise and I received the following response which may have inadvertently troubleshooted my electrical failure:
"Use HIGH IDLE in Flight
Purpose:
Ensures the engine maintains proper fuel flow, governor function, and electrical/hydraulic performance.
Benefits:
Provides sufficient Np (propeller RPM) to drive the alternator/generator, ensuring full electrical system operation."
I managed it. The only issue I had was a last minute failure of Comms 1, which I do believe was a maintenance issue. It looks like my original electrical failure was most likely a result of using low idle during flight.
It should be standard across the two, as I think the configuration is purely cosmetic. I could be wrong.
However, it seems that Low Idle is only for ground operations, as it improves control over the power output on taxi, which is something I wish I knew earlier! Likewise, using High Idle in cruise greatly improves the performance.
This reply by @Bejevais explains why flying around in Low Idle is a bad idea, besides the POH specifically tells you in the VERY LAST STEP of the Before Takeoff checklist…[blue highlight]
I took off in High Idle, it was in cruise that I set the condition lever to Low Idle with the mistaken belief that it was the default cruise configuration for more fuel efficiency.
I just accidentally discovered a potential bug with this “low volts” message on the PFD. If you look at the main battery switch, there is a red toggle to the left. Open the toggle switch and there is a 3-position switch underneath. Flip the switch to the very top (BUS), and then down to the middle (starter). This makes the “low volts” messages disappear from the PFD. I stared the Caravan normally and once it was up and running, popped the red toggle cover down, and the plane was good to go for the flight.
The startup checklist does not mention using this switch, to the best of my knowledge.
Upon further inspection, though, you can flip this switch back and forth between the top (BUS) and middle (Starter) and every other time you go to the middle, the low volts light will turn off and on. Very strange behavior.
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