Dear iniBuilds reader,

We hope everyone is staying safe during this unprecedented time. We would like to take the opportunity to provide with a further update.

The iniBuilds Working Group have commenced their initial testing of the aircraft since our last update and development is progressing extensively also.

So far, you have seen our texturing and modelling and today we would like to take this further and provide you insight into the system depth. For the purpose of this update, we have decided to walk you through, the ELEC system which our Lead Product Manager, Cameron, has kindly prepared; supplemented by a short preview video showcasing this system and the FMOD sounds that compliment our aircraft, that is available to view at the end of this update.

“Today we want to showcase our ELEC system. Now we all know the ELEC system is in many ways the core of an aircraft, with many interdependencies with the other core, integral systems.

Let’s start on the left and work our way to the right. The A300-600R aircraft type has quite an interesting and unique ELEC system being a hybrid between early A320s and the older A300-B4 models. Anyway, enough of the history back to the systems! We are looking at the ELEC DC page and in this current configuration you can see that all 3 batteries are connected to the DC essential bus; this state is present in multiple configurations. What we have in this situation, is the APU master switch selected in ‘ON’ mode, ready for an APU start. The 3 batteries are connected as they assist quite heavily with the APU start itself. Please note how all the voltages and amps you see are not the same. They change in real time based on electrical load from the system and other factors all replicating the aircraft documentation and real-life operational sequence.

Moving onto the central image. You can see in this configuration the NORM BUS and ESS BUS are no longer connected; due to the system being powered by an alternative source other than the external power, so they disconnect. Now why is battery 2 connected and charging you might ask? Well when the system detects that the battery voltage is lower than the permitted threshold it gets connected to the DC ESS BUS and charged with the correct amperage level to bring the voltage back in line.

The last system page preview we have is the ELEC AC page. Things to point out here are the fact we’ve modeled IDG oil temperature, based on quite a few factors. For example, if we look at ‘IDG 2’; where the engine is off; this temperature then depends on the outside air temperature at the time plus a thermal oil retention factor. If we compare this to IDG1, where the engine is running, we can see this is dependent on the ELEC system load. To add, please note all voltages and HZs present, all vary in real time along with GEN loading.” - Cameron (Lead Product Manager)

With this walk through of the ELEC system we are providing you with a flavour of the complexity and depth we would like to be present, throughout the aircraft. This enhances our vision to provide the best ‘ON THE LINE’ simulation in X-Plane 11!

As mentioned previously, we have supplemented this written update with a short preview video, which showcases the ELEC system that Cameron has walked us through. You will also see and (hear!) an APU start sequence, from both the interior and exterior, providing insight into the audio development undertaken so far; using FMOD, dynamic sound balancing based on environmental conditions, and authentic recordings from the A300-600R.

Have a great weekend, and stay safe.

All the best,
The iniBuilds Team

Development Update #3 - Saturday 21st March 2020