The last analog gage in the cockpit has been the fuel level gage. All the other gages had been integrated into the Garmin Perspective system, so obviously this is another one that we wanted integrated to complete the system.
One problem we ran into was that we had used up all the available analog inputs into the Perspective system. So to use our existing level senders we would have to design, build, and install another box to convert it from analog to digital. That solution was less than inviting so we began looking for a new digital solution to the fluid level senders.
What we ended up with was a technology that uses anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) non-contact technology. This solid state device, common in many automotive and other applications, was tied to the same type of float we already used which made the installation and certification easier for us.
We began installing this in airplanes back in the May time frame. It is not easily retrofittable, so Cirrus is not offering a service bulletin to install it. However the device manufacturer CIES is working on an STC to install it in Cirrus and other models of airplanes. Scott the owner also has a blog (
http://fuellevel.blogspot.com/) and I encourage you to check it out.
