Figure 1 — Model 9732-PLASTIC aviation ice detector is a commercial, off-the-shelf, in-flight ice sensor that monitors the optical characteristics of whatever substance is in contact with the optical surfaces of the probe, either air (NO ICE) or water ice (ICE alert). Ambient wind blows standing water away, but ICE sticks. Made of nonconductive *PLASTIC, probe is electromagnetically compatible with its host aircraft’s radio environment.
GENERAL DEscriptION
Ice*Meister™ Model 9732-PLASTIC detects ICE on any aircraft.
Tested by NASA, it is demonstrably the smallest, lightest, most-sensitive ice detector aloft today.
The product consists of a unitized probe, circuit board, housing, and cable. The probe is a Delrin plastic cantilever that holds two optical windows and a reflecting wall below the wing, out into the airstream.
Ice forms and is sensed on any of the optical surfaces.
The probe’s inboard end mates with a small interface board, the size of your thumb. The board is submerged in rock-hard epoxy inside the housing.
A lightweight, shielded 5-conductor blue cable connects the unit to its host system. The cable is jacketed in tough FEP teflon, specially formulated for harsh environments. Standard length is 10 feet, but it can be shipped in virtually any length on special order.
9732 is plastic, has no MHz clock, no moving parts. It is robust, potted in rock-hard epoxy with no exposed electronics, submersible, and solid as a brick. Made of non-conductive Delrin plastic, its probe is radio-frequency transparent, and can be installed in close proximity to radio antennas.
The unit installs from inside the wing, extending down, facing forward into the air stream. It is fixed in place with a 5/16”-24 thread and stainless steel nut, just as an ordinary Outside Air Temperature gauge installs in a general aviation aircraft