REFLECTOR: Bus, Battery & Back Order

Terrence Miles terrence_miles at hotmail.com
Wed Jun 15 14:27:26 CDT 2005


Hi to everyone but in particular to Brian, Keith, Al G, and Kurt who I think 
are deep into wire issues.

Here's what I got.

For Electrics:  Here's my current plan and why.  Two big batts in the nose.  
One stacked on top of the other.  For now I am going to slap the ground 
leads together and run them in parallel with B&C L60 alternator (60 amps) 
and the B&C external voltage regulator and the o'volt protection.

I may one day with not a lot of effort, put in a 2nd aux battery contactor, 
but I see its practical value as limited due to what follows next.

I have decided in favor of a single power bus.  I can't see a strong enuf 
reason to break things into separate buses to power up or shed in event of 
alternator problems.  I will instead pull out a checklist and do a load shed 
procedure at each components control head/ panel switch/CB/whatever.  (Two 
mags, by the way until I have her in the air and de-bugged)

When I re-read the Nuckols stuff  on dual batt & single alt, I decided it 
wasn't for guys like me.  I can put two equal amphr batts right side by 
side...read no #2awg wires running all over hell.  I don't have dual EI's.  
Sure as sh--t the day I loss a alternator would be the day the #1 comm would 
be TU and I have to repower the main load buss to access #2 comm and get 
myself confused say 2 years down the road by which time all the electron 
theory will be faded into dim memory.

GRT stuff:  Single AHRS system, 2 screens, EIS in the radio stack, no 
airspeed&Alt add-on to the EIS in favor of round dials below the GRT 
screeens.  Decided basically to abandon the two spare power leads.  I am 
told a solenoid controlled contact can draw an amp to 1.5 amps just to hold 
closed, and the diodes will cost you a volt in pressure.

Some of the above was driven by electrical abnormal checklist drafting.  
Some from the local tower operator/Cozy guy/ex USAF avionics tech.  For 
backup, his personal philos is a bag of external hand helds.

What do you four think of this?  Anybody else want to chime in?

I called Affordable panels this week.  He is an RV vendor...uses the 
Approach Hub stuff.  He is very backed up.  I am looking to make the major 
buy with Stein Air.  Anybody have any comments on him?

Where's everybody else on this topic.  Are you guys going to wire up your 
own intercomponents in the avionics rack?

Last but not least...anybody else waiting for engine mounts and exhaust 
systems besides me??

Regards,
Terry

Regards,
Terry




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