Terminal strip to/from capacitor?

Hello all,

It's getting a bit crowded running wires to the Rotax capacitor, is it ok to run them to a terminal strip, then a single wire to the capacitor? Or is that too much load? (ignore the wires above the capacitor, those are in process) I was thinking about a simple strip under the capacitor, with one wire going to the + terminal.

Thanks,

Steve



click here for a full sized image: http://seareybuild.blogspot.com/2021/02/vaf-images.html


Note: corrected, the capacitor has to do with the Rotax engine, not the Dynon avionics. My bad, see post below.

By load, do you mean electrical load? Not to worry, one wire will carry the current. Notice that the grounded terminal only has one wire. The current through each capacitor terminal is equal. Kirchhoff's Law says what goes in must come out, or something like that. Screws on terminal strips can come loose. Use a more permanent type of connection.

By load I was thinking more about the terminal strip. I'm using them in a few other places for lower gauge wire, I doubt that terminal strips are all built the same, so I'll have to look for one capable of hanging the load to/fom the generator/alternator/other stuff I have going to it. (I'm on the road in a hotel room, so I can't remember exactly which wires are there.)

I had not even thought about screws coming loose, even I know that would be a Very Bad Thing when it comes to electrical connections but for some reason the idea of the screw terminal on a capacitor coming loose never occurred to me and I just gave myself a mild slap. Any alternatives?


Thanks for your time, Joe.

You could put a little dab of blue Loctite on the threads if the screw or wire is subject to vibration.

Excellent, I didn't think you could use Loctite on electrical components.

:cheers:

Are those terminals PIDG type or equivalent? They have an internal metal sleeve with a taper into the main hole for the wire, and have a proven crimp strength. The ones that do not have a metal sleeve inside the plastic insulator in the area of the insulation crimp are prone to failure.

Yes sir, they are. I had an old USN Chief being my seadaddy over the electrical, but he retired and moved away so I'm a bit on my own now. In a way it's good, because I can't just ask him, I have to do my research and learn myself, but in other ways I could easily go down a wrong path now.

Steve Crewdog said:

Hello all,

It's getting a bit crowded running wires to the Dynon capacitor, is it ok to run them to a terminal strip, then a single wire to the capacitor? Or is that too much load? (ignore the wires above the capacitor, those are in process) I was thinking about a simple strip under the capacitor, with one wire going to the + terminal.

Thanks,

Steve

click here for a full sized image: http://seareybuild.blogspot.com/2021/02/vaf-images.html

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What is this capacitor used for? Dynon?

I didn't think you could use Loctite on electrical components.

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The screw is not part of the electrical current path. Current flows directly from the ring terminal to the capacitor terminal post.
If you use thread locker, use it sparingly. You might want to remove the screw someday.

Purple threadlocker makes for easier future removal of small screws.

Apologies to all, the original post was incorrect (and has been corrected), the capacitor has to do with the Rotax engine install.

From my friend Jim Ratte, The SeaRey Specialist and my build mentor:

Jim Ratte said:

Nope, engine related and required for all Rotax installs. Has to do with the generator / alternator. Think of a heart monitor, where you see the spikes above and below the base horizontal line. The capacitor absorbs the spikes and brings them closer to the base line. Also IF the rectifier were to be shut off while the engine is running, the cap takes all the current and dumps to ground through the cap.


Jim
http://www.seareyspecialist.com/

Click to expand...

If you're interested in LSX seaplanes, Jim is The Man to go see, he built "Puff", Richard Bach's SeaRey and is widely respected in the community.
(shameless plug, hope it's allowed. If not, apologies, but he's good people.)