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Suggested wire to buy

lonkelm

Active Member
I'm starting to think/plan the electrical system. There probably isn't a standard answer to this because of all the different options people choose to install, but is there just some rough estimates of the qty and type of wire that will need to buy? I'd rather bulk buy wire and have a bit too much than piece meal the wiring purchase.
 
Whatever you do

Buy color coded tefzel, at the very least black and red.
Can't tell you how much of each you'll need but like you, I would buy some extra and in bulk if you can.
Buy harnesses when they are available, Dynon for example and use their color code for the rest of the airplane. Black=ground, Red= 12V, other colors for signal etc.
You'll need a "good" quantity of 18g red and black for the majority of work.
Sorry that did not answer your question but you'll thank me later.
 
I'm starting to think/plan the electrical system. There probably isn't a standard answer to this because of all the different options people choose to install, but is there just some rough estimates of the qty and type of wire that will need to buy? I'd rather bulk buy wire and have a bit too much than piece meal the wiring purchase.

Lots of variables - do you want to have single color? Are you worried about weight? There is a school of thought that wants a consistent color scheme for all wire, and those that want all white with labels.

If you are trying to optimize for weight, you will need to buy many different wire sizes in addition to colors - or you can just pick 3 sizes and use them. Lengths are pretty easy to calculate in excel - just list all the things you want to wire, and depending on where they are in the aircraft you will know how many feet.

I went for lightest possible, and consistent colors, and labels. I ended up compromising on the first two in some places, when something unexpected came up and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on shipping. I still have many miles of unused wire.

I got all my wire from Steinair - https://www.steinair.com/product-category/wire-coax/ - really good supplier for all things related to the wiring.
 
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