RV-3: External Power Jack

I am a firm believer that airplanes with advanced electronic cockpits need to have an easy-to-connect external power jack. If you haven?t dealt with an EFIS yet, you have no real idea how much time you?ll want to spend with power on the vehicle ? training, testing and updating ? while on the ground. Why impose a time constraint due to the size of your battery when all you need is a shop power supply (or a battery charger) and an easy way to connect it? On my -8, I built in a Piper external power jack close to the battery, and I can actually use it to jump start if required.

For the RV-3, I didn?t want to add the weight of a full-up (heavy) jump start jack, so instead, I used a plastic ?AMP? brand, Canon-style plug that handles 12-gauge wire. I had always envisioned having a pig-tail connector inside one of our cheek-cowl storage bins, but since I had a bulkhead connector handy, I figured ?why have something that will bounce around?? the orange cord is built with the mating connector to the airplane jack, and the other end can be connected to whatever source is available. We can use it for power or battery charging as required.





I of course will have a jack cover to protect the pins when the cable isn?t connected.

Paul

Ironflight said:

I used a plastic ?AMP? brand, Canon-style plug that handles 12-gauge wire.

Click to expand...

Do you have any fuses or circuit breakers to protect the wiring between the connector and the battery?

I guess an inline fuse holder would do the job, but a breaker that could be operated from the pilot seat would be ideal if this setup is being used for jump starting.

- mark

Part number?

That would be really good for searching. I like your idea! As we said in the Navy, well done!

newt said:

Do you have any fuses or circuit breakers to protect the wiring between the connector and the battery?

I guess an inline fuse holder would do the job, but a breaker that could be operated from the pilot seat would be ideal if this setup is being used for jump starting.

- mark

Click to expand...

Absolutely on the protection - there is an in-line fuse holder in the system. There is no need for cockpit control, as the wire sizes are nowhere near big enough for jump starting - this is for maintenance and normal battery charging only.

Sam Staton said:

That would be really good for searching. I like your idea! As we said in the Navy, well done!

Click to expand...

I am fortunate to have a well-stocked electronic parts store nearby that often-times has odd lots of stuff they get surplus - including these Amp CPC's. Best I can tell from the worn bubble-pack, it is a "Waldom/Amp 746-9"

Power

Paul:

Any chance you could throw up a quick schematic?????

Cig lighter

I have a battery charger with a cig lighter plug. The cig lighter is wired direct to the battery protected by a 10 amp fuse (wire is 16 gauge). I plug in my battery charger to the cig lighter and power everything I need. I can also charge the battery this way. Very convenient and simple.

i second paul's external power jack suggestion. absolutely a must IMHO with any kind of glass panel.

very handy to test all the avionics thoroughly, program all the options and simply familiarize yourself with the features. manuals ususally don't do it enough justice.

we got a 20A 15VDC+-2V adjustable power supply manufactured by http://www.sunpower.com.tw/
through a local dealer.

the more load you put on, the more voltage drop, so i think it's not quite able to keep up with a full load of around 20A on the battery, but the avionics less lights, radios (when not being tested) up to about 10A are fine indefinitely without draining the battery.

the plugs are from a car electrics supply store.
we wired the female to the aircraft, also with an inline fuse and the plug is installed upside down (so no liquids can fill the plug) on the engine mount, acessible through the oil door. no special protection for the female plug though.

the male is wired to the power supply.



bottom left, inline fuse not visible (below the foto edge)

rgds, bernie

plug

Bernie, that is exactly how we did ours, not the same connector but the same concept. We put the fuse down by the battery to protect the wiring all the way up. Works great with the charger but we still need to get a power supply for avionics work/training.

By the way, lately we picked up a very small solar panel that we sit on the plane when it is in the hanger that plugs into the same port. The hangar has sky lights and it seems to help the battery stay tip top when the plane sits for over a week.

Looks like this.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-sol5n-12-volt-1_5-watt-solar-charger.html