Are there any solid-state battery or starter contactor?

[AX-O]

I was talking with Dayton yesterday regarding my FWF work and he asked me if I checked for solid-state battery or starter contactor. I told him no. It did not even cross my mind. So, do you guys know of anything out there?

[gasman]

Originally Posted by AX-O

I was talking with Dayton yesterday regarding my FWF work and he asked me if I checked for solid-state battery or starter contactor. I told him no. It did not even cross my mind. So, do you guys know of anything out there?

I could see it for the starter................. but the master is really basic and proven........

[CharlieWaffles]

Zlabs (advertiser here) has a solid state master and there is another company out there, but forget their name.

[Lars]

Originally Posted by gasman

I could see it for the starter................. but the master is really basic and proven........

Not to mention inexpensive. Solid state relays have very low current draw on the switched side, a good thing. But then you need a switch with gold contacts, or run a resistor in parallel to generate enough sparking current to keep your existing switch reliable. Which sorta defeats one of the benefits.

[dutchroll]

Lamar do a solid state contactor for battery and/or starting but they're not particularly cheap.

I have read that Lamar are a very reputable manufacturer of aircraft electrical gadgets.

[rocketbob]

There are no practical industrial SSRs sized large enough to withstand the 350A+ inrush current of the starter. That and there is a significant voltage drop. I have a couple here that I've used for various projects in the shop but they aren't practical for use in an aircraft.

[David-aviator]

BandC has an alternative contactor, it is not solid state but perhaps longer lasting than the conventional metal unit.

http://www.bandc.biz/intermittentdut...contactor.aspx

[jdeas]

I installed the Lamar SS master relay. Until I get some flying hrs I can't chime in on the performance. The only negative point I found was the case/enclosure. I was not comfortable with the lack of weather seals. From the back the PCB is completely exposed! Made my own mounts and seal

[tgmillso]

Hi All,

Are we seeing common use yet of solid state battery contactors/relays? The reason I ask is that the 0.8 to 1A current draw of a typical battery contactor is not insignificant in the case of an alternator failure (for a single alternator VFR setup) and you are running on battery reserve. Since the semiconductor space seems to be moving quickly, I thought it may be worth asking before I go barreling down the path of a regular contactor. Perhaps JD has an update on his Lamar unit performance?

Tom.

[tgmillso]

I think I may have answered my own question. Perhaps these large current devices are not ready for prime time quite yet.
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...d.php?t=136192
Tom.