Groundy & Loopy
az_gila said:
Can the aluminum and electrical connector interact and corrode. DO you cover it with some corrosion protection or sealant it?
Pictures? Cheers George
George, I hope you are only testing us....
The answer to the above is very clearly given to us by the FAA in, what else, AC 43.13-1B....
Nope, no test; that is perfect, just what I (WE) needed. I knew I saw it somewhere. My point, people slap metals together in their airframe grounds that are incompatible. Add mosture and current = battery.
KEY uses aluminum washers directly adjacent to the structure on each side, and than Cad plated hardware. Cad plated AN hardware is common so that's good. I have seen copper which is worse than steel. Depending on the type of terminal finish Cad only may be needed. Whatever you do, no tinned copper against aluminum structure.
We thank you.
I Thank you George
billy d said:
I agree with Mel...All the extra ground leads produce ground "Loops" and interference with Nav /Sound Equip. One solid ground on the airframe does it.
Billy D
Billy D, ground loops as I understand it has to do more with audio devices, where the phone/mic jack is grounded in one place and the electronics are grounded in another, producing two Gnd paths, thus a GROUND LOOP, for example. It is critical for avoiding audio issues, which should have a SINGLE point ground NOT anywhere on the airframe. That's my story and I am sticking to it.
You can ground an item with a dedicated ground wire and not have it also airframe ground. Some items like NAV lights are case ground and harder to isolate from the airframe, but my Nav lights, like everyone's, are in a fiberglass wingtip, so it needs at least a jumper wire to wing structure anyway.
The ground wire/strap from the NEG side of the battery to the engine or firewall might not be so "hot" by the time it gets to the wing tip? It should be groovy, but a good ground strap to the airframe; (may be) also a fuselage to wing strap would be a good idea? Just a thought.
If the main airframe ground strap comes loose it can play heck with your whole electrical system if airframe grounded. When there was an electrical problems, many times it was from poor grounds.
George
Mel said:
If references help, I was an avionics technician in the USAF for 6 years. Over 40 years in electronics with Texas Instruments. Airframe ground works fine! Mel...DAR
Sufficient overkill in qualifications,
thanks Mel. You got to love the wealth of knowledge on the VAFNET forum. I hear you but I am scared of airframe grounds for some weird reason? I guess I will have to get over it. Cheers G