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Help a newbie out

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Icarus

Well Known Member
Hey all...

Between building the emp of a -14 and flying/maintaining my -4 I have come to realize that I am an electrical idiot. Not so much with the concepts, but as with most things in life the application. (I have read and am now re-reading Aeroelectric Connection).

Anyone have any/know of any home 'projects' I can create in my workshop to practice the hands on and planning skills?

Any help is better than none...thank you!:)
 
Challenged?

Check out Vertical Power. They are an advertiser on the left side of the home page. It can save u a lot of headaches. It did me. But its your choice.
 
when I first started trying to learn aircraft electrical systems, I bought bob knuckoll's book and zeroed in on the Z-11 diagram. I bought all the stuff (battery, master and starter relays, a few switches, a few breakers, etc) you need to wire a plane according to the diagram, and I built a mock up panel on my bench, connected the battery and flipped a few switches.

After that, it kind of took the mystery out of it for me.
 
Icarus said:
I have read and am now re-reading Aeroelectric Connection.
Click to expand...

You are already ahead of a lot of folks.

You could try breaking the plane electrical system down to a few simple examples, and make up a working model on the bench. Lights would be a good place to start. Use a master contactor, and circuit breaker if you need help understanding how they work-----the more it is like the real thing the more you will understand when it gets to actually doing the plane.

Another good one would be trim switch and servo------just make it work without being installed in the stab, no need for drive linkage etc. Maybe even hook up a position indicator if you are going to use them.
 
"Hands on projects" and "planning" are different skills and will likely need different activities - and both can be fun and rewarding.

A modern RV is going to have three general "wired" systems ...

  1. sensors (mostly engine compartment but not exclusively so)
  2. data
  3. power

Power is the most basic and a good one to map first. You'll likely have three power "producers" - alternator, battery, & backup. All of your power "consumers" will eventually be grouped - critical essentials, avionics, supporting components, and analogs (lights, heated pitot, flaps, trims, etc).

I'd start by sketching out your electrical.

Don't get too detailed at first. Simply draw boxes for the "consumers" and "producers". Draw lines between. Group "consumers" into the different buses. Next, add one level of detail - the switches. Now add another level of detail - fuses / breakers. Eventually you will add things like dual feeds to the essential bus, shunt(s), etc. But don't try to do it all at first.

I like to refer to this as "the earth is round". The truth is our planet is a bumpy spheroid with polar wander but it's easier to start simple and then gradually introduce complex concepts. So, start simple with your electrical and add the details iteratively. Don't move into the next iteration until you understand the current, simpler, iteration.

BTW: the above process works for the "data" systems too!
 
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Good workmanship is just as important as understanding circuits and knowing where to connect the wires. Sloppy workmanship will result in an electrical system that will work just fine, at first. But a few years later, wires will chafe or break and terminations will fail. Some of these problems will be intermittent which can be difficult to solve.
 
The electrical component of my 6A build was of concern to me so I took the Sportair workshop on wiring and avionics. It was very helpful for me, as I am more of a hands on learner. The class exposed me to the components I would use in my airplane, such as all the different connectors that are acceptable, as well as the tools required. Definitely a thumbs up.
 
+1 for Jeff's recommendation of the Sport Air Workshop.
http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation-...tair-workshops/eaa-sportair-workshop-schedule
I took the course after wiring my RV-8 (the first time) and still learned some helpful techniques.
It seems to me you are looking for advice on practical wiring, the workshop gives you that. Soldering, crimp on connectors, use of tools, and also reading schematics. We also made a project, then tested it. You take that home as a reminder of your newly acquired skills.
I did much better after I bought a tool box dedicated to electrical tools, and started putting quality tools in it.
Get good wire strippers and a full cycle crimper.
Once learned, you will be able to continuously maintain or upgrade your RV.
Take advantage of your new ability to maintain & improve Experimental Aircraft!
 
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Thanks

Thank you all for the input, I have some new homework.

I will certainly look into the sport air workshops, sounds like that will help with the hands on. The theory will come through practical application, it's how I learn new things.

I will also build a 'bench project' mock up of the airplane system to begin to learn what skills and tools I need to pick up.

Again thanks to all, if you see a bright flash coming from west texas near the mexican border, I cut the wrong wire! :)

Paul
 
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