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Fastons and Ground Bus

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jon.mclin(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:09 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

Bob,

Here:  http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg  we see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs.  The biggest I've found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 8-tab part, but it is non-stock).  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?



Second: suppose I wanted a similar bus for some ring terminals.  The only prefab bars I can find are for 19" equipment racks, and are big, heavy, and sparse.  Seems like the options are to rivet a series of 6-32 nutplates to an aluminum or copper strip, or drill and tap a brass or copper bar.  The nutplates are typically locking, and plated steel, whereas the threaded bar may not be robust (eg, easy to strip the threads).  Opinions?



Finally, I ran across this faston distribution strip on the web:

http://www.eagleconnector.com/fseries.html



Cessna used a faston distribution for the light dimming bus.  In the Cessna case, it was hand-assembled: screw terminal strip; jumpers to bridge adjacent rows; and straight and angled fastons attached to the screws.  (Cessna used 0.187 fastons for this, and .250 for everything else).



Anyway, prefabricated faston distribution strips like this might be useful - ever run across a retail source of such?



Jon

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james(at)etravel.org
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:25 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

Jon,Â 



You can get them from B&C:Â 

http://www.bandc.biz/grounding-supplies-battery-cables.aspx 

I've bought one and it's just the job.Â 

James

On 30 January 2012 14:04, Jon McLin <jon.mclin(at)cox.net (jon.mclin(at)cox.net)> wrote:

 [quote]--> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Jon McLin <jon.mclin(at)cox.net (jon.mclin(at)cox.net)>

  

 Bob,

 Here: Â http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg Â we see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs. Â The biggest I've found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 8-tab part, but it is non-stock). Â Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?

  

 Second: suppose I wanted a similar bus for some ring terminals. Â The only prefab bars I can find are for 19" equipment racks, and are big, heavy, and sparse. Â Seems like the options are to rivet a series of 6-32 nutplates to an aluminum or copper strip, or drill and tap a brass or copper bar. Â The nutplates are typically locking, and plated steel, whereas the threaded bar may not be robust (eg, easy to strip the threads). Â Opinions?

  

 Finally, I ran across this faston distribution strip on the web:

 http://www.eagleconnector.com/fseries.html

 

 Cessna used a faston distribution for the light dimming bus. Â In the Cessna case, it was hand-assembled: screw terminal strip; jumpers to bridge adjacent rows; and straight and angled fastons attached to the screws. Â (Cessna used 0.187 fastons for this, and .250 for everything else).

  

 Anyway, prefabricated faston distribution strips like this might be useful - ever run across a retail source of such?

 

 Jon

 

 

 

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  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â -Matt Dralle, List Admin.

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email(at)jaredyates.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:20 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

Depending on your time/money balance and application, another option is to make one.  I used brass terminal strips from Stein and a piece of thin brass stock from the hobby store:http://jaredyates.com/bearhawk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0262.jpg 

 



Here's the link for Stein:

http://www.steinair.com/storedetail.cfm?productid=14 

I have about $14 ($8 for tabs, $3 for brass, and $3 for hardware) invested in mine, so in my case it was worth an hour or so of work to save the cost of the B&C.  This strategy could also be useful if you want a special shape or layout, since you can make it exactly as you want.

 



Stein also has some options that may answer question 2:

http://www.steinair.com/store.cfm?tlcatid=27 



On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 9:22 AM, James Kilford <james(at)etravel.org (james(at)etravel.org)> wrote:

[quote] Jon, 



You can get them from B&C: 

http://www.bandc.biz/grounding-supplies-battery-cables.aspx 

I've bought one and it's just the job. 

James

On 30 January 2012 14:04, Jon McLin <jon.mclin(at)cox.net (jon.mclin(at)cox.net)> wrote:

  

 	  Quote: 	
		  --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Jon McLin <jon.mclin(at)cox.net (jon.mclin(at)cox.net)>

   

 Bob,

 Here:  http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg  we see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs.  The biggest I've found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 8-tab part, but it is non-stock).  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?

   

 Second: suppose I wanted a similar bus for some ring terminals.  The only prefab bars I can find are for 19" equipment racks, and are big, heavy, and sparse.  Seems like the options are to rivet a series of 6-32 nutplates to an aluminum or copper strip, or drill and tap a brass or copper bar.  The nutplates are typically locking, and plated steel, whereas the threaded bar may not be robust (eg, easy to strip the threads).  Opinions?

   

 Finally, I ran across this faston distribution strip on the web:

 http://www.eagleconnector.com/fseries.html

 

 Cessna used a faston distribution for the light dimming bus.  In the Cessna case, it was hand-assembled: screw terminal strip; jumpers to bridge adjacent rows; and straight and angled fastons attached to the screws.  (Cessna used 0.187 fastons for this, and .250 for everything else).

   

 Anyway, prefabricated faston distribution strips like this might be useful - ever run across a retail source of such?

 

 Jon

 

 

 



 ===========

  -

 ric-List" target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List

 ===========

 MS -

 k">http://forums.matronics.com

 ===========

 e -

           -Matt Dralle, List Admin.

 t="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution

 ===========

 

 

 

 	




   	  Quote: 	
		  



ist" target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List

tp://forums.matronics.com

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[b]

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grosseair(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:27 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

I used a sheet of brass, drilled holes at appropriate spacing for my 

studs then inserted brass machine screws from the rear and tightened 

down a brass nut from the front. I used liquid flux under the head, nut, 

and threads then applied solder using a torch to get sufficient heat to 

the whole assembly. I completed the assembly with two flat washers, a 

star washer, and a nut (all brass). It worked great and I was able to 

have different sizes of studs for different purposes.

John Grosse



Jon McLin wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Second: suppose I wanted a similar bus for some ring terminals.  The only prefab bars I can find are for 19" equipment racks, and are big, heavy, and sparse.  Seems like the options are to rivet a series of 6-32 nutplates to an aluminum or copper strip, or drill and tap a brass or copper bar.  The nutplates are typically locking, and plated steel, whereas the threaded bar may not be robust (eg, easy to strip the threads).  Opinions?

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jdubner(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:28 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

>  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?



Jon,



Steinair sells a "10 Tab Ground Strip" for a dollar 

(http://www.steinair.net/storedetail.cfm?productid=14).  A few dollars 

worth of these, a piece of hobby store 0.040-inch brass sheet, and a bit 

of soldering (with a torch) will give you any size ground block you need.



--

Joe

Independence, OR

RV-8A finish kit phase

Long-EZ flying

Jon McLin wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 Bob,

 Here:  http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg  we see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs.  The biggest I've found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 8-tab part, but it is non-stock).  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?


	


[message trimmed]

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doramsey(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:06 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

B&C sells both a 24 and a 48 fast on ground bus. On Jan 30, 2012 10:34 AM, "Joe Dubner" <jdubner(at)yahoo.com (jdubner(at)yahoo.com)> wrote:[quote] --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Joe Dubner <jdubner(at)yahoo.com (jdubner(at)yahoo.com)>

 

 >  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?

 

 Jon,

 

 Steinair sells a "10 Tab Ground Strip" for a dollar (http://www.steinair.net/storedetail.cfm?productid=14).  A few dollars worth of these, a piece of hobby store 0.040-inch brass sheet, and a bit of soldering (with a torch) will give you any size ground block you need.

  

 --

 Joe

 Independence, OR

 RV-8A finish kit phase

 Long-EZ flying

 

 

 Jon McLin wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		   --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Jon McLin <jon.mclin(at)cox.net (jon.mclin(at)cox.net)>

 

 Bob,

 Here:  http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg  we see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs.  The biggest I've found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 8-tab part, but it is non-stock).  Can you identify a source for high-count faston strips?

  	
 

 [message trimmed]

 

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 ====================================

 http://forums.matronics.com

 ====================================

 le, List Admin.

 ="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution

 ====================================

 

 

 

 [b]

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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:48 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

At 08:04 AM 1/30/2012, you wrote:




Bob,

Here:  http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Grounding/gnd_bus.jpg  we 

see a lovely ganged faston with about 24 tabs.  The biggest I've 

found is at Digikey, where they stock a 6-tab part (and they list an 

8-tab part, but it is non-stock).  Can you identify a source for 

high-count faston strips?



   Not easy to find in the constellation of suppliers

   to the commercial-off-the-shelf market. I designed

   the B&C ground tabs product about 15 years ago . . . back

   then we were getting continuous spools of 2-row, tab-stock

   which was cut to length and then sweat-soldered to a brass

   base.



   Sometimes we could exploit the offerings of a new-old-stock

   surplus house for cut-pieces suited to the task but rarely.

   The reason I turned that idea into a B&C product was because

   of the difficulty of finding long strings of tabs and the

   somewhat labor intensive techniques for acquiring all the

   materials and the assembling the critters.



   It's my humble opinion that you're way ahead in the value

   of your $time$ to get these pre-assembled.



   On the other hand, if you've got an itch to build on, use

   the stock parts from Digikey, pop rivet them to a brass

   base (one rivet in the center is good) for fixturing.

   Heat up with a torch from the under side while flowing

   63/37 electronic solder into the joint between the base

   and tabs.

Second: suppose I wanted a similar bus for some ring terminals.  The 

only prefab bars I can find are for 19" equipment racks, and are big, 

heavy, and sparse.  Seems like the options are to rivet a series of 

6-32 nutplates to an aluminum or copper strip, or drill and tap a 

brass or copper bar.  The nutplates are typically locking, and plated 

steel, whereas the threaded bar may not be robust (eg, easy to strip 

the threads).  Opinions?



    Please don't drill and tap holes into anything for

    the purpose of crafting a bus bar. Use the same brass

    stock (.06 or thicker) base plate (square is better than single

    row, rectangular is better than single row). Install 10-32

    brass screws and brass nuts in an array of ground studs.

    Solder screws and nuts to the brass plate.



    Use metallic lock-nuts to put your terminals down on

    the studs. If you're rolling your own, perhaps the

    tabs and studs can be on the same base.

Finally, I ran across this faston distribution strip on the web:

http://www.eagleconnector.com/fseries.html



Cessna used a faston distribution for the light dimming bus.  In the 

Cessna case, it was hand-assembled: screw terminal strip; jumpers to 

bridge adjacent rows; and straight and angled fastons attached to the 

screws.  (Cessna used 0.187 fastons for this, and .250 for everything else).



    Many moons ago, I gave several copies of the 'Connection

    to the electrical group responsible for the single engine

    line in Independence KS. A short time later, I heard that

    they incorporated a single point ground into the product

    line. I'd like to believe the 'Connection planted the seeds

    of an attractive idea . . .



Anyway, prefabricated faston distribution strips like this might be 

useful - ever run across a retail source of such?

   Try Eagle Connector. Their phone number is at the

   bottom of the data sheet:



http://www.eagleconnector.com/images/F-series%20specs.pdf

    Bob . . .

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msausen

Joined: 25 Oct 2007
Posts: 559
Location: Appleton, WI USA

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:50 am Post subject: Fastons and Ground Bus

This was exactly what I did, custom size and layout for a fraction of the price.



Michael



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