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How many connections are too many

 
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AdventureD



Joined: 13 Jan 2021
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2021 2:38 pm    Post subject: How many connections are too many Reply with quote

I am reconfiguring some wiring to make it more user friendly next time I have to dig into it, and a question arises about the trade off between ease of use and connection quality. The main question is where to draw the line in the number of connections allowed to make things easy.

For example, my bus (with breakers) on the back of the panel has all wires running to wires to a canon plug to allow disconnecting the canon plug and pulling out the breaker panel. The radio harness connects multiple avionics together but also has power, ground, headset, and lighting wires going to other places. Can I have additional connectors (e.g., Deutsch or canon connectors) making those connections to the harness so that it is easy to pull the harness if I have to? That would mean that each radio power wire has two connections beyond the bus, one just away from the bus, and one nearer the radio (not to mentions the connection to the bus and the dsub connected to the radio. Too many? How many is too many?

Same question for grounding. My ground bus on the back of the firewall is in a location that is hard to reach when the panel is installed. Could I have grounds on the cockpit side of the firewall going through a canon plug to allow easy removal of the panel without unplugging each and every ground faston? Too many connections?

I realize there is a technical way to see how much you lose from each connection. Are the rules of thumb on the number of connections for different types of circuits that are consistent with accepted practice?

What is the best thing to read on this.

Thanks in advance.

Happy and safe flying,
Dan


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user9253



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1921
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2021 3:25 pm    Post subject: Re: How many connections are too many Reply with quote

You can have as many connections as you want. But keep in mind that the
vast majority of electrical problems are due to bad connections. Base your
decision on how often wires must be taken apart.


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Ceengland



Joined: 11 Oct 2020
Posts: 391
Location: MS

PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2021 4:09 pm    Post subject: How many connections are too many Reply with quote

On 5/24/2021 5:38 PM, AdventureD wrote:
Quote:


I am reconfiguring some wiring to make it more user friendly next time I have to dig into it, and a question arises about the trade off between ease of use and connection quality. The main question is where to draw the line in the number of connections allowed to make things easy.

For example, my bus (with breakers) on the back of the panel has all wires running to wires to a canon plug to allow disconnecting the canon plug and pulling out the breaker panel. The radio harness connects multiple avionics together but also has power, ground, headset, and lighting wires going to other places. Can I have additional connectors (e.g., Deutsch or canon connectors) making those connections to the harness so that it is easy to pull the harness if I have to? That would mean that each radio power wire has two connections beyond the bus, one just away from the bus, and one nearer the radio (not to mentions the connection to the bus and the dsub connected to the radio. Too many? How many is too many?

Same question for grounding. My ground bus on the back of the firewall is in a location that is hard to reach when the panel is installed. Could I have grounds on the cockpit side of the firewall going through a canon plug to allow easy removal of the panel without unplugging each and every ground faston? Too many connections?

I realize there is a technical way to see how much you lose from each connection. Are the rules of thumb on the number of connections for different types of circuits that are consistent with accepted practice?

What is the best thing to read on this.

Thanks in advance.

Happy and safe flying,
Dan
One option (easiest if you plan for it before executing the build) is to

put all the power handling switches/CBs on a panel that can stay with
the airframe  when the panel comes out. Basically bundle all the wires
going to/from the switch or CB panel, and either bottom mount the panel
to the main panel or rear mount it in the main panel. To remove the main
panel, just remove the screws holding the power panel(s) and let them
'dangle' when you remove the main panel. If you need a pic, I'll try to
take one for you tomorrow.

Charlie

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prestonkavanagh



Joined: 27 Nov 2018
Posts: 16
Location: Tarpon Springs

PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2021 6:36 am    Post subject: Re: How many connections are too many Reply with quote

I stumbled into doing what Charlie recommends.

The instrument panel is a single piece with a 90 degree bend, the bend forming a shelf on top of the leg holes. (What's the technical term for "leg holes"?) 4 AWG comes to the back of the passenger side of the instrument panel. The ground, main distribution and a brown out buss are all there, mounted on the back of the panel or top of the leg hole shelf. I also have a 12-conductor expansion bus, currently empty but available for future use.

To get the panel out I detach the several busses and remove a dozen screws holding panel to airplane structure. It takes about 10 minutes, but it's not complex. (The passenger side of the busses is an ipad frame. If I had avionics spilling over to the passenger side I would need a larger leg hole shelf.)


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