nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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 Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:10 am Post subject: An interesting anecdote on the RBM OV relay |
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Hadn't thought about this for quite a few years
but the RMB Controls 138-1 relay in the picture was
acquired at OSH 1990 or thereabouts.
A young man showed up at the B&C booth to talk
about regulators. Seems he was having trouble with
the rear regulator on his recently 'finished'
Rutan design Defiant. I remember being amazed that
someone so young had the resources, time and
talent to have completed such a project!
His complaint was that the rear engine's alternator
would not stay on line. When the field switch was
closed, it would come on for a brief time and then
shut down.
I wasn't able to leave the booth but suggested
that he bring the offending regulator in and we
could hook it up to a power supply and evaluated
it.
An hour or so later he was back and plunked down
an RBM Controls 138-1 OV Management relay! Yes,
it had all the markings of a regulator (BUS, FLD,
GND). He had purchased it from an aviation salvage
yard and assumed it was a regulator based on
the terminal labels.
Fortunately the thing was still functional. As soon
as the alternator came up, it would go into over
voltage causing the 138-1 to trip. I explained
his mistake whereupon he whipped out his credit
card and bought at least one and perhaps two
LR2 regulators. I asked him if I could have
his 'non-regulator' and he gifted it to me. I think
I've still got it laying around here somewhere.
I also learned that his airplane was flown NY to
OSH with only one functioning alternator and
too few hours on it to qualify for anything
but test-area-flight! At least he went home
with two alternators and a fist-full of
flight hours in the log.
Bob . . .
Un impeachable logic: George Carlin asked, "If black boxes
survive crashes, why don't they make the whole airplane
out of that stuff?"
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