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Ammeter going haywire

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bbradburry(at)verizon.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:29 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

What could cause the amperage that normally reads about two and a half amps to suddenly start a smooth and gradual climb over about 35 minutes to 9 amps?  Does this mean the battery is going south?  Something else?  

   

Bill   

       [quote][b]

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Bob McC

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 258
Location: Toronto, ON

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:57 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

First question is what current is this ammeter reading ?? Alternator output ?? Battery charge current ?? Buss current on some buss ?? Something else ??  

   

Bob McC  

           

  

From: owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bill Bradburry

 Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 12:28 AM

 To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: AeroElectric-List: Ammeter going haywire  

  

   

 What could cause the amperage that normally reads about two and a half amps to suddenly start a smooth and gradual climb over about 35 minutes to 9 amps?  Does this mean the battery is going south?  Something else?  

   

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_________________
Bob McC
Falco #908
(just starting)

n801bh(at)netzero.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 10:42 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

I had a very similar thing happen to me a few years back.... My ammeter did the same thing, slowly and smoothly keep climbing like my charging system was on a load cell with an increasing load put on it... Turned out to be my Optima Red Top battery going bad... Took it back to the dealer ,they tested it and agreed there was a bad batch and he gave me a new one.... Been running great every since...

 

 

Ben Haas

N801BH

www.haaspowerair.com



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bbradburry(at)verizon.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:06 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

Bob,  

I am pretty sure that it is reading battery charge current.  It is too low to be alternator output or load I think.  

He had been doing some work on the engine and had run the battery down considerably trying to start it.   On the next flight the amps jumped up to 8 on start then gradually reduced to about 4 by the end of the flight.  The next flight the amps jumped up to 4 on start then came down to about 2.5 by the end of the flight.  

Somewhere in here his mechanic told him he needed a new battery so he replaced the battery.  

The next flight with the new battery the amps jumped up to about 4 on start, then dropped to about 2 amps for about 10 minutes then started the gradual climb to 9 amps over the next 40 minutes.  

The next flight the amps jumped to about 3 on start then dropped to about 2 for 10 minutes then slowly climbed to over 4 amps for the next 40 minutes or so.  

   

This now seems to be the standard.  

   

Any ideas would be welcomed.  

   

Bill         

  

From: owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bob McCallum

 Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2014 11:56 PM

 To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: RE: AeroElectric-List: Ammeter going haywire  

  

   

First question is what current is this ammeter reading ?? Alternator output ?? Battery charge current ?? Buss current on some buss ?? Something else ??  

   

Bob McC  

           

  

From: owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bill Bradburry

 Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 12:28 AM

 To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: AeroElectric-List: Ammeter going haywire  

  

   

 What could cause the amperage that normally reads about two and a half amps to suddenly start a smooth and gradual climb over about 35 minutes to 9 amps?  Does this mean the battery is going south?  Something else?  

   

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       [quote][b]

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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 7:42 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

At 16:05 2014-11-06, you wrote:

Bob,

I am pretty sure that it is reading battery charge current.  It is 

too low to be alternator output or load I think.

He had been doing some work on the engine and had run the battery 

down considerably trying to start it.   On the next flight the amps 

jumped up to 8 on start then gradually reduced to about 4 by the end 

of the flight.  The next flight the amps jumped up to 4 on start then 

came down to about 2.5 by the end of the flight.



Somewhere in here his mechanic told him he needed a new battery so he 

replaced the battery.

The next flight with the new battery the amps jumped up to about 4 on 

start, then dropped to about 2 amps for about 10 minutes then started 

the gradual climb to 9 amps over the next 40 minutes.



The next flight the amps jumped to about 3 on start then dropped to 

about 2 for 10 minutes then slowly climbed to over 4 amps for the 

next 40 minutes or so.



This now seems to be the standard.



Any ideas would be welcomed.



Bill

   Those readings don't make any sense to me. If it's a battery

   ammeter, then the current right after start . . . ESPECIALLY

   with a badly depleted battery, would peak at some rather

   large number . . . perhaps 20A or more immediately after

   the alternator comes on line and tapers to zero over time.



   These numbers are too low to be real . . .



   First, we need to identify just what the ammeter is

   reading. Does it have a zero centered needle with

   minus readings to the left and plus readings to the

   right? If so, sit in the cockpit with engine off

   and turn EVERYTHING in the airplane ON and tell us

   what the ammeter reads.



   If the ammeter has zero at the left and full scale

   at the right, then it's not a battery ammeter. Again,

   with the engine not running and EVERYTHING in the

   airplane turned ON, what does the ammeter read?



   Finally, with the engine running and everything

   in the airplane OFF except the alternator, what

   does the ammeter read? Then turn everything ON

   and take a reading (you need to do this at about

   2000 rpm). Finally, if you turn the alternator

   OFF while everything else in the airplane is ON,

   what does the ammeter read.



   In all three series of tests above, take voltmeter

   readings at the bus also.



   Unitl we first determin exactly what this ammeter

   is attempting to tell us -AND- get some numbers

   based on behavior, there's not enough data to

   craft any sort of diagnosis.



   By the way, what engine, alternator and battery

   sizes are we talking about?



   Bob . . .

   Bob . . .

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bbradburry(at)verizon.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:26 pm Post subject: Ammeter going haywire

He has a Dynon Skyview in his panel and that is about it.  The Skyview

captures and records some of his flights which can be seen on SavvyAnalysis.

I am putting some links to a few of his flights below.  The Skyview gives

him a lot of info but if he turns if off he gets nothing.  :>(



The ammeter shunt is connected between the master contactor/alternator fat

wire and the main buss.  In this position I think it should be reading the

load on the main buss.

Below are some savvyanalysis data

 

The amps reversed from 8 amps to 3.5 amps with the old batt on 10/21/14. 



https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/749440/37e6656c-5f2a-45cf-92c2-6231a494

60c



Here is a comparison: 10/27/14 (6 days later). Amps start at 4.0 (start of

engine) and drop for the rest of the flight to about 2.7 amps.



https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/753443/64b3c6d3-b471-492e-b01d-05124820

887c



This is the CRAZY ONE 11/03/14. Starts at 4.0 amps. Stays OK for 20 minutes.

Then a steady climb to 8.8 amps.???

This is with a new Batt.  Maybe something is wrong with the new battery?



https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/759392/46b06ce6-9f83-4758-8b43-a247feb1

306f



BUT the next day, On 11/04/14 the NEW batt was acting NORMAL. After 40

minutes, Amp usage was only 4.0 amps. Not like the day before on 11/03/14.



https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/760125/2265e909-c367-4f30-9df4-26fd424f

d7f1



Todays flight (Thursday) 11/06/14. Amps climb from 3 amps to 4.1 amps over

an HOUR of flight.



https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/760853/ea55436a-65b6-4c60-809e-18240500

a91a

 

--

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