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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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 Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:41 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
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billp(at)wwpc.com
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 12:33 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Ken, wire length is important too. Even if the wire capacity is enough
for the amount of current you want to carry, if the wire it long the
voltage drop may be unacceptable and require a larger wire. I assume
from the values you give these are LED lights so at least you don't have
to be concerned about the cold filament current.
FAA AC43.13 has some good charts for figuring out wire size for a
current and length. Look at Figure 11-2 "Conductor chart, continuous
flow" on page 11-30.
Since it sounds like you have a fiberglass airplane and you're using
wires to return your ground instead of the airframe, you should double
the wire length (so you account for the round trip voltage drop).
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On 7/24/16 12:38 PM, Ken Ryan wrote:
| Quote: | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing
light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It
seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the
ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same
time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18
gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse
protection.
|
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:41 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Bill, the wires are short so voltage drop is not really a concern. The question is more related to amp carrying capacity and the fact that there are two wires for carrying the positive but only one for the negative, and how to handle that situation.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)>
Ken, wire length is important too. Even if the wire capacity is enough for the amount of current you want to carry, if the wire it long the voltage drop may be unacceptable and require a larger wire. I assume from the values you give these are LED lights so at least you don't have to be concerned about the cold filament current.
FAA AC43.13 has some good charts for figuring out wire size for a current and length. Look at Figure 11-2 "Conductor chart, continuous flow" on page 11-30.
Since it sounds like you have a fiberglass airplane and you're using wires to return your ground instead of the airframe, you should double the wire length (so you account for the round trip voltage drop).
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On 7/24/16 12:38 PM, Ken Ryan wrote:
| Quote: | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
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ceengland7(at)gmail.com
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 2:39 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Size for total current on the ground path (sum of all load currents) using your wire capacity chart, but protect (fuse) on the + side for each smaller wire, just as you would if running separate grounds.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 4:35 PM, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Bill, the wires are short so voltage drop is not really a concern. The question is more related to amp carrying capacity and the fact that there are two wires for carrying the positive but only one for the negative, and how to handle that situation.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)>
Ken, wire length is important too. Even if the wire capacity is enough for the amount of current you want to carry, if the wire it long the voltage drop may be unacceptable and require a larger wire. I assume from the values you give these are LED lights so at least you don't have to be concerned about the cold filament current.
FAA AC43.13 has some good charts for figuring out wire size for a current and length. Look at Figure 11-2 "Conductor chart, continuous flow" on page 11-30.
Since it sounds like you have a fiberglass airplane and you're using wires to return your ground instead of the airframe, you should double the wire length (so you account for the round trip voltage drop).
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On 7/24/16 12:38 PM, Ken Ryan wrote:
| Quote: | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:09 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Thanks!
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 2:35 PM, Charlie England <ceengland7(at)gmail.com (ceengland7(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Size for total current on the ground path (sum of all load currents) using your wire capacity chart, but protect (fuse) on the + side for each smaller wire, just as you would if running separate grounds.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 4:35 PM, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Bill, the wires are short so voltage drop is not really a concern. The question is more related to amp carrying capacity and the fact that there are two wires for carrying the positive but only one for the negative, and how to handle that situation.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)>
Ken, wire length is important too. Even if the wire capacity is enough for the amount of current you want to carry, if the wire it long the voltage drop may be unacceptable and require a larger wire. I assume from the values you give these are LED lights so at least you don't have to be concerned about the cold filament current.
FAA AC43.13 has some good charts for figuring out wire size for a current and length. Look at Figure 11-2 "Conductor chart, continuous flow" on page 11-30.
Since it sounds like you have a fiberglass airplane and you're using wires to return your ground instead of the airframe, you should double the wire length (so you account for the round trip voltage drop).
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On 7/24/16 12:38 PM, Ken Ryan wrote:
| Quote: | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
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errer" target="_blank">http://wiki.matronics.com
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billp(at)wwpc.com
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 4:49 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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The ground wire can be common but it has to be sized to carry the current of both lights (5.7A). I'd use a single 18 ga. wire for the ground.
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On Jul 24, 2016, at 14:35, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Bill, the wires are short so voltage drop is not really a concern. The question is more related to amp carrying capacity and the fact that there are two wires for carrying the positive but only one for the negative, and how to handle that situation.
On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: Bill Putney <billp(at)wwpc.com (billp(at)wwpc.com)>
Ken, wire length is important too. Even if the wire capacity is enough for the amount of current you want to carry, if the wire it long the voltage drop may be unacceptable and require a larger wire. I assume from the values you give these are LED lights so at least you don't have to be concerned about the cold filament current.
FAA AC43.13 has some good charts for figuring out wire size for a current and length. Look at Figure 11-2 "Conductor chart, continuous flow" on page 11-30.
Since it sounds like you have a fiberglass airplane and you're using wires to return your ground instead of the airframe, you should double the wire length (so you account for the round trip voltage drop).
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On 7/24/16 12:38 PM, Ken Ryan wrote:
| Quote: | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
|
===========
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Electric-List" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List
===========
FORUMS -
eferrer" target="_blank">http://forums.matronics.com
===========
WIKI -
errer" target="_blank">http://wiki.matronics.com
===========
b Site -
-Matt Dralle, List Admin.
rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
===========
|
|
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ashleysc(at)broadstripe.n
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:21 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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So we have 5.7 amps flowing through the same ground wire. Size wire for 5.7 amps. However the fuse will have to be bigger due to the inrush of current through cold filaments, which is greater than steady state. See what the lamp manufacturer has to say about fuse size.
Cheers! Stu.
From: "Ken Ryan" <keninalaska(at)gmail.com>
To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2016 12:38:55 PM
Subject: sizing shared ground wire
I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:16 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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| Quote: | | I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection. |
Are these LED or incandescent?
Bob . . .
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billp(at)wwpc.com
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:39 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush.
| Quote: | Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
|
On 7/25/16 5:40 AM, ashleysc(at)broadstripe.net (ashleysc(at)broadstripe.net) wrote:
| Quote: | So we have 5.7 amps flowing through the same ground wire. Size wire for 5.7 amps. However the fuse will have to be bigger due to the inrush of current through cold filaments, which is greater than steady state. See what the lamp manufacturer has to say about fuse size.
Cheers! Stu.
From: "Ken Ryan" <keninalaska(at)gmail.com> (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)
To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com (aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com)
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2016 12:38:55 PM
Subject: sizing shared ground wire
I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
|
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:14 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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At 09:35 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush. |
Agreed. I'm curious as to why the grounds are shared.
In a TC aircraft, we would have independent grounds
for each appliance. If the ground is not already
pulled in I'd do separate strands. 22AWG is fine
for wiring both lamps as long as the lengths are
not really big. What kind of airplane?
Bob . . .
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ashleysc(at)broadstripe.n
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:32 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Hi Bill;
You're right. I was thinking "old school."
Cheers! Stu
From: "Bill Putney" <billp(at)wwpc.com>
To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2016 7:35:18 AM
Subject: Re: sizing shared ground wire
Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush.
| Quote: | Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
|
On 7/25/16 5:40 AM, ashleysc(at)broadstripe.net (ashleysc(at)broadstripe.net) wrote:
| Quote: | So we have 5.7 amps flowing through the same ground wire. Size wire for 5.7 amps. However the fuse will have to be bigger due to the inrush of current through cold filaments, which is greater than steady state. See what the lamp manufacturer has to say about fuse size.
Cheers! Stu.
From: "Ken Ryan" <keninalaska(at)gmail.com> (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)
To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com (aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com)
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2016 12:38:55 PM
Subject: sizing shared ground wire
I have a landing/taxi light that share their ground wire. The landing light is rated at 3.5 amps while the taxi is rated at 2.2 amps. It seems that 20 ga. wire would be appropriate for each, but since the ground is shared (and I can foresee operating both lights at the same time) does that mean that the ground wire should be upsized to 18 gauge? Each light is on its own circuit with planned 5 amp fuse protection.
|
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:56 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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The airplane is Just SuperSTOL. The light is LED (Aveo Hercules). The grounds are shared because the pigtail coming out of the appliance only provides for one common ground source.
Now for the latest complication. When I read the documentation for the light, it was of the electronic brochure variety (attached) and when I looked at it I failed to note that it was actually for three different models of the same light. Instead I just scanned down for the information I was looking for (amps). Of course the one that came up first was not the one I own, and the information was way off.
The actual amperage for the model I have is shown to be 4.2A for taxi and 6.3A for landing, far more than I originally thought. So, I will be pulling new wires for sure. The wires are about 5 feet long.
Final note, I have wired it so that both lights (when switched on) are always on the high setting, and the taxi light is always on the wig-wag setting, and am using two SPST switches, one for landing, one for taxi. In reality the light will be used for collision avoidance. (I live in Anchorage and there is a lot of small airplane traffic in this whole area. Mid-air collisions are a major concern. I also have two beacons, one on top of the fuselage and one on the bottom.) Probably I will be running just the (flashing) taxi light most of the time, but it might turn out that running both will be better. I think only actual testing will determine that.
Ken
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 7:09 AM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 09:35 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush. |
Agreed. I'm curious as to why the grounds are shared.
In a TC aircraft, we would have independent grounds
for each appliance. If the ground is not already
pulled in I'd do separate strands. 22AWG is fine
for wiring both lamps as long as the lengths are
not really big. What kind of airplane?
Bob . . .
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:33 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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At 10:54 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | | The airplane is Just SuperSTOL. The light is LED (Aveo Hercules). The grounds are shared because the pigtail coming out of the appliance only provides for one common ground source. |
Aha! a package deal.
| Quote: | Now for the latest complication. When I read the documentation for the light, it was of the electronic brochure variety (attached) and when I looked at it I failed to note that it was actually for three different models of the same light. Instead I just scanned down for the information I was looking for (amps). Of course the one that came up first was not the one I own, and the information was way off.
The actual amperage for the model I have is shown to be 4.2A for taxi and 6.3A for landing, far more than I originally thought. So, I will be pulling new wires for sure. The wires are about 5 feet long. |
Go 20AWG and 10A fuses for landing and taxi light.
18AWG ground.
Bob . . .
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:52 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Wow, thanks Bob! That will make my work a lot easier, as I originally ran all 20AWG, so I will only need to re-do the ground wire. I should have also told you that the wires are in a bundle, which is inside a plastic conduit. The actual bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet long.
Ken
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 8:30 AM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 10:54 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | | The airplane is Just SuperSTOL. The light is LED (Aveo Hercules). The grounds are shared because the pigtail coming out of the appliance only provides for one common ground source. |
Aha! a package deal.
| Quote: | Now for the latest complication. When I read the documentation for the light, it was of the electronic brochure variety (attached) and when I looked at it I failed to note that it was actually for three different models of the same light. Instead I just scanned down for the information I was looking for (amps). Of course the one that came up first was not the one I own, and the information was way off.
The actual amperage for the model I have is shown to be 4.2A for taxi and 6.3A for landing, far more than I originally thought. So, I will be pulling new wires for sure. The wires are about 5 feet long. |
Go 20AWG and 10A fuses for landing and taxi light.
18AWG ground.
Bob . . .
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 4:25 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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At 11:50 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | | Wow, thanks Bob! That will make my work a lot easier, as I originally ran all 20AWG, so I will only need to re-do the ground wire. I should have also told you that the wires are in a bundle, which is inside a plastic conduit. The actual bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet long. |
only 3'? Shucks, leave the 20AWG in place.
the benefit to be gained is trivial.
Bob . . .
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:30 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Already replaced it with 18AWG. The bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet, but the entire length (one way) is closer to 5 or 6 feet. Anyway, the ground wire was easy to replace. The others would have been more time consuming.
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 11:50 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | | Wow, thanks Bob! That will make my work a lot easier, as I originally ran all 20AWG, so I will only need to re-do the ground wire. I should have also told you that the wires are in a bundle, which is inside a plastic conduit. The actual bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet long. |
only 3'? Shucks, leave the 20AWG in place.
the benefit to be gained is trivial.
Bob . . .
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billp(at)wwpc.com
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:22 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Ken,
I was gonna' say if the wire to the landing light was only 3' long it was gonna' be pretty bright in the cockpit at night. 
Bill Putney - WB6RFW
Chief Engineer
KPTZ - Port Townsend, WA
PP-SEL/A&P-IA
"...you know me to be a very smart man. Don't you think if I were wrong, I'd know it?" -Sheldon Cooper
On Jul 25, 2016, at 19:28, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | Already replaced it with 18AWG. The bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet, but the entire length (one way) is closer to 5 or 6 feet. Anyway, the ground wire was easy to replace. The others would have been more time consuming.
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 11:50 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | | Wow, thanks Bob! That will make my work a lot easier, as I originally ran all 20AWG, so I will only need to re-do the ground wire. I should have also told you that the wires are in a bundle, which is inside a plastic conduit. The actual bundle+conduit is only about 3 feet long. |
only 3'? Shucks, leave the 20AWG in place.
the benefit to be gained is trivial.
Bob . . .
|
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jmjones2000(at)mindspring
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:33 pm Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Ken,
I live just north of you and bought my red beacons from Alaska Safety. Super bright, led, 1 inch hole, and tons of pre programmed flashing codes.
If you ever come up to Wasilla, you should check out the beautiful SuperStol that Mario's Aircraft Service is building. It is truly impressive and a work of art!
Justin
On Jul 26, 2016, at 00:54, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | The airplane is Just SuperSTOL. The light is LED (Aveo Hercules). The grounds are shared because the pigtail coming out of the appliance only provides for one common ground source.
Now for the latest complication. When I read the documentation for the light, it was of the electronic brochure variety (attached) and when I looked at it I failed to note that it was actually for three different models of the same light. Instead I just scanned down for the information I was looking for (amps). Of course the one that came up first was not the one I own, and the information was way off.
The actual amperage for the model I have is shown to be 4.2A for taxi and 6.3A for landing, far more than I originally thought. So, I will be pulling new wires for sure. The wires are about 5 feet long.
Final note, I have wired it so that both lights (when switched on) are always on the high setting, and the taxi light is always on the wig-wag setting, and am using two SPST switches, one for landing, one for taxi. In reality the light will be used for collision avoidance. (I live in Anchorage and there is a lot of small airplane traffic in this whole area. Mid-air collisions are a major concern. I also have two beacons, one on top of the fuselage and one on the bottom.) Probably I will be running just the (flashing) taxi light most of the time, but it might turn out that running both will be better. I think only actual testing will determine that.
Ken
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 7:09 AM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 09:35 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush. |
Agreed. I'm curious as to why the grounds are shared.
In a TC aircraft, we would have independent grounds
for each appliance. If the ground is not already
pulled in I'd do separate strands. 22AWG is fine
for wiring both lamps as long as the lengths are
not really big. What kind of airplane?
Bob . . .
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kenryan
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426
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| Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:29 am Post subject: sizing shared ground wire |
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Hi Justin, I never thought of buying beacons from Alaska Safety. Probably would have saved a lot of money. I have heard of Mario's SuperSTOL. I believe he is using the same fabric (Oratex) that I am (no painting required). One thing I learned about the Oratex silver colored fabric that I am using is that they say that you cannot put antennas inside the aircraft. Normally on the SuperSTOL guys put the ELT antenna inside the tail section but I had to come up with a different location because Oratex folks said I couldn't do that with their silver fabric.
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 7:22 PM, Justin Jones <jmjones2000(at)mindspring.com (jmjones2000(at)mindspring.com)> wrote:
| Quote: |
Ken,
I live just north of you and bought my red beacons from Alaska Safety. Super bright, led, 1 inch hole, and tons of pre programmed flashing codes.
If you ever come up to Wasilla, you should check out the beautiful SuperStol that Mario's Aircraft Service is building. It is truly impressive and a work of art!
Justin
On Jul 26, 2016, at 00:54, Ken Ryan <keninalaska(at)gmail.com (keninalaska(at)gmail.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | The airplane is Just SuperSTOL. The light is LED (Aveo Hercules). The grounds are shared because the pigtail coming out of the appliance only provides for one common ground source.
Now for the latest complication. When I read the documentation for the light, it was of the electronic brochure variety (attached) and when I looked at it I failed to note that it was actually for three different models of the same light. Instead I just scanned down for the information I was looking for (amps). Of course the one that came up first was not the one I own, and the information was way off.
The actual amperage for the model I have is shown to be 4.2A for taxi and 6.3A for landing, far more than I originally thought. So, I will be pulling new wires for sure. The wires are about 5 feet long.
Final note, I have wired it so that both lights (when switched on) are always on the high setting, and the taxi light is always on the wig-wag setting, and am using two SPST switches, one for landing, one for taxi. In reality the light will be used for collision avoidance. (I live in Anchorage and there is a lot of small airplane traffic in this whole area. Mid-air collisions are a major concern. I also have two beacons, one on top of the fuselage and one on the bottom.) Probably I will be running just the (flashing) taxi light most of the time, but it might turn out that running both will be better. I think only actual testing will determine that.
Ken
|
| Quote: |
On Mon, Jul 25, 2016 at 7:09 AM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:
| Quote: | At 09:35 AM 7/25/2016, you wrote:
| Quote: | Stu,
He didn't say but I'm guessing that his landing light is not an incandescent. A 50W incandescent is pretty weak. A 50W LED landing light is a flame thrower. If it's LED there shouldn't be much if any inrush. |
Agreed. I'm curious as to why the grounds are shared.
In a TC aircraft, we would have independent grounds
for each appliance. If the ground is not already
pulled in I'd do separate strands. 22AWG is fine
for wiring both lamps as long as the lengths are
not really big. What kind of airplane?
Bob . . .
|
|
|
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http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List |
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