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Thread: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    If memory serves (iffy), I got 42 feet of the cable gratis from GS-Air. Hope this helps, Carl. You'll need another run for your ADHRS.

  2. #12
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Carl,

    I thought about making a junction at the wing root; but ended up going simple and cheap while reserving enough of a service loop at the root to permit the addition of connectors or a junction block if I some day needed to remove a wing or two. So far, 8 years of flying and I haven't found any reason to remove a wing...but there is enough wire in the service loop to cut and install connectors.
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    Dave S
    Kitfox 7 Trigear (Flying since 2009)
    912ULS Warp Drive

    St Paul, MN

  3. #13
    Senior Member PapuaPilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    I choose to use Tezfel wiring throughout my plane. Yes, you can use other types of wiring, but there are good reasons why there are standards for the wiring that goes into certified aircraft.

    How often do you think you will need to remove the wings? After lots of thought and advice I decided not to put connectors at the wing root. Every connector is a potential source for problems (poor connections, corrosion, etc.) and EMF (noise) if it is a shielded wire. I have lots of experience finding corrosion in connectors, including wing root connectors. I really didn't want to put a connector in the magnetometer wiring, it is a very sensitive sensor. I made my wing wiring so it could easily be disconnected and pulled out of from the spar tubes if ever need be. It would only take a few minutes to do this after opening the wingtips. I bet it will take far less time to do this than to troubleshoot and repair a problem in the wing root connectors.

    Per the Garmin criteria there isn't a good place to put the magnetometer in the entire plane. I ended up mounting mine on the outboard rib of my left wing. I used shielded wiring for the nav, strobes and landing lights and all of their grounds returned in the same wire so that there would be minimal EMF. I also used stainless steel screws for my wingtips (certified planes use brass or SS).

    Don't use the spar or airframe as the ground as it could lead to EMF that could affect the magnetometer. Doing so can turn the spar or airframe into on big EMF antenna.

    The G3X will self test for problems with the magnetometer; they have you turn on circuits one by one while the unit is checking for interference (it is pass or fail). Initially mine failed when the landing lights were turned on and I had to reposition the wingtip connection farther away from he magnetometer, then it was fine.
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    Last edited by PapuaPilot; 06-14-2017 at 08:57 PM.
    Phil Nelson
    A&P-IA, Maintenance Instructor
    KF 5 Outback, Cont. IO-240
    Flying since 2016

  4. #14
    Senior Member Cherrybark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Connectors at the wing tip...sigh. Sometimes I get fixated on a solution and don't consider all of the alternatives. The Garmin magnetometer already requires a connector and I intended to have connectors at the lights as part of the tip removal. Pulling wires through the spar with a cord is dead simple. I'll skip the root connectors but appreciate all of the inputs.
    Carl Strange
    Flying
    SS7, 912iS, Oratex, G3X

  5. #15
    Senior Member PapuaPilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Dave has a good point too. Always leave some extra length for a service loop or future repairs to connectors. Sometimes you can fix connections by cutting them off and redoing the connector. This is much easier than stringing a new wire.
    Phil Nelson
    A&P-IA, Maintenance Instructor
    KF 5 Outback, Cont. IO-240
    Flying since 2016

  6. #16
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    After reading Phil's post, I think he expressed a lot of wisdom regarding what works in the long run....things I did incorporate in our plane but didn't mention in my original reply.

    Personal background for me......back in the days when I was operating ancient, well worn standard aircraft - rental in nature, there were always plenty of squawks that came to light, and, most of them were electrical/avionics in nature and most of them had to do with corrosion, breaks and parts coming loose at connection/junction points.

    Phil's point indicating that more connections equals more potential failure points is gold. The connector that does not exist cannot corrode. The wing root is not exactly free of potential moisture intrusion on a kitfox...particularly for those of us who don't mind flying through light rain or parking outside on a camping trip

    Ditto on the Tezfel wire - the integrity of this stuff and the standard to which it is manufactured minimizes problems down the road...the plating on the wire under the insulation better protects it from stuff leaking/seeping under the insulation and causing corrosion under the insulation where it can't be seen as well as providing excellent joints where required. As an aside, where multiple wires are needed for a run, Tezfel can be purchased which has color tracers on each wire to keep things organized. Selections include single or multiple bundled traced wires in shielded or unshielded configuration. Very useful when going through a wing. Stein Air shows many versions of this marked/traced wire.

    Shielding - Phil's comment that using shielded for strobes, nav and landing, including a separate ground from the spar or airframe controls a lot of later frustration and confusing happenings.

    One point which we probably know to be true, probably take into account; but, don't talk about much is the fragility of many of the latest, greatest, better than sliced bread electronic gizmos that we love - IMO - this stuff needs all the help it can get to mitigate problems down the line. The slightest change in electrical resistance can muck up our favorite gizmo. Using quality wiring (Tezfel, high quality connectors where required), correct procedures and securing the whole business enhances the potential for us to have many pleasant flights without being visited upon by evil electrical gremlins.

    Sorry if I carried on too long; but, I think Phil's comments and guidance are gold and I wanted to support those thoughts.
    Dave S
    Kitfox 7 Trigear (Flying since 2009)
    912ULS Warp Drive

    St Paul, MN

  7. #17
    Senior Member PapuaPilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Thanks Dave,

    I learned a lot of this in my 35 years working as an A&P and from my avionics co-workers. We are doing lots of upgrades (where I work) from steam gages to digital panels. Most of the places we fly our aircraft are by the oceans and in the jungles all over the world . . . the worst case scenario for avionics and wiring.

    That is so true that modern avionics use lots of little wires carrying signals that have zero tolerance for corrosion and bad connections. Build it well now and you will not have to deal with many problems down the road. Troubleshooting electrical problems, especially avionics is one of the most challenging & frustrating things you will ever do.
    Phil Nelson
    A&P-IA, Maintenance Instructor
    KF 5 Outback, Cont. IO-240
    Flying since 2016

  8. #18
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Regarding wiring installation and grounding for Aeroled wingtip lights, I followed EXACTLY the Aeroled wiring instructions and grounding. I was encouraged to do this by John McB back in 2013 (that's what they did on the SLSA's) and everything has worked perfectly.
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    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
    Kitfox SS7 flying
    Rotax 912ULS

  9. #19
    Senior Member efwd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Thanks Jim, for the encouraging words about following AeroLed instructions. Thats what I had planned on doing since I dont understand most of this electircal crud but I can follow instructions.
    Eddie

  10. #20

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    Default Re: Electrical Plugs at Wing Roots

    Quote Originally Posted by efwd View Post
    Thanks Jim, for the encouraging words about following AeroLed instructions. Thats what I had planned on doing since I dont understand most of this electircal crud but I can follow instructions.
    Eddie
    possibly dumb question here but I’m just getting to the landing and recognition lights on our series 7 and I noticed that some people have run four different wires through the wings. I have run two wires through that each have four wires inside of them. I know I’m not explaining this very well, but they go to the wigwag recognition lights and micro sun landing lights. Is that correct?

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