Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matthew C. Pryor on March 31, 2021 at 11:42am

James,

Do you have the Zenith installation manual from W.W.?  It has diagrams for low winger installations.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Niendorff on March 31, 2021 at 5:49pm

I noticed that EAA is now offering the electronics sport air workshop course online.  I took the course in person a few years ago and it was excellent.  It’s a great way to get much more comfortable with wiring up the airplane,  it is really organized to help you design and implement your electrical system.  Highly recommend it.

EAA.org/SportAirOnline

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Permalink Reply by Dave Gardea on April 2, 2021 at 12:11pm

Hi James,

I also have a Corvair powered CH650. I have some wiring schematic PDFs that I have attached below. The engine schematic includes the starter. My battery is behind the passenger seat. The drawings are titled 601XL since my project started as a 601XL, but I finished it as a CH650. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Dave

Attachments:

• 601XL_avbus.pdf, 11 KB
• 601XL_elec.pdf, 18 KB
• 601XL_engine.pdf, 39 KB

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Permalink Reply by Dave Gardea on April 2, 2021 at 12:59pm

I've also got some wiring photos on my project site at

http://flyn631dg.000webhostapp.com/panel_%26_wiring.html

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Permalink Reply by James Siebenaler on May 10, 2021 at 10:47am

Dave,

How many fire-proof pass thru's (and sizes of) did you need for your installation?

Did you use a few localized ground blocks (locations too)? 

How did you get you metal to shine so well? What polishing system?

Thanks!

Jim

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Permalink Reply by James Siebenaler on July 24, 2021 at 10:07am

Dave,

Thanks for the schematics, very helpful. I need to know the exact switches you used for the 4PDT for the coils/fuel pumps and the one for the master batt/alternator. I 've powered up the circuits but nothing happens. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

Jim 

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Permalink Reply by Ian Robb on April 2, 2021 at 2:19pm

The Aero Electric Connection book by Bob Knuckles is excellent and should answer most of your questions about aircraft electricals. The PDF version is free on their website. http://www.aeroelectric.com/Books/Connection/

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Permalink Reply by Gary Welch on April 4, 2021 at 10:04am

I was in the same boat as you. Just thinking about electrical wiring hurt my brain. I knew nothing, and really did not want to take the time to learn. I finally bought a hard copy of the Aero Electric Connection book by Bob Knuckles. Then i came up with an epiphany.

Rather than trying to start with a schematic I didn't understand - why not start with the just the first wire?

If I start at the positive side of the battery - where does the first wire go, what to I need to know about it, and how big should it be? I was able to answer this question from the book. It goes to the master solenoid, it carries a lot of current - and the book showed me how to size it. One wire down, 500 hundred to go.

Ok, so where does the "outlet" wire from the master solenoid go? what to I need to know about it, and how big should it be? Again the book explained this. Just keep moving thru the system one wire at a time, in order.

Four months later, my wiring was done. The engine started up the first time. Ok, well, I wasn't perfect. I ended up flying the first 7 hours without realizing my alternator was wired wrong and wasn't charging my battery.... However, I was able to figure out the problem and fix it.

I've got 400 hours on my plane and wiring changes are now no big deal.

Do I really understand electrical systems and how they work? Nope, they still confuse the hell out of me. Really, what are these things we can't see called "electrons" and which way do they run? I don't know, and don't care. That stuff still makes my brain hurt!

However, I can usually figure out a wiring problem and trace it down because of the wiring schematic I created, one wire at a time, in order, starting from the battery.

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Permalink Reply by James Siebenaler on April 12, 2021 at 7:29pm

Gary,

Thanks for the advice. I got the Aero Electric Connection. Do I have to read  the whole book to get started wiring? Seems like a lot of theory. How did you use this book to proceed? Do you have any pictures you can email me, like, the area with your battery connections? Where are and how many fuse boxes/power busses do you have?, pics? Anything you think would help. Thanks much. Jim

jamessiebenaler@gmail.com 

c330-354-6934

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on April 5, 2021 at 10:12pm

If you understand plumbing you understand the basics of electricity. It takes a big pipe to carry lots of water, It takes a big wire to carry lots of electricty. If you run high pressure in the pipe it carries more water than a lower pressure system useing the same diameter pipe. If you run higher voltage in a wire you pack more elecity through it than a lower voltage will pass on the same wire. You lose some water pressure if there is a long run of pipe from the pressure source (a water pump or gravity tank) to the point of use. You lose some voltage if there is a long run of wire from the electrical source (a generator or a battery) to the point of use. You can reduce that loss over a long run if you use a larger diameter pipe or a heavier gage wire. You get the idea.

The big difference between a household water system and a DC electrical system is the water system dumps the water out at the point of use while an electrical system needs to return the "used" electrons back to the source of power. So a plumbing system has pipes in one direction only to dump the water at the point of use. An electrical system has wires to take the power to the point of use and then either wires or the metal of the airframe to return the power back to the power source. The power needs to make a round trip from the power source to the powered device then back to the power source.

Think of electricity in these terms and it makes it a whole bunch easier to understand what you are doing (at least for me it works - I can visualize water in a pipe and different water pressures and such, electrons not so much.) Have fun!

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