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DC Power Source For Aircraft Systems Tests

Frankster13

Active Member
I do not want to run down my battery while doing system checks and I am looking for an AC plug in system that then provides DC power to aircraft. I need something robust that will allow me to test all electrical draws. Any ideas or suggestions? I fried a 15 amp radioshack box already so need something with more amperage.
 
One word of caution. Not all supplies are created equal. I bought a MeanWell supply, which is a decent brand. All my avionics seem to work fine except both radios. Squelch is constantly broken on the radios. And its definitely the power supply. When i hook up a battery, it works fine.
 
Two general comments on this. 1) Any decent power supply will have current limiting to protect itself so you shouldn't be able to overload it and kill it. It should protect itself. A supply may not be able to handle an overload indefinitely though. 2) For powering up a new installation I would suggest a power supply that has an adjustable current limit. That way if you have a wiring error you won't just melt the wiring it will shut down and you can investigate further. Power supplies with a 30A output need to be used very carefully since they can destroy wiring, wiring harnesses and etc. Sure once once you have checked your sub-circuits and powered up the equipment separately then they can be used, but always with an awareness that they can also cause damage.
 
Two general comments on this. 1) Any decent power supply will have current limiting to protect itself so you shouldn't be able to overload it and kill it. It should protect itself. A supply may not be able to handle an overload indefinitely though. 2) For powering up a new installation I would suggest a power supply that has an adjustable current limit. That way if you have a wiring error you won't just melt the wiring it will shut down and you can investigate further. Power supplies with a 30A output need to be used very carefully since they can destroy wiring, wiring harnesses and etc. Sure once once you have checked your sub-circuits and powered up the equipment separately then they can be used, but always with an awareness that they can also cause damage.

I believe it is much safer to leave the battery in the circuit and put a charger on it. Once the battery is floating, the charger is providing all of the power. The benefit is the battery is there to even things out and deal with any draws greater than the power supply can handle.

Larry
 
DC power related

My DC power cigarette lighter outlet usually supports my Dynon D2. While en route yesterday I thought I would test my backup GPS but it needed power so I pulled the D2 plug from the outlet. the plug failed at the tip and released the spring loaded built in fuse into the outlet and shorted the system and popped the circuit breaker. the fuse was stuck in the outlet sideways so that was the end of that. I'm glad it failed when I didn't need it.
 
The obvious problem with not having redundant cigar lighters...I?m sure the space shuttle had triple redundancy in this important regime.
 
I've got an old-school Astron RS-35A bench power supply I got on eBay for pretty cheap. I think it's 25A continuous, 35A peak, which should be plenty to test a full electronic panel, possibly +external lights.
 
Thanks for this link!!!

I’ve been using one of these for quite a while for both AC and other projects. Several friends have also purchased one for their own use. https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/7294

They are available with or without the meters and from a variety of sources.

Nice to see the reviews, and multiples at that. It would be recommended that they be checked before purchase.

I have been using an MWJ 25 amp power supply for a couple of years. Adjustable voltage is good to test some equipment and see how it will work at 9 or 10 volts in emergency situations. It has both amp and volt meters and it has been dead quiet for the radios. It did not fail even when I popped a fuse being a bone head when it was cold and not managing amps with the heated seats. So my rating is 5/5. But . . .

The reviews show this is not the most reliable unit, so I feel lucky.. It will light up when attached to the battery but not turned on, so beware to check amps before climbing aboard for a session. Some failures are in the presence of high RF transmit energy.
 
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