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instrument wiring

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ckhand(at)earthlink.net
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:46 pm Post subject: instrument wiring

I'm working on installing wiring and panel stuff in my RV-6A.  The Van's fuel gage and ammeter installation instructions say to use 18 AWG wire for the power, ground, and sensor wires on the fuel gages and for the power and ground wire on the ammeter.  I didn't read that until after wiring up with 22 AWG as I didn't think the current draw was significant enough to warrant anything bigger - based this on an estimate of ~0.4 amps max per instrument from reference material I looked at (yes, I looked through several books but didn't read the instructions that came with the instruments....).



Am I that far out on my load estimates?  Anybody think 18 AWG is really necessary for powering these instruments?  I'm wiring these independently, not daisy chaining them as shown in the Van's drawings.



Thanks for any feedback,

Chris Hand

RV-6A, finishing stages

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lhelming(at)sigecom.net
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:53 am Post subject: instrument wiring

---

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Dan.Beadle(at)hq.inclines
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: instrument wiring

The issue of using smaller wire comes down to the circuit breaker.



If you use 22 wire, you need a smaller CB.  The general idea is the CB

should pop before the wire heats enough to cause a fire.



So, if you have a star arrangement where several gages share one CB, the

normal current in any one wire is low - say the .4A you call out.  But

if you put 6 of these together, you need a 3.2 A break.  So you use a

5A, next bigger.  But, then, you need wire that will carry 5A without

overheating long enough to pop the breaker.  



As long as the wire doesn't overheat if it has to pop the breaker, you

would be OK.  So make sure that each wire from a breaker, including

ground return lines, are sized to match the breaker and the load.



Dan



--

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nuckollsr(at)cox.net
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject: instrument wiring

At 10:35 PM 2/14/2006 -0800, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  

<ckhand(at)earthlink.net>



I'm working on installing wiring and panel stuff in my RV-6A.  The Van's 

fuel gage and ammeter installation instructions say to use 18 AWG wire for 

the power, ground, and sensor wires on the fuel gages and for the power 

and ground wire on the ammeter.  I didn't read that until after wiring up 

with 22 AWG as I didn't think the current draw was significant enough to 

warrant anything bigger - based this on an estimate of ~0.4 amps max per 

instrument from reference material I looked at (yes, I looked through 

several books but didn't read the instructions that came with the 

instruments....).



Am I that far out on my load estimates?  Anybody think 18 AWG is really 

necessary for powering these instruments?  I'm wiring these independently, 

not daisy chaining them as shown in the Van's drawings.


	


    No, 22AWG is plenty for anything an instrument would need

    for either power, signal or lighting conductors.



    Bob . . .

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