Brief Description: Designed Electrical system and finalized avionics.
After finishing the canopy we took off a couple of weeks to consider the electrical system and the avionics package.
Up front, I want to thank my Air Force/airlline buddy John Spratt for helping me so much with decisions about my avionics and electrical system design. He had been through the agony four years before when he built his amphibian SeaRey. Without his guidance and suggestions I don't think I could have made it through the last four months. The abiltity to bounce my ideas off him through email was a treasure for me. He suggested that I draw my wire book using whatever software that I wanted to use. I used TurboCad Deluxe v12 and had about a month of a steep learning curve before it became useful. I finally started producing diagrams and schematics that I emailed to John as PDF files. He would suggest ways to do things easier and better but left me with the final decisions. I can't think of a better teacher and friend!!!
My electrical system will consist of a single 60A alternator (Plane Power from Vans FWF kit) and two Odyssey 680 batteries wired in parallel using two contactors. The Aux battery will power the Endurance buss through an alternate feed swith if the alternator fails. The batteries will be isolated through the Aux contactor if the alternator fails. A hot battery buss will be powered by the main battery which will be isolated from the failed alternator by the main battery contactor. It's basically the Z-13/8 diagram that Bob Nuckolls has in his book, but without the second PM alternator and with the second battery added.
The holidays came and went with a couple of family funerals thrown in to remind us that life is short and time waits for nobody. What other incentive does one need to get on with his/her projects and life!! Tomorrow I'll start on the extra battery box that will be located between the rudder pedals.
