In a message dated 6/22/2003 9:58:14 AM Pacific Standard Time,
fillinger@ameritech.net writes:
> My only question is if the alternator or regulator fails, AND there's
> the smell of smoke and abnormal readings on amps/volts, one should
> disconnect the battery at the battery relay, not just disconnect the
> alternator and wait to see if the smoke goes away. What then will cause
> the engine to continue to run? If one doesn't have a relay, and the
> smoke is electrical but no circuit protector pops, there's no way to
> stop the smoke without waiting for the battery to discharge or a
> necessary circuit to go open through heating. Then the engine quits.
>
Fred,
I have designed mine with a rather complicated arrangement of busses, and I
have my pumps on a "hot" bus for each of two electrical systems. In the event
of electrical smoke/fire -- the procedure is to shut down the electrical
system, except for the fuel pumps. The hot busses are protected by slow blow
fuses.
I would be able to get rid of everything except the pumps in the event of an
electrical fire, and not lose the engine at the same time. I suppose I got
carried away with all this, but I have to keep my mind working on an involved
electrical system reminiscent of the Boeing days.
Dave
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