Does a Connector’s Plating Type Impact Performance?

August 23, 2017 Michael Traskos

Design and installation of an aircraft’s electrical system has been made significantly easier with the adoption of modular harness design. This design pattern allows for discrete wiring sections to be designed and fabricated; this is only possible with the reliable performance of connectors. The connector-ization of harnesses has led some OEMs to build platforms where […] Read more

Why use Lectromec for your Testing?

August 1, 2017 Michael Traskos

Not all testing is created equal. We have all seen the results of poorly performed tests – not only do they result in a waste of money, but also a waste of time – and when testing is delaying a product to market, the costs can be huge. Even with that in mind, it can […] Read more

Fuel System Protection Part II

July 19, 2017 Michael Traskos

Lectromec has written multiple articles on fuel system safety as it relates to SFAR88, AC 25.981, and AC 25.1701. In this article, we continue the discussion by reviewing some of the recommendations that came out of the NTSB report on TWA 800 and subsequently influenced AC 25.981. Some of these recommendations may not apply to […] Read more

2016 EWIS Failure Analysis of Commercial Airlines White Paper

July 10, 2017 Michael Traskos

Once every couple years, Lectromec reviews the FAA’s service difficulty reporting (SDR) system to determine the number of EWIS failures in the American commercial airline fleet. We have reviewed the data, performed a thorough analysis, and placed the conclusions into a white paper. This whitepaper provides details the process and the frequency of EWIS failures. […] Read more

Maximizing Electrical Component Performance

June 9, 2017 Michael Traskos

Most components for electrical systems will have an accompanying product specification or product information sheet. These information sheets contain a lot of information that include mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance and this information is regularly used by engineers to make technical decisions. This performance information is necessary to reduce engineering time and avoid the need […] Read more

Updating Periodic Maintenance Procedures

June 1, 2017 Michael Traskos

An area of aircraft maintenance and wire system sustainment which has been around for the last decade is the enhanced zonal analysis procedures, or EZAP for short. EZAP is a set of procedures developed by the FAA during the 2000s detailing a systematic process for handling of wiring system maintenance based on zones. Lectromec has […] Read more

How to Derate a Wire Harness

May 19, 2017 Michael Traskos

One of the question that we frequently receive at Lectromec is regarding the derating of wire harnesses. For those unfamiliar with the topic, we have covered this extensively in past articles. The quick summary of this is that due to the temperature rating of a wire, there is only a certain amount of electrical current […] Read more

Developments in High-Voltage

May 10, 2017 Michael Traskos

The first meeting of the 8A and 8D committees for 2017 was held in Kissimmee Florida in April 2017. There were several topics discussed and voted upon that will have an impact on future wire component and system designs (previous article on SAE 8A/8D committee meeting available here). One common theme in the meeting was […] Read more

Signs of an Aging Wiring System

May 1, 2017 Michael Traskos

All components wear out over time, but the rate at which they degrade will vary depending on the quality of the product, how is it handled, and the environmental conditions in which the component is installed. To consider all the potential ways that an EWIS can fail, it can be overwhelming. As a brief list […] Read more

Can the EWIS be Safe After a Modification?

April 11, 2017 Michael Traskos

The days of ‘fit and forget’ EWIS are at least a decade behind, the aircraft industry’s understanding of the implications of wiring as a system continues to evolve. New aircraft have gone through EWIS evaluations to ensure that the EWIS complies to regulations – not an easy task. Obviously, as the OEM design choices remain […] Read more

By: Michael Traskos