EWIS regulatory compliance: 25.1703, Part I

June 5, 2015 Michael Traskos

Proper aircraft wire installation begins with selecting the right components. There will never be a perfect component, because there will always be tradeoffs between performance, cost, weight, and reliability. Engineering is what allows us to weigh all these factors and determine which one is the most important. The decision matrix includes requirements of the electrical […] Read more

5 takeaways on aircraft wiring from a recent SAE committee meeting

May 24, 2015 Michael Traskos

The three-day SAE 8A (Wire Installation) & SAE 8D (Wire and Cable) committee meeting was held in Melbourne, Florida on the famous Space Coast. The focus of the meeting was aircraft wiring. It was collocated with the AE-7 power committee and the solid state power control/switching committee (AE-8B) to promote intercommunication between the areas of […] Read more

A new standard for EWIS design: IPC-D-620

May 19, 2015 Michael Traskos

As EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnection System) engineering is becoming a more mature field, additional standards and requirements are being developed. The latest of these EWIS design standards is the IPC-D-620, “Design and Critical Process Requirements for Cable and Wiring Harnesses.” This pending standard, coupled with the design requirements of IPC (Institute of Printed Circuits) documents, […] Read more

What do the results of arc track resistance testing mean?

April 9, 2015 Michael Traskos

Wire manufacturers must ensure that their products can withstand a wide variety of tests. One important test for aerospace professionals is called the “arc track resistance”test. This test is significant because an unconstrained electrical arc can impact the safety and reliability of the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS). In this article we will define the […] Read more

Aircraft EWIS failure trends

April 1, 2015 Michael Traskos

The process for identifying an EWIS problem on an aircraft often follows these steps: At some point during aircraft operation a system malfunctions and the pilot reports the malfunction. Maintenance starts by replacing the system component. Depending on schedule and criticality, the maintenance action is scheduled. Often, the first action to be taken is the […] Read more

Perspectives on arc fault protection

February 27, 2015 Michael Traskos

Lectromec has published several articles and a white paper on our web site that discuss the hazards of electrical arcing and how they can be mitigated. In order to broaden the discussion, this article will try to give our readers some insight on systems that offer solid state protection, generally called arc fault circuit protection […] Read more

Insights from Europe: The More Electric Aircraft (MEA) Conference

February 18, 2015 Michael Traskos

Recognizing the tremendous interest in making a transition to electrical components, Lectromec attended the More Electrical Aircraft conference held in Toulouse, France, on February 3rd – 5th. This article summarizes some of the key points discussed during the conference. Read more

Electrical tests for aircraft wires and cables

January 26, 2015 Michael Traskos

Equipment installed onto aircraft goes through a range of tests designed to verify that the component meets the operational needs and environmental factors. For wires and cables, these tests include chemical exposure, thermal, mechanical, and electrical testing. We have already covered mechanical tests in our Assessment of Mechanical Stress on Wire Insulation article, as well […] Read more

Commercial airliner EWIS life extension

January 19, 2015 Michael Traskos

This article is the first in a series aimed to inform how to safely extend the life of commercial aircraft from the electrical wire interconnection system (EWIS) perspective, or what some would call EWIS Life Extension. The article gives an overview of the 2008 Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines for EWIS. Read more

EWIS SLEP: 5 days in the desert

December 5, 2014 Michael Traskos

As part of a project with the US Navy, Lectromec staff was in Tucson for one week supporting a service life extension program (SLEP). We all know that aircraft are designed for a given number of flight hours. One question that an asset manager may ask is if the aircraft has reached this threshold, is it still able to accomplish its mission? In the terms of commercial aircraft, can the asset deliver passengers safely and reliably? It is only reasonable that an assessment should be performed to determine what changes might be necessary to accomplish this. Read more

By: Michael Traskos