High Current Testing

August 14, 2018 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Several things can go wrong when a wire or cable is subjected to an electrical current exceeding its design limitation and none of them are good. These include, but are not limited to, melting of the insulation, smoking, insulation degradation, promotion of intermetallic growth between the plating and conductor, melting of the conductor, melting of the conductor plating, and conductor embrittlement. Thankfully, if the wire/cable is being used within its temperature and current ratings, the wire should experience very little of the above phenomena. Read more

Unwanted Energy Storage in Cables – Dielectric Constant

June 22, 2018 Tristan Epp Schmidt

A good wire insulation is more than just preventing electrical energy from leaving the conductor; there are dozens of properties that are important to its performance and usability. One of these that is easy to overlook is the wire’s dielectric constant. Read more

Circuit Protection Selection Guidance

February 13, 2018 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Circuit protection devices have existed since 1864; one would think that selection of circuit protection would be a straight forward task. However, it is not. NASA developed a seven-step process for circuit protection selection and both EN3179 and AS50881 provide some guidance. In a past article, Lectromec began to consider the differences between two major […] Read more

AS50881 and EN3197 Harmonization

December 14, 2017 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Working from a common knowledge base is critical for part interoperability. Take a standard screw; to install it requires a screwdriver (Phillips or Flathead), lining the screw up with the hole, and rotating clockwise to drive the screw. The screw works the same in Europe as it does in America, though the measurements might be […] Read more

Impact of Corona on Electrical Systems

February 3, 2017 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Corona is an area of electrical systems that many have some knowledge, but often only to the point of knowing that there is a voltage that should not be exceeded. It is common knowledge that factors, such as pressure, have an impact on when and how corona will happen, though the source of corona is […] Read more

What are the Potential Issues with Tin Plated Conductors?

September 11, 2016 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Tin plated copper is a common choice for wire conductor within the aerospace industry. The advantages of using tin as the plating for copper conductors is the low cost, increases to solderability, and corrosion resistance. However, tin-plated conductor does have drawbacks. Here we review some on the key differences between common platings for aerospace wires. Read more

How to prevent overheating of wire harnesses in space

November 23, 2015 Tristan Epp Schmidt

In the aircraft industry, a lot of effort goes into thermal management of the electrical wire interconnection system (EWIS). If not effectively managed, systems fail to operate and may lead to failures. A recent example of this is the case with the Boeing 787 battery issues (read the Report on Boeing 787 […] Read more

By: Tristan Epp Schmidt