Battery charging C172

Yeah, that's not very different from what I've done for the last few
years. I just can't get a decent connection that way. Sometimes it's
the connection between the three way and the cig. lighter jack,
sometimes it's the connection into the 3 way. And mine looks like
something Jed Clampett rigged up. My hope is to install a new jack and
then solder everything up to where a single, reliable plug goes into it.

I would be interested to know the brand of 3-1 splitter that you use?
I'm on my second or third one and they've all been poor quality.

Tom

Newps wrote:
Just go to Radio Shack and get a cig lighter socket from them. Have
the mechanic mount it under the panel on copilots side. I've had one
for years and I have a 3-1 splitter plugged in also. Right now I have
the GPS and satellite radio plugged in.




T. McQuinn wrote:

Thanks, Jim. I have been looking for something like this, though for
a different purpose. I hate the cigarette lighter outlet but I need
it for portable GPS power. If you so much as sneeze on the current
setup it may break the connection and interrupt the power. It's also
butt ugly.

It does bring up a couple of questions for me.

1) How can I find out how much power the Jameco 151590 can handle. I
can't find anything in the POH that tells me how big of a circuit
breaker the cig. lighter is on, but I assume it's a whopper. (I
actually have the old cig. lighter somewhere and it looks like you
could light a cigar with it.)

2) Especially if I don't have to rewire to another (lower amperage)
breaker, this would be a trivial change, right? Nothing more than a
logbook entry from a cooperative A&E?

Tom

T. McQuinn wrote:
Not sure what's up here but Thunderbird refuses to let me quote Jim's
reply normally................

Thanks, the 'sanitary' way (remove the cig. lighter and replace with
something decent) is what I have in mind. The parts shipped from Jameco
today so now I need to find out if my friendly A&P will really let me do
some of the work. I guarantee you he's too busy to do it himself. My
situation here is a nightmare as far as maintenance goes. To even get
on the grounds of my county airport you have to pass signs that tell you
nobody from the outside is allowed to do work on planes there without
their express permission. But I know a guy ten minutes away who might
be willing to work with me for a reasonable fee.

That's not legal. Tell them to pound salt.

T. McQuinn wrote:
Yeah, that's not very different from what I've done for the last few
years. I just can't get a decent connection that way. Sometimes it's
the connection between the three way and the cig. lighter jack,
sometimes it's the connection into the 3 way. And mine looks like
something Jed Clampett rigged up. My hope is to install a new jack and
then solder everything up to where a single, reliable plug goes into it.

I would be interested to know the brand of 3-1 splitter that you use?
I'm on my second or third one and they've all been poor quality.

What ever I found at Checker Auto. Has a cool blue light up ring around
each receptacle.

"Newps" wrote in message . ..


T. McQuinn wrote:
Yeah, that's not very different from what I've done for the last few years. I just can't get a decent connection
that way. Sometimes it's the connection between the three way and the cig. lighter jack, sometimes it's the
connection into the 3 way. And mine looks like something Jed Clampett rigged up. My hope is to install a new jack
and then solder everything up to where a single, reliable plug goes into it.

I would be interested to know the brand of 3-1 splitter that you use? I'm on my second or third one and they've all
been poor quality.

What ever I found at Checker Auto. Has a cool blue light up ring around each receptacle.


Marine stuff is pretty good:
http://ecatalog.westmarine.com/full....kProdId=232543

I modified a Harbor freight Solar Charger the one thats always on for 9.99
to 11.99 and use it to keep my battery up. Worked great till some one stole
the dam thing... Building another one now.


"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...
If you have a cigarette lighter, the hole left after its removal just
exactly fits a 2.1mm power jack such as the Mouser #163-4302 or the Jameco
#151590. The mating power plugs are in the same general area of the
catalog. The mated pair costs about $2. "hobby shack" used to carry
them; I'm not sure if they still do.

Wire the power jack to the clock circuit. The clock uses a fuse/breaker
directly off the battery and does not go through the gyros, master switch,
or any of that. However, you have to limit the current of the trickle
charger to less than that fuse/breaker or it will trip it instantly.

Jim

--
"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."
--Henry Ford

"rowntree" wrote in message
...
Due to a prolonged period of non use the 24V battery went flat on my
C172N. Is there any way a charger can be connected through the
external power point rather than the hassle of removing cowls to
connect battery charger alligator clips. It could be handy to connect
a trickle charger ocassionaly during long periods of non use? Arthur
163-4302

Cigarette lighters are by any measure, rotten, ugly, undependable
connections.

If I were putting such a charging plug into a car, I'd use a connector
that:

A) was short-proof on both ends, since both ends could cause
"sparky-do's" when shorted.

B) and reliable.

I seem to recall a Cinch-Jones series where it has one male pin & one
female in the same body.

I'd then use an inline fuse from the cockpit one to the battery side
of the bus. I'd use a 5-20 amp fuse; whatever is within the
wire/connector rating.

As a plus, you could make a small emergency lamp with the same CJ plug
and stow it under the seat...


--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

ALl 172s up to the M model, and lots of the rest of the Cessna fleet,
have this AD against the cigarette lighter:

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Gu...C?OpenDocument

It was connected directly to the bus without any fuse or breaker and
presented a fire problem. The AD provides for a fuse or breaker to
protect it, or to take it out altogether. I believe the 172N and on
had protection and a resistor to reduce the flow in the 28-volt system
to that suitable for a 12-volt lighter. IIRC.
The idea to connect it to the clock line is good, but I think
the fuse for that is only 1/2 amp or so. Pretty small. The idea there
is to prevent any major sparking if metal is torn and wires short at
the structure during a forced landing.

Dan