The original installation had the master switch as a double pole switch with one pole cutting off all power from the battery, and the other section opening up the field lead to the generator. Substitution of an alternator should lead this arrangement unchanged. It is closed in operation.
Next, there was a fuse installed in series with the generator output. This is to prevent the generator from attempting to dump its full output into a short.In many cases this has been replaced by a circuit breaker. Some circuit breakers look like switches, but can be identified by a number or raised dot like protrusion on their toggle. An alternator installation will be similar. This is normally closed in operation. The ammeter will be wired in series with the load from the battery. The Coupe will have a very heavy gage wire coming from the master switch to the starter. At the starter, there is a lighter gage wire that goes through the firewall and supplied all the electrical power to the plane. This is the lead that you must put the ammeter in. If wired correctly it will show both discharge and charge currents. In both my Coupes this was wired incorrectly so that it never showed a charge. It was necessary to locate the lead from the starter and put the ammeter in series with this lead. This information is applicable to the 415 Coupes. If your dealing with a later plane, then the specifics might not be true, but the general statements will apply. I am unsure of the original wire gage used in the original coupe. I think my present Coupe has #8 AWG used for the supply wiring. Cheers: Paul N2273H __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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