AVIONICS
GENERATORS
 Electromagnetic device
 Converts mechanical energy to
electrical energy
PRIMARY SOURCE OF AC POWER
 Provides 115/200 volts 3-phase, 400
Hz AC power
 Mechanical energy transmitted
through a generator shaft
 Driven by a gearbox
ACCESSORY DRIVE GEARBOX (ADG)
 Attached to engine
 Provides mounting points
CONSTANT SPEED DRIVE (CSD)
 Generator needs stable output
 Drives the generator at constant RPM
INTEGRATED DRIVE GENERATOR (IDG)
 Generator and CSD as one unit
 Mounted to ADG
TURBOPROP ENGINES
 Engine speed is constant
 Reduction Gear Box (RGB)
GENERATOR CONTROL UNIT (GCU)
 One per generator
 Controls, protects, and regulates
 Ensure proper output from generator
 Controls generator warning lights
 Low voltage and frequency
 10G off line
LINE CONTRACTOR
 Switches between aircraft generator
power and AGE
BUS BARS
 Power distribution points
 Commonly referred as busses
 Separated by level of importance
 Normal power distribution
BUS OFF INDICATOR LIGHTS
 Indicates selected bus unavailable
 Usually means more than 1 generator
failed
EMERGENCY AC SYSTEM
 Powers essential equipment only
 Emergency busses
 Instruments
 Essential lighting
SOURCES
 Inverters
 Can produce 115 VAC, single or two-
phase
 Emergency generators
 Similar to engine-driven type
 Provides AC power
EXTERNAL AC POWER
 Provides ground power to aircraft
 Simulates in-flight conditions
AGE PROVIDES:
 Power equal to generators
 Power to all buses
 Power for engine starts
TRANSFORMER RECTIFIERS
 Normal source of DC power
 Step down AC voltage and converts to
28 VDC
 Energizes DC buses
 Charges battery in flight
DC BUSES
 Aircraft lighting
 Fire detection & protection
 Emergency systems
BATTERIES
 Emergency electrical power
 Minimum 24 VDC capacity
 Nickel Cadmium (NiCad)
  Lead acid  Chemical combination of
elements which can be
NICKEL CADMIUM (NiCad)
separated by chemical means
 Can be stored wet but not by physical means
 Capacity output / fairly constant  MIXTURE
 Charges quickly  Combination of elements or
 Good low temperature characteristics compounds which can be
 Replaceable cells separated by physical means
 Expensive  ELECTRICITY
 Flow of electrons
LEAD ACID  Outer electron orbit is known
 Must be stored dry as valence shell
 Electrons transfer to equalize
 Capacity reduces with time
charges and are transferred
 Charges slowly
between adjacent atoms
 Poor low temperature characteristics
 Valence electrons in
 Non-replaceable cells
conductors easily transfer to
 Inexpensive
new atoms
BATTERY / DC EXTERNAL SWITCH  Transfer of electrons take
place near light speed
 Controls battery operation (186,000 mps)
 Turns on DC external power
ELECTRICAL TERMINOLOGIES
ELECTRICAL THEORY
 CURRENT
 MATTER  Movement or flow of an
 Anything that occupies space electrical charge
and has weight  Measured in Amperes
 All matters are composed of  RESISTANCE
atoms  Tendency of a conductor to
 ATOM oppose electrical current
 Smallest particle of an  Measured in Ohms
element that retains the  FREQUENCY
characteristics of that  Number of cycles per second
element  Measured in Hertz
 Electrons, Neutrons & Protons
 ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC)
 Atom is known as anion if
 Revenue direction at regular
number of electrons and
intervals
protons are not equal
 DIRECT CURRENT (DC)
 Atomic number is the number
 Flows continuously in one
of protons
direction
 ELEMENT
 WIRING
 Substance that cannot be
 Flexible, twisted, or stranded
reduced to a simpler
 Repairs, wire splicing, see
substance by chemical means
applicable tech. guidance
 Elements is composed of a
 CIRCUIT
single atom
 Conductors connected to
 COMPOUND
provide electrical path
EMF IS THE FORCE THAT CAUSES FLOW OF
ELECTRONS
 Also knows as potential / potential
difference
 Measured in Volts
 Electrons are measured in Coulomb
 1 Coulomb = 6.28 x 10 9 electrons
6 KNOWN METHODS OF PRODUCING
VOLTAGE
 FRICTION – Static electricity
 Produced by friction which
physically “strips” electron
from one material
 Electrical potential built-up on
surface and discharges
suddenly
 PRESSURE – Piezoelectricity
 “piezo” means pressure
 Some crystalline material
such as quartz develop
electrical potentials between
facets as they physically
deform
 Crystals will vibrate at a
certain frequency when
excited by electrical energy
 HEAT – Thermocouple
 Dissimilar metals joined two
places junction
 When temperature
difference exists between
junction, current flows
 LIGHT – Solar cell (Photovoltaic cell)
 Photo emissive material
absorb light energy (photons)
and discharge electrons
 Typical material used is
Selenium
 10% efficiency, considered
high
 CHEMICAL – Battery
 Converts chemical energy into
electrical energy
 Voltage depends on type of
anode/cathode and
electrolyte
 MAGNETISM – Generator
 Conductor is moved through
lies of magnetic flux, flow of
electron is induced
 Process is called
“electromagnetic induction”
 Voltage produced depends on
how many times line of flux is
“cut”
2 BASIC FORMS OF ELECTRICITY
 CURRENT – Controllable, usable
energy
 STATIC – Difficult to control, often
dangerous
MAGNETISM
 1819 Danish physicist Hans Christian
Oersted first documented the
relationship between magnetism and
electricity
 Most common means of generating
and using electricity involve
magnetism
 Electric current always produces some
form of magnetism
 Influences the behavior of electricity
 Current flowing in conductor
produces magnetic fields
 If conductor is formed into a coil,
lines of flux are concentrated
 Strength of magnetic field can be
increased further using iron cone and
increased turns of conductor
 When voltage is applied to conductor,
this becomes an electromagnet
CONDUCTIVITY
 Depends on ability of material to
exchange electrons
 Metallic electrons often shared
among atoms
 Non-metallic usually have strong
atomic bonding
 Resistance of a conductor is affected
by:
 Atomic structures
  Dimension  All conductors have characteristics of
 Temperature inductance as they generate a “back
 Determined by number of valance voltage” when current flow changes
electron  Inductance can be increased by
forming conductors into coil.
CONDUCTORS

 3 or less valence electrons

 Silver, Copper, Gold, Aluminum, Iron
 Material which permits flow of
electrical current

INSULATORS

 5 or more valence electrons

 Rubber, Plastic, Glass, Ceramic
 Material that opposes the flow of
electrons

SEMI-CONDUCTOR

 4 valence electrons
 Germanium, Silicon

CAPACITANCE

 Stores electrical energy in

electrostatic fields that exist between
2 conductors separated by an
insulator or dielectric
 Capacitor’s ability to store an electric
charge is measured in Farads –
capacity to hold 1C under 1V
 Capacitors can be fixed or variable
 Capacity is determined by
 Area of storage plates
 Separation of plates
 Dielectric composition
 Fuel quantity indication system uses
principle of variable capacitance
 Tank probe is 2 concentric conducting
tubes
 Variation in dielectric value between
air and fuel is measured by quantity
indicator

INDUCTION

 Current flowing through a conductor

produces a magnetic field