http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/ en-us Gallery 2 RSS Module, version 1.1.8 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:19:20 +0000 120 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/d/30661-6/album262.gif http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/ http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/W31_3.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/W31_3.jpg.html
W31 3
http://aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Breakers/W31_3.jpg
". . . where robustness of the braided copper jumper wire is not meeting design goals. If the "added insulator" is not present, jumper failure causes load current to flow through the contact-spreading spring. IF the switch is used in a high current application (prop de-ice, pitot heat) then the spring smokes and folks get upset."
"The "FIX" didn't stop the wire from breaking, it only kept the secondary event from occurring. So instead of getting a broken wire followed by smoke, you only get a dead accessory. Now, I suppose the next shoe to drop will insist that some light or warning be included.
Yeah, put a paragraph in the flight manual asking the pilot to keep an eye on the ammeter lest a broken wire sneak past without notice . . . but at least we don't put smoke in the cockpit."
Note:
Here is an alternative breaker switch and pics of braid failure:
http://www.williamsairpower.com/pdf/switches.pdf
Y9-07-31
]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR6.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR6.jpg.html
You can see my left finger resting on the broken piece of case. I broke this brand new 10 amp breaker because the screw was very tight and like an idiot I held case and tried to remove screw. It stressed lug, hence broken case. Best hold lug with a plier and loosen screw, this way you can not stress case. This breaker has close to 4 dozen parts! It is greased in several areas and I believe once breaker gets well aged, grease will begin to go away from friction contact area. Turning on breaker really stresses many components and I think that more friction and aged plastic parts that will most likely become brittle, can likely be failure mode. That is trying to turn breaker on. Once it is latched, I think it will be a pretty relaible contact.
Note:
Speaking to B+C about install of their LR3C, they do not like use of switchable breakers, they say they see them with varying resistance contacting and do not recommend their use.
Y8-12-09]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR5.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR5.jpg.html
I am bending bimetal arm as if current rating was exceeded. It allows the brass latch to shoot to the right and contacts open. As long as bimetal arm is not allowed to come to rest where tab would again capture the brass latch, you can not close contacts by flipping toggle.]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR4.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR4.jpg.html
Toggle is on in this picture. I am pointing to a brass latch, notice the latch is resting to the left on a tab that is riveted onto the bimetal arm. You can see contacts closed on lower left.
Y8-12-09]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR3.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR3.jpg.html
Toggle off in this picture. You can see contacts are open on left.
Y8-12-09]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR2.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR2.jpg.html
Here we are looking at a failed 35 amp non pullable breaker form P+B. You can see the discolored bimetal plate that the contact used to be bonded to. I am pointing to the area that should be in home position lower to engage the white plastic latch to allow you to reset breaker. The bimetal is distorted badly.]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR1.jpg.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/BR1.jpg.html
A little hard to see from this I-Phone picture, but I am pointing to the actual contact! It was I imagine silver soldered??? to the bimetal plate, and because it appears to have had a high resistance joint melted the solder and fell off! I found it right where you see, jamming breaker opened. I put a dab of JB KWIK weld to hold it so I can play show and tell without loosing it.
Y8-12-09]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/w31_breaker.gif.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/album262/w31_breaker.gif.html
Borrowed a new P+B toggle circuit breaker form local IA to help with design of electrical stuff that is going in and behind passenger headrest
of our Europa XS monowheel.

I wanted to screw on a ring terminals to get better idea of space requirements.

Sounds easy enough. Grabbed my favorite #2 screwdriver and removed first
screw, the second one was unbelievably tight. I got it loose, but put a
crack in the plastic housing because the torque required to loosen the
screw distorted the lug. What an idiot, even though the factory should
have not tightened down the screw so tight, I should have just held the
lug with a pair of pliers to prevent any stress from being transmitted to
housing, instead of holding the housing and loosening the screw.

OK $25 mistake, won't let that happen again. Figured would let others in
on my mistake so it happens not to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I am now the proud owner of a cracked P+B toggle breaker, even
though a little JB Weld could fix it, I decided to dissect. I never liked
the high factor of wigulation (feel) the toggle has on these units so
figured I needed a look. My business is copiers, and several times a year
I end up taking apart switches and relays to do field repair to get
machines going till I can obtain a new one. I am pretty aware of what
fails in electrical parts such as this.

WOW!!! If you ever wondered why a P+B non pull able breaker is around 5
bucks, and why a P+B toggle breaker is around $25, take a look inside.
There are close to 4 dozen parts on the toggle breaker!

From talking to people who have experience with these toggle breakers long
term, they acknowledge good reliability, but man are there a lot of things
in there that can fail. One thing I am pretty confident assuming, once
breaker is closed I think it will maintain a pretty reliable connection.

Trying to close contacts is a different story. It is a mechanical
nightmare that highly stresses many components. There are things that are
greased, and when it becomes well used and grease goes away from the
friction contact area and strategic plastic parts such as the white
plastic lever that connects the toggle with the main mechanism become
brittle, I can see a failure when trying to close contacts.

I went as far as reassembling the unit onto just one side, installed
bracing, bonded strategic pins, levers and springs so the unit can be
operated with half the cover is off!

Guess this is a leftover from when I was a kid playing with invisible V8s
and invisible radial aeroplane motors.

Impressive unit.
Y8-12-10

]]> rparigoris photo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:38 +0000