Wiring a Sailplane

On Dec 11, 2:33 pm, Henryk Birecki wrote:
One thing to keep in mind is not to skimp on wire size. Use 14 gage or
lower for battery to panel wiring. I'd fuse each instrument separately
if feasible, not necessarily on panel. Keep speaker far away form
compass.


Gauges of wires can always be confusing because as the gauge number
goes down, the physical size of the wire (and its current carrying
capability) increases. Thus gauge #1 is much, much larger in diameter
than gauge #26. Normal household power wiring is 12-14 gauge.
Speaker wired tends to be in the 18-20 gauge range.

So when Henryk says "Use 14 gauge or lower for battery to panel
wiring." he is saying to use a lower gage number. Generally I would
have said "Use 14 gauge or higher for battery to panel wiring.".

My guidelines for wiring.

12 to 14 gauge - Main power lead from battery to distribution block
16 to 18 gauge - Power lead from distribution block to individual
devices
18 to 20 gauge - Speaker wiring
20 to 26 gauge - Control wires such as push-to-talk, air brake
switch, etc

Good luck, John