Plug and Jump

Problem grows out of a six month old RG battery that won't hold a
charge for two weeks. Bought a plug and Jump from Aircraft Spruce.
Neato idea; I don't have to remove the cowl. I was going to use it to
trickle charge the battery. Trouble is, when I plug in the Plug and
Jump, it powers the panel. I don't want the gyros spinning for hours
while the charger is charging the battery. What's a mother to do? C172N
model.


5217D
HTH

Maybe attach some kind of quick-disconnect plug to the battery. Then you
could just open the oil door and hook it up? Something similar to a trailer
light plug on the battery and a matching plug to the charger.
I assume this thing you are talking about attaches somewhere in the interior
of the plane?

"NVArt" wrote in message
oups.com...
Problem grows out of a six month old RG battery that won't hold a
charge for two weeks. Bought a plug and Jump from Aircraft Spruce.
Neato idea; I don't have to remove the cowl. I was going to use it to
trickle charge the battery. Trouble is, when I plug in the Plug and
Jump, it powers the panel. I don't want the gyros spinning for hours
while the charger is charging the battery. What's a mother to do? C172N
model.


5217D
HTH

I assume this thing you are talking about attaches somewhere in the
interior
of the plane?

Thanx for the quick response. The Plug and Jump installs through a
small door on the left side of the lower cowl. I would prefer to use
this access, but I may be pushed to your idea, even without field
approval. I'm trying to keep the bird as factory original as I can,
'cuz even though I don't believe Cessna is perfect, they're probably
better than my own imagineering.


5217D
HTH

Pull the fuse/breaker for the gyro

"NVArt" wrote in message
oups.com...
Problem grows out of a six month old RG battery that won't hold a
charge for two weeks. Bought a plug and Jump from Aircraft Spruce.
Neato idea; I don't have to remove the cowl. I was going to use it to
trickle charge the battery. Trouble is, when I plug in the Plug and
Jump, it powers the panel. I don't want the gyros spinning for hours
while the charger is charging the battery. What's a mother to do? C172N
model.


5217D
HTH

On 2005-03-26, Steve Foley wrote:
Pull the fuse/breaker for the gyro

Breakers aren't meant to be switches. If you use them as switches you'll
wear them out prematurely.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

NVArt wrote:
Problem grows out of a six month old RG battery that won't hold a
charge for two weeks. Bought a plug and Jump from Aircraft Spruce.
Neato idea; I don't have to remove the cowl. I was going to use it to
trickle charge the battery. Trouble is, when I plug in the Plug and
Jump, it powers the panel. I don't want the gyros spinning for hours
while the charger is charging the battery. What's a mother to do?
C172N
model.


5217D
HTH

HTH...

Some bad advice so far.

Your description of the small door on the left suggests you have the
normal external power circuit. When you apply power to those big stud
it causes the battery solenoid to make and that allows power to be
applied to the battery.Any accessrry which is not switch controllable
will be energized. The feature allows external power to start the
engine, that being the reason the terminals are so large.

You did not say if you can switch off the gyros and I don't know but
suspect they are connected to the bus and cannot be disabled?? And
Cessna has long chosen the cheapest circuit breakers which are
unpullable.

Back to fundamentals. If the battery is that new/old, then there is
something draining it when the plane sits or there is something wrong
with the battery. What have you done to check the battery?

If you jury rig a connection which allows a trickle charge to the
battery and then hook a dead battery to a source which has the ability
to apply a lot of current, the jury rig will quickly fry.

Suggestion to plug a trickle charger into the cigar lighter are doomed
as well since that socket it only powered when the master is on and
you are right back to the gyros running.

Start with basics. Battery....get tested and fully charged and then
find out if you have a sneak path which is drawing current when the
plane is not running....there is often a clock circuit which is hooked
up "around" the master solenoid and it takes power constantly, though
only enought to keep the clock running.

Your POH should have a rudimentary circuit near the back.

Neal

"NVArt" wrote in message
oups.com...
... I was going to use it to
trickle charge the battery.

Be aware that your normal, cheap, trickle charger will ruin your battery in
just a few months, take it from someone who has learned the hard way. They make
special trickle chargers (called "float chargers) that can be left connected
indefinitely, but they are not cheap. I use this company's products:
http://www.batterytender.com/ but there are others on the market.

Also, notice the rows of airplanes at your field that do not have trickle
chargers connected, yet always seem to start. What makes your plane different?
Why don't you just take the trouble to find the problem and get it fixed?

Vaughn

find out if you have a sneak path which is drawing current when the
plane is not running....there is often a clock circuit which is hooked
up "around" the master solenoid and it takes power constantly, though
only enough to keep the clock running.
Neal


Neal's got a good idea. We flew an Archer once that had the same symptoms.
Turned out to be the clock circuit was drawing way too much power and
draining the battery. It had an inline fuse back by the battery so all we
had to do was pull the fuse. We believed that there was a shorted wire in
the clock circuit allowing it to draw more than the clock required. The
plane was sold before they ever told me what they had found.

Jim

Walk up to the "P6" C/B panel on a B727 and pull the Battery Charger and
"ESS DC BUS TIE" C/Bs. These will pull out a lot easier than the others,
since they get pulled when performing a daily check of the battery charger.
"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
...
On 2005-03-26, Steve Foley wrote:
Pull the fuse/breaker for the gyro

Breakers aren't meant to be switches. If you use them as switches you'll
wear them out prematurely.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

Also, notice the rows of airplanes at your field that do not
have trickle
chargers connected, yet always seem to start. What makes your plane
different?
Why don't you just take the trouble to find the problem and get it
fixed?

Vaughn

My ride wasn't *different* until I got the RG battery, so I *know*
where the problem is. I was just trying to find an easier temporary fix
than screwing with a return/replacement, downtime, etc. until I buy
another lead-acid battery which typically have lasted at least three
years. Am I being too lazy? (exposing my soft underbelly)I dunno. I
built a hangar with electricity so a quick plug in for an hour would
not be much of a problem. Oh, and I'm three minutes from residence to
hangar. Out in the middle of BF., Nevada. We have three planes based
here. But I get your point.
Thanx to all that responded.

5217D @HTH