From: "Dennis O'Connor"
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc,rec.aviation.owning,sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: (Avionics) How can this circuit produce an "inductive surge"?
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 13:19:20 -0400
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References: <43cbd38a.0209271648.17ce1e84@posting.google.com> <43cbd38a.0209280616.654f62@posting.google.com>
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Dan, me boy, I gotta say you would not have gotten a passing grade in the
industrial electronics courses I taught, with that answer... Back to the
drawing board, guy... Get a copy of the ARRL Ham Radio Handbook... Best
freshman level electrical physics and electronics text ever produced...
Denny
"Dan Thomas" wrote in message
news:43cbd38a.0209280616.654f62@posting.google.com...
> Jim Pennino wrote in message
news:...
> > In rec.aviation.owning Dan Thomas wrote:
> > >> The inductive caused transients from things like turning off the
starter
> > >> relay can easily be thousands of volts for a short period of time;
i.e.
> > >> microseconds.
> >
> > > I once measured the spike off the master solenoid at 600 volts. Some
> > > here are saying that the avionics are designed to withstand this; that
> > > is likely true. However, if the internal protection isn't working, the
> > > pilot is taking his chances.
> > >
> >
> > >> To make matters worse, when you turn off an inductive load such as
the
> > >> starter relay/solenoid, the polarity of the induced voltage is the
opposite
> > >> polarity of the applied voltage.
> >
> > > No, it's the same polarity. An inductor resists an increase in
> > > current, and resists any decrease by giving the flow a shove as the
> > > field collapses. The result is a spike of the same polarity. The diode
> > > across the Cessna solenoids doesn't allow any current flow during
> > > normal operation, but shorts the spike. Drawing it on paper makes it
> > > clear.
> >
> > Yes, drawing it on paper makes it quite clear the voltage reverses and
> > what happens.
> >
> > The cathode of the diode is connected to the (normally) positive side of
> > the inductor, the anode to the negative side. Under normal operation,
the
> > diode is back biased and no current flows through it.
> >
> > When the switch is opened, the voltage across the inductor reverses, the
> > diode is now forward biased and limits the voltage to one diode drop, or
> > about .7 Volts. The initial magnitude of the current through the diode
will
> > equal the steady state current that was flowing before the switch was
opened.
> >
> > If the voltage didn't reverse, the diode would never do anything. The
diode
> > across the inductor is an ordinary diode, not a zener diode or anything
> > else.
> >
> > Without the diode and with an ordinary switch, the voltage
instantaneously
> > tries to go to infinity (which doesn't happen in the real world, but
> > it gets large fast) and at some point the switch contacts arc and you
have
> > a very large negative voltage across your bus.
> >
> > If you still don't believe it, get any basic electronics book and look
up
> > inductive loads and diode protection. I suggest "The Art of Electronics"
> > by Horowitz and Hill.
> >
> >
>
> The operational flow through the solenoid coil is from ground to
> the positive. The diode is connected as you say, so there is no flow
> through it. At shutdown, the spike flows in the same direction, but
> instead of going through the battery it flows through the diode to the
> coil's ground terminal and back into the coil.
> An inductor wouldn't be an inductor if it did the opposite.
> Dan