Some Electrical Assistance please

[fsaviator]

I'm plagued with crappy wiring in my house here in Germany so I'm relooking how my power is distributed.  I'm running four systems (FS, TQ, and External views; MIP and Overhead; Avionics and Pedestal; Instructor Station and EFB) and an additional three PSUs that power my MIP, my Overhead, and my Pedestal.  I'm constantly popping my breaker, even though it is a dedicated 4500 Watt line from the box.

I've been looking at the unused wattage in each of those secondary PCs and I've decided to run a 5/12VDC supply line out the back of each of those PC PSUs to breakout boards where I can connect lighting, panels, and other 5 and 12VDC items that are currently being powered by additional PSUs.

I printed these out on my 3D printer and I'm wondering if someone can tell me what gauge or size wire I would need for jumping each of the poles on the breakout board.  I have a feeling the current wire I have may be too thin and potentially a shorting and fire hazard.  Again, only 5VDC and 12VDC from ATX PSU's.




Thanks!

Warren

[Mink]

Hi Warren.
Your problem is not the amount of average watt your equipment is using.
Let me guess your fuse springs when you start your cockpit. what makes your fuse  spring is the  short moment when all your stuff gets power at once. in this moment you have more then 16 ampere, what the average here in germany for house fuse is.
do not start the sim from only  one power outlet. and not at once everything.

Hope this helps

Kresimir

[fsaviator]

Thanks Mink.  I'm in the process of doing that now.  I'm splitting it down to two separate circuits.  The problem is that I also have two washers, a dryer, a press, a refrigerator, the family room TV and games, and more importantly my NAS on the other two circuits in the basement.  The NAS concerns me as everytime the circuit pops, I lose my NAS for a couple of hours while it reboots and verifies itself and that can't be good for my data over the long run.

Still, I'm planning to try an eliminate a few of the PSUs, and automate the start up process with Wake on LAN.

[iwik]

Hi Warren.
Just to elaborate what Mink said.
All your power supplies wheather or not its pc p/s or monitor p/s. are a dead short circuit
at switch on for a split second because all the capacitors are discharged. So the more
equipment your try to turn on at the same time the larger this current will be.
Fuses are more forgiving but cct breakers are not and will trip.
I have this problem so I make sure that my switch on is staged.
There is a possibility that your breaker maybe a weak and replacement may help.
Or have your Critical ccts connected to a separate breaker.
Hope this helps a little.
Les

[fsaviator]

Thanks Les.  I've been using staged startup to get things running, but even that is hit and miss.  Just when I think I have the right order and timing (such as tonight), it pops again.  I'll be relocating two of the PCs to another circuit as soon as I get Wake on LAN working so as to get them started up.  That should do the trick.

Warren

[ivar hestnes]

Are you sure all your equipment are OK? There is absolutely no chance that running the sim will blow a 16A fuse.

Have you paid any attention to if the fuse breaks when you start up the items one by one? Maybe you can narrow down if there is a problem. Also try to "feel" on your wiring, to see if anything is getting hot. You could also talk to a electrician, and borrow a termographic camera, which will show hot spots on a lcd screen. Also get a fork so you can measurehow much ampere is used by the sim


Just for a comparison, my sim is on a 16A, and the fuse has never tripped yet. My sim uses 8A when all is running.

[fsaviator]

The equipment is fine, Ivar.  It's the spike when I turn things on.  I'm rearranging things across two circuits to alleviate the problem.  We'll see how it goes.

[andthiel]

Hi Warren

Take a closer look here, Perhaps this might be your solution?

http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/505150/Elektronisches-Lastrelais-CW-Serie-Crydom-CWA2425-Last-Strom-25-A-Schaltspannung-24-280-VAC

There is also a 10 A relais but this might not be sufficient:

http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/186473/Elektronisches-Lastrelais-Serie-1-Crydom-D2410-Last-Strom-10-A-Schaltspannung-24-280-VAC

Hope this will help!

Best,

Andreas


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