Bob Nuckolls

AeroElectric Connection
6936 Bainbridge Road
Wichita, KS 67226-1006
Voice: 316-685-8617
Revision -D- 03/16/08

Low Cost Ground Power Jack for your Airplane.

Fitting your airplane with a ground power jack is a good hobby stores (put up in small sheets by KS Engineering).
idea . . . you can recharge a dead battery from outside the The dimensions of this part are not critical. The primary
airplane . . . or crank the engine if the battery is too weak. function is to conduct heavy current flows from one side
The ground power jack is also useful during construction. of the ground power jack to the other via the mounting
Many an airplane coming down the assembly line gets bolts on each side.
electrical and avionics systems checkouts long before
engines and batteries are installend and running. For many (3) Chuck one of the screws in a hand drill motor and spin
years, Piper has used a heavy duty truck power connector the screw while holding the edge of the head against a belt
made by Cole-Hersey as their ground power jack of choice. or disk sander. Reduce the head diameter until it just slips
It's lower in cost, smaller and easier to install than the into the center-terminal cavity of the ground power jack.
3-prong, military style jack used on most other airplanes. A
number of readers have contacted me wondering how to (4) Several of the following operations will cause the
mount the critter and how to attach a fat wire to the back center-terminal of the ground power jack to get HOT. This
side. It appears to be some sort of solder fixture for wire will melt the plastic bumper found under the spring loaded
attachment - no threads or clamping device. I spent a lid, right on the end of the center-terminal. Grasp this
couple of hours a few evenings ago developing the poor bumper with a pair of pliers and remove it with a gentle
machinist's approach to modifying the "Piper" style jack for twisting, pulling motion.
ease of installation on airplanes. You'll need a drill press
(used to fixture the parts for soldering), hand held drill (5) Cut off the center-terminal just before the fillet starts as
motor, belt or disk sander, a propane torch and a few parts shown at [11]. Use disk or belt sander to remove additional
from the hardware store. Here's one way to do it . . . . By material so that the cut is just flush with the first flange
the way, numbers in brackets [ ] refer to circled numbers in [12].
Figure 2.
(6) Brighten up the head of your ground-off screw with
(1) You'll need two sets of toilet-seat screws from a steel wool. If the interior of the ground power jack
hardware store or plumbing shop (be sure to get "aircraft center-terminal isn't bright and clean too, then do some
quality" toilet-seat screws - shouldn't cost more than $100 work on it with the steel wool.
a set!!!). These will be about 3" long, made of brass and
come with nuts and washers. They'll be .312" coarse thread. (7) Chuck the ground-off screw in a drill press and swing
You need the ones with very low profile heads. You'll also the drill press table so that it centers just inside one edge.
need two (.032 thick minimum) heavy brass washers [8] Hold the ground power jack lid open and let it hang down
with .312" holes in them and an o.d. of .500 to .625". the side of the table so that you can lower the ground-off
screw into the center-terminal rear cavity. Apply sufficient
(2) Fabricate a brass backing plate [4] from .032" or thicker pressure so that the ground power jack is captured between
brass sheet. This material can be purchased from most table and screw with the screw absolutely vertical with

© 2008 by Bob Nuckolls, Wichita, Kansas. This document may be reproduced mechanically or electronically for non-profit, educational purposes
when produced in its entirety and without modification.
respect to the face of the ground power jack. at battery minus (-) terminal.

(8) Use a propane torch or large electric soldering iron to (14) Cut off and de-burr two more screws [3] with lengths
heat the screw and center terminal and flow the cavity full appropriate to the installation. Cut hole in aircraft skin [2]
of 60/40 or 63/37 electronic grade solder. Do this by to accommodate ground power jack installation. Install
feeding the solder in against the far side of the cavity [7] backing plate [4] with screws [3], thin washers that came
from where you are heating it. The solder will wick under with screws [5], and nuts [6]. If the installation is being
the screw and flow toward the hotter side. Take care not to made on a composite airplane, install ground lead for
fill it TOO full. ground power jack under one washer [5] before final
tightening.
(9) After the joint cools, use a coarse file if necessary to
remove any solder that extends past your cut-off line [11]. (15) Attach "hot" lead to ground power jack by
When your terminals bolt up to this fitting, the brass sandwiching its terminal lug between washers [8].
washers [8] should be resting on the brass center-terminal,
not on a mound of solder. You may also find that the (16) Upon completion of your restricted fly-off period,
phenolic back plates are loose with respect to the housing. check all three bolts for adequate torque before putting a
You may wick some super glue into the gap between the tiny drop of super glue on the threads of each fastener, just
phenolic and the housing. Capturing this material will be beside the nut.
helpful when it's time to torque nut [9].
(17) The wiring described offers several noteworthy
(10) You can now cut off bolt [10] so that it extends features:
approximately .7" past the cutoff line [11]. Use the disk
sander to deburr the end so that nuts will run freely onto the ---A diode across the ground power contactor prevents
screw. Replace the plastic bumper removed in step 4. inductive arcing of the ground power switch. A diode
in series prevents the contactor from being energized
(11) Some thoughts as to mounting location on the airplane by reverse polarity power coming in from the outside.
- if your battery is on opposite side of cabin from engine,
by all means, mount the jack as close as practical to the ---A press-to-test lamp fixture may be wired to permit the
battery. Keeping wiring short is a virtue. If your battery is pilot to tell if ground power is applied. Pressing the
close to or inside the engine compartment, consider fixture not only checks the bulb but it requires ground
mounting the ground power jack more remote from the power to be on before the bulb will illuminate. This
battery and taking the hit on 2AWG wire weight (4 oz per feature functions whether or not the ground power
foot). When someone is tasked to disconnect your ground contactor is closed.
power jack with the engine running, it's a good idea keep
that person away from the prop. ---A crowbar ov module will sense an externally applied
over voltage and immediately open the ground power
(12) The wiring diagram shows 4AWG wire for high contactor by popping the switch-breaker. Crowbar ov
current pathways . . . entirely adequate for situations where modules were described in Sport Aviation for
the ground power jack is mounted within a couple of feet December 1993 and are available through B&C
of the battery. For more remote locations, use 2AWG wire. Specialties at http://bandz.biz

(13) In plastic airplanes, two wires are necessary to (18) FBOs with ground power facilities will have a plug
complete the hot and ground-side connections. Metal that fits this jack. If your airplane is a 14-volt system, you
airplanes MIGHT be able to use airframe ground . . . but if should also consider cutting one end off of a set of
the structure where the jack is mounted consists mostly of automotive jumper cables and wiring it into a mating plug.
sheet metal and associated stiffeners, consider adding a Keep this jumper cable set handy for off-field assistance in
doubler plate to the skin to support the jack and add a battery charging or engine cranking with the aid of a
2AWG jumper from ground power jack mounting bolt to a 4-wheeled vehicle.
major structural member. Ideally, the system should ground

© 2008 by Bob Nuckolls, Wichita, Kansas. This document may be reproduced mechanically or electronically for non-profit, educational purposes
when produced in its entirety and without modification.