Flap CB size

Just wondering if a 5A CB is adequately sized for standard flap motor in a 14. I have installed a 5A CB but not sure if this is a bit under sized.

5 amps inadequate.

The in-rush current at turn-on for a DC motor can be several times the nominal operating current. A 5 amp CB for the flaps is inadequate and may result in the CB tripping upon activation of the flaps. A 10 amp breaker will do the trick.

Stall current for a -7 flap motor is around 14.5 amps. Peak inrush current will likely be close to that. Wire (and the breaker, which protects *the wire*) probably can be sized a bit smaller than that, since inrush is very short term, and the motor never fully stalls in normal operation. A fuse is typically faster acting and may need to be sized at or above the stall current, to avoid nuisance trips.

(Sad that supposedly reputable companies keep trying to push device protection duties out to the other end of the power wire; their engineers know better than that.)

Looks like VANs RV10 which has the same flap motor has been using a 5A and they never had any issues. I think I am going to stick with the 5A and see if will work OK or not. I had a 5A in my 7A and never tripped though that is a different motor.

I use 5A in my bird, based on what I saw in the N214VA RV-14A demonstrator's fuse block when I visited in mid 2014. Here's a photo of the demonstrator's fuse block.



I have not blown my fuse yet.

I have only one picture of the motor that has identifying information on it, from when I installed the position sensor, and it doesn't fully capture the part number: I can only make out that it's from Amatek with part number 9224xxxxxx? When I do my annual in a few months, I'll grab the part number, though it seems 5A is adequate.

This thread running concurrently on flap CB size may be illuminating.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=163128