SteinAir said:
#1) They flatly just are not needed. It's not like you're going to remove the wings on a regular once it's built. Put some conduit in the wing and feeding the wires will be a cinch. I've done this more than once and it works fine, even with a bundle of wires and antenna leads.
I completely disagree. They may not be needed for YOU, but I've had to remove my wings at least twice. Here's are some situations to consider. I like to finish my wings and check the wiring before I get to the airport. Why? Because my garage is heated and my hangar is not. I try to finish the entire airplane at home and troubleshoot the problems there. Second, I fly my airplane the first six months unpainted so I can make any necessary fixes. When it comes time to paint, I have to remove the wings and truck the airframe over to the painter so it will fit in his booth. I don't like to do the same thing twice, that's my pet peeve.
SteinAir said:
#2) It's another point of failure. Whether or not you use Molex, Amp, "Trailer Connectors", etc.. it's still another point of failure to troubleshoot when things get wonky. Short of butt splices, even trailer connections offer lots of areas for intermittent failures. Any of you trailer owners will know what I mean.
Properly crimped connections will outlast the airplane. I submit that these extra connections create an very small increased risk of electrical failure. Of course, I have all the proper crimping tools, use excellent connectors, and take care to insulate the connections from water infiltration. For me, the extra work is worth the convenience.
SteinAir said:
#3) Connectors in the root are exposed to more elements than in the plane, etc.. More pins means more surface area to corrode and cause problems.
Yes. One must take care to protect the connections.
SteinAir said:
#4) Shielding. Others have mentioned running the shield throug the connection, and that's ok, but still not as good as just running the complete shielded wire without a break.
I submit that they are electrically equivilent.
SteinAir said:
#5) Signal Loss. More connections means more signal loss in Autopilot Servo connections, Antenna Leads, Remote Mag Sensors, etc.. Many of these components are sensetive to changes in their feed lines.
I really don't know enough about the subject to comment. I don't see any warning in my EFIS or my AP wiring to tell me that I can't add a connector in the middle somewhere. Of course, that doesn't mean that there isn't some signal loss. I guess I'll have to check this out further.
SteinAir said:
#6) No matter what you use it takes a extra time to install these things, then you need to secure them somehow to make sure the pins won't come loose on the wires, etc..
Again, you assume bad installation technique. There's no protection from that. I use a bulkhead 12-pin AMP fitting with gold-plated pins. If they come loose, it's because I was a lousy installer. I get what I deserve.
I don't disagree that you add complexity when you add disconnects. However, properly done, I do not think they add any significant risk to your electrical system. I also wanted readers to be aware that there are perfectly acceptable reasons for having such devices in their airplane. To each their own.