I am writing to ask about the wire harness used for the Ublox GPs unit. (Without the integrated compass). I have now twice had the GPS fail when I removed and reinstalled the GPS unit from the APM during maintenance. First time I thought my GPS was bad (had red LED but no Blue LED) and ordered a second unit. Real problem was traced to bad connections through the wire harness from the APM to the GPS. I think the problem is that to remove the wires from the APM (2.5 in your side-mount case) you must pull on the wires as you cannot grab any portion of the plug when inserted into the case and APM. I think the wire(s) are becoming broken near the plug when removing. Using a new wire harness establishes connections, but 2 out of 2 failures on the harness you sell when removing and reinstalling makes me wonder if these wires or plug assemblies could be improved- short of solder. I am concerned about the power supply connection from your Power Module connections to the APM as well. I would hate to have the power disconnected in flight due to this type of issue. Can anyone suggest a solution or a better after market wiring harness?
Thanks, Joe
Replies
I like not2fast's suggestion about putting a dab of epoxy on the plug and wires but what if you've already plugged in the wires? You mention pulling the plug out of the socket by pulling on the wires (which, you noted, could quite possibly be damaging the wire connections) but is there no other way of doing it carefully?
Yours sincerely,
FlyPhi
I put a dab of epoxy on the wires and the plug to form a sort of strain relief for the hair thin wires. Granted, it just transfers the weak point of the connection up the wire but it also adds a handle to pull the plug out with. I buy the connector wires in bunches because they do break. 3DR can't even get the length of case screws right so it's not likely you will see them change this.