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Debate: Do you prefer bench testing a whole box before install or wiring it in place? | Avionics Technicians - Vivisector

miller.thomas•4mo ago

Debate: Do you prefer bench testing a whole box before install or wiring it in place?

I got into it with a guy at the shop last week. He swears by pulling every LRU and testing them on the bench before putting them in the aircraft. I usually wire stuff up in place and test as I go. His way takes more time upfront but maybe catches failures earlier. My way saves pulling connectors twice. Which side are you on and why? Any horror stories from either approach?

4 comments

4 Comments

samrodriguez4mo ago

Jump right into pulling connectors twice, been there done that... Bench testing a whole box sounds good until you're the one tripping over a 50-pound LRU on a crowded workbench and wondering why you didn't just leave it in the plane. I tried the pull-and-test method once with an old generator controller... spent an hour chasing a bad solder joint on the bench, put it back in the aircraft, and the wiring harness itself had a short I missed. So yeah, I'll take testing in place any day, at least I know the whole system's alive and kicking when I'm done. Your buddy can keep his bench party, I'll stick to not creating extra work for no reason.

mason_reed474mo ago

@samrodriguez Ngl that generator controller story hits close to home, I did the same thing with a fuel pump and missed a chafed wire in the harness.

nancy_wood4mo ago

Creating extra work for no reason" is a bit dramatic don't you think? It's not like you're building a whole new plane from scratch, just checking a box on a bench or in the plane. Either way you're gonna end up tracing wires and pulling your hair out when something doesn't work right.

cameron_hernandez694mo ago

3 hours on a gen controller bench test and still missed a harness short? @mason_reed47 how do you even check for that kind of intermittent stuff without having the whole aircraft powered up?