Cessna picks Ametek for power control

Feb. 1, 2006
Designers at Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, Kan., needed a power controller for their Citation Mustang business jet.

Designers at Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, Kan., needed a power controller for their Citation Mustang business jet.

They found a solution with the Amphion Solid-State Power Controller (SSPC) from the Power & Data Systems Group of Ametek Aerospace & Defense in Wilmington, Del.

Cessna will integrate the controllers into the junction boxes and windshield heater controllers aboard the new single-pilot, six-seat planes, which are scheduled for customer delivery in the fourth quarter of 2006.

The design will eliminate the need for traditional thermal circuit breakers and relays by combining the function of a solid-state circuit breaker and a relay into a single device.

Click here to enlarge image

In the junction box, the Amphion SSPC provides load control directly from the primary power bus to critical and noncritical loads such as motors, fans, pumps, and various avionics instruments.

The windshield controllers use an Amphion Pulse Width Modulated SSPC that controls switching slew rates to reduce electromagnetic interference, enabling control of windshield temperature by modulating the power to the windshield heaters.

Amphion’s patented “fail-open” circuitry prevents a device failing in a short-circuited condition, preventing a load from remaining powered and unprotected.

Its load-management abilities offer power distribution system designers such features as emergency power bus load control and isolation, load balancing, and load shedding. For more information, www.ametek.com.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Military Aerospace, create an account today!