CSOBeech - Baron Alternator Paralleling & Balance Issues

Baron Alternator Paralleling/Balance Issue

Does your Baron Alternator system not "balance the load"? Sometimes this can be the result of poor grounds or corrosion at one or both alternator connections and sometimes it comes down to a mundane thing like the glass field fuses!

Here is a pirep from Kent F. on what was recently found to be the issue with a B58 alternator system not properly sharing the electrical load:

Some people who own a 1994 Baron 58 became exasperated with not being able to balance the alternators. Their Baron model has separate regulators with Alt out lights. It appeared to be the classic "corrosion somewhere in the circuit" type of problem.

A short time after they purchased the plane last summer, the left side quit charging completely. I swapped regulator positions and the problem followed to the right. So, duh, we installled a new Lamar regulator. Adjusted balance to within 0.1 volt and both alternators shared at mid-load. Maybe a little erractic at light load. This plane has AC plus boots and deice. Turn everything on and the load meter only indicated about 80 amps draw.

System worked okay for awhile but situation changed to where the left would carry all the load and the right tripped the low voltage light. Sometimes, turning everything on would make them share close to equal, sometimes not.

Then the problem evolved to one side would take all the load, but after landing, the other side took up all the load! The balance bus voltage stay within 2 tenths. I searched and they suffered over several months. They sent the old regulator to Lamar for repair but Lamar returned it saying it checked out okay. So, Why not think I'm a dunce?

A false clue, the logbooks showed couple years ago, the previous owner had installed a new alternator circuit control board.

Present owners took the plane to the local Beech service center who became perplexed too.

As service Center later related to me, they finally called Beech Tech and some electrical guru up there asked about the fuses in the nacelle fuse blocks.

Guru asked if the fuses were of the type with the wide filament in the zig-zag shape, then change them to the style of fuse with a fine wire filament. Guru says the zig zag type filament vibrates and can causes intermittent contact.

Service center changed the fuses to the fine wire filaments and apparently all seems to be working well now!

This one shown directly below has continuity until you shake or tap it.

Above is a photo of the ZIg-Zag bad actor glass fuse.

Above is a photo of a "conventional" fine wire filament fuse that resolved the problem.

Got flickering Alternator Out Lights? Check HERE for a narrative on that topic.

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