Electrical Troubleshooting Flashcards
7 cards from real AET practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Electrical Troubleshooting flashcards as text
A strobe light on an aircraft fails to flash but the power supply capacitor charges correctly. The fault most likely lies in the:
Answer: Flash tube or trigger circuit
If the capacitor charges correctly but the light fails to flash, the flash tube, trigger transformer, or trigger circuit is likely faulty.
When checking a shorted wiring harness, a technician should use a/an:
Answer: Standard ohmmeter to check pin-to-pin resistance
A standard ohmmeter can detect pin-to-pin shorts within a harness by revealing unexpectedly low resistance between conductors that should be isolated.
Aircraft wiring that shows discoloration (brown or black insulation) most likely indicates:
Answer: Overheating due to excessive current or poor connection
Discolored or charred insulation is a sign of overheating, caused by overcurrent, high-resistance connections, or incorrect wire gauge.
A ground return circuit fault in aircraft wiring most commonly causes:
Answer: Reduced voltage at the load and erratic equipment operation
A poor ground return adds resistance in series with the load, causing a voltage drop that results in reduced voltage at the equipment and erratic operation.
An ammeter is connected in series with an aircraft circuit to check current flow. When the circuit is activated, the meter reads zero. This indicates:
Answer: An open circuit between the power source and the load
Zero current in an energized series circuit indicates an open that prevents current from flowing through the ammeter and load.
During troubleshooting, a technician finds that an aircraft navigation light works normally on the ground but fails in flight. The MOST likely cause is:
Answer: An intermittent open caused by vibration or thermal expansion
Vibration, thermal cycling, or connector movement in flight can cause intermittent opens that are not present under static ground conditions.
The purpose of performing a 'split-half' troubleshooting method on a long wiring run is to:
Answer: Efficiently isolate the fault location by testing the midpoint first
Testing the midpoint of a circuit first eliminates half the possible fault locations with each measurement, minimizing total tests required.