Article: 1954
By Robert Krausert, January 2010

Greg Deputy asked:
http://www.blastzone.com/images/m0606/htmonpad.jpg

I’m in the process of repairing Hold the Mayo, including re-working the avionics bay. For the deployment charge terminals I have typically used brass bolts that run through a bulkhead and then wingnuts to attach the wires of the deployment charges. As I’m getting ready to do this for the umpteenth time, I’m wondering how other folks approach it. I’ve see some who use the little screw down terminals and just run wires through the bulkheads. Any other techniques anyone would care to share?

Mike Fisher commented:
I don’t like extra connections, so I just run the e-match wire through the bulkplate and use some plumbers putty to seal the hole.

Scott Barfield commented:
I have something similar on my 4″ bay that I use in a couple of rockets. Only instead of putty, I use well nuts – they have a rubber boot and a machine screw that expands the boot when it is tightened. Leads go through the hole and the nut is inserted and tightened to seal it.

Seth Wallace commented:
I used to just run the wires through the bulkhead and seal it with something but got lots of blowby which cant be good for the flight computer. then I started using the little screw terminals and after running the leads back to the flight computer seal the hole through the bulkhead with epoxy. I tend to use a lot of BP and the terminals do get pretty gunked up. Also sometimes the ARTS2 will read continuity without a charge hooked to the charge side of the terminals which is disconcerting, other than that it works well.

Joe Bevier shared:
The following article regarding sealing holes in bulkplates.

Jeff More commented:
I use the white barrier strips (what you are probably referring to as “screw down terminals”). They come in at least two sizes. I use as many connections as necessary and cut-off the excess.

To avoid the “gunked up” problem, I cover the entire terminal strip with tape after everything is wired up. Use gaff tape or the blue masking tape – works great!

I’ve never had any electrical “issues” with this wiring technique.

Seth Wallace commented:
I use the same white barrier strips.. Blue tape, thats a good tip, never thought of that. I’ve never had a failure but I have experienced the phantom continuity with several different ARTS2 units on 2 different rockets, tried experimenting with different wire lengths etc and the same intermittent result of sometimes reading continuity with nothing hooked up to the charge side of the barrier strip. The last of my GWIZ equipped rockets buried itself under Gerlach so I didnt have a chance to see if I had similar results with different flight computers.