The J&B Snap-On Gasket
For years, ramp agents had to scrape off old neoprene gaskets and glue new ones on. The process took hours, if not overnight. With the new connector, agents can quickly pry off the old gasket and replace it with a new one in minutes, if not seconds.
“We’ll still have those die-hard faithful that want to use the neoprene for a while,” David Janis, sales director at J&B Aviation, says. “That’s fine too, we’ll still sell those gaskets and still sell those connectors but as we move forward, we’ll be moving into the snap-on gasket connector.”
This isn’t J&B’s first shot at a snap-on gasket, but a rivet assembly held the design back from catching on the same way the new version is expected to.
“Years ago we had a snap-on gasket assembly but it was done in a different way that we hadn’t gone through and really redesigned the PCA connector,” Janis says.
Whereas previously ground handlers had to pull entire PCA connectors out of service to replace a gasket. The level of inventory required for operation and replacement is too high. An easily replaceable connector gasket will reduce downtime on PCA in addition to allowing GSE managers to lower replacement part inventory when J&B releases the new connector featuring the snap-on gasket this summer.
“It will be much faster to simply pry off the snap on version and snap on a new one and be right back in business than it would be to wait for the glue to try and all those kinds of things” Janis says.
Connect Four Hundred
J&B has patented the replaceable contact sections for 400 Hz cables, which are now available. The replaceable polychloroprene connectors prolong the life of cables by replacing the worn contact section which is often dragged on the ground or otherwise slammed and jammed. The connectors are removed and replaced on existing J&B cables as one assembly with four screws. The instructions for installation are included with the connector purchase.
“We’ve gone through and developed an extra hard cap that sits over the top of this replacement contact section that gives a little more life rather than the neoprene that’s around the contact wearing out by being dragged on the ground,” Janis says. “Instead, this hard cap can be dragged and worn out and then it can be replaced with a couple of screws. So you can go through and actually extend the life of your replacement contact section even longer than what it has been in the past.”
The replacement contact sections are quickly replaced in under five minutes and have been used by the United States military since 1991.
“With today’s widespread use of external 400 Hz systems, plug and receptacle wear has increased resulting in problems with the electrical connection,” according to “400 Hz Connection Aircraft Electrical Maintenance Procedures,” an SAE information report. “A worn or loose contact on one or more of the pins in the connectors can cause high contact resistance which results in a hot plug; in some cases fire or loss of a phase or control voltage (E&F) which causes the aircraft to reject the external 400 Hz power.”
The specially designed tapered edge on the 400 Hz connector fits securely on any aircraft on the market today that utilizes 400 Hz power. This 400 Hz replaceable contact section comes with a cap made of a highly durable composite selected for its strength, durability and longer life. Through innovative design, more durable materials and an additional protective cap, the new J&B Aviation composite J&B Replacement Contact Sections were created to:
- Extend the life of replacement contact sections
- Reduce wear and tear on cables
- Increase savings on cable repairs and replacement
- Reduce maintenance down time
“We’re seeing about a four to six month additional usage time before these caps are wearing out,” Janis says. “You’re already getting almost double the life out of the piece that you could previously.”
Inspection Gadgets
J&B has long sold a bevy of cable inspection and maintenance gear. Finally, however, all of those products have been bundled together into one comprehensive kit, which you can get on your ramp at any time. The J&B Aviation Cable Inspection Test Kit has packaged everything needed to test and inspect your cables in a heavy-duty, lockable case. The J&B Aviation Cable Inspection Kit includes:
- JB471 Aircraft Connector Tester
- JB472 Pin Gauge Tester
- JB473 Tensionometer
- JB474 Flir Imaging IR Thermometer
- Wire brushes – clean out contacts
- Step by step instructions for inspecting cables and connectors
“We’ve gone through and put together a cheat sheet that shows you ‘this is when you should be checking for wear and tear, this is how you should check the wear and tear,’” Janis says. “ We basically put together a how-to two page sheet on how to maintain your cables.”
The J&B inspection kit creates a transparent, accountable environment for GSE mechanics, purchasers and managers.
“We have seen a lot more emphasis placed on maintenance within the ground support equipment size of the business, as they try to stretch their dollars and account for product and the accountability that goes along with maintaining the fleet,” Janis says.
According to Janis, the maintenance emphasis has come with somewhat of a generational shift.
“As we see more and more new people coming in, they’re looking for ways that they can justify that they’ve done their due diligence by sending out the appropriate maintenance guidelines,” he says.
J&B: Celebrating 25 years
J&B is celebrating their silver anniversary this June and the party will go all the way to the International Airport GSE Expo in Las Vegas this October, at least.
“We’ll definitely be doing something at the show,” Ann Roberts, marketing manager at ITW GSE Americas, says. “Hobart is celebrating 70 years, and J&B is celebrating 25 years, so we’ll have a celebration at the show in October and a few other things sprinkled throughout the year.”
