How to Build a Wiring Harness

eBook

July 2022

By Joseph Rodriguez
Business Development & Marketing Specialist

InterConnect Wiring

5024 W Vickery Blvd.

Fort Worth, TX 76107 USA

+1-817-377-9473

www.interconnect-wiring.com

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 Dedication
InterConnect Wiring dedicates this eBook to the family of Christopher Vardy. Chris represented all our
core values and lived our “Why Statement”, that Connections Matter.

RIP Chris. We miss you.

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 Table of Contents

Section A – Before We Make it, Let’s Define it. 6

Chapter 1: What is a Wiring Harness? 6
Chapter 2: Why Do Aircraft Have Wiring Harnesses? 7
Chapter 3: What Does EWIS Mean? 8
Section B – Now Let’s Prepare. 10
Chapter 4: What Is a Wiring Diagram? 10
Chapter 5: What Is a Wiring Harness Specification? 11
Chapter 6: What Is an Insert Arrangement? 13
Chapter 7: What Is Connector Clocking and Why is It Important in Wiring Harness Design? 15
Chapter 8: What is a HAD? 18
Section C – Let’s Build It! 19
Chapter 9: How are Wiring Harnesses Built? 19
Chapter 10: Why Does Each Wire on An Airplane Have Its Own Identification Number? 21
Chapter 12: What is a Wire Termination? 23
Chapter 13: What Is a Cable Shield Termination? 24
Chapter 14: What is a Reference Designator? 25
Chapter 15: The 5 Most Tedious Parts of Harness Assembly. 26
Section D – The Final Test. 28
Chapter 16: What is Continuity Testing? 28
Chapter 17: What is Insulation Resistance Testing? 29
Chapter 18: What Does It Mean To “Beep Out” a Wiring Harness? 30
Section E – What Not to Do. 31
Chapter 19: 13 Ways to Design a Wiring Harness Poorly for Manufacturability. 31
Section F – Videos for Visual Learners 33
Chapter 20: Vlogs on Wiring Harness Assembly. 33
Summary 34
Final Exam 35
Exam Hints 35
Answers to Final Exam 35

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 List of Figures
Figure 1 Kapton Wire: There are Many Disadvantages 9
Figure 2 Connector Layouts 14
Figure 3 Tool in Position for Inspection of a Connector Assembly. 15
Figure 4 Two Connectors the same except for polarization. 16
Figure 5 Amplifier to be Connected to Left and Right Speaker 16
Figure 6 Red = Example of What InterConnect Would Design 17
Figure 7 M12 Style Connectors 17
Figure 8 Example of Wire Identification Coding 21

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 Introduction

This eBook contains a great deal of information on how to build a wiring harness. Making a wiring
harness is not just limited to the production steps alone. There are multiple steps taken before even
cutting the first wire! Having a good plan and sticking to it is crucial to harness manufacturing.

Besides the written word, this eBook contains several teaching videos which I, myself, am proud to say I
produced and directed. We realize that many readers are visual learners, therefore, we wanted to
provide a set of videos for better understanding.

Nevertheless, I firmly believe the best way to learn about making a wiring harness is to see it in person. I
encourage you to come and take a tour of InterConnect Wiring at 5024 W. Vickery Boulevard, Fort
Worth, Texas 76107 USA. Please email me at [email protected] or feel free to
call me at +1.817.377.9473. I would be happy to personally give you a tour of InterConnect Wiring,
where CONNECTIONS MATTER.

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Section A – Before We Make it, Let’s Define
it.
Before learning how to make a wiring harness, it is important to know what they are and why aircraft
need them. InterConnect’s President and Company Founder, John Ashour, defined it best in some of his
past thought leadership articles that will be covered in Chapters 1 and 2.

Additionally, it is important to know about EWIS and what it means. InterConnect’s Vice President and
Co-Founder, Clare McGarrey, wrote a blog addressing this very topic called, “What does EWIS mean?”
which will be reviewed in Chapter 3.

Chapter 1: What is a Wiring Harness?

To put it simply, a wiring harness is a group of wires bundled

together. A wiring harness can be very small in size such as a
small group of wires found in your computer or car. A wiring
harness can also be very huge such as some of the ones that
InterConnect manufactures for aircraft. These huge wiring
harnesses may have thousands of wires in them and hundreds
of connectors. The finished wiring harness may weigh over
100 pounds and cost over $50,000.

When I meet people and they ask what a wiring harness is, I
give them the example of an extension cord. When you buy an
extension cord you are buying a small wiring harness. Wiring
harnesses have many different names including electrical
wiring harnesses, looms, cable assemblies, coax cables, RF
cables, injection molded cable assemblies, fiber optic cables, and many times are simply called
harnesses.

Wiring harnesses are important for aircraft because they can be installed as one unit instead of one wire
at a time. It is much easier to build them on a table in a production area such as InterConnect Wiring’s
production area as opposed to putting in wires one at a time in an aircraft and then connecting each
wire to a connector or terminal or a splice. It is much easier and faster to route a group of wires already
bundled together than routing them individually.

Written By: John Ashour

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Chapter 2: Why Do Aircraft Have Wiring Harnesses?

A few months ago, when I was interviewing a candidate for a

new position at InterConnect, I asked the prospect if he had
any questions for me. He had a few about the company but he
also asked two about aircraft. His first question was “How
many wiring harnesses are there in an aircraft?” I said that it
varies but generally-speaking, based on my almost 30 years of
designing wiring harnesses, aircraft typically have around 250
wiring harnesses. I thought that was a good question. His
second one was even better. He asked, “Why do aircraft have
wiring harnesses?” I told him that answer is a little more
involved.

When aircraft were first designed, none of them had wiring

harnesses because there were no electrical systems. All they
had were structural components and ropes and pulleys to move the flight control surfaces. Soon, instead
of ropes they used metal cables (and many aircraft still fly using metal cables and pulleys as opposed to
‘fly by wire’). One day an aircraft designer decided to put in an electrical light in an aircraft, so he
installed in a battery, a switch, and a light. He ran wires to these components and thus the first aircraft
electrical lighting system was born. This system needed very few wires, so each wire was installed one at
a time in areas that protected the wires from external conditions.

Next, other designers came along and added more electrical systems. Each one of them required more
wires. In time, aircraft mechanics started noticing that groups of wires ran from one component to
another, but they were installing wires one wire at a time. This installation process was time consuming.
In order to speed-up the process, they started bundling groups of wires together and routing them
together. Aircraft designers took note of this and thought that it was a good idea. They then designed the
bundles of wires into a single unit and made them on a table. When they did this, they designed the first
wiring harness. That is why aircraft have wiring harnesses.

Written By: John Ashour

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Chapter 3: What Does EWIS Mean?

In the aviation industry, we sure LOVE using acronyms. It

doesn’t matter if the aircraft is for military or commercial
application, we LOVE our acronyms. Lately, I have noticed
more and more references to the acronym EWIS. So, what
does EWIS mean? EWIS is an acronym for Electrical Wiring
InterConnect System or Electrical Wiring InterConnection
System (EWIS). EWIS means any wire, wiring device, or
combination of these, including termination devices, installed
in any area of the aircraft for transmitting electrical energy,
including data and signals between two or more intended
termination points. EWIS is basically the wiring system of an
aircraft, including all the wiring harnesses that InterConnect
currently makes for various aerospace and defense companies
and countries. Essentially, EWIS includes the wires,
connectors, backshells, splices, etc.; the entire bundles that make up the aircraft wiring system. So, I
wondered why EWIS seemed so much more prevalent today than in the early 1990s when John and I
started InterConnect Wiring. Here is what Wikipedia says:

Prior to the aviation accidents of TWA Flight 800 and Swissair 111, the wiring on aircraft was a minor
concern. In response to these accidents, the Aging Transport Systems Rulemaking Advisory Committee
(ATSRAC) was chartered to gather industry leaders to examine the current state of aging aircraft systems.
The committee included several key organizations and businesses such as ATA, NASA, Northwest Airlines,
Boeing, Airbus, and the FAA. The following is an excerpt from the FAA’s regulations released November 8,
2007, governing aspects of EWIS on aircraft as to the reason for the increased concerns regarding EWIS:

“Safety concerns about wiring systems in airplanes were brought to

the forefront of public attention by a mid-air explosion in 1996
involving a 747 airplane. Ignition of flammable vapors in the fuel tank
was the probable cause of that fatal accident, and the most likely
source was a wiring failure that allowed a spark to enter the fuel tank.
All 230 people aboard the airplane were killed. Two years later, an
MD–11 (Swissair Flight 111) airplane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean,
killing all 229 people aboard. Although an exact cause could not be determined, the presence of
re-solidified copper on a portion of a wire of the in-flight entertainment system cable indicated that wire
arcing had occurred in the area where the fire most likely originated.

Investigations of those accidents and later examinations of other airplanes showed a collection of
common problems. Deteriorated wiring, corrosion, improper wire installation and repairs, and
contamination of wire bundles with metal shavings, dust, and fluids (which would provide fuel for fire)
were common conditions in representative examples of the ‘‘aging fleet of transport airplanes.’’

Unfortunately, like commercial aerospace, defense aircraft, including fighter jets and utility helicopters,
have experienced significant EWIS issues as well. Kapton wire has been a problem for many aircraft
including the F-16, F-15, and the UH-60.

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Figure 1 Kapton Wire: There are Many Disadvantages

There you have it. EWIS in a nutshell. A terrific source for more information about EWIS is InterConnect’s
eBook which you can find at
https://www.interconnect-wiring.com/introduction-to-aircraft-wiring-harness-diagrams-engineering-desi
gn-and-disconnects/ .

Written By: Clare McGarrey

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Section B – Now Let’s Prepare.
Now that we know what a wiring harness is and why it is needed in an aircraft, we can take the next step
of defining the various things we will need to make a wiring harness. In this section you will learn about
Wiring Diagrams, Manufacturing Specifications, Insert Arrangements, Connector Clocking, and Harness
Assembly Drawings.

Chapter 4: What Is a Wiring Diagram?

As you can see in the image, wiring diagrams have been an

important component to the wiring process for many years.
This wiring diagram is for an old-school automobile, but it
serves the same purpose as the wiring diagrams of today. As
much as things change, they stay the same!

A wiring diagram is a simplified conventional pictorial

representation of the physical connections and physical layout
of an electrical system or circuit. In our world wiring diagrams
show how aircraft wires are connected and where they should
be in the electrical system, as well as the physical connections
between the components. This makes a wiring diagram useful
in manufacturing or troubleshooting an electrical system or
circuit for various aircraft including the F-16 and F-15.

The difference between a wiring diagram and schematic is that the schematic only shows the plan and
function for an electrical circuit but is not concerned with the physical layout of the wires. A wiring
diagram is also different from a Harness Assembly Drawing (HAD), which is used by the assembler during
manufacturing a wiring harness.

At InterConnect Wiring, we frequently use wiring diagrams to generate a Routing List (a point-to-point
termination database). Once the terminations are in a database format we can extract Reference
Designator Lists, Work Instructions for assembly, Batch Files for laser wire and Ref Des ID marking, as
well as many other valuable pieces of aircraft electrical harness and circuit breaker production data.

It’s all connected to what we do to make sure everything is the best it can be, because Connections
Matter!

Written By: Joseph Rodriguez

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Chapter 5: What Is a Wiring Harness Specification?

For each new aircraft platform (a platform is an aircraft

designation such as an F-15, F-16, F-35, KC-46, P-8, 787, etc.)
that is designed and produced by the Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM), such as Lockheed Martin or L3 Harris,
there are many manufacturing specifications for their aircraft.
A few example specifications are: (1) landing gear system, (2)
fuel system, and (3) lighting system. Many people do not think
of it as a system, but another one is the wiring system, more
commonly called the Electrical Wiring Interconnect System
(EWIS). EWIS is the complete aircraft wiring system and
associated components such as wire, connectors, backshells,
bundle clamps, wire splices, etc. EWIS includes bundles of
wires that are commonly called wiring harnesses.

So, what is a wiring harness manufacturing specification? That’s a good question. The short answer is a
wiring harness manufacturing specification is the engineering document that provides details (i.e.
specifications and processes) on how to assemble wiring harnesses for a given aircraft. Most wiring
harness manufacturing specifications are fairly large documents (many over 50 pages long). Some of the
information includes: (1) how shields from shielded wires are attached to other devices such as
connectors, backshells, terminals (this is commonly called shield terminations), (2) whether to install
spare contacts and filler plugs into empty contact cavities, (3) how much to torque backshells to
connectors, (4) how to clock connectors to right angle backshells, (5) how to cover a wiring harness with
braid, shrink tubing, or string tie, and (6) how to test wiring harnesses after they are assembled.

InterConnect has manufactured our products to many different wiring harness manufacturing
specifications over the years. The aircraft platform that InterConnect has specialized in assembling wiring
harnesses for the longest is the F-16. InterConnect has made over 10,000 different part numbers for the
F-16. For each part number, InterConnect has used Lockheed Martin’s wiring harness manufacturing
specification called 16PR145. Although 16PR145 started-out as a fairly small document, it is now over
600 pages long. It is up to InterConnect to know and understand everything called out in 16PR145.

Some OEMs decide not to write a wiring harness manufacturing specification. Instead, they ask
InterConnect to write one for them. InterConnect has written many wiring harness manufacturing
specifications over the years based on customer requests. InterConnect bases our specifications on best
practices, lessons learned, and essentials to the aircraft platform.

If you work for a company that does not have its own wiring harness manufacturing specification and
desires to use one common throughout the aircraft industry, InterConnect recommends the following
standards as noted in our blog “What is SAE-AS50881 and how does it relate to wiring harness design?”:

● IPC/WHMA-A-620: Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies
● IPC-A-610: Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies
● IPC J-STD-001: Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies
● NAVAIR 01-1A-505-1: Harness Installation and Repair Practices for Aircraft Electric and Electronic
Wiring. This standard is a combination of the former US Navy standard with the same name as

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 well as the former US Air Force Standard T.O. 01-1A-14 and former US Army standard TM
1-1500-323-24-1.

Written By: John Ashour

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Chapter 6: What Is an Insert Arrangement?

The highly advanced military aircraft of today that

InterConnect Wiring supports, like the Lockheed Martin F-22
fighter and the Northrop Grumman B-2 bomber, contain a
large amount of specialized electrical equipment. Some
examples include relay panels, circuit breaker panels, mux
transformer panels, audio panels, navigation computers,
weapons computers, and more. This equipment is essential in
enabling the aircraft to complete its designed mission, so it
must be able to communicate with each other as well as with
the pilot.

Electrical wiring harnesses are installed in the aircraft to

connect all of the equipment to each other, the pilot, and the
airframe. Each one of these harnesses contains a varying
number of connectors, and each connector can contain anywhere from one to over one hundred wires.
In order to understand what an insert arrangement is and why it is needed, let’s break down the three
basic components of a modern military circular connector.

1. Contacts – Placed on the end of each wire and held in place with a crimp or solder. Typically
made of highly conductive gold-plated copper.
2. Insert – This holds all of the contacts in a specific orientation for correct mating and insulates
them from one another. Typically made of reinforced epoxy resin or other composite material.
3. Outer shell – The enclosure that holds the insert and contacts. Typically made of die-cast
aluminum and plated or anodized for corrosion protection.

In order for the connector to mate up with another component, the contacts must be held in place in a
specific orientation so that they are not damaged when the components are connected together.

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Figure 2 Connector Layouts

The specific orientation of the contacts is known as the insert arrangement. If you were to open up the
latest Amphenol or TE Connectivity catalog, you would see many different variations of insert
arrangements for a given connector size in order to facilitate the one to over one hundred wires that
may be present.

Written By: Eric Evans

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Chapter 7: What Is Connector Clocking and Why is It Important in Wiring Harness
Design?

The purpose of a wiring harness is to transmit signals or

electrical power between components in a system. However,
this cannot be achieved unless the wiring harness can
physically connect to these components. There are several
ways to make these connections but probably the most
common is the mating of two connectors.

One of the characteristics of an electrical connector is called

its “clocking” or “polarization”. During manufacturing, a
connector is polarized by fabricating a series of keys around
the perimeter of the insert in a specific pattern according to
its polarization designator. Therefore, two connectors will not
be able to mate (AKA connect) unless they accurately line up
or clock.

Figure 3 Tool in Position for Inspection of a Connector Assembly.

One of the characteristics of an electrical connector is called its “clocking” or “polarization”. During
manufacturing, a connector is polarized by fabricating a series of keys around the perimeter of the insert

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in a specific pattern according to its polarization designator. Therefore, two connectors will not be able to
mate (AKA connect) unless they accurately line up or clock.

Let us consider two connectors that are built exactly the same except that one has polarization
designator “A” – all the keys are 120 degrees apart and the other has polarization designator “B” – one of
the keys is 120 degrees from the main key and the other is 270 degrees from the main key. Refer to
image below.

Figure 4 Two Connectors the same except for polarization.

Now let us suppose we are designing a wiring harness for a customer that needs to connect an amplifier
in their audio system to a left and a right speaker as in the example shown below.

Figure 5 Amplifier to be Connected to Left and Right Speaker

The customer wants to use the same part number for the connectors at reference designator (ref des) P1
and P2, but they also want to make sure that the signals from the amplifier go to the correct speaker. In
order to achieve this, they install the connector with polarization “A” at P1 and the same connector
except with polarization “B” at ref des P2. The connector installed at ref des P3 will not be a factor since
it is a totally different size and shape than those installed at ref des P1 and P2 and will be located several
feet away.

The InterConnect Wiring, wiring harness design, that connects the customer’s amplifier to its speakers
might look something like the drawing below in red.

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Figure 6 Red = Example of What InterConnect Would Design

When one designs the wiring harness it is very important to pay close attention to the polarization
designator in the part number of the connector when choosing the part number for the mating
connectors. Often, the only difference between these part numbers is one letter!

Suppose we assign the connector with polarization “B” to be installed at ref des J1 instead of the
connector with polarization “A”. Now when the customer tries to mate our harness with their product,
they will not be able to connect any of the speakers. They may also damage the connectors trying to
mate them.

Figure 7 M12 Style Connectors

There could be any number of reasons why the customer chooses to use connectors with different
polarizations in their systems. It is up to InterConnect, as the wiring harness designer, to choose the
mating connector with the correct polarization or keyway to make sure the customer is satisfied with the
results.

InterConnect prides itself on wiring harness design and our engineering department. If you would like
assistance designing your aircraft wiring harnesses, please let us know.

Written By: Clare McGarrey

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Chapter 8: What is a HAD?

A HAD is a Harness Assembly Drawing used to aid in the

manufacturing of electrical wiring harnesses. HADs are used
in the aerospace industry for all aircraft platforms including
the AH-1F, AH-1Z, B-1B, B-52, C-130, EC-130, F-15, F-16, F-22,
etc.

Before production of a harness, a HAD is printed in full scale

(1:1) to ensure the exact dimensions are met. Each HAD has 4
principal parts:

1. The Title Block – This displays the title, drawing scale and standard tolerances.

2. The Revision Block – This is used to designate changes and revisions to the drawing.

3. The Part Illustration – This is the full-scale drawing of the harness.

4. General Notes – This is used to eliminate repetitive local notes.

Once the HAD is created it is printed and placed on a table where the harness is assembled right on top
of it. Depending on the customer, terminology for a HAD can differ. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SES, and
L-3 may use the term HAD while other companies such as Sikorsky, Northrop Grumman, and BAE may
use terms like mylar, form board, T101 or T105. No matter what term is used, these are all
manufacturing aids and are the exact same thing. At InterConnect Wiring, for our trunk electrical wiring
harnesses, whether braided, double braided or string-tied, we use the term HAD.

Written By: Chris Bettinger

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Section C – Let’s Build It!
Now that we know we are prepared, let’s build this harness! Chapter 9 will feature a blog written by John
Ashour, which includes many references to other blogs. I recommend looking at all the blogs that are
referenced. Most of the blogs that were referenced will also appear later on in this section.

Chapter 9: How are Wiring Harnesses Built?

In the past, InterConnect Wiring released a blog entitled “Why

Do Aircraft Have Wiring Harnesses?“ and another blog
entitled “What is a Wiring Harness?”. Based on these two
blogs a reader should know what they are and why they exist,
but one aspect remains; how are they built?

Although they can range in size from a small bundle with two
wires and two connectors to a very large, heavy, complicated
one that contains over 5,000 wires and over 100 connectors
they are basically made the same way. Below we have listed
and described the basic five-step process of how wiring
harnesses are built.

Step 1 – Wire Cut and Marking

Every wire in an aircraft wiring harness has its own unique identification number. (See blog “Why Does
Each Wire on an Airplane Have Its Own Identification Number?”.) The first step in wire harness
manufacturing is to (1) measure, (2) mark, and (3) cut each wire individually. For most OEM military or
commercial wiring harnesses, the preferred method to mark a wire is laser wire marking. (See blog
“What is Laser Wire Marking?”.) A good laser wire marking machine will do all three tasks. After this
process is accomplished for each wire in a wiring harness the next step is to layout the wires.

Step 2 – Wire Layout

Wire layout is just what it sounds like; an assembler takes each wire and lays them out – one at a time –
onto a HAD. (See blog “What is a HAD?”.) The HAD specifies how wires are routed from one endpoint to
another. The HAD also shows where a wire ‘breaks-out’ from the main bundle. It should be noted that
some wires have a metal shield around the main conductors while others do not. (See blog “Why do
some wires have a metal shield around them?”.) Additionally, some wires are different gauges. (See blog
“What is Wire Gauge?”.) After all wires are routed, they are then grouped together using either string tie
or tape. Once this process is done the next step is Wire Termination. Wire termination is the most
complicated process and the most problematic.

Step 3 – Wire Termination

Every conductor in a wire is somehow terminated. (See blog “What is a Wire Termination?”.) For
example, a twisted, shielded pair requires six terminations – one for each end of Conductor 1 (or two
terminations), one for each end of Conductor 2 (or two terminations), and one for each end of the Shield

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(or two final terminations). Some people fail to remember that shields on shielded wires are also
conductors and need to be terminated. (See blog “What is a Cable Shield Termination?”.) Wires are
generally terminated by (1) stripping the insulation away from them, (2) crimping contacts onto the
conductors, and (3) inserting them into a connector contact cavity (see blog “What is a Contact Cavity?”)
per its insert arrangement (see blog “What is an Insert Arrangement?”). Every connector or endpoint in
a wiring harness has its own unique identification number which is called a reference designator. (See
blog “What is a Reference Designator?”.) After all conductors have been terminated at all reference
designators the wire termination process is complete and the wiring harness is moved onto a very
important next step, testing.

Step 4 – Testing

Every wiring harness that InterConnect makes undergoes some type of test. In most cases InterConnect
uses very sophisticated, automatic test machine made by a company called DITMCO. For most
customers InterConnect will test for continuity (see blog “What is Continuity Testing?”) as well as
insulation resistance testing (see blog “What is insulation resistance testing?”). In a few cases,
customers will instruct that InterConnect only ‘beep out’ a wiring harness. (See blog “What Does It Mean
To ‘Beep Out’ A Wiring Harness?”.) Once a wiring harness fully passes testing it is sent to the final
process called dress-out.

Step 5 – Dress-Out

The fifth and final process in building a wiring harness is dress-out. Dress-out consists of (1) heating-up
and shrinking-down tubing, (2) making sure reference designators are located properly, (3) making sure
wire harness identifiers are located properly, (4) putting dust cover caps or ESDS bags on connectors to
protect them, and (5) final inspection. Once dress-out of a wiring harness is complete, it is ready for
packaging and shipment.

For the past several years, InterConnect Wiring has been releasing many blogs about aircraft wiring
harnesses. This blog has had many links to a variety of topics. If you read this blog and did not have to
hit a hyperlink to find out what a term was, you have done very well in reading our blogs and are to be
praised! Congratulations!

Please continue to follow our blogs and check out some of our photos of our involvement at various
aerospace and defense conferences over the years.

Written By: John Ashour

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Chapter 10: Why Does Each Wire on An Airplane Have Its Own Identification Number?

In brief – to ensure the airworthiness of the aircraft. Any

modern aircraft, especially fighters like the F-15, F-16, F-22
and F-35 have thousands of wires. The integrity of the
electrical wiring interconnect system (EWIS) affects the ability
to gather data, communicate, fire weapons, and even control
the aircraft in flight.

Now imagine you’re a technician manufacturing, testing,

modifying, or repairing part of the electrical system. Being
able to identify exactly what wires you need to work on is
critical to performing your job and keeping the electrical
system in the correct configuration. The way this is
accomplished is by giving every wire in the aircraft a unique
identifier in the engineering data, maintenance manuals and
on each wire itself. Typically, the aircraft manufacturer assigns wire numbers to each wire segment
during the design of the wiring system. There are variations between manufacturers, but most rely on a
system similar to that found in AS50881 where the wire ID is composed of several codes that help
identify its function.

Figure 8 Example of Wire Identification Coding

The ID is then applied to the wire itself during wire harness manufacturing. Laser marking the ID is
preferable wherever possible. In cases where the wire cannot be laser marked, identification markers are
most frequently made from Mil-Spec shrink tubing with a thermal-printed ID.

Written By: Marc Piloian

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Chapter 11: What is Laser Wire Marking?
Every wire on an aircraft must have its own unique
identification number. The most common method to put this
identifier on a wire is by laser wire marking. Laser wire
marking is a method to place a permanent mark on a wire
using a laser. Companies such as Spectrum Technologies and
Tri-Star Technologies have designed machines to do this
process. At first these machines were very large and
expensive. Now, a company can buy desktop models that are
reasonably priced.

The permanent mark is formed when the laser interacts with

the titanium dioxide in a wire’s insulation. Titanium dioxide is
already found in the insulation of an aircraft wire for other
purposes including marking the white insulation in color.
When the laser beam hits the wire, it discolors the pigment in the insulation thereby leaving a
permanent mark. Characters are formed from a metal disc that has cutouts of letters, numbers, and
symbols. The disc turns as needed and the laser beam goes through the disc for a particular letter,
number, or symbol. When the beam exits the metal disk it is shaped as the desired character. It is an
interesting process and very powerful technology.

Written By: John Ashour

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 22 of 35

Chapter 12: What is a Wire Termination?

A wire termination is the work performed to the end of a wire

that allows it to connect to a device (connector, switch,
terminal, etc.). There are many types of terminations in the
aircraft industry, but we can boil them down into two basic
categories: crimp and solder.

A crimp termination is performed when the device requires a

contact or terminal. The wire insulation is stripped, and the
contact or terminal is attached to the wire using a crimp tool.
The tool crimps the contact or terminal onto the wire
conductor. This type of termination is most often used on the
aircraft wiring harnesses and circuit breaker panels that
InterConnect produces for various aircraft including the F-15,
C-130 and UH-60, to name a few.

A solder termination is performed when the wire conductors attach directly to the device. This requires
stripping off the wire insulation and applying flux and solder to connect the wire to the device. The J-
STD-001 (Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies) gives the specific details on
how to properly solder.

InterConnect has a very stringent Training Program for all of our assemblers to learn how to crimp
contacts and terminals as well as solder. Each year, assemblers are re-trained on how to terminate wires
according to J-STD- 001, IPC-A- 610, and IPC-A- 620. Additionally, here at InterConnect, we create specific
training programs according to the specifications referenced by our customers. So, for example, for F-16
wiring harnesses and panels, Lockheed Martin calls out 16PR145 and 16PR8817. Therefore, we have a
training program for terminating wires and performing other assembly processes based on these two
specifications for this particular (F-16) platform for this particular (Lockheed Martin) customer.

It is vitally important that all wire terminations are performed correctly. You can trust InterConnect
Wiring to manufacture your aircraft electrical wiring harnesses, relay panels, black boxes, and mux
assemblies to your exact specifications.

Written By: Joshua Bryant

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 23 of 35

Chapter 13: What Is a Cable Shield Termination?

In the commercial aerospace and defense industry we find a

high concentration of electrical wiring in a relatively small
area. The overall goal is to design the equipment and
components as small as practical and locate the equipment in
a compact, easily accessible area. This includes all wiring
harnesses, cable assemblies, and aircraft relay panels. A small
space like this is not conducive to minimizing electromagnetic
interference (EMI); therefore, to combat the effects of EMI, a
metallic shield is placed around the electrical conductors in a
wire then coated with insulation, such as TKT.

So, to answer the question, “What is a cable shield

termination?” it is where a shield (obviously of a shielded
wire) is terminated to another component. There is a wide
variety of termination methods including:

1) Attaching a solder sleeve and jumper wire to the shield then the jumper wire is connected to the
connector’s backshell.

2) Attaching a solder sleeve and jumper wire to the shield then routing the jumper wire to a contact
cavity in a connector.

3) Attaching a solder sleeve and jumper wire to the shield and the jumper wire is “daisy chained” to the
jumper wire of other shields.

4) Placing a piece of shrink tubing over a shield and it is floated (not connected) to any conductor or
ground point.

The purpose of a shield in a shielded wire is to eliminate EMI that is caused by the electrical current in
the conductor of a wire. Likewise, a shield limits EMI caused by other nearby wires. Shields eliminate
crosstalk between wires so you have a clear signal. The most common practice in the aerospace industry
is to terminate the shields to a jumper wire then the jumper wire is connected to a ground point. In
many cases the ground point is the backshell of a connector which ultimately connects to the airframe.

Written By: Michael Janney

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 24 of 35

Chapter 14: What is a Reference Designator?

Reference Designators label the location on a wiring harness

to ensure assembly is straightforward on the aircraft. The
reference designator usually consists of one or two letters
followed by a number. The convention of Plug (P) and Jack (J)
when assigning references for electrical connectors in
assemblies where a J (or jack) is the more fixed and P (or plug)
is the less fixed of a connector pair, without regard to the
gender of the connector contacts.

Shrink tubing is used for harness identifiers, reference

designators, cover for wires, and in solder sleeves and splices.
The common material for shrink tubing is polyolefin. Shrink
tubing is manufactured at a small diameter then is expanded
to a larger diameter. When heated, the tubing ‘recovers’ to
the predetermined diameter. Most shrink tubing only changes in diameter, not in length. Most aircraft
shrink tubing will recover to ½ of the diameter it started. Some of the more expensive tubing will recover
to ¼ of the diameter it started. Typical shrink tubing part numbers begin with M23053, P5034, P5381,
and P5382.

Written By: Chris Bettinger

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 25 of 35

Chapter 15: The 5 Most Tedious Parts of Harness Assembly.

Tedious does not mean bad. Tedious means that a certain job
takes just a bit more dedication. While these tasks take a bit
more effort, they are very critical to making a successful
wiring harness. Without further ado, here are “The 5 Most
Tedious Parts of Harness Assembly.”

1. MAKING THE HAD

A Harness Assembly Drawing (HAD) is something that we

make sure to take the time to make in-house at InterConnect
Wiring for most if not all of our programs. Our engineering
department creates these drawings with the utmost precision.
I have seen one engineer shave off .05 inches (or 1.27 mm)
from a drawing because it was too long. Our engineers will
also recreate HADs that were originally made in the 1980s, 1990s, or whenever, to ensure accuracy and
make them easier for our assemblers to read and understand.

2. WIRE CUT

This job is tedious because of the volume of wires that are cut daily. We go through a lot of wire every
day at InterConnect, and we must make sure that every wire that we cut is done so within a certain
tolerance. Luckily for us, we have machines that help do this work for us. We even have machines that
can laser mark the wire and then cut it for us at the same time. Can you imagine how, in the past, they
would have to cut all the wires by hand with a pair of wire cutters? Even with the machine, the large
quantity of wire that we cut every day makes this quite the task.

3. KIT ASSEMBLY

Have you ever counted out 260 filler plugs? Because I have and let me tell you it can be some precise
work. Miscount by too little and you slow down production for the assembler. Miscount by too many and
you might just mess up the inventory. What is worse is that this can cause the assembler to think they
might have miscounted on their end and missed something! That is something that we certainly make
sure to avoid. Putting these kits together can be some tedious work for sure. Fortunately, we have
measuring equipment and experienced kitting technicians.

4. TESTING

Testing is a topic that we have covered recently in one of our Vlogs. Something that we did not mention
in the Vlog is that testing a harness can sometimes take a very long while. How long you ask? Try two
hours for the very largest harnesses! Almost long enough to watch a Harry Potter movie! Of course,
testing is important to make sure the job is done correctly, but still, that can be quite the task. Oh, by the
way, if a harness is braided (it often is) then you must test the harness twice! Once before braiding and
once after braiding.

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 26 of 35

5. THE INSPECTION PROCESS MANUAL

How would you like to read at least 1000 pages of dense text to know what to look for while inspecting a
harness? That would be like reading more than a whole series of Harry Potter books! From connectors to
soldering, everything is covered in these manuals and specs. Now for the fun part… Did you know that
the 1000 pages worth of specs and manuals differs from program to program? While an F-16 and an F-15
are both part of the “fighter jet” classification, they might have very large differences in their processes.
Or, even more tediously, they may have very small differences that need to be recognized by our expert
team of engineers, planners, and inspectors. Thoroughness is already showing its worth!

So, now that you know what is tedious about making a wiring harness, let me tell you something else
about it: IT IS ALL WORTH IT! Making the best wiring harnesses in the world is what we do; therefore, all
this tedious work is well worth it. We want our customers to trust that when they receive a harness from
us it is going to be exactly what they designed and needed. We do that by being thorough during every
step of harness assembly. Because at the end of the day, the connection from our harness to your
aircraft matters. #ConnectionsMatter

P.S. Did I tell you our engineers can design electrical wiring interconnect systems (EWIS)? We can and do.

Written By: Joseph Rodriguez

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 27 of 35

Section D – The Final Test.
Now that our harness is built, it is time for the final test. Of course, InterConnect inspects harnesses all
the way through production, but it takes one final test to make the harness flight worthy. In this section
we will cover the topics of Continuity Testing, Insulation Resistance Testing, and What it means to “Beep
Out” a Wiring Harness. Also, did you know that InterConnect uses DITMCO machines to test our
harnesses? You can see a VLOG of this process on our website.

Chapter 16: What is Continuity Testing?

In simple terms, a continuity test verifies that current will flow

in an electrical circuit (i.e. that the circuit is continuous). The
test is performed by placing a small voltage between 2 or
more endpoints of the circuit. The flow of current can be
verified qualitatively (e.g., by observing a light or buzzer in
series with the circuit actuates) or quantitatively (e.g., by
using a multimeter to measure the resistance between the
endpoints).

Nearly all military aerospace platforms InterConnect

manufactures for, from the F-16 and F-22, to C-130 and
UH-60, require a qualitative test to confirm the integrity of the
EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnect System). These tests
require the resistance between circuit endpoints to fall below
a certain value, typically from 2 to 4 ohms. The values can be higher for circuits containing coax or
thermocouple wire, inline resistors, or similar components.

InterConnect utilizes wiring analyzers and automated test programs to not only verify the resistance of
circuits, but also to confirm our products are wired according to the wiring diagrams or similar
engineering requirements. In many cases when InterConnect rewires military aircraft, the entire EWIS is
tested after installation but prior to applying power to the aircraft. Here is a photo of a United States
Army National Guard UH-60 that InterConnect Wiring completely rewired and is performing continuity
and other tests on, prior to operational flight check.

Do you learn better from watching videos? Check out our Vlog on Testing a Wiring Harness to DoD
Standards!

Written By: Marc Piloian

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 28 of 35

Chapter 17: What is Insulation Resistance Testing?

Every electrical wire, whether it’s in an F-16 cockpit panel,

UH-60 circuit breaker, or V-22 wiring harness, is carefully
protected with some type of electrical insulation. The wire
itself is a conductor of electricity.

The insulation is opposite from the conductor; it should resist

current and keep the current on its path along the conductor.
The purpose of insulation around a conductor is similar to a
water hose carrying water, and Ohm’s Law of Electricity can be
more easily understood with a water hose comparison.
Pressure on water from a pump causes flow along the hose. If
the hose were to spring a leak, you’d waste water and lose
water pressure, eventually causing the hose to be destroyed
completely. Similar to the loss of water, when there is a
problem with the integrity of the insulation of the wire, what results is a loss in the current, affecting the
capacity of the aircraft to fly properly. So then, what’s the purpose of insulation resistance testing?

Insulation resistance testing is used as a quality control measurement. The insulation resistance (IR) test
(also commonly known as a Megger) is a spot insulation test which uses an applied DC voltage (typically
either 250Vdc, 500Vdc or 1,000Vdc for low voltage equipment

We will pose this question to you again…. If your family member or best friend’s life was at stake, would
you settle for a company that simply “beeps out” their wiring harnesses and panels, checking only for
continuity; or would you prefer a company that performs EXTENSIVE insulation resistance testing on
100% of all electrical wired products, including military and commercial wiring harnesses, aircraft panels,
and aerospace circuit breaker panels? We at InterConnect Wiring recommend you not take that risk.
Only buy your aircraft wiring harnesses from a company like InterConnect, whose processes REQUIRE
extensive testing, 100% of the time, for continuity AND insulation resistance.

Written By: Clare McGarrey

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 29 of 35

Chapter 18: What Does It Mean To “Beep Out” a Wiring Harness?

Our customers sometimes want us to move fast like the

roadrunner. Beep! Beep! This brings us to the question at
hand, “What does it mean to ‘beep out’ a wiring harness?” To
“beep out” a wire harness means to perform a simple
continuity check. It is called “beep out” because when there is
continuity, the basic audible continuity device, makes a noise.
This noise sounds like the roadrunner’s “beep”.

There are articles posted in 2014 about an aircraft that had to

have 10,000 wires beeped out! What a time-consuming thing
to “Beep Out” a wiring harness! Thank goodness for our
DITMCO machines. At InterConnect Wiring we go well beyond
“beeping out” every wiring harness that we manufacture.
Anything from F-22, F-16, F-15, EC-130, B-1B, etc. we go the
distance, much farther than the roadrunner!

Final thoughts… in manufacturing flight-worthy wiring harnesses, cables, and panels, a simple “beep
out” test is not adequate. A fully automated test is of utmost necessity. Refer to this article about
qualitative tests to check the integrity of an aircraft’s Electrical Wiring InterConnect System (EWIS).

Written By: Clare McGarrey

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 30 of 35

Section E – What Not to Do.
This section is by far the shortest one of the eBook, but the information in it is important. Knowing what
mistakes to avoid while designing a harness can save you tons of headaches in the future. With that said,
let’s dive into a blog by InterConnect’s Production Manager, Jeanie Peel.

Chapter 19: 13 Ways to Design a Wiring Harness Poorly for Manufacturability.

In honor of lucky Friday the 13th, we’re going to remind you

of the 13 ways to design a wiring harness POORLY for
manufacturability. You can trust InterConnect Wiring to avoid
these mistakes and manufacture the very best wiring
harnesses. Keep your luck going strong with InterConnect
Wiring – where Connections Matter.

At InterConnect Wiring, we have had the pleasure of not only

designing aircraft wiring harnesses for our customers, but also
seeing thousands of other companies’ Build-To-Print (BTP)
wiring harness drawing packages. As expected, we have seen
some really good drawings & designs and frankly, some really
bad ones, which has prompted me to write this article.

As the Production Manager of InterConnect Wiring and having been here for most of the 30 years our
company has been in business, I know exactly what a company should and should not do when they
create wiring harness drawings. It is important to keep some considerations in mind during the planning
phase. Here is a list of the Top 13 Ways to Poorly Design a Wiring Harness:

1. Make a Harness Assembly Drawing (HAD) requiring a table more than 4 feet wide. (Assemblers
cannot reach the middle of the table to do terminations.
2. Create a wire bundle too large to fit through the back shell opening.
3. Make one splice location for multiple splices: not staggering the splices.
4. Have splice locations on the drawing that are too small. (Engineering requirements make it
impossible to stagger splices in a small area.)
5. Make Reference Designators too close together.
6. Make Reference Designator breakouts too short. (Assemblers cannot terminate solder sleeves or
splices without removing wire ID’s.)
7. Make your HAD have a small line but require a huge number of wires. (If many small lines are
close to each other, then the bundles lay on top of one another.)
8. Have too many daisy chains in an area.
9. Don’t accommodate for the bend radius of wires in larger bundles.

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 31 of 35

 10. Stack round connectors on top of each other.
11. Use contacts with pins for a socket connector and socket contacts for a pin connector.
12. Make your braid stop too close to the back shell, prohibiting the use of insertion and extraction
tools.
13. Use parts and materials that do not have the ability to function satisfactorily in the environments
to be encountered.

If you do the above on your wiring harness design engineering drawings, I guarantee, you will make the
harness unable to be manufactured. I realize that the intelligent, well-versed engineer will read the 13
items above and say, “This is crazy. No one would really do those things!” Unfortunately, I have to say,
yes, they do. It is important to take the time to think about reasonable manufacturability before
releasing a drawing for a wiring harness. I promised you, the people reading the drawings and especially
assembling them will thank you.

If you desire a quote from InterConnect to design your wiring harness or use your BTP to manufacture
your wiring harnesses, please complete this form.

Written By: Jeanie Peel

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 32 of 35

Section F – Videos for Visual Learners
Finally, we have compiled a list of videos that would be helpful with learning how to make a wiring
harness. InterConnect intends to continue releasing more Vlogs and Blogs in the future, so be sure to
always look at our website for the latest update.

Chapter 20: Vlogs on Wiring Harness Assembly.

1. VLOG: How We Store & Preserve Our Wire

2. VLOG: How Do You Laser Mark Wire for an F-16 Fighter Jet Wiring Harness?
3. VLOG: How Do You Lay Out Wire for an F-15 Aircraft?
4. VLOG: How Do You Mark Shrink Tubing for a UH-60 Black Hawk Wiring Harness?
5. VLOG: Removing the Insulation from an F-16 Wiring Harness
6. VLOG: How Do You Crimp a Contact and Plug a Connector for an F-16 Cockpit Panel?
7. VLOG: How to Clock a Connector on an F-16 Wiring Harness
8. VLOG: Soldering a Wire to a Switch in an Aircraft Cockpit Lighting Panel
9. VLOG: Inspecting a Wiring Harness, Part 1: Solder Sleeves & Connector Grommets
10. VLOG: How to Braid An F-16 Wiring Harness
11. VLOG: How Do You Test a Wiring Harness According to DoD Standards?
12. VLOG: When, Where, and Why Do We String-Tie a Wiring Harness?
13. VLOG: Dressing Out a Wiring Harness
14. VLOG: How to Apply Anti-Tamper to a Wiring Harness
15. VLOG: How to Pack an F-16 Wiring Harness

Videoed and Written By: Steve Floyd and Malich Quijas

Produced By: Joseph Rodriguez

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 33 of 35

 Summary
InterConnect hopes that you found this eBook educational. There are four key ‘takeaways’ to this eBook:

1. Wiring harnesses are a group of wires that are bundled together. They exist to prevent wires
from having to be installed one at a time.
2. Having a good plan and a team that can execute that plan is incredibly important.
3. The five steps for wire harness assembly are a) Wire Cut and Marking, b) Wire Layout, c) Wire
Termination, d) Testing, and e) Dress-Out.
4. InterConnect has an experienced team that can handle the process start to finish.

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 34 of 35

 Final Exam
Take the final exam, without looking at the answers then let us know how you did by emailing me at
[email protected].

1. In the simplest of terms, what is a wiring harness?

2. What is EWIS an abbreviation for?
3. What are the three basic components of a modern military circular connector?
4. What are the four principal parts of a HAD?
5. What are the five steps for Harness Assembly on the production floor?
6. Does InterConnect use lasers anywhere in its process?
7. True or False: An inspection manual can have nearly 1,000 pages.
8. Does a “beep out” test suffice for flight worthy harnesses?
9. If you wanted to keep up with more blogs and vlogs from InterConnect, where would you go?

Exam Hints
1. See Chapter 1. 5. See Chapter 9.
2. See Chapter 3. 6. See Chapter 20, VLOG 2.
3. See Chapter 6. 7. See Chapter 15.
4. See Chapter 8. 8. See Chapter 18.
9. It’s a website!

Answers to Final Exam

1. A group of wires bundled together.
2. Electrical Wiring InterConnect System.
3. Contacts, Insert, and Outer Shell.
4. Title Block, Revision Block, Part Illustrations, and General Notes.
5. Wire Cut and Marking, Wire Layout, Wire Termination, Testing, and Dress-Out.
6. Yes.
7. True.
8. No. Flight Worthy harnesses must have more extensive testing done prior to installation.
9. https://www.interconnect-wiring.com/blog/

InterConnect Wiring, Proprietary Information www.interconnect-wiring.com Page 35 of 35