Script Document

Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

Hello and welcome to the Electrical System lesson in the PMDG 777 GroundWork from Angle of Attack.
Whilst spending the afternoon shooting another ILS approach, or practising V1 engine failures certainly sounds
more exciting, a true 777 commander knows his electrical system inside out. So take a step closer to earning the
left hand seat and join us as we explore the intuitive, highly automated and ultimately, pilot friendly 777 Electrical
System.
This lesson will cover the following topics:

Electrical System introduction and overview

External Power
AC Electrical Power
DC Electrical Power
Backup and Standby Electrical Power
Lesson Summary

Electrical System Overview:

This lesson aims to provide you with an overview of the 777 Electrical system from a pilots need to know
perspective.
Generating electrical power on the Boeing 777 is the task of six generators and two batteries. On a normal day,
just two of the engine driven generators are capable of supplying all electrical services. On the rare occasion
when things do go wrong, two backup engine driven generators, an APU generator, a Ram Air Turbine generator,
and two batteries keep critical systems online to bring this giant bird back to earth safely.
Convincing airlines to embrace Extended Range Twin Operations involved designing a backup electrical system
that provided redundancy equivalent to the three-engine airplanes of the time. The 777s sophisticated and multilayered electrical redundancy won over many airline customers looking to replace their aging fleets of DC-10s
and TriStars.
Marketing and ETOPS aside, 777 electrical redundancies were simply a necessity if the aircraft was to remain
controllable in the event of an electrical failure. Why? For the first time in history a Boeing airliner was to
incorporate a Fly by Wire flight control system.
Simply put, electrical signals from the control column in the cockpit transmit data to traditional hydraulic actuators
that move the flight controls, replacing the heavy cables that were used before. A complete loss of electrical
power on such an aircraft was no longer an option.
Before we begin, put down that overwhelming Electrical Schematic and any limiting beliefs about Electrical
systems you may have picked up with it. Electrical systems on modern Airliners like our 777 can seem
intimidating but become less so when we break the whole into the basic parts.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

The key to understanding the 777 Electrical System is to understand this:

Any aircraft electrical system is simply a self-contained network of components that store, generate, transmit,
distribute and utilize electrical energy. By breaking the system down into its basic components, we can
understand what does what and then move on to see how all the parts work together.
Lets use a four stage concept to explore each of the main parts of the 777 electrical system:
1- There is a need for electrical power. Loads and Electrical services such as avionics, fly by wire,
subsystem controllers, lights, motors, actuators, galley ovens and many more all need electricity to
operate.
2- This electrical power has to be generated and turned into the right type and amount of electricity so all the
different types of loads and services can utilize it depending on their function. Things that spin make good
generators, so engines, APUs and Ram Air Turbines all fit the profile.
3- Electrical power then has to be transmitted and distributed efficiently throughout the aircraft to all service
locations, keeping weight to a minimum by reducing the number of wires and other transmission devices.
4- Finally there have to be safe guards and redundancies in the event that any of the above become
damaged or start to malfunction. System complexity arises from this initially overwhelming redundancy
logic.
As the APU has the APU Controller and the Engines have the Electronic Engine Controller, so the Electrical
system has an Electrical Load Management System or ELMS. The 777 design team constructed ELMS as a
sophisticated computer monitoring and controlling system. It manages most of the electrical system to operate
largely unaided by pilot input.
Lastly there is the electrical system pilot indication. The pilots need an easy to glance at overview, and an equally
user friendly interface through which they can manipulate various components within the Electrical system.
Keeping these four stages in mind, as well as the concept of Electrical Load Management System and pilot
interface, lets explore external power.

External Power:
We shall begin with the 777 on the ground, fully secured with any available external power disconnected.
Its the first flight of the day and as we enter the cockpit we can see the aircraft is in a cold and dark state with all
electrical power switched off.
This satisfies stage number one; electrical power is needed unless we want to sit on the stand all day.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

Although the aircraft looks completely unpowered, some essential electrical circuits are still provided with power
from the aircrafts main battery through the hot battery bus. Anything connected to the hot battery bus cannot
afford to be offline. Components such as engine and APU fire extinguisher bottle squibs and the Air Data Inertial
Reference Unit, as long as its switch is in the ON position, remain powered at all times.
We will speak about the purpose of a bus shortly, but for now just remember that items connected to the hot
battery bus are always powered and cannot be disconnected, hence the term hot.
Controls for the electrical system are located on the overhead panel.
Vital pre-flight checks should be adhered to before applying aircraft electrical power, battery or otherwise. These
checks will be looked at in detail in the flight work section.
Pressing the battery switch displays an ON indication and several flight deck annunciator lights illuminate. Now
we shall supply external ground power to the aircraft.
PRIMARY and SECONDARY External Power Switches connect the external power to the aircraft electrical
distribution Buses.
To give you an idea of how automated the Electrical system is, aside from switching the battery ON or OFF and
switching the APU to START or OFF, these two buttons are the only part of the Electrical system you would really
interact with during normal flight operations.
The AVAIL light indicates that external power is available, with voltage and frequency within limits, meaning it is
of usable quality. A Ground Power Unit or GPU is usually a simple portable diesel engine that provides AC or DC
power to the aircraft through a panel in the fuselage near the nose or somewhere away from the running engines.
Some new airport terminals have ground power supplied from a generator in the building or under the apron.
This satisfies stage number two; electrical power is generated by the GPU or two of them in this case.
Lets go ahead now and connect PRIMARY external power to the main aircraft electrical system. The ON light
indicates that PRIMARY external power is now connected.
Bring up the Electrical Synoptic display using the ELEC button on the Display Select Panel.
Generators on the synoptic are represented by white boxes. These turn green if they are generating usable
electrical power. This power then flows from the generator to all the components in the aircraft that need it during
pre-flight, but how is this done?
The most efficient method of distributing electrical power is to use electrical buses. In its simplest terms, an
electrical bus is just a long strip of metal that connects a battery or electrical generator to all the other circuits in
the airplane. Instead of wiring each individual component all the way back to the physical location of the
generator or battery terminal, a long strip of metal is run down the fuselage of the aircraft and each circuit
connects to that instead.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

By incorporating more than one Bus, and using Bus Ties to join or separate these buses, you can offer many
layers of system protection and redundancy.
Generator output, either from external power or from an engine generator will normally be directed to one or more
of these Buses for distribution. In our case, we can see the green box of the working primary external power
supply connected through a green line representing power flow, to the Right Main AC Bus and the Right Transfer
Bus.
This connection took place when we selected External power to ON.
The green line represents power flow. Power is distributed to the left side of the Electrical system, powering the
Left Main AC Bus and Left Transfer Bus through two Bus Ties which we will explain in the AC section.
This satisfies stage number three; electrical distribution.
White boxes indicate that all engine generators, primary and back up are offline. The APU generator is also
offline and no secondary external power source is currently available.
In this scenario only our primary external power generator is trying to power the entire AC electrical system.
Although main engine and APU generators produce a whopping 120kVA to power the electrical loads in flight, on
the ground it is acknowledged that 120kVA GPUs are not universally available.
Boeing designed the 777 therefore to be supportable on external power from a more common single 90kVA GPU.
Aircraft galley ovens and other galley utilities, power to avionics, aircraft lighting, cargo doors, refuelling, battery
charging and more, often demand more electrical power than one GPU can provide.
Some electrical services automatically load shed in this circumstance so we will provide a second source of
ground power and connect it.
In addition to Primary External Power we connect either Secondary 90kVA External Power or the 120kVA APU
generator to provide full electrical load capacity for most ground situations.
Two power sources supporting full electrical loading is an important part of the 777 Electrical design philosophy
and will come up again as we progress to main and backup generators.
Quick TIP- Any two power sources support full electrical loading on ground or in the air
Selecting Secondary External Power to ON sees the right Bus Tie breaker open. Primary powers the Right Main
Bus, and Secondary powers the Left Main Bus. Notice that each main AC Bus powers one utility Bus.
This is a great example of the ELMS system logic ensuring that the AC Buses and their associated loads get as
much power and redundancy as possible from the generators available.
Finally this satisfies stage number four; redundancy.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

If external power is unavailable at an airport, the APU can be used to power the electrical system on the ground.
However the system will again load shed some non-essential services to avoid overloading the single APU
generator.
We suggest you explore combinations of ground power and APU to see how the electrical system automatically
supplies the available power to the AC buses.
To review External Power:
1234-

There is a need for electricity on the ground to allow pre-flight and ground servicing to take place.
External Power is generated by one or two GPUs.
It is distributed by connecting the generators to the left and right main AC buses and transfer buses.
Redundancy is offered by allowing a combination of two out of three generators on the ground to provide
power. The ELMS maximises load capacity and controls redundancy in the event of a generator failure.

Already we can start to see that the ELMS management system is designed to make best use of the generators
available.
Remember two generators should be enough to satisfy most ground loads.
Next we take on the main AC generation and distribution system. Using this four step process we will see many
similarities with how External Power was automatically managed and transferred.

AC Electrical Power:
It is common to see both AC and DC electrical power working together in a modern airliner.
Well-designed high frequency AC generators provide a lot of power for a relatively small weight increase, but
depend on other rotating components like engines or Ram Air Turbines to produce their electricity.
DC power can be more efficiently provided straight from a battery. The choice of using 28 V DC flight instruments
for example facilitates powering these instruments from battery power alone when necessary.
DC power is great in an emergency situation, and AC is great for generating and supplying heavy loads found on
a large airliner like a 777.
The primary electrical system on the 777 is a 3-phase, 4-wire, constant frequency 400 Hz, 115 Volt system. This
has been the industry standard on commercial jet transports since the Boeing 707. As on many aircraft the AC
and DC system ensure negative poles are connected to the airframe, using the airframe as the return circuit. This
saves on wiring installation complexity which leads to a significant weight saving.
AC power is first on our list because during normal operations any DC power is actually AC power that is
converted into DC.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

Stage One: What is the AC power requirement after pushback and during flight?
Many loads required on the ground are still needed, but now fuel pumps, hydraulic pumps, power for flight
controls, environmental systems, galley ovens and passenger entertainment will be drawing power from the main
AC electrical system.
Stage Two: Where and how is the AC power generated?
Dragging the GPU across the ramp and into the sky is not advised. For normal flight operations, all in flight
electrical power is provided by two engine driven generators.
Each generator produces 115V AC electrical power at 400Hz with a maximum output of 120kVA. A third APU
generator also produces an output of 120kVA. Any two of these three generators can be used to satisfy full
electrical load capacity. Any one generator has sufficient capacity to generate all essential flight loads during
abnormal electrical situations.
Each engine generator takes the mechanical power of the spinning engine via the engine gearbox and produces
electrical power. As engine speed varies during the course of the flight, a constant speed drive unit or CSD
ensures we get a constant frequency electrical output regardless of engine rpm.
The engine generator is a combination of this constant speed drive unit and an AC generator. Together these two
components make up the Integrated Drive Generator, or IDG for short. Both these units share a common oil
supply within the IDG.
As you can imagine the gearing system can get extremely hot, so a continuous flow of fuel through the IDG fuel
oil heat exchanger cools the IDG oil. A progression from air cooling on older IDGs to oil cooling on the 777 was a
substantial weight saver.
See the Engines lesson for a more detailed description of the principle of the fuel oil heat exchanger.
Each IDG is controlled by a generator control unit, seen here on the electrical synoptic. This control unit provides
automatic monitoring, control and system protection. For example; high IDG oil temperatures cause the IDG to
disconnect automatically.
The generator control switches located on the Electrical panel allow for automatic connection of the IDGs to the
main buses. Generator control switches remain in the ON position for all normal operations.
In this position the breakers are armed for automatic operation when the engines are started. The OFF light
illuminates when the breaker is open. Pushing this switch to the OFF position will disconnect the IDGs electrical
power to its respective AC bus.
It is important to note that the generator control OFF indication is different compared to the APU OFF indication.
From the APU lesson you will remember the APU GEN switch only illuminates with OFF if there is a fault or when
the switch is turned off.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

As we start the right engine, the IDG begins to rotate. When it reaches the correct operating speed, the generator
breaker closes and the right generator OFF and DRIVE lights extinguish.
In an abnormal situation the IDG can be mechanically disconnected from the engine by pushing the respective
DRIVE DISCONNECT switch. Do this only in an emergency or if the QRH dictates as the IDG can only be
reconnected on the ground by maintenance personnel.
Stage Three: How is AC power distributed?
As there is only one engine running in our example, the right IDG now powers the Right and Left Main AC Buses.
If Primary and Secondary external power were still connected then they would automatically disconnect from the
main Buses.
When the left engine is started, the Left Bus Tie breaker opens and the Left Main AC Bus is powered by its own
generator as expected. Note that both Bus Tie breakers are open whenever the IDGs are powering their
respective Buses. This condition is really what you want to see in flight during normal operations.
Stage Four: How do AC system redundancies operate?
For normal operation the Bus Tie switches are left in AUTO. Lets take a moment to speak about the purpose of
Bus Tie
breakers on the 777 as they are an essential part of AC electrical distribution.
The 777 AC Electrical system can be split into a left and right side. The Left Bus will power certain equipment on
the plane, and the Right Bus will power other equipment. More critical components, such as a hydraulic pump
might be connected to both Buses for redundancy.
Individual loads are powered from each Bus with circuit protection in the form of a circuit breaker or fuse
incorporated into the wiring. In the event of a component failure the circuit breaker will interrupt the electrical
supply to the component, preventing a potential fire and protect the bus and other components connected to it
from overload.
During normal operations any two of the three main 120kVA generators can provide full electrical power to the left
and right systems. The purpose of the Bus Tie breakers is to keep both Left and Right Main AC buses powered at
all times using any two of these power sources.
If the Left engine IDG disconnects because it gets too hot, then Bus Ties would close and let the working right
engine generator power the left side of the Electrical system. Allowing the Buses to share electrical power offers
improved redundancy when generators fail.
Likewise the working side of the electrical system may be isolated from the other side. A faulty right engine
generator that cannot be disconnected can be isolated by untying that Bus from the rest of the system.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

Whilst Bus Ties operate automatically, they can be operated manually by pushing the BUS TIE switch. Doing so
will lock the Bus Tie open with the switch in the off position, the AUTO light will extinguish and ISLN will
illuminate.
So to continue, when both BUS TIE switches are set to AUTO the Bus Tie system operates automatically to
maintain power to both main Buses. The available sources are prioritised in terms of supplying the Buses.
This first priority is the associated engine generator if available. Second is the APU Generator and third the
opposite engine generator.
With only one generator online, the ELMS protects the AC system by load shedding non-essential services such
as the galleys.
With the electrical panel in the following configuration, and the two IDGs powering their associated Buses, all
amber lights should be extinguished. The electrical panel is now configured for normal flight and the AC system is
working normally.
To review the AC electrical system:
1. 115V 400 Hz AC power is required to fulfil all normal electrical requirements on the 777.
2. Two Engine driven generators and an APU generator can provide full electrical load capacity.
3. AC power is distributed through the Left and Right Main AC Buses that connect directly to the engine drive
generators.
4. Bus tie breakers and the ELMS provide redundancy so that maximum services can be maintained when a
generator fails.
Now we will use our four step concept to unravel the DC electrical system.

DC Electrical Power:
Stage One: What is the need for DC power on the 777? Why not just use AC all the time?
A direct current circuit has the advantage of simplicity, and direct current electricity can be stored in a battery
ready for use. Whilst an AC generator has complex moving parts and is more likely to fail, a battery providing DC
power depends on a chemical reaction to provide a charge and is usually ready to go the instant a problem
arises.
As we saw earlier, many essential flight instruments and Fly by Wire control systems operate on DC power. In the
unlikely event that all AC backup power fails, DC power is taken from the aircraft main battery to power vital
systems.
Stage Two: How is DC power generated?

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

Under normal circumstances 28 V DC power is derived from the AC system using devices called transformer
rectifier units or TRUs. There are four of these TRUs each rated at 120 Amperes; they take their power from the
AC transfer buses.
DC generation takes its power from the following sources:
-

Left transfer bus

Right transfer bus
Ground service bus
Backup Permanent Magnet Generators

Once the rectifiers have converted the 115V AC into 28 V DC, the power is used to supply the four main DC
buses.
Stage three. How is DC power distributed?
These four main DC buses are:

The Left Main DC Bus

Captains flight instrument Bus
First Officers flight instrument Bus
Right Main DC Bus
Stage four: How do DC system redundancies operate?

In a similar fashion to the AC Bus Tie Breakers, if a TRU fails, then DC Tie Relays connect the Left and Right
Main DC buses. Tie Breakers also join the Captains and First Officers Flight Instrument Bus, allowing
redundancy in the event of a TRU failure.
On board the 777, these vital DC buses power important items such as:

The primary flight displays and the navigation displays

The Global Positioning System, or GPS
The Air Data Inertial Reference Unit or ADIRU
Back up DC power for the Fly By Wire system

This last point brings us on to perhaps the most important part of the DC electrical system. Powering the Fly by
Wire flight control system.
Stage One: Why is there a need for DC powered flight controls?
The flight controls on the 777 are actuated hydraulically, but controlled electrically. This is known as Fly by Wire.
The flight control DC electrical system is a dedicated power source for the primary flight control system. On some
non-Fly by Wire aircraft, manual reversion is possible if there is a hydraulic failure. Pilots can move the control

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

surfaces directly with the control column via connecting cables, without hydraulic assistance. Although this
manual reversion requires significant muscle power, a pilot should in theory still be able to control the aircraft.
Fly by Wire aircraft generally do not have a physical cable system back up, so if a complete electrical failure
occurs, no signals can be sent to the hydraulic actuators that move the control surfaces. Flight controls could be
considered the most important system on the aircraft. Even without engines the 777 can glide safely, but without
moveable control surfaces a bad situation would simply turn into disaster.
This is an undesirable situation to say the least and is prevented by incorporating several layers of redundancy.
Two: How is this DC power generated?
Each engine contains a backup generator that houses a Permanent Magnet Generator or PMG. These PMGs are
the primary power source for the flight controls.
Three: How is it distributed?
Variable frequency PMG AC power provides dedicated power to left, centre, and right power supply assemblies
or PSAs. The PSAs in turn power their respective flight control DC buses that ultimately provide electrical power
to the flight control actuators.
Four: How do Redundancies operate here?
To ensure a high level of system reliability, each PSA has multiple DC power sources. If primary PMG AC power
is not available, secondary power for the left and right PSAs is provided by the related main DC bus. Secondary
power for the centre PSA is provided by the Captains Flight Instrument Bus.
If the four DC buses somehow become unpowered then the hot battery bus provides backup to the left and centre
power supply assemblies.
If this was the case and transfer of power from one source to another was necessary, then one minute batteries
are provided between the PSA and the related flight control bus. This ensures no interruption of power during the
transfer. Just imagine losing flight controls even for an instant during the flare in gusty crosswind conditions.
If you look at the Electrical panel, dont be surprised if you dont see any switches or buttons for the DC system as
it is entirely automatic.
So to summarise the DC Electrical System and the DC powered Fly by Wire Flight Controls:
DC Main:
1.
2.
3.
4.

DC power is needed for vital flight systems such as flight instruments.

Generated by four TRUs that are powered by the AC electrical system via the transfer buses.
Distributed to the four main DC buses.
Redundancies include Tie Breakers just like in the AC system.

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

DC Fly by Wire Flight control power

1.
2.
3.
4.

DC electrical power is required to operate the Fly by Wire control surface actuators.
Permanent Magnet Generators housed in the backup generators provide the power.
Distribution is through the Left, Centre and Right PSAs and the respective flight control DC buses.
Redundancy sees each PSA having multiple DC sources from the four main DC buses and the Hot
Battery Bus.

The final parts of the 777 Electrical system that we will look at in this lesson consist of Backup and Standby
power.

Backup and Standby Electrical Power:

Backup power:
Now that we are happy with the four stage approach to the 777 Electrical system, you should start to see the
logical order arise as we progress through Backup and Standby power systems without stopping to highlight each
stage.
Backup power on most airliners is designed around a simple philosophy. Generate and distribute the backup
power in such a way that maximum services can be maintained in the event of a loss of power. Normal power
generators that fail are replaced with backup generators that are not as powerful, so the aircraft ELMS has to
decide what electrical loads need to be Load Shed.
It makes sense therefore that ELMS is programmed to divide Electrical services on the 777 into three main
groups to assist in load shedding logic:
Vital Services: Electrical loads that are needed when all main power is lost. For example Fly by Wire electrical
components and flight instruments with their associated panel lights, pitot heaters and navigation radios.
Communication radios and engine probe heat are also included.
Essential Services: These loads are needed for safe flight in an emergency; loads such as fuel boost pumps,
pilots window heat and some cabin temperature controls.
Non-Essential Services: These loads can be shed in an emergency. Loads such as lavatory water heaters,
galley ovens and power hungry in-flight entertainment systems.
With these three classifications in mind, it can be expected that the 777 Backup system is designed to support
vital and essential services only.
The backup system is driven by two backup engine driven generators separate from the IDGs. Each backup
generator is a variable speed direct drive alternator with an output of 25kVA. As discussed previously, the normal

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Electrical
Script Writer: Andrew-John Biggs

engine IDG has a constant speed drive unit attached to it, taking variable engine rpm and turning it into a
constant frequency electrical supply for continuous power output.
To minimize the size of the backup engine installation, the constant speed drive part of the backup generator is
instead housed in the aircraft fuselage. It is actually called a Variable Speed Constant Frequency Converter or
VSCF Converter for short.
This design reduces the weight of the engine backup generator but has the drawback that only one backup
generator can access the VSCF Converter at a time. Therefore only one backup generator can be online when
needed, supplying the left and right transfer buses with 3 phase 115V AC 400 Hz electrical power.
The backup power system provides uninterrupted transfer of power to vital and essential loads in the event of:

The loss of one main AC bus

The loss of both main AC buses
Only one main generator being available
Auto Land.

During Auto Land three autopilots are linked to the flight director. Each autopilot therefore needs its own power
source to satisfy the necessary redundancy protocols. In this situation a backup generator acts as a third power
source.
The backup generator also houses the two permanent magnet generators we looked at in the DC flight control
system but these are isolated units and do not depend on the VSCFC to supply constant power to the flight
controls.
Operation of the backup system is fully automatic. No manual load monitoring or load shedding is required. There
is a generator control switch for each backup generator but these switches remain in the ON position during
normal operations. In the ON position automatic bus switching will take place in the event a generator goes
offline.
Standby power:
In the event of a loss of all main backup generators a standby system powers critical AC and DC equipment long
enough to land safely. Think of standby power as the last in the long line of electrical defences.
Critical AC loads include centre ILS and radio altimeter, marker beacon left, ATC transponder left, VOR left and
engine ignitors.
Critical DC loads include the Captains and First Officers flight instruments and displays.
The standby system consists of the battery buses, the Captains and First Officers flight instrument buses we
looked at in the DC system, and an AC standby bus.

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Normal power for these buses is from the left and right AC transfer buses either directly, or through the TRUs
depending on whether AC or DC power is required.
Should the transfer buses lose their power from their respective generators, a Ram Air Turbine or RAT provides
DC power through the TRUs. In this scenario the standby AC bus is powered from the battery bus through a
standby inverter. An inverter is a unit that converts DC into AC, the opposite of a TRU.
The RAT drops into the airstream under the fuselage just aft of the right wing. It is air driven like a windmill. It can
be deployed in flight at any speed to provide electrical and hydraulic power simultaneously. The RAT is the
primary source of standby power if all normal sources are lost but its output is quite limited, providing just onetenth the power of other generators.
The RAT deploys automatically if both AC transfer buses become unpowered. The APU would also start
automatically in this situation. If it does not deploy automatically press the guarded RAT button on the top of the
Hydraulic panel.
Because the RAT is responsible for maintaining hydraulic pressure, standby electrical loads are shed until
hydraulic pressure is sufficient. No good having a working ILS if you cant move the ailerons.
When RAT electrical loads are shed, or the RAT has not yet been deployed, the main aircraft battery powers the
standby power system.
There are two batteries on the 777. The APU battery, which powers the APU electrical starter motor and APU
control circuits, and the main battery, which powers critical airplane systems when no other power sources are
available.
Each battery provides 28 volt DC electrical power with a 47 amp hour capacity. The batteries themselves are
huge fibre nickel cadmium batteries weighing a staggering 106lbs each. They are designed to be rechargeable by
the working AC system.
The main battery can supply standby system power for at least five minutes. The RAT is therefore the preferred
standby power source as it is not time limited.
In a standby power situation, unlike the RAT, the main battery can only power the Captains flight instrument bus,
not the First Officers.
The main battery provides standby power to the following:

The hot battery bus

The battery bus
The left and centre flight control Power Supply Assembly (PSAs) buses
The Captains flight instrument bus

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The ELMS closely monitors the battery loads and switching. Battery indications are displayed here on the
Electrical Synoptic.
If the battery is discharging current to the electrical system, DISCH will illuminate. This could be the case in an
electrical failure scenario so look out for this indication.
If the battery is being charged from the AC system then CHRG will display. This is normal.

Lesson summary:
In the interest of time, some interesting areas of the 777 Electrical system have not been discussed. Topics such
as Auto Land redundancy, no break power transfers, electro static discharge and aircraft lightening defences, to
name a few. We encourage viewers to take the time and continue learning about the fascinating 777 Electrical
system by using the provided PMDG documentation and other online sources.
Remembering the four stage process should help you get a quick overview of how any complex airliner electrical
system is laid out.
We hope this lesson has provided you with an overview of the Electrical system from a pilots need to know
perspective.
This Lesson covered the following topics:

Electrical System introduction and overview

External Power
AC Electrical Power
DC Electrical Power
Back up and Standby Electrical Power
Lesson Summary

Remember if there is an electrical problem, the galley load usually gets shed first. So if your head purser hands
you a cup of hot coffee before you begin the descent checklist, chances are the electrical system is working just
fine. If the coffee is cold, maybe take a look at EICAS as you try to remember where you put the Quick Reference
Handbook!
Until next timeTHROTTLE ON!