Tripped Breakers and Overcharging Generators

[Apache123]

So the good ol' money-shredder recently had to have two new voltage regulators and both generators overhauled.

On an exciting night flight my nav lights breaker tripped during climb-out and a few moments later so did the transponder breaker. After a reset, the nav lights tripped again, then the interior/panel lights. This made for an excellent night time landing experience.

Shortly before putting her down, we noticed that the load meter was showing a huge overcharge -- almost pegged on the positive side. This is what prompted me to have my mechanic look at the gens.

Can overcharging of this sort cause the breakers to trip like this, or is it likely a symptom from another problem hiding in the shadows?

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I = V/R. Big V, big I, popped breaker.

 

[airguy]

And at this point, you may have already nerfed the battery too.

 

[Apache123]

I = V/R. Big V, big I, popped breaker.

Simple, Elegant, and makes perfect sense. Thank you!

 

[Graueradler]

A lot of planes have an over voltage protection relay that trips if the alternator gets carried away and over does it. On my Cherokee, it is in series with the voltage regulator and interrupts the field current. Should have protected you.