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Rear Battery Access hatch

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
I am one of those who believe that the battery works out pretty well in the aft location on an RV-8. The only little problem with this is that it's under the rear baggage compartment hat shelf, making access a matter of taking out about 20 screws - not an enjoyable task when crouched in the rear seat area. (This is not, however, a big deal if you use an Odyssey battery - you rarely have to go there!) I built my -8 with an external power plug, so I don't have to access the batteyr for charging or a jump start, but it is also a pain to inspect the elevator bell crank and pitch A/P servo.

At a recent fly-in, I took a look in the back of Danny King's "Beautiful Doll", and saw that he'd installed a hinged hatch, big enough to install or remove the battery. What a great idea! I took one picture, and from tat I duplicated the hatch on my own plane using some leftover aluminum scraps, hinge, and an extra Hartwell latch I had laying around. The Mod probably took me about 4 hour of work - well worth the effort for the access it provides. I found that I need to add some small aluminum angles underneath each edge of the opening to keep it straight, otherwise the hat shelf bows, and with the door flat, you have a little gap. I used some 0.040 aluminum I had for the door, which is thicker than the shelf material, so I needed to shim the flange down a bit to make the top surface flush. I also needed a thick piece of aluminum under the contact point for the latch as a "striker", and to bring the thickness up to where it closes tight. the pictures are pretty self explanatory, and my only question is why I didn't think of it when I was building....

IMG_1954.jpg


Arrange the hinge so that the door can open fully and stay out of the way:
IMG_1953.jpg


Size it so that you can get the battery out!
IMG_1952.jpg


Looking up from underneath:
IMG_1951.jpg
 
Good Idea!

Thanks Paul and Danny,

Good Idea! Gives me something to do tomorrow!

Best Regards,

Bill Palmer :rolleyes:
RV-8A Still In-Work
Chino Hills, CA
 
RV-8 battery access door

Here's some photos of how I did mine. I made one for my brother's -8 a the same time while the process was fresh in my mind.

Basic cut. You can use the cut out piece for the door or use a scrap piece of .032.

undersidetf9.jpg


Trail fit. The hinge location takles some thinking so that the door will swing far enough out of the way.

initialfitgd3.jpg


Sand and fit. Sand and fit. Sound familiar?

clecoedinplaceiq7.jpg


Like Paul I added a stiffener to help support the floor. This is a piece of aluminum angle where I cut down most of the side that would hang down into the baggage area. I wanted this out of the way and I figure most of the stiffness comes from the bend area anyway.
stiffenerviewmi6.jpg


Cutting the hole for the latch and fitting it is probably the most time consuming part of the job.

latchtopviewkb1.jpg


I used the edge of the stiffener to provide a good lip for the latch to catch on.

latchonstiffenercy6.jpg


Here's how the configuration will look when done (without the clecoes obviously). I've got to start remembering to take pictures of the finished piece.

finishedconfigwx6.jpg


Hopefully this won't be needed often but I figure if I ever inadvertently run the battery down, this will make it easy to hook up jumper cables or charging cables without having to remove the entire piece.

Chris
 
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Nice job Chris....so I know I copied Danny....but between you and him, who copied who?!
 
Guilty

Nice job Chris....so I know I copied Danny....but between you and him, who copied who?!

Paul:

Since Danny was finished long before I was, I must confess I got the idea after seeing his. He just works too fast for me to keep up. So Danny wins this one and hopefully will accept imitation as flattery.;)

Chris
 
Another way

Instead of hinging the door and installing a latch, you could also use two pieces of hinge, on the left and right of the door, and just remove them to lift out the door. Similar to the cowling. Install the hinges so they are under the skin with two access holes on the front. It would probably be a little lighter than using a latch.
 
Rear Battery Hatch

Paul,

Looks good, I also have a hatch in the same location however I made the door out of plexiglass. It not only allows quick access to the battery but I can also quickly inspect the battery, bell crank and autopilot servo and linkage with a flashlight without opening the door. I have also added a large door in the forward baggage compartment for easy access to the brake system without removing the baggage floor which is a pain. I also have a door on allowing access to the instruments however Im sure every RV8 owner has this mod.

Pat
 
Battery access

This looks destined to become a classic RV8 modification. The best ideas seem obvious once you see them, and this falls into that category! Thanks for sharing it.
 
Great idea!

Paul,

Thanks for bringing up this subject and for the nice photos. Lots of good information in the thread. I'm going to have to do this next time I get into the baggage area to tweak things. By the way, what type of external power plug did you use and where did you put it? Any photos of that installation? I need to do that too.

Thanks for all of your posts on your RV-8 activities.

Dan Miller
RV-8 N3TU 355+ plus hours
 
By the way, what type of external power plug did you use and where did you put it? Any photos of that installation? I need to do that too.

I'll have to search for photos Dan, but i used the Piper single-pole plug that Bob Knuckoll's has a nice write-up for (Check his web site). I mounted on the bottom of the fuselage, just to the left of my battery - a very short cable run (about 8 inches). Just put a doubler plate on the skin and you'll be good to go. I mounted the external power relay on the battery tray.

Many, if not most of the ideas I have used I have seen on, or have been inspired by, things I have seen on other people's planes - I try to give back to the community those things that people have given to me!

Paul
 
Here's the hatch idea Steve proposed.

The hinges tie the floor together, so no stiffeners seem to be necessary and you can cut in a bigger hatch. The wire retention is via a not-quite-90 degree bend where the handle end goes through the little retention hole. Just squeeze the wire between thumb and forefinger to insert. I joggled the fore and aft ends of the hatch plate so they rest on top of the floor panel. Note the opposing hinge selection; guarantees the hatch only fits one way, so no fiddling around back in the hole when you're mad about a dead battery <g>



 
Photos?

I'll have to search for photos Dan, but i used the Piper single-pole plug that Bob Knuckoll's has a nice write-up for (Check his web site). I mounted on the bottom of the fuselage, just to the left of my battery - a very short cable run (about 8 inches). Just put a doubler plate on the skin and you'll be good to go. I mounted the external power relay on the battery tray.

Many, if not most of the ideas I have used I have seen on, or have been inspired by, things I have seen on other people's planes - I try to give back to the community those things that people have given to me!

Paul

Paul,
I'd be interested in seeing photos too. I have contemplated this mod, and it seems pretty simple.

Also nice work by everyone on thier battery hatches! Thanks for sharing. I was on the fence about placing the battery in the back and this was one of the reasons and this helps me out.
 
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Paul,
I'd be interested in seeing photos too. I have contemplated this mod, and it seems pretty simple.

Also nice work by everyone on thier battery hatches! Thanks for sharing. I was on the fence about placing the battery in the back and this was one of the reasons and this helps me out.

Brent

I just finished making my external plug, but I put mine on the right upper floor panel under the right armrest (opposite panel as fuel selector). I put mine there, so I could jump start on external if needed and then it would be easy to unplug and hand/throw the cable off. It is also a relatively short run to my DC bus interconnect on the right gear tower. I can post picts if anyone is interested.
 
Here you go.
The hole and guard is for a 3 position switch, GRND PWR ON - OFF - CHARGE.







Hopefully you will find that helpful.
 
Piper jumper

I'll have to search for photos Dan, but i used the Piper single-pole plug that Bob Knuckoll's has a nice write-up for (Check his web site). I mounted on the bottom of the fuselage, just to the left of my battery.
Paul

The Piper plug is a COLE HERSHE sp! part that NAPA carries. It is good but heavy:eek:. Go to a welding shop and look at the leads on small MILLER welders. They are a taper fit, lite and very compact..........:)
 
Resurrecting another old thread...I'm trying to finish all these little projects inside the fuse BEFORE I paint, this one is on the list.

I was considering a double hinge/double door, one on the horizontal face and one on the vertical face. They would be connected at the 90 degree point with a hinge and would swing on a second hinge and lay flat on the lower shelf when open. It would latch toward the aft edge of the horizontal shelf.

Anyone try this and have pics? Thanks!

Joe
 
As ever, an alternative point of view ;)

There are 2 things under that set of covers. Battery discussed above... In the build / test fly / 2 years / ~230hrs / 400 flights, we have had 1 Battery issue - over-playing with Avionics drained it, and it needed recharging. We have a charging lead / plug permanently fitted, so hook up charger, wait awhile and problem solved.

The second is the Elevator Bellcrank, and furthermore, access to the whole rear fuselage. This needs to be inspected / worked on closely at the end of the build / test fly process, and regularly during maintenance e.g. Annual. Whilst a "hatch" might let you look at the bellcrank, it will not be as effective as just taking out the panels, nor give the same visibility to the whole area for damage / loose articles / corrosion and cleaning it out.

My point - do not feel you "need" this hatch - think through exactly how you will run the project. I am sure some will decide the hatch worthwhile, I am clear it is not for us... Our inspector and us need those panels out annually, and on current experience, we need access to the battery less often than that ;)

Andy & Ellie Hill
RV-8 G-HILZ
 
As ever, an alternative point of view...... Whilst a "hatch" might let you look at the bellcrank, it will not be as effective as just taking out the panels....
Okay, an alternative-altenative opinion. As a varied lot, we builder's fit a variety of accessories to our RV's and some things might benefit from occasional visual inspection. Sure, as you and your inspector feel, I too agree the panels should be removed to conduct a thorough examination during a condition inspection. However, quick access to inspect the integrity of the auto pilot pitch servo is the prime reason I invested a few hours to fabricate an access hatch. With its generous dimensions, I can easily scan the immediate vicinity for anything that may be amiss. Granted, the hatch's utility doesn't replace the thoughness of a condition inspection, but with next to no additional weight penalty, it doesn't hurt a thing either. As in all things RV, YYMV.

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