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New G3X Panel

newtech

Well Known Member
Patron
Well, this is going to be an interesting adventure. My RV-7A has a strictly VFR panel and the only attitude information is a now dead electric turn coordinator. The current panel has a 696 mounted and a two axis Tru Track Digiflight II auto pilot (without vertical steering). Lack of an artificial horizon has made using the turn coordinator the primary attitude indicator for the hood portion of my BFR.

The EFIS savings envelope just reached the amount Stein quoted for a new Garmin G3X Single display GDU 370 system; so I did what any red blooded RV pilot would do - I ordered one:D Since I already have the 696 with WX weather and the Tru Track autopilot, and there are no more funds in the upgrade budget, my new panel is going to have to be built up with what I have. It isn't going to be IFR capable since a 430 isn't in the budget but I will be able to fly under the hood with a safety pilot and the EFIS is there for emergencies.

[Removed comments about features I would like to see added. Garmin's new software release this morning fixed all of my concerns]

Will post periodic updates on the progress. This is only possible because of Garmin's recent price reduction - THANKS GARMIN and Stein. I wouldn't have been able to afford a G3X otherwise.

Original panel:
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Second panel upgrade:
696panel.jpg


Third panel upgrade - Underway
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Out of curiosity, what is the XLR connector for?

My Sennheiser headsets came with XLR connectors for ships power. A trip to the Aero department of Radio Shack yielded the mating connectors. My wife and I went to Oshkosh a couple of years age and a new headset for her was on our scavenger hunt list. I was expecting to come home with a Bose headset but she liked Sennheiser the best. To keep everything simple I picked up a matching refurbished one last year.
 
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Ahhh.. Leave it to Sennheiser...

I"m an audio pro and I use them all the time not used to seeing it in an airplane though.
 
Coming back together

This shows the GDU 370 mounted beside the GPSMap 696. The two don't look too bad together
The partial instrument holes will be filled in this winter when I patch and refinish the carbon fiber panel.
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SteinAir, the class operation that they are, sent a schematic, tailored to my panel, for me to use in making the
new wiring harness. This level of service sure makes me glad I went with Stein for my new G3X.
 
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Now all the fun begins. I started with a schematic Stein created for me that included most of the items that will be in my panel. You "gotta" love the hand holding you get from SteinAir.
Screenshot.png


Using the schematic I made a spreadsheet that had a line for each wire on the schematic that included the beginning point, ending point, wire type, and comment field; the rows were colored according to the wire type.
Wiring List.png


A trip to the airport with a notebook and tape measure yielded a drawing of what my wiring harness should look like. When I built my plane I covered one wall of the garage with a peg board. The peg board would now become the work surface to construct the new wiring harness. The wiring harness was drawn on the peg board with sheet metal screws placed at each connector location. The holes being on 1" centers really made the layout super simple.
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There is a wire on the peg board for each line on the wiring list spreadsheet. Just wrap the wire around the sheet metal screw at each end of the wire. I used lacing twine to tie the ends of the multi-conductor cables to the sheet metal screws. When all lines on the spread sheet have been checked off you start in the middle and work your way out lacing up your new wiring harness. All of the green tags are pieces of tape on the ends of each wire with the spreadsheet line number that identifies the wire. These will later be replaced with heat shrink tubing labels.
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After removing the harness from the wiring jig it was checked in the plane to make sure everything fit before installing all of the connectors..
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Next up is to remove the rats nest of old wiring and install the new harness. The pin dies for the crimper I bought on e-Bay should be here in a couple of days; so the connectors will have to wait until they arrive.
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Thanks Steve,

Quite impressive and instructional....

We learn something new everyday!

Send Doug a check...VAF.com is worth every penny.:)

Glenn
 
And no smoke was released :D Shows the GDU 370 and GPSMap 696 with weather sitting together in the panel.
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Congratulations on keeping all the smoke in Steve! I'll be interested in how your calibration works out - we're getting close to needing to do ours - the last major hurdle towards getting the EFIS ready to fly.

And the software keeps getting better all the time!

Paul
 
Panel decision

I know this is an old thread, but figured someone else might benefit vs sending a private message for my answer. I am about to write a check for the 20k needed for my panel and am researching all options. In your single screen G3X 696 setup, what do you think you will gain by a two screen G3X? I know the redundancy etc stuff, but how about layout etc? Other than engine monitoring, is there anything you routinely show on your single screen G3X when you fly that is different than a two screen setup? Seeing how you can get a 696 for about $1,500 that can be panel mounted and carried with you, is the single screen limiting you in anyway I have not considered?
 
I know this is an old thread, but figured someone else might benefit vs sending a private message for my answer. I am about to write a check for the 20k needed for my panel and am researching all options. In your single screen G3X 696 setup, what do you think you will gain by a two screen G3X? I know the redundancy etc stuff, but how about layout etc? Other than engine monitoring, is there anything you routinely show on your single screen G3X when you fly that is different than a two screen setup? Seeing how you can get a 696 for about $1,500 that can be panel mounted and carried with you, is the single screen limiting you in anyway I have not considered?

First disclamer, I haven't flown behind a multi-screen G3X so I can only comment on my hybrid configuration..

I use the flight planning software HTTP://WWW.fltplan.com. It supports burning the flight plan onto an SD card, in Garmin format, so the flight plan can be imported into both the G3X and 696. The two displays don't talk to each other so the flight plan has to be imported into each separately. Would be nice if I could push a flight plan from one unit to the other.

XM Weather is on my 696 so it is used just like I would a second G3X display. Really, the only difference in how I have my displays configured vis-a-vis a two display G3X is my engine monitor display is on the G3X rather than the MFD.

A plus for my configuration is the internal battery in the 696. I have the 696 wired into ships power so it powers up when the electronics master is on and powers down when switched off. If all ships power is lost you can select the Garmin panel display on the 696 and you have a couple of hours to get back on the ground.

The SD Memory Card slot on the 696 is located on the side so you need an Air-Gizmo mount to be able to easily load flight plans. I use the flight log facility of the 696 to update my logbook. Every week or so I download the 696 into my PC and use the Garmin flight logbook program to print out the log sheets.

The biggest negative is Garmin considers the G3X and 696 to be two separate systems that you have to buy chart updates for individually. IMHO I should be able to license my airplane and pay one update fee.

Either the G3X or the 696 can drive my TruTrack autopilot.

I am not IFR rated and I don't have a certified GPS so not having a redundant PFD display isn't a problem. If the G3X goes out, just look outside. If I upgrade to an IFR panel the 696 will probably get replaced by a GDU 375.
 
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