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01-16-2013, 11:46 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Quote:
Originally Posted by humptybump
I was dealing with my backup battery location, mount, and leads this weekend. I still am not sure how I will address the rear support for the radio stack so I will be watching for your pictures 
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I made a horizontal reinforcement out of 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/16" angle that will get riveted to the subpanel under the bottom radio tray. This will provide a nice shelf for the stack to lay on.
A couple of angle clips on both sides of the GTN and A210 tray will tie the trays to the subpanel. The audio panel tray does not penetrate the subpanel so the trays for the audio panel and the GTN will have a strap on both sides to support the fwd side of the audio panel tray.
My subpanel is already cut as if all trays would penetrate it so that gives room for the bunch of audio panel wires. I will put some edging on the subpanel edge to protect the wires.
EDIT:
Here is a rough sketch of what I am doing as far as tray support at the subpanel:

Last edited by Brantel : 01-16-2013 at 12:27 PM.
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01-21-2013, 09:01 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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This weekend was family time as we celebrated the birthdays of my two youngest girls. No significant panel work.
It is suppose to turn really cold this week here in East TN so I am not sure much progress will get made this week either.
It is killing me having my plane down for the count but I just can't take the cold like I used to...
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01-23-2013, 01:37 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Monday night I braved the cold and got my GDL39 mounted to the side of one of the ribs that extend from the firewall to the subpanel.
Baby steps! Baby steps!
This seems like it is taking an eternity!
Got my GTN650 and GTX23ES back from Stein yesterday. They are all updated and ready to go for ADS-B and are completely 2020 compliant! (as long as the Feds don't make any other changes to the rules as they go)
UPS...your welcome for that $210 I gave you for declared value that you most likely would have screwed me out of if there had been loss, damage or theft!!!
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01-26-2013, 05:28 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Got a couple hours in today at the hangar. Yesterday we had a pretty major ice storm that shut almost everything down. This was the clear smooth super slick stuff that made the road like a skating rink. Here is a video shot by my in-laws just a mile or so from where I work....
VIDEO
Anyway today it warmed up to about 44°F so I went to the hangar to try and get something done.
So today I spent my time re-routing and securing the main power feed from the master to the VP-X Pro. I used the original wire and connector as well as left it in the original firewall penetration. Just relocated and added a few new cushion clamps.
Then I wormed my way into the tail cone to install the extra Green wire that the TT pitch servo needs. The servo wire bundle that I originally bought and installed from Stein for the Dynon servo did not have this wire since the Dynon does not require it. I managed to work this wire up thru the center section inside the conduit that I originally installed there way back when. I was shocked that this little 22ga wire was able to be poked all the way thru there. There are many other wires in that conduit.
I was not so lucky with the conduit that ran from the spar center section up the firewall and behind the panel. Nothing I tried would get that wire thru there. I ended up just zip-tying it to the side of that conduit up do where the exit hole for the boost pump is. From there I was able to poke it thru the conduit the rest of the way.
I spent the rest of my time cleaning up the mess of conduit, pitot/AOA tubes and coax cables running fwd of the center spar section. I cleaned all of this up and secured it all to the floor stringers.
I am pretty much ready to start going back together with the whole mess. The major heavy construction is just about over. Now it is on to the finesse part....
It is full on Winter here in East TN and the tin can T hangar is a dismal place to work. Our hangars do not have walls that go all the way to the roof so it is impossible to heat the place. The only thing that works is infrared propane heaters. It is tough to work in those conditions......my progress is going to be slow unless we get a warm spell!
Last edited by Brantel : 01-26-2013 at 05:37 PM.
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01-28-2013, 08:00 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Ormond Beach
Posts: 24
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Panel Fasteners
What type of fasteners are those you are using to attach the upper and lower reinforcement angles to the panel?
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01-28-2013, 08:16 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmr
What type of fasteners are those you are using to attach the upper and lower reinforcement angles to the panel?
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They are steel 4-40 torx screws with locknuts on the back. I painted em Flat Black before installation.
If one wanted to, they could use stainless ones but I wanted them to have the high contrast.
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01-28-2013, 08:28 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Warm today so I left work at noon today and plan to take the next two days off to work on the plane. It is suppose to be 70° here tomorrow and 66° Wednesday.
Tied the VP-X into the plane today. It sure is getting tight behind that sub-panel and access is limited at best. My dreams of this thing coming out looking like a work of art are slowly fading. It will be safe and durable but it won't be looking like a masterpiece. Once all of these wire bundles start trying to occupy the same space as fixed objects, it becomes a nightmare to keep it all organized.
I have had to abandon the idea of using cord to lace all of the wires behind the sub-panel. There is just no way my big arms are going to twist in that many different directions at the same time. The pre-built panel harnesses are all laced so that will just have to do. Tons of zip-ties will do the job.
I hope to get to the point of installing the new panel tomorrow. I want to ensure everything possible is done that I can do before putting it in because that will make access even harder.
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01-29-2013, 04:03 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 3,179
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It sounds like the infamous 80:80 rule ... 80% done 80% to go. The airframe work is slower than the panel work.
Sounds like you are closing in though.
Thanks for the progress reports and tips and require iwide along the way. My own panel project has been paralleling yours (just not as competent).
I look forward to reading your test procedures (both ground and first flights).
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01-29-2013, 04:51 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Mosheim Tn
Posts: 30
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Such a nice day in East Tn today,our runway has finally dried out enough to use,though i better check on my bud Brantel,heard rumors of him sitting in the airplane just staring straight ahead with his eyes kinda glazed over,that was on sunday afternoon!,landed at kmor,taxied up and sure enough he's sittin there with that glazed over look!Panel is looking good and he is making progress though.
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01-30-2013, 07:49 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newport, TN
Posts: 7,496
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Major cold front passing East TN today...started the day at 68? and by midnight it should be in the 30's. Huge amount of rain and flooding since the ground was already soaked and all the creeks, ponds and other low spots were already full of water. Tons of tornadoes in the South East. Hope all the RV'ers got out of it unharmed!
Thought I would try an update ala Bob Collins today instead of posting pictures. Don't worry Bob, you have nothing to worry about. I stink at video updates!
Anyway....this evening was the end of a 2.5 day push to make some major progress on the panel retro while taking advantage of the 70? temps!!!! Took vacation days to make it happen.
Bottom line is I got most of the aircraft's harness tied to the VP-X Pro's harness on Tuesday. I also installed the backup battery buss and associated parts to charge it and monitor it's voltage via the VP-X Pro. I built the circuit shown on this thread a few pages back.
I also got started on wiring all of the dimmer units back into the airplane. I have 4 dimmers. One each for avionics, map, panel flood and dome lights (I have dome lights under the panel and over the baggage compartment).
I put some 9 pin D-shell male connectors on the bundles that go to the servos. These will serve as a connector for them and will mate with the female ones that I will add to the wiring harnesses that I built at home.
At the end of the day, I riveted the panel ribs in permanent and set forth installing the panel in the airplane. I had to remove the screws from the top and bottom reinforcing angles for the right 2/3 of the panel to allow me to bend it enough to get past the vertical parts of the center spar section. The panel is too wide to make it in without bending it. Once that was done, I had to mark the 6 holes, 3 on each side that are for the screws that tie the bottom of the sides of the panel to the sides of the fuse. These had to be marked and drilled in place since that is how it was done originally. Once marked, the panel had to be bent again and removed, the holes drilled and then re-installed. Once it was back in, I re-installed the screws on the reinforcing angles. Hopefully that is the last time it has to ever come out....
This morning I finished the wiring of the dimmers, terminated all of the VP-X Pro switch grounds and set forth on wiring all of the VP-X Pro switches into the VP-X's switch signal wires.
Next came the connection of the aux buss to the aux buss switch, master switch, 12VDC socket and finally connecting the starter and P-leads to the new keyswitch.
I finished up the day by putting some female connectors on the GX Pilot servo bundles to mate up with the connectors I installed yesterday. Then it was into the airplane with the pre-built and interconnected octopus of a harness that I pre-built at home. I thought I had most of the wires terminated until I added this mess to the mix and the rats nest seemed to instantly re-appear!
Anyway I mounted the harness backplates to the radio trays, connected the Gemini and GX Pilot connectors and started organizing the mess. Most of what is hanging loose at this time is power, backup power and ground wires. Once all of these are sorted and connected I will be a happy man.
Whats left?
Clean up the wiring, more organizing, securing and protecting against chaffing.
Solder on the headset jacks
Mount the GMU73
Poke the EMS harness thru the firewall, mount the new sensors and terminate
Rivet on the patch panels for the old hole in the subpanel
Swap the Dynon servos for the TT ones and rework the connections
Mount and wire the remote compass in the tail
Install the temp probe
Clean and do annual condition inspection on cockpit area.
I am sure there is much more I am forgetting.....
Here is the video update....

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