What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

WireViz

David Lewis

Well Known Member
I came across a new-to-me wiring documentation tool. A cursory look on their site is a little vague, but I found a nice description on this GitHub page:
https://github.com/formatc1702/WireViz
It appears to be a recent release. The features appeal to me as I am in the midst of my DIY wiring death march. Did a search here on VAF, but didn't see anything. Any chance someone on this site already has user experience and can provide a PIREP?
 
This looks like a Linux based OS, but they do mention developmental support for Win and Mac OS.

It is piggybacked onto Graphsviz, as a task specific app.

Might be pretty handy
 
In my "experience," a full-fledged wiring diagram may not be worth the effort.

A friend built an over-equipped RV-10 with a whole book of wiring diagrams, pages and pages of tidy diagrams. There was so much detail that it was all trees, no forest, and hard to find what you wanted because there were so many pages.

As I see it, the real needs include these:
* What port on what device goes to what port on what other device? This is at the level of serial port or ARINC429 or ethernet, whatever. This information is needed to setting up ports and debugging. If all you've got is individual wires, you have to figure this out. And if you've got this, it's very easy to go to the installation manual and get the pinouts.
* When working behind the panel, the question always turns in to which wire is this and were does it go in this bundle, and then in that bundle, and then around that bulkhead? Wiring diagrams don't help you with this.

When I put the new panel in the RV-4 and rewired the plane, I used color Teflon (yes, I know) wiring, and it made it easy to track the wires behind the panel. This was in the days even before GPS, so wiring was simpler then.
 
I had Stein do my panel, and they wiring diagrams that they provided - basically where every wire goes has been helpful to me... a) in connecting everything up, b) in troubleshooting things and c) in the event i want to change anything.

I would definitely create my own if I were wiring up my own panel. That said, I?m too lazy, and appreciate the attention to detail that I can purchase :)
 
I bought my current 9A from a very talented and meticulous electrical engineer and I received ? the book? from him along with a mountain of other documentation. All I can tell you is I was very pleased to get it. I have made 2 very minor changes in the flow and having the book has been great. It has answered many questions without having to get under or behind the panel. I have learned a great deal perusing this book. If you design and wire it, then you have that knowledge in your head. That doesn?t help future owners. When I saw the mountain of data he had, I viewed it as a big selling point. Save all of that info pertinent to all accessories. I was talking with a guy several years ago that had bought a beautiful Rocket from the builder. He started showing me the documentation he received with it. T he documentation was as nice as the airplane. The schematic was a current flow chart and all of the pages were laminated then spiral bound. He told me that when he saw all of that, the deal was done.
 
Back
Top