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Dual Vans Corrogated wire duct in wings?

S

skyyking56

Well Known Member
Has anyone made dual runs in the wings for future wires to be run if need be?

What I'm thinking of doing is (looking at Vans "Wing Wiring diagram") running the corrogated line in the recommended .75 diameter hole (aft and below the first lightening hole) and also opening the tooling hole (that is forward of the first lightening hole) to .75 diameter (instead of the recommended .625 diameter) and running the Vans corrogated also down this. One of them for possible future wiring runs for whatever. AOA, Nav antenna, etc....

Has anyone done this? and any comment yay or nay would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim King
7A wings

BTW: Vans has approved this method, but I want to see if anyone has had problems doing this and would do it again
 
skyyking56 said:
BTW: Vans has approved this method, but I want to see if anyone has had problems doing this and would do it again
Click to expand...
In the wiring diagram you are refering has comment about the tooling hole "The tooling holes in the ribs may be drilled to a maximum of 5/8?". So where do they approve it could be bigger? I quess if they do, they should be doing it here rather than everyone asking personally from them.

I was also planning to put double tubing. One conducted tube to the wing tip using that 0.75" hole they suggest but I was considering making another tube going through those lightening holes and clamped to ribs... but if Van is fine enlarging that tooling hole up to 0.75" of course that would be more convinient.
 
5/8" is for snap bushings

I talked with Joe at Vans and he stated that the 5/8" hole for the snap bushing could be opened up to 3/4" and the corrogated run down there , but still be careful around the aileron bellcrank area.
So....Has ANYONE done this??????
Please advise
Thanks,
Jim
 
Unfamiliar with number and size of wires

Why on earth do you need 2 conduit runs?
Click to expand...

Hey Dan,
I was hoping you would chime in.
This is just my point. Maybe there is no reason I need it.
#1. I dont know if you can run all of the wires together that you might want to run out to the wingtip. (interference or noise from certain devises and size of the wires?) Because all of the options nowadays that are being added on to planes.
#2. If I want to add something down the road it would probably be easier to pull through an empty conduit.

But if the answer is "I can fit and dont have to worry about noise from another devise in the same conduit" then you have probably answered my question.
Please advise if this is nothing to worry about. I would rather just make just one run, but trying to think ahead because it would be impossible to do later.
I appreciate the advise.
Thanks,
Jim
 
If you're going to install a magnetometer in your wingtip, as I plan to do, you might want to consider separate wire runs. They recommend a minimum of 18" spacing between the magnetometer wires and any other wiring, such as lights or strobes.
 
CFI1513840 said:
They recommend a minimum of 18" spacing between the magnetometer wires and any other wiring, such as lights or strobes.
Click to expand...

I may be wrong about this, but I believe the intent is to separate the magnetometer itself from the high-current wires, not the wires from the wires. The strobe harness will be shielded wire, and everything else out there is just a simple power wire or, in the case of your magnetometer, a wire carrying data (lower-level voltage). I can't imagine why you'd need two conduits. Thousands of previous installations can't be wrong. :)
 
skyyking56 said:
Hey Dan,
I was hoping you would chime in.
This is just my point. Maybe there is no reason I need it.
#1. I dont know if you can run all of the wires together that you might want to run out to the wingtip. (interference or noise from certain devises and size of the wires?) Because all of the options nowadays that are being added on to planes.
#2. If I want to add something down the road it would probably be easier to pull through an empty conduit.

But if the answer is "I can fit and dont have to worry about noise from another devise in the same conduit" then you have probably answered my question.
Please advise if this is nothing to worry about. I would rather just make just one run, but trying to think ahead because it would be impossible to do later.
I appreciate the advise.
Thanks,
Jim
Click to expand...
Jim,
If you use contemporary thoughtful grounding techniques (a la AeroElectric Connection), you won't have any issues if you run the wires together in the same conduit.

Pulling wires through later is a non-issue. First of all, unless you run ridiculous amounts of wire, you'll still have room. Second of all, running a new wire is easy...and you don't even need to leave a "string" in there to pull stuff later. Just put a piece of masking tape on the head of the wire and push it through...it feeds right in. Others use chunks of cotton and BLOW the wire in. Whatever. I found you don't need anything complicated.
 
BuckWynd said:
I may be wrong about this, but I believe the intent is to separate the magnetometer itself from the high-current wires, not the wires from the wires. The strobe harness will be shielded wire, and everything else out there is just a simple power wire or, in the case of your magnetometer, a wire carrying data (lower-level voltage). I can't imagine why you'd need two conduits. Thousands of previous installations can't be wrong. :)
Click to expand...

This snippet is from the GRT EFIS installation manual:

"Magnetometer: Ideally mounted near the wing tip, typically inside the wing, more than 12" from any electrical power leads, motors, or moving mechanisms that include ferrous metal. Its dimensions are 5.125" long (including the mounting flanges), 2.75" wide, 1.125" high. The long dimension is mounted in the direction of flight. A single 9-pin d-sub connector is used for all electrical connections. Weight is 0.25 lbs"

They say 12", not 18" as I mentioned previously. It does sound like they're talking about the unit itself and not the wiring. If anyone has first hand experience with the GRT EFIS installation in regard to magnetometer wiring and performance, it would be good to hear from them.
 
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Thanks to all of you that replied.
I appreciate all of the advise I get from this site.
You all save me a lot of time.
Regards,
Jim
 
resurecting this thread...

I opened up the tooling holes to 13/16". I did it after reading the build manual but before I checked the forums and found that pdf on Van's website. I could not get the Vans conduit to go through a 3/4" hole but 13/16" seems a little too big.

Anyway, those 13/16" holes look huge, even right next to the enormous lightening holes. I called Vans support about it and they said it was not a problem. Actually, I asked if it would be OK to have the 13/16" hole, the 7/16" pitot hole and also open up the small hole above the pitot hole to 7/16" for snap bushings and an AOA tube and I was told that it was OK to have all three holes.

Something about it just doesn't look right though. I'm considering ordering all new ribs for this wing and running the conduit below and aft of the largest lightening hole like everyone else.

It has sort of stalled my project, I've been avoiding working on my wings... distracting myself by fitting the fiber glass pieces on the tail.

Every time I look at the holes I think about the brief moments between in-flight wing failure and me hitting the the ground when I would just be kicking myself :eek: I guess I should just get some replacement ribs so I feel better. I have not riveted on any skins yet so it would be pretty easy to do at this point. But, whoever I talked to at Van's didn't even hesitate before saying that it would be fine, so maybe I'm over reacting?
 
morlino said:
Anyway, those 13/16" holes look huge, even right next to the enormous lightening holes. I called Vans support about it and they said it was not a problem. Actually, I asked if it would be OK to have the 13/16" hole, the 7/16" pitot hole and also open up the small hole above the pitot hole to 7/16" for snap bushings and an AOA tube and I was told that it was OK to have all three holes.
Click to expand...

You mean like these?

2001018390117907759_rs.jpg


If so, dude, that is totally normal. Van's sez it is ok and tons out there flying like this. No way I would be replacing them ribs....
 
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Well not exactly. I should have just posted a pic in the first place...
3151_right_wing_rib_bad_hole.jpg


click here in case the inline image doesn't show up

I put the big hole where the tooling hole was, and I'd like to open up the tiny hole above the pitot hole to 7/16" so that would leave me with 3 holes (two 7/16ths on top of one 13/16th) right along where the rib rivets to the spar.
 
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My opinion only

Mark,
My opinion....especially if Van's has ok'd it would be to leave it. Make sure the holes are super smooth deburred. I cannot imagine that this would weaken the rib to the point of any failure mode.
I would send this photo to Van's in an email and get a double check just to make you feel better, but I would bet that they still say to leave it as is.
Just my opinion.
Good luck and have a great holiday!!!!!!!!
Jim
7A wings.... contimplating where to put my gretz mounted dynon pitot
 
Multiple conduit

I have put a second conduit in similar holes (0.625) about halfway back to the trailing edge in the ribs (my conduit is 1/2-inch black irrigation pipe). I have built a digital camera mount to be put into the wing in the bay just outboard of the aileron bellcrank, and needed wiring to connect the camera and microservos to the controls in the cockpit. The wiring run does not go clear to the wingtip, and I didn't want to make a hole or multiple cuts in the conduit that feeds the wingtip lighting. Wingtip lighting is through a similar 0.625 hole where I opened up the tooling at the forward end of the ribs.

greg
 
skyyking56 said:
I would send this photo to Van's in an email and get a double check just to make you feel better, but I would bet that they still say to leave it as is.
Click to expand...

Well, I thought that was a pretty good idea, I emailed Vans the photo and I got this less than reassuring answer:

Mark: we have no absolute answer, because we've never tested ribs like yours. It seems
unlikely that it will cause any problem, but we can't say for absolute sure.​

I've decided to go ahead with what I've got - a 13/16" hole where the tooling hole was and a 7/16" hole that is the original hole for the pitot line. I am not going to drill another 7/16" hole. I'll just get smaller lines for my AOA and run both of them through the same set of snap bushings that are meant for the pitot tube ( no pitot here since this is the right wing).

I guess there will be something experimental about my airplane after all :rolleyes:
 
Wing Wiring

If the wires don't need to be seperated, itsn't the existing run(QB Wing) sufficieant for basic lighting requirements?
 
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