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Manual trim cable routing

N282RV

Well Known Member
Anyone with good pics of how you routed your big green snake from the tail to the inst panel where vans shows putting the knob? I am really wondering how to make the turn to get the cable back 180 degrees from where it wants to go. Any ideas welcome, except Im not going electric. :)
N282RV
finish kit, fitting forward skin/bag door
 
Sorry, I don't have pics but I will share what I remember about fitting mine.

During the course of construction, I had eyeballed the route that the plans said the cable needed to take and I wondered about how tough it was going to be to make it go through the twists and turns of the forward fuse of my quickbuild. Since it was so long and stiff, I didn't relish the thought of a trial fit and removal. I figured I was going to wait until I was ready for the final installation and go for it. Turns out it wasn't as bad as I thought. It makes the turn inside the gear tower fairly easily. The only part I didn't like was that it comes out the top lightening hole in the gear tower angled slightly in towards the center of the fuse and slightly upward. I didn't like the amount of tenstion I had to put on it to get it to go through the instrument panel at a right angle. But I also didn't like how close to the forward edge of the canopy rail the adjustment knob would end up if it was square to the panel. Not enough room to get my fat hand between it and the rail.

So to solve both problems, I made two tapered washers out of a PVC pipe fitting, slid them over the end of the cable, one in front and the other behind the panel, and adjusted them so that the cable came through the panel at a slight angle, their was no strain on the cable and I gained a little more clearance around the knob as well.

Hope that makes sense. And good move sticking with manual trim. ;)

Jack Fromm
RV-8
Flying - 120 hours
 
manual trim cable routing

I like your advice Jack.

Anyone else who has pictures of the installation in the standard spot? I would find them helpful.

Which plan number shows the routing? I'm sure I've seen it but I looked through all of the plans twice tonight and didn't see it. Probably just my usual defective "man look" as my wife calls it. I'll look again tomorrow with fresh eyes but a reminder would be great.

Thanks

Ken Stanton
 
I wanted to mount a GPS in front of the left sub-panel so needed to relocate the eye-ball vent and manual trim. I chose to route the trim cable right under the canopy rail all the way forward and thru the baggage compartment. It then goes thru the floor of the baggage compartment right at the side wall and thru the landing gear tower. The knob is mounted on the aft face of the left landing gear tower and the flap switch is right next to it.

The only problem with this location is that it takes a bit more reach than I really want. I can reach it but not comfortably. I like the location but wish it was about 3 inches further aft.

By the way, I had to buy a longer trim cable to make it work. Don't remember the exact length.

Karl
 
Manual pitch trim cable conflicts

I went out and decided I'ld run the trim cable through the fuselage tonight. But I didn't because it looks to me like the position shown on the plans will send the cable right through the throttle/mixture/pitch levers, then through the manual aileron trim lever, right behind the rear throttle and past the flap motor so that it might rub on or interfere with the smooth operation of those things.

I figure I will just run it a bit below the throttles and aileron trim lever. I'm concerned that might require a longer cable than comes standard. If so I'll just have to wear that. But what about the flap motor?

Am I just worrying about interfernce that will not actually occur? What have you done about this?

Any pictures to help?

Thanks

Ken Stanton
Running wires and cables in 8QB fuse
 
I don't have any pics to illustrate my installation, but I ran my trim cable exactly according to the plans and have no interference problems at all. I have the standard "el-cheapo" 3 lever throttle quadrant, manual aileron trim and rear throttle; the elevator cable ran under the fwd throttle quadrant and behind the aileron trim, rear throttle and flap actuator. No problems.
 
Thanks for the reply. I have carefully measured again and put the front throttle quadrant, manual aileron trim and rear throttle lever in place and there is no interference. I was worrying about nothing there. I haven't checked the flap acutator but it looks like the trim cable will not interfer there if i run it as per the plans. I shouldn't be surprised by that I suppose :eek:

Ken Stanton
 
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