What's new
Van's Air Force

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

Avionics: Everything is 2 days ...

bkervaski

Hellloooooooo!
Testing
Wow, even with a prefab panel and harness there are so many small things you need it's hard to prepare. Everything is going slow having to order a bit of this a bit of that one of those and two of these. Learning how to build this connector, use a solder sleeve, build that connector. Routing wires is an art form. Shipping is killing me and my tool count is going up again daily! How many different crimping tools can one own anyway?
 
Last edited:
I'm in the same boat. I've spent maybe $700 on bits and pieces, tools etc to wire up the avionics and it all fits in a very (emphasis on very) small box. Just like everything on the plane, when you show it to someone, they say, pffft that cant take long. Then you describe the steps you go thru to just rivet one rivet, or in this case, make one wire connection and its ridiculous.

In the builders club, the secret handshake is actually the silent "head-nod of knowing".....earned by doing, not by talking.

Build on! :)
 
Yep .... we all understand, especially the shipping part. The good news is that even with all the crimpers and specialty tools, wire, connectors, fittings, switches, etc; the total cost of wiring is peanuts compared with the other major task areas. For me it was the least cost by a wide margin. Part of the frustration results from timing .... all this "stuff" comes later in the build when u thought you had all the tools you needed!
 
Wiring Lessons Learned

Nearing seven years and 950 hours, even though my -8A operates flawlessly, the one thing about the build I regret is not taking the time/attention to detail installing the wiring. Its not the ops its the really excess frustrating troubleshooting time that drives me nuts.

From unreadable labels, to sloppy wire runs, to stupid cut-it-too-short decisions, there is a lot of room for improvement, if and when I can convince the wife that I need another airplane. At least I'll have the specialized used-it-once tools and a zillion bit parts for the job.
 
I gained some avionics skills in the 90s that I put into use helping others while I was building at another airport. Now that I have moved my finished plane, I've had to start acquiring 2 sets of crimpers and various supplies to support other builds. It helps that I get paid for my help!
 
It's alive .. and didn't explode .. woohoo!

oTo.jpg
 
Yep, lots of stuff to buy

When I was thinking about building an airplane, people said that I'd spend 1/3 on the engine, 1/3 on the air frame, and 1/3 on the avionics. What they didn't tell me was I going to spent another 1/3 on tools and another 1/3 on shipping... ;)
 
Last edited:
When I was thinking about building an airplane, people said that I'd spend 1/3 on the engine, 1/3 on the air frame, and 1/3 on the avionics. What they didn't tell me was I going to spent another 1/3 on tools and another 1/3 on shipping... ;)

Don't forget all of the random stuff from the hardware store, the dollar store, the craft store, and the local auto paint store.
 
How many different crimping tools can one own anyway?

All of them :)

Hmm,

1. AFM8 - three positioners, d-sub, high density (female) and (male).
2. Molex
3. coax
4. fast-on
5. large sleeves for AWG 8+
6. RJ-XX

Did I miss one, two?

When I was thinking about building an airplane, people said that I'd spend 1/3 on the engine, 1/3 on the air frame, and 1/3 on the avionics. What they didn't tell me was I going to spent another 1/3 on tools and another 1/3 on shipping... ;)

Nah, only 20% on shipping. 1st Class is working well for my small emergencies. Not all offer this.
 
Panel

That is one nice panel. No separate a/p head or maybe out of the frame?
It looks like you have not painted the interior yet and was wondering when you plan to do that. I?ve just finished section 37, waiting on finish kit. Should I paint the interior now while I have little to do or wait for later? If wait then when?
Thanks
Greg Beckner
140366
N557GB reserved
 
It looks like you have not painted the interior yet and was wondering when you plan to do that. I’ve just finished section 37, waiting on finish kit. Should I paint the interior now while I have little to do or wait for later? If wait then when?

It's painted, battleship gray, a super strong DTM epoxy primer with sealer. I painted when the manual told me to, page 32-08. Then, I painted the roll bar separately. I still have the canopy frame interior to paint. The only negative thing about doing it per the manual is that the rivets you install for the roll bar cage are not painted but they don't look bad that way. You really can't paint that roll bar assembled as you need to install it for the pieces to align properly. I didn't want to risk trying to throw another coat over it after it was installed because everything was looking great. It wouldn't be hard for someone to mask off and paint once you are at this point for aesthetics but you wouldn't be able to get paint into some of the areas that probably need it so at least lay down a good DTM primer.

No A/P head, the touch display has all the A/P functions. I have A/P disconnect and probably Level on my stick. It's a full IFR setup with dual comms, audio panel, redundant GPS sources, etc, everything is remote boxes, I like the clean look.

Still not sure if I'm installing the passenger eject handle (canopy release) so I haven't done anything with that area.
 
Last edited:
This thread reminds of a funny movie bit... from O' Brother, Where Art Thou?;

Pomade Vendor: I can get the part from Bristol. It'll take two weeks, here's your pomade.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Two weeks? That don't do me no good.
Pomade Vendor: Nearest Ford auto man's Bristol.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Hold on, I don't want this pomade. I want Dapper Dan.
Pomade Vendor: I don't carry Dapper Dan, I carry Fop.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, I don't want Fop, dang it! I'm a Dapper Dan man!
Pomade Vendor: Watch your language, young feller, this is a public market. Now if you want Dapper Dan, I can order it for you, have it in a couple of weeks.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!
 
Bkervaski
Did not mean to impugn your paint job. The pic was of the panel and the rest was out of focus so I shouldn?t have said anything. What I was hoping for was that someone else would chime in that they also sailed right past 32-08 without painting and everything turned out fine. Yes, I know it?s in bold font.
I like that you have managed to do an IFR panel with minimal clutter and the idea of putting a straight and level button on the stick is genius. Thanks for that.
Cheers
Greg Beckner
140366
N557GB reserved
 
Back
Top