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Infinity Grips

Berchmans

Well Known Member
I am installing the Garmin GTX345 in/out in my RV8 and am going to take to opportunity to change things up a bit. I am going to install the Infinity Stick Grip and was looking for some input on stick functions. Currently I have the Flaps and Elevator Trim on Ray Allen rocker switches on the panel and was thinking of relocating to the stick. I also have the Smoke Helper smoke system and have that installed on the throttle, think I will leave it where it is. Thoughts on other functions handy to move to the stick?

Also if I install aft Infinity stick thinking of only putting PTT and Elevator on it...

How did you do it? and would you do it again?
 
I added all that you are doing, though no evevator, plus, autopilot off, and I put the starter on mine. I know many who would not put the starter on, but I found it ok. I think on the left side of the stick as I remember. But you have options.
Best to your decision.
 
I used Tosten grips

When I converted from manual trim to electric trim I also went from a three button function Ray Allen grip to a military style six function button Tosten grip. I preferred the Tosten grip to the infinity grips because of the way they attached to the stick. I found Kevin at Tosten very easy and helpful to work with.

My Tosten grips are configured for: coolie hat switch - aileron and elevator trim; left top button - comm 1 freq swap; right top switch - flaps; trigger switch - PTT; small button switch below trigger switch - transponder ident; thumb button - autopilot. The copilot’s grip differs from the pilot’s grip in that in that the right button on it is comm1/comm2 transmit swap. I didn’t want the copilot position accidentally extending/retracting flaps on me and figured they could talk to Flight Watch on comm2 when I was using comm1 for ATC.

If you’re going to have electric trim on the grips you need to also install and wire up a trim control board so you don’t accidentally have a copilot cancel out a pilot trim input. This control board can also help with bringing all the other wiring issues into one central control center. For that purpose I used Pat Hatch’s UTRB board and installed it under the copilot’s seat.

All these “functions” on my panel (and I believe most avionics) are “ground to activate.” You need to look at the wiring on your avionics to confirm this. On my panel there was one exception to this rule and that was my “flap switch” on my grip. The flap control switch on my panel was routed using “the positive side for activation” so that switch had to be wired differently. Kevin at Tosten grips rewired my grip flap switch to accommodate this issue for me when it was discovered.

I cannot speak highly enough of both Pat Hatch and Kevin. Pat especially worked very hard with me via email and a few phone calls to help with the wiring issues and multiple questions I had.

https://postimg.cc/1nkDczz2
 
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I have an Infinty grip in front and in back. Both have the same functions so I have a backup if one grip were to fail (e.g. - starter sw).

Coolie Hat - Roll and Pitch trim
Left top is the starter button
Left of the coolie hat is a flap SW
Thumb below the flap switch is Auto Pilot disconnect/ TCS
Pinker SW is my Fuel Pump
Trigger SW is my PTT

I also installed 2 isolation switches for the rear stick in case I have a novice back there.

1 enables the coolie and flaps
1 enables the fuel pump, auto pilot disconnect and starter
I also have a MASTER start shut off switch to protect the stick button after start and in flight.

Yes! I would do it again! I love it!
 
I have my infinity set up with coolly hat, a/p disconnect, r/t, flap, fuel,pump & ldg lights. I didn't build mine and thought at the time bit of an overkill the setup but I wouldn't change a thing now I've flown it for 50 hrs, love having all the flight control switches at my fingertips:) My rear stick (8) is a shaped wooden affair wth a Cooley hat and r/t button, flap is a toggle switch to one side of the fuse side. We each have our preferences :)
 
Switching to an Infinity grip is one of my ongoing projects as well. I plan to have:

PTT
Flaps up and down (switch left of the coolie hat)
Auto pilot disconnect
Coolie hat forward and back is pitch trim.

Part of this upgrade will also be another PTT switch at the end of the throttle grip.

I have the Pat Hatch UTRB.

Not sure if I'll put the PTT on the stick trigger. I am thinking of a Raspberry Pi camera system where camera stores video data only when a switch is depressed.

I'm wiring things up on the workbench to get the wiring organized and test the relay card.

I also have a few things to work out. Such as...

Tankerpilot75 wrote:

"For that purpose I used Pat Hatch’s UTRB board and installed it under the copilot’s seat."

Did you mount it to the seat sheet metal?

Did you encase it in a plastic box?

Most plastic electronics boxes I see have the top come off the main body. I think the ideal enclosure would be one where the top is bolted to the airplane and the PC board is bolted to the top via standoffs. And the "tub" portion of the box is then bolted onto the "top" and is the first thing removed - revealing the PC board on it's standoffs. Haven't seen any such box.
 
Tankerpilot75 wrote:

"For that purpose I used Pat Hatch?s UTRB board and installed it under the copilot?s seat."

Did you mount it to the seat sheet metal?

Did you encase it in a plastic box?
.

I built a bracket/shelf out of spare aluminum, covered the bracket/shelf with some vinyl to protect against accidental shorting and mounted it between two ribs. I also installed two insulated electrical blocks to facilitate ground and power needs. The power block is on its own CB and powers the UTRB and my trim motors. The ground block provides grounding for the same. My numerous wires were brought together, labeled and then encased in shrink tubing before running them into the 25 pin d-sub pin connector.

The UTRB board is designed so that when you mount it on something flat it will sit high enough to prevent it from touching the mounting bracket but I went ahead and covered mine anyway. Probably a better idea would be to cut out a hole in your bracket just large enough to facilitate cooling yet still provide support to the board.
 
Probably a better idea would be to cut out a hole in your bracket just large enough to facilitate cooling yet still provide support to the board.

Hmm ......cooling. Didn't realize that temps were a factor and that the board could get hot.

Thanks!
 
Bought my 8, similar set up as some of the others. The PO wired a kill switch under the panel that must be one for the HOTAS start button to work (top left). I like not having a hot starter, so I am leaving this as is. I was concerned about the flaps switch getting bumped. It is a three position. Up springs forward, there is a neautral position in the middle and from there press down for flaps to extend, but is spring loaded back to neautral. So you?d have to go from up to neautral then bump down and hold to extend them.
 
Ignition points

I have been routing through my drawings and cannot find the layout for the ignition switch in my RV8. I have the standard ignition sold by Vans. Which terminals on the switch do I want to land the wires from the Infinity Stick Starter button?
 
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