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Planning Wiring-Help!

rockitdoc

Well Known Member
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Getting a little overwhelmed like I was before i knew how to pound rivets. A new adventure, I guess. Anyway, I hate electrical gremlins, especially when they are related to my unskilled abilities in crimping, etc.

So, I would like to eliminate as much crimping and spicing as possible. Not something I enjoy with my fat, arthritic fingers even though I have acquired all the best tools.

Going with VPX and PPS to simplify things. Dynon Classic panel.

If I buy all the pre-wired harnesses available from Dynon and the one offered by Vertical Power, will this minimize the amount of crimping and splicing on my part? It appears some cannot be avoided since configurations are numerous and neither company could offer every combination/permutation possible.
 
I was in the same boat as you about 12 months ago when I started to plan my electrical system so take what I write with that perspective.

You will still need to crimp and to plan out the wiring runs for the various switches on the panel and to route the wiring to the VPX. The same with the wiring and crimping on your control sticks, especially if you go for the more complicated infinity stick.

With regard to the rest of your avionics, even when you use the Dynon classic, you still have the radios, transponder, adsb, and they need wiring too. If you elect to use the Dynon autopilot and Dynon servos, Dynon will supply ready made cables but you will still have to crimp at least one end of the cable. If you want to mount an intercom, you will also need to wire it up. There is no way around it. I took the EAA avionic class just to learn how to do this work correctly.

In short, you should practice crimping or pay for profession help since it doesn't count against the 51% rule.
 
All the avionics "systems" wiring comes with excellent documentation, even down to which tools to buy or borrow. Plus, the manufacturers provide great tech support. I think avionics "systems" will be a piece of cake for you once you nail down the physical placement of each component.

I think what gives more folk problems is the point-to-point wiring of the electrical (generating & distribution) system. From the battery to the bus-bar, switches, relays, and lighting controls. Making the layout ergonomical and easy to work on (relatively speaking), and using "best-practices" for aircraft wiring here are what will save the day.

There's a couple of good books on the subject. And several service/parts providers that offer support.
 
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Advanced Control Panel

You might consider looking at an Advanced Panel from Advanced Flight Systems. Definitely Dynon-friendly. Two other considerations would be SteinAir, and Aerotronics.

Call and discuss their Advanced Control Panel and Panel-Less panel. Basically a VPX except all the circuits are pre wired and terminated. You get all the electronics and their harnesses pre tested. Plug and play. The ACP handles power and all the other circuits. It also has a built in ARINC to connect to a NAV/COM. The only terminations are lighting, servos and ADAHRS.
One caveot is no extra circuits though. So stuff like seat heater such would have to have another bus.
 
Some of the pre-made Dynon cables include more wires that you need. It's worth studying the installation manual and determining what to keep and what to remove. I wound up with extra wires which I could use elsewhere.

At least for some of the cables, the wiring isn't hard. It's even kind of fun. And you'll need the same tools for doing a couple ends as you will for the whole batch.

Dave
 
Call and discuss their Advanced Control Panel and Panel-Less panel. Basically a VPX except all the circuits are pre wired and terminated. You get all the electronics and their harnesses pre tested. Plug and play. The ACP handles power and all the other circuits. It also has a built in ARINC to connect to a NAV/COM. The only terminations are lighting, servos and ADAHRS.
One caveot is no extra circuits though. So stuff like seat heater such would have to have another bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tNAdWJWIvY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aneedxvjPC8

AFS is part of Dynon now....
 
If you can set rivets you can crimp electrical connections. It's much easier especially if you have high quality tools. But, that being said, if you want to minimize the amount of connectors you need to crimp, consider having premade harness fabricated. Approach fast stack can make up harnesses even if you don't use their hub and they do an excellent job. They made up my harness to interface between, in and out of my IFD and audio panel. It was a work of art. I am sure Stein and others could do the same.

Unfortunately the main HDX harness will need terminals on the ends. Lots of crimps there.

Here is a link to Approach fast stack http://www.approachfaststack.com/avionics.html
 
Some of the pre-made Dynon cables include more wires that you need.

At least for some of the cables, the wiring isn't hard. It's even kind of fun. And you'll need the same tools for doing a couple ends as you will for the whole batch.

Dave

This is very true. The wire lengths may be too long also.

This is also true. I find the wiring to be simple, but confusing due to the number of wires, and different wiring colors.
 
Yes, but the ACS is under the Advanced side so if you call Dynon to talk about it, they send you to AFS Tech Support. Unless something canged in the last week.

If you mean ACM, that is designed to leverage Dynon's SV network, which is what both the Dynon HDX and Classic use as well as Advanced Flight's 5000 series. The Advanced Panel and the heart of it, the Advanced Control Module is a product line of Advanced Flight Systems, which was a stand-alone until they became a Dynon company.
 
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ACS

If you mean ACM, that is designed to leverage Dynon's SV network, which is what both the Dynon HDX and Classic use as well as Advanced Flight's 5000 series. The Advanced Panel and the heart of it, the Advanced Control Module is a product line of Advanced Flight Systems, which was a stand-alone until they became a Dynon company.

Yes. Advanced Control Systems (ACS), Advanced Control Module (ACM). Error corrected. Call ACS for details. They will be happy to design a system using the ACM with either product line.
 
Yes. Advanced Control Systems (ACS), Advanced Control Module (ACM). Error corrected. Call ACS for details. They will be happy to design a system using the ACM with either product line.

Advanced Flight Systems (AFS). Good people. Very helpful and responsive.
 
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