VansAirForceForums  
Home > VansAirForceForums

- POSTING RULES
- Donate yearly (please).
- Advertise in here!

- Today's Posts | Insert Pics


Go Back   VAF Forums > Main > RV General Discussion/News
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #71  
Old 12-11-2007, 09:34 AM
GrayHawk's Avatar
GrayHawk GrayHawk is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: TexaRado
Posts: 772
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironflight View Post
OK, here is tonight's progress report - not bad for operating on 4 hours of sleep in 36, hey? (What's that pink elephant doing buzzing around here?)
Looking at the photo, what are the dimensions of the recessed sub-panel are where the switches, key switch, etc. are mounted?

(Since I am getting ready to rebuild and older RV-6A panel).....
__________________
GrayHawk
My rebuild log: http://www.cherryfamily.net/bill/n63tx/rebuild/
Texas Hill Country Hangar For Sale: http://www.myspicewoodhangar.com/default.htm
Reply With Quote
  #72  
Old 12-11-2007, 10:46 AM
Ironflight's Avatar
Ironflight Ironflight is offline
VAF Moderator / Line Boy
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
Default

[quote=GrayHawk;179100]Looking at the photo, what are the dimensions of the recessed sub-panel are where the switches, key switch, etc. are mounted?
QUOTE]

That's a piece of Z-channel I had made up - the web is 2.0", and the flanges are each 1.0", but I cut the top one to 0.75" to make the recess a little less.

Paul
__________________
Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
Reply With Quote
  #73  
Old 12-12-2007, 09:43 AM
ccarter's Avatar
ccarter ccarter is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Franklin, TN
Posts: 122
Default DSAB Wiring

Paul,

Your answer may be on page 4-9 of the FlightDEK installation guide. From the description there the sets of wires really do create a "buss" using the pairs of wires wired in series between Dynon units. I have a stand alone D-180 only, my backups are steam guages so the DSAB is not being leveraged in my 7.


Chris...
__________________
Chris Carter, "Cyber"
RV-7, "WindDancer", MQY-Flying, 700+ hrs.
IO-360, Hartzell BA-CS, Dynon Skyview w/ ADS-B Traffic/Wx, 496, SL-30
fly.clcarter.com
Reply With Quote
  #74  
Old 12-12-2007, 02:05 PM
Ironflight's Avatar
Ironflight Ironflight is offline
VAF Moderator / Line Boy
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
Default

Thanks Chris - I managed to talk to Dynon, and was told that they are all paralleled inside the units, so just pick a pair...makes sense - just a big party-line bus!
__________________
Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
Reply With Quote
  #75  
Old 12-12-2007, 09:58 PM
Ironflight's Avatar
Ironflight Ironflight is offline
VAF Moderator / Line Boy
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
Default And the smoke stays in!!

I got power on the panel for the first time tonight - all the big stuff works, just have to work on details like lighting, backup battery charging circuit, etc. Best news is that none of the magic smoke left the boxes, so I call that a successful test!



I realized that I have a bit more airframe sub-panel work to do, and that will probably be a day of metalwork. then when Louise gets here to report for work we've got servos to install, long wiring runs, panel hook-ups, antennas, firewall sealing...oh, and the entire interior to clean up, paint, and prep for new upholstery. (She's been worried that the project would be done and there'd be nothing to do. This is a great example of the "90% done, 90% left to go" part of homebuilding....

Paul
__________________
Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
Reply With Quote
  #76  
Old 12-14-2007, 10:19 PM
Ironflight's Avatar
Ironflight Ironflight is offline
VAF Moderator / Line Boy
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
Default Invisible Progress....

It's obviously a lot of fun to post new pictures that show a project progressing and changing, but there comes a time in all airplane building where your working hard, putting in long hours, and nothing looks significantly different! It's easy to see how people get frustrated at that point, but you just have to keep plugging away. One thing that I do when I reach this point is that I start making lists of things to do - for the express purpose of then crossing thing off the list! That way, I can see actual progress taking place (the list has lots of crossed off stuff), and I know I'm still moving forward.

the last couple of days I have finished up all of th myriad little detailed wiring projects. Things like the autopilot disconnect switch, the pigtail for the Garmin 396, a switch for instrument lighting - a long list of little stuff that you have to do to get things "finished". Today I took most of the day off and carted the panel to the airport for another test fitting so that I could figure out what modifications were needed o the airframe's sub-panel. I then spent a good four or five hours cutting metal and pounding rivets. Unfortunately, the camera was at home....

A few random observations:

1) I am really getting to love lacing cord - I had almost forgotten about it, something I learned as a kid, but had abandoned for the instant gratification of zip-ties. The Val is all zip-tied behind th panel, and I have to be careful not to scratch or cut myself when I work on the harness. Mikey s now all laced - and the harness are much smoother.

2) Stein's guys came through again! I had ordered a spool of lacing cord when I purchased all of the wiring supplies, but it was back ordered. Paul Story was good enough to "pillage" (his words' enough for me to do an average panel from someone's work bench. The past couple of days I've been lacing, and carefully conserving my supply, wasting as little as possible. Just as I was almost finishing up, with just a little bit left, UPS showed up - with my spool of cord from Stein! I now have enough to last for several more airplanes....)

3) The VAF forums database is one heck of a resource. It was only just getting started as I was finishing the Val, but now when I have questions like "Hmmm...which wires do I use from the 396 pigtail for audio - the audio pair, or the alarm wire?" I can do a search and bingo - there is the discussion. Beats having to ask again!

4) Panel punches are good for more than just instrument holes. I needed a hole in one of the ribs forward of the sub-panel to pass a connector through - got out the punch, and made a beautiful round hole. I did the same thing in the sub-panel itself. Much easier than trying to hack a hole in that hard-to-reach spot. (Oh, a DB-25 connector is JUST a little too large to fit through a 2-1/4" hole.....gotta go for the 3-1/8" side of the punch)

5) I must say that I appreciate the fact that the original builder stuck with a "normal" light-plane wiring plan. It makes deciphering what is what a whole lot easier as I rip through the old wiring. The trim system was a bit of the norm, but once you get down to the two wires that go to each servo, you have a place to start from. Yeah, I am guilty of doing a few things differently than the average plane - but I never intend for anyone else to have to work on it....(yeah, right!)

6) I have been accomplishing an awful lot each day...but my "to-do" list is longer now than a week ago! I sure am glad that Louise is coming to town to help get this pile of parts airborne again....

The new Mikey will fly again!

Paul
__________________
Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
Reply With Quote
  #77  
Old 12-18-2007, 09:46 PM
Louise Hose's Avatar
Louise Hose Louise Hose is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton, Nevada --- A34
Posts: 1,464
Talking The panel went in today!

After two long days (and evenings) of work since my arrival in Houston, we put the panel into Mikey today. And, it is beautiful (IMHO). The panel is mounted, the plumbing is done, and the wires have been rudimentarily routed. Tomorrow will be the big hook-up day. There have also been lots of other, little, tasks done to spruce up Mikey. I'm looking forward to actually flying him again!


Staging the panel for insertion.


The interior immediately before inserting and mounting the panel.


Panel "docked" for final(?) time in Mikey.

Best of all? Looking up at the back of the panel now reveals a very clean set of wires and routing. It looks so simple now that even I might stand a chance of understanding which wire go where and what it does. Also, removing that old vertical panel brace sure makes working under the panel delightful in comparison to my past experiences! My strong advice to anyone building a -6 is to dump the old vertical panel brace and keep the area open.
__________________
Louise Hose, Editor of The Homebuilder's Portal by KITPLANES
RV3B, NX13PL "Tsamsiyu" co-builder, TMXIO-320, test platform Legacy G3X/TruTrak avionics suite
RV-6 ?Mikey? (purchased flying) ? Garmin test platform (G3X Touch, GS28 autopilot servos, GTN650 GPS/Nav/Comm,
GNC255 Nav/Com, GA240 audio panel)
RV8, N188PD "Valkyrie" (by marriage)
Reply With Quote
  #78  
Old 12-19-2007, 07:03 AM
pierre smith's Avatar
pierre smith pierre smith is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Louisville, Ga
Posts: 7,840
Default Sweet

OK Louise....you're deeply indebted now......I'm jealous of the panel.

Good advice, leaving the vertical panel brace out, -7's included.

Kindly write again following first flight with the new goodies.

Regards,
__________________
Pierre Smith
RV-10, 510 TT
RV6A (Sojourner) 180 HP, Catto 3 Bl (502Hrs), gone...and already missed
Air Tractor AT 502B PT 6-15 Sold
Air Tractor 402 PT-6-20 Sold
EAA Flight Advisor/CFI/Tech Counselor
Louisville, Ga

It's never skill or craftsmanship that completes airplanes, it's the will to do so,
Patrick Kenny, EAA 275132


Dues gladly paid!
Reply With Quote
  #79  
Old 12-19-2007, 09:15 AM
rv8bldr's Avatar
rv8bldr rv8bldr is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Pakenham, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 586
Default

You know what the only annoying part of reading this thread is ? Seeing Paul working on the panel, with the hangar door open, and in a T-shirt.

I am looking out my office window at 3' of snow, and the temperature is -10C (about 14F).

I envy you guys

Cheers
__________________
Mark

RV-8 C-GURV (Flying since Nov 2004) - Sold
Scratch building 4pl Bearhawk
Flying a '79 Maule M5-235C

President EAA Chapter 245
Reply With Quote
  #80  
Old 12-19-2007, 11:08 AM
rv7boy's Avatar
rv7boy rv7boy is offline
Forum Peruser
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Austinville, Alabama
Posts: 2,458
Thumbs up A Thought about "Mikey's Panel Project"

I've been keeping up with this thread every 2 or 3 days, and I'm glad to say I met Paul in Houston when I was on business travel back in February. I know he's typical of many RV-ers...smart, experienced pilot, hands-on airplane guy, willing to help others, etc., etc.

And then back in the spring I noticed in these forums that Paul had met this special lady named Louise who owned and flew a special RV-6 (check the history of the N-number), so I thought this is really going to be neat.

Just now as I was looking at the photos of the new panel going into Mikey, I had this thought: "The couple that overhauls an RV-6 panel together, stays together."

I know, it's kinda corny, but a man and a woman working on this kind of project together just have to learn a lot about each other. I love my wife, and we've been together 37+ years, and I know she'll do a few small things to help me with my RV-7 project, but I can't imagine me removing and improving her instrument panel (if she had one). Good grief, what am I saying? She's not even a pilot!

Thanks, Paul for showing us the project. There's more to your message than just a new and improved instrument panel for Mikey!

Merry Christmas!

Don
__________________
Don Hull
RV-7 Wings
KDCU Pryor Field
Pilots'n Paws Pilot
N79599/ADS-B In and Out...and I like it!

?Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard
Reply With Quote
Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:12 AM.


The VAFForums come to you courtesy Delta Romeo, LLC. By viewing and participating in them you agree to build your plane using standardized methods and practices and to fly it safely and in accordance with the laws governing the country you are located in.