What can I "Pre-Install"

This may be a bit vague, I?m working on my QB-7 wings, and plan on installing an auto pilot, but at this point don?t know what kind, or any other details. My question is, can I pre-wire i.e. ?run wire to the bay that the servo will eventually be installed? Is there a generic tray or bracket I could install at this time to attach the servo to later? And, What do I need to run for wires if any of this is possible? Or do I need to decide what the heck I?m doing and contact the manufacturer for details?

Thanks for any help,

Hi Mike-
I would encourage you to, if possible, just leave the last bottom wing skin off until just before you mate the wings to the fuselage. That way you leave yourself the flexibility of waiting and making these decisions later. At the same time, you can still do all of this with the wing skins on, it's just a little bit tougher, though people do it all the time. I wouldn't try to pre-plan too much this early in your build. At most install the servo bracket for the autopilot and some corrugated tubing for the wiring. Everything else can easily be done later.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Steve gives some really good advice here. There are a few reasons I could have left that skin off and kind of wish I did.

Mike,

I "pre-installed" a second conduit (using black drip irrigation pipe - cheaper than the corrugated stuff and available at local hardware) for wiring that runs from the wing root to the bellcrank bay on both wings. Should be easy to push wires through these when I can finally afford an autopilot. Set in the second wing is for a camera permanently mounted in the R wing. I also installed the TruTrak bracket ($50) for later, but if you have not decided on an autopilot that can wait as well. I second the opinion that you should wait for the bottom skin as long as possible. There's really no reason to put it on until the very end, other than to get it out of your way.

greg

I assume, but don't know for a fact, that the different suppliers of autopilots use different servos and mounting brackets. You can check the wiring requirements for those servos you will consider using, and run wiring appropriate to use any of them. You can also install a seperate conduit and run the wires later and put off making the decision of which A/P to get.

It is a little easier to install the brackets prior to closing up the wing, but I do know that the TruTrak A/P roll servo bracket can be installed through the wing's access hole without too much trouble. Installing the pitch servo is probably a lot easier if you do it before installing the aft skins but, with a QB, that is an irrelevant consideration.

There is a good arguement to be made in putting decisions such as these off for as long as you can, but putting things off until later also means there will be more decisions later on that will have to be made. I am currently match drilling my aft top skins to my 9A's fuse, and have barely begun to even think about instruments - I have been putting that, and other decisions off - and I am now being faced with a lot of decisions that I will have to make very quickly or my work will come to a standstill. Oddly, I did settle on the TruTrak A/P when I was about the close up the wings, and I am glad that is one less decision I have to face now. So, my advice is to try to spread out those decisions. I don't think there will be any major breakthroughs in A/Ps in the near future, and the brackets run on the order of $100.

Jeff R said:

I don't think there will be any major breakthroughs in A/Ps in the near future, and the brackets run on the order of $100.

Click to expand...

Hmm, might want to check Kitplanes in a few days.

dynonsupport said:

Hmm, might want to check Kitplanes in a few days.

Click to expand...

Figures.....but I can hardly wait.

No worries. Those brackets will still work just fine, and so will any wires you happened to run. It's just that your wallet will be heavier when we're done with you.

Hmmm

Having installed wiring and brackets for TT AP servos, you have to imagine what I might be dreaming up, and how it relates to my already on the bench D180 . . . . good thing I haven't cut into the panel yet . . .

Please be sure to update the Dynon website (immediately, like that second) once it hits . . . .I'll be out of town!

Rick 90432 Fuse - spending today building the %*@&)@&$!!! rollbar.

There's a whole discussion about our autopilot that ended up going on over in the Glass Cockpit area:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=28172

The cat is out o' the bag.

Well.....

You were glass cockpits.... till today.

A/P

Experimental Chaos said:

This may be a bit vague, I?m working on my QB-7 wings, and plan on installing an auto pilot, but at this point don?t know what kind, or any other details. My question is, can I pre-wire i.e. ?run wire to the bay that the servo will eventually be installed? Is there a generic tray or bracket I could install at this time to attach the servo to later? And, What do I need to run for wires if any of this is possible? Or do I need to decide what the heck I?m doing and contact the manufacturer for details?

Thanks for any help,

Click to expand...

Mike,
Just run your conduit for now is the safest/cost effective thing to do. Servo mounts are not difficult to install after wing construction as long as you leave the bottom outboard skin off. Wiring harnesses will easily pass through the conduit, no matter which A/P that you decide upon. Might want to give SteinAir a call and discuss differences of A/P's-they are a wealth of info, probably help with your decision making process.
Mike H 9A/8A