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N159SB G3X Panel Upgrade Status

Brantel

Well Known Member
This thread will serve as a place where I will document start to finish the process of turning this:

vyxhl0.jpg


into this:

Click for big version...


Mounted remotely will be:

GDL39
DeltaPop UAT antenna for the GDL39
GTX23ES transponder
VPX-Pro
Aera 796 GPS

After much sole searching, many sleepless nights, selling of body parts, many calls and emails, the order commitment has been sent to Stein.

I have ordered my panel blank to be machined, powder coated, engraved and in filled by Front Panel Express. So far they have been excellent to work with and I will be posting an example of their work hopefully next Tuesday.

Here is a screen shot of the panel blank from the FPE CAD/Costing/Ordering software:

Click for big version...


As soon as I get started ripping out the old stuff, I will be posting it for sale here in the classified's. Be on the lookout for these great items as each and every one of them have given me excellent service.

Thats all for now....

UPDATE:

Due to a color matching issue, I decided to change gears and order a second panel that is Grey to match the rest of the interior. Here is an updated rendering of the panel:

Updated 12/9/2013 to show the Dynon D6 that replaced the Gemini PFD.

 
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Wow

Looks fantastic. I assume this setup will give you the full boat of ADSB capability. We have a single 696 in our plane (along with the GRT setup) and I am always impressed of the capability and quality of the display.

Good luck! Keep us posted.
 
Looks fantastic. I assume this setup will give you the full boat of ADSB capability. We have a single 696 in our plane (along with the GRT setup) and I am always impressed of the capability and quality of the display.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Thanks,

Yes, the GDL39 interfaces with the G3X system to display FIS-B weather, TIS-B and dual band air to air traffic. The remote mounted GTX23ES transponder along with the GTN650 provides the ADS-B out function.
 
That would be an interesting and long thread Brian. Surreal Reality. That's a lot of gas in that panel enough to get around the globe I guess . Keep us posted no delay please ... :D

One question; Any reasons for keeping iComm? Definitely nice looking but other then that why?
 
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That would be an interesting and long thread Brian. Surreal Reality. That's a lot of gas in that panel enough to get around the globe I guess . Keep us posted no delay please ... :D

One question; Any reasons for keeping iComm? Definitely nice looking but other then that why?

A ton of the fun of this hobby for me is the engineering, integration and technical side of making and using such a panel. Some are natural born repeat offenders building many airplanes, I think I am something like that but with panels!

The icom is staying because I already own it and it works great for a second com. No good reason to get rid of it....

With it and the 650, I can listen to 4 frequencies at once.
 
Very nice! And just to think that I recently cringed, writing the check for $14,000 for my -12 Avionics. I'd hate to write THAT check for your amazing panel. :eek:

It's going to look spectacular!
 
Treasury

Very nice! And just to think that I recently cringed, writing the check for $14,000 for my -12 Avionics. I'd hate to write THAT check for your amazing panel. :eek:

It's going to look spectacular!

Brian:

I need you to adopt me. How would you like to adopt me and my RV-8? She sure could use a new panel too. I'd help keep yours washed and polished!:D
 
Saving lots of money by leveraging items I already own like the GDL39, 796, Gemini PFD. Getting the GX-Pilot as a Chrismas gift (I hope if I'm good) All proceeds from sale of removed items will go straight to the bottom line. Doing as much of the work myself helps as well. Not made of money but like many people say, if you want it bad enough, you will find a way. That's how the plane was originally completed so it should work for this as well.

I give all the credit to the big man upstairs!
 
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Curious about why remote the 796?

What are your plans for the 796? Why remote? Just curious what you have in mind that you are not already getting from your G3X?
 
What are your plans for the 796? Why remote? Just curious what you have in mind that you are not already getting from your G3X?

Nothing really other than I love the 796 and its interface. It makes for a great backup to the G3X as far as situational awareness, terrain avoidance, charts and plates, weather and traffic go. If the G3X system dies, I still have a ton of features in the 796 to complete the mission. I now run a paperless cockpit so I like the idea of having a backup display for charts and plates. Being portable it also can be used for flight planning and the like.

Remote mount was most likely a poor choice of words on my part. It will find a home on a Ram ball mount someplace just not mounted on the main panel.

Time will tell on how much I use it with the new panel. If it turns out not so much, I may sell it. Just not ready to part with it yet. It is an amazing device.
 
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Great layout...Rather than reinventing the wheel. Could you post the FPD file of your design. I'm building a 7 also.
 
I'm flabbergasted! That's a lot of panel. Do your knees still fit under all of that?

I'm doing a front plate panel too on a stock Van's tip up panel and there's only an inch or two between my knees and the bottom of my panel. I'm always amazed at how far some builders can extend their panels downwards.
 
I'm flabbergasted! That's a lot of panel. Do your knees still fit under all of that?

I'm doing a front plate panel too on a stock Van's tip up panel and there's only an inch or two between my knees and the bottom of my panel. I'm always amazed at how far some builders can extend their panels downwards.


It is + 1.5" more than stock same as the existing panel. I am only 5' 9" so it is a non issue for me. I have had passengers as tall as 6' 4" and they had no issues.
 
Brian, this is amazing. I like the way you have grouped your switches. Very nice way to organize them and keep it clean and functional. Are you going to be using Vertical Power, by any chance?

I couldn't help but notice the blue control cable knob. Does this mean you're getting a new prop, and going constant speed, too? If so, I'm curious about what you're getting?
 
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Brian, this is amazing. I like the way you have grouped your switches. Very nice way to organize them and keep it clean and functional. Are you going to be using Vertical Power, by any chance?

I couldn't help but notice the blue control cable knob. Does this mean you're getting a new prop, and going constant speed, too? If so, I'm curious about what you're getting?

Thanks Bruce. Many here had lots of input on the panel. I also know what I like and don't like about the existing one so that helped with the layout. My old panel was built around a big fuse block but the new one is going to be a VP-X Pro. The integration provided in the G3X and VP-X combo is simply awesome functionality.

The Blue knob is there for a future upgrade. I went ahead and had the hole cut in the panel but it will be filled with a plug initially. If or when I upgrade the prop most likely it will be a BA Hartzell. I need the extra weight up front and it is hard to beat Van's price for those.
 
Cut, powder coat, engrave new front panel....CHECK

Finally something real instead of being all in virtual world!

Got my new front panel blank in from Front Panel Express today.

Here is the link to the web album with more photos and comments.

This post will serve as sort of an unboxing/mini review of what you can get from FPE. I have no affiliation with FPE other than being a new customer. I did not even know anything about them until a while back when Mark posted a coupon code available.

This panel came in a little shy of $300 delivered. That includes a 20% off coupon which seems to be standard for them if you look around for a code.

Now I know some will say that is too high but I have already built one airplane and I know what stuff cost. I totally built my first panel myself, cut the panel by hand, painted and labeled it. I have never been happy with it due to the low quality paint and labels. By the time someone pays for the sheet metal blank, gets it delivered, cuts it, does the body work, buys the paint and paints it or has it painted or powder coated and then does some sort of labels, I can almost bet that there won't be much difference in the cost....

The way their process works is you use their free Front Panel Designer software to design your panel the way you like it. Their software quotes the project in real time as you go so you always know where you stand. The software is fairly easy to use. There are a few limitations however in the tools available but FPE does give you the option to import more complex stuff from other full blown CAD programs so you can still end up with whatever you want.

Once you are happy with your design, you can order it over the Internet right from the software. Their standard delivery time is 5 working days and their flat rate shipping charge is $4.95.

One thing to be aware of is that if you ask for engraving after powder coat, you will get charged another $15.50 fee that is not automatically applied by the software.

Today when I got home, I found this huge box on my porch:

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The panel is in their somewhere!

Included in the box were not one but two Gummy Bear packages. The kids loved them!

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The crazy big box had this inside under the airbags:

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And inside that was the panel blank wrapped in tissue paper:

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Here is the end result:

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Here is a detail shot of the engraving/infill work:

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There are a few more detail shots in the album link above. You can zoom in to the big versions....

Needless to say the packaging was top notch! I doubt it could be done any better. Remember it was only $4.95 flat rate!

I have studied the finish that FPE applied to the panel blank. I would say it is not perfect but close. The powder seems to be applied evenly. There is a slight texture to the finish which is exaggerated in the photos by the camera flash but it is there. I would classify it semi-gloss. The quality of the engraved and infilled text is very good. If you look at the panel with just the right light and angle, there are a few places that look like they may have been touched up but I can't tell for sure. These spots are very small and most are near text that has been engraved. You have to try really hard to see them. Overall the finish seems to be cured very well and ready for use. The back of the panel is coated as well.

Before anyone ask, I plan to reuse the angle that goes around the top and behind the panel on the tip-up. I will make a new angle to go along the bottom. I plan to use some nice contrasting 4-40 hex head pan screws to fasten the angles and the radio stack rails. I want this panel easy to change out in the future if I decide to upgrade....(just kidding) really though, I like the tech look of nice screws around the panel.

My final comments are that I think FPE can offer a good value to the homebuilder. Just make sure you know what you are getting and you should be fine. I would do it again but be sure to search for a coupon code to get the 20% off.
 
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I forgot to mention that if you plan to have your panel coated after machining, you need to leave clearance for the powder in all of the holes and cut outs. I just went with an extra .010" which looks like it was too much. I would only do + 0.005" next time...
 
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The update for this week....

At this point I am awaiting delivery of avionics and working on a list of materials I will need to make the conversion happen. There will be a ton of wire, connectors, terminals, shrink tube, labels, ties etc. needed. I have a bunch left over from the original build but I will need more.

I am also not convinced I want to use the Red panel or not. The Red does not match my exterior paint that well. I am considering going with Grey that will match the interior. FPE gave me 50% off my next order (they took an extra day so they offered the discount) so I may pull the trigger on a Grey one.

I could get started ripping out the old panel but I am undecided on when to start that as it will render the plane grounded till the conversion is complete. I am most likely going to wait till I have most of the components in hand before executing the teardown.
 
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When I did the Powder Coat at FPE for mine I didn't change any tolerances and things fit quite nicely. I'm not sure I would enlarge any openings unless something was already an exact fit of close tolerance.
 
Panel Ripping Time!

Spent a couple hours tonight starting the ripping out of the old panel....

First step, removed everything from the interior that is not nailed down:

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Next step, turn it on for one last power up for old times sake:

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Most of the avionics removed...I also got most of the switches out tonight but forgot to take a pic:

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Most of the old system laying on the bench ready to be boxed up and shipped to a new home! Adios!

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The goal for tomorrow is to get the rest of the stuff out of the panel and pull it. I will have to remove the engine control cables to make that happen.

When I got home, I found some of the supplies I ordered have arrived. I normally order all the things I can from Stein but I wanted an ACS key switch and needed an oil filter cutter so I added some stuff to the order to get free shipping:

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Ironic that all of the older Dynon stuff is going out but yet something new from Dynon is going in....

The majority of the wiring supplies are due in from Stein tomorrow. The VP-X Pro is due in on Tuesday of next week.

I am told my new avionics are on their way and I should have them late next week.
 
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I'm definitely watching your progress. My plane is now down for a panel redux (just a modern simple VFR panel).

You have a nice panel already so the new one is going to be outstanding!
 
Panel Upgrade

Man...I'd like to upgrade to what you are taking out. I'm realizing I built my aircraft a long time ago!

Joe
RV 4 C-FYTQ
 
Panel

I feel your pain and share in your joy! I am about 90% thru the process of installing a full blown Skyview system in my 9A project. A lot of decisions on placement and wiring have happened in a dynamic fashion as I await parts and or the resources to buy the parts. So far I love the Skiview system and I will be installing the last component, the ADS-B reciever next week. I'll wait to post pictures untill it is all finished and cleaned up.
 
constant

from what I can determine from RV folks is that one thing remains constant, changing the panel.
 
Ahh...the memories - I think it was five years ago that we did the "panelectomy" on Mikey! One thing that will make your life easier...take the canopy off now. Getting it (and the struts) out of the way will really open up the work space.

Paul
 
from what I can determine from RV folks is that one thing remains constant, changing the panel.

A blessing and a curse. Try doing what Brian is doing with a certified plane and you'd need to win the lottery!
 
Ahh...the memories - I think it was five years ago that we did the "panelectomy" on Mikey! One thing that will make your life easier...take the canopy off now. Getting it (and the struts) out of the way will really open up the work space.

Paul

Yes Paul, that is the plan! I need a helper to get it off....

I want to work on the seal area anyway and I can't do that with the canopy on there.
 
Major damage done!

Not sure what the heck I was thinking but I have totally destroyed the panel and electrical system today :p

I should remember doing all of this wiring in the past but I look at it today and it feels like someone else did it.

I started out the day clearing out the antenna farm on the canopy:

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Here is how it looks with nothing but the leftovers remaining:

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Then it was on to removing the trays and the old power system:

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Then I pulled the cowling (and scratched it) and disconnected the control cables:

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I went ahead and pulled the wires off the plugs for both the Mag and the P-mag for safety.

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Also popped off the battery lead while I was in here to prevent forest fires:

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Cowl went back on and the engine compartment went back under the blanket with the sump heater going.

At this point the old panel was able to be pulled:

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It was much neater before I started cutting all of it apart!!!
 
Removed the remaining bits and the control cables:

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Here it is all ready for the scrap heap...I had to cut the corner off to get it out without removing the covers over the center section spar.

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Sure is ugly and multi-color-faded now!


Sat the new panel in there for a test fit. It fits just like the old one. I am not liking the color at all. It is clashing with the exterior. Most likely I am going to use this one for mockup and to check for errors and order another one Grey like the interior.

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I pulled the harnesses out for the avionics and started trying to get out the intercom wiring.

That was all for today.....

When I got home I had this stuff from Stein on my porch, this and what I already have in stock should get me to a happy place again:

IMG_4840.JPG

Does not look like >$700 does it? Even with Stein's good prices, this stuff is high$! PS...when you order shrink tube in bulk, get a lifetime supply!!!!

UPS now says my VP-X Pro will be here on Monday....
 
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The VPX is an enjoyable install. I liked it anyway. I spent more time going through the planner setting up how I wanted it than I did wiring it. Did you buy the harness or are you squeezing yourself?
 
Thanks for sharing the process Brian!

This thread is both an inspiration and reassurance to me :)

I am "a buyer not a builder" and so a panel redux is a lot of new experience to me. The reassurance part? Well, I'm going thru all the same steps you are with the same outcomes.

The only difference will be the cost:capability quotient :cool:
 
The VPX is an enjoyable install. I liked it anyway. I spent more time going through the planner setting up how I wanted it than I did wiring it. Did you buy the harness or are you squeezing yourself?

I am squeezing my own. I already have a heavy duty crimped for those power pins....
 
Got some more inverted time today....

This project is not for the faint at heart! One must be crazy to do this!!!!

Granted my panel conversion is just a little bit more involved due to the fact that I am switching to the VP-X Pro....

Anyway, we have been blessed with some warmer weather so I am taking as much advantage of it as I can while maintaining a healthy family vs airplane ratio...if I built an entire airplane before, surely I can pull this off!

Today I spent several more hours inverted in the position trying to remove the Dynon system harnesses without destroying em to the point they can't be reused. I think I am succeeding.

Another thing I am trying to do is not cost myself extra work by making sure I don't pull out stuff that does not need to come out and to label all the wires that had to be cut from the old switches and fuse block. This takes a ton of time but I know it will be worth it later on when I am inserting the new heart of the power system.

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Foam is your friend !!!
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The top cowl had to come off again for the removal of the EMS harness. This should be able to go right back on someone else's airplane.
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The fruits of my labor today:
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I could not get the EFIS harness out today because I need to pull the baggage bulkhead to be able to get to the remote compass. I did not want to cut this multi-conductor shielded cable that connects to that. I am going to try and use it to pull in the new Garmin cable at the same time I pull that old cable out. I have a plastic pipe conduit ran down the center section of the fuse that all of the aft wires and cables pass thru.

So far here is a pile of the screws and other small bits that I have had to remove to get to this point. There are tons more terminals and wire bits that are not shown....ALL of this came out of my pockets!

IMG_4846.JPG


I am sort of enjoying the process of getting back reacquainted with my airplane's systems. It is giving me a chance to get a good look at some areas that do not normally get much attention. I know that the rip is the easy part and that it will take many times more time to go back together with it but I intend to have fun doing it and hope to make a much better job of it this go round. I don't have the same self inflicted pressure to just get it done this time like I did back when I was building it the first time.

I only have one deadline this go round: Airventure 2013!!!!
 
Remember why Brantel said it was taking so long to rip this stuff out!

He is labeling EVERYTHING!

It is going to be an Awesome panel!
 
Not a ton of work today on the airplane because our family has always went to Church three times a week and the airplane takes back seat on Sundays.

I was also distracted in a good kind of way as my middle one finally figured out how to ride her bike today without training wheels or trips to the ER....I helped her for a bit and in about 10 minutes she figured it out. Of course she would not accept anything short of me watching her for a long while. Proud papa moment....

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This area in Red has been my kids playground for years now.
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Basically what I got done today was to remove the baggage bulkheads and pull up the floors. I then proceeded to pull the Dynon remote compass's shielded cable out while pulling in the two cables for the G3X remote compass. Dynon only had one, G3X has two.

IMG_4849.JPG


This allowed me to finally be able to pull the Dynon EFIS harness out of the plane. One less harness in the plane, one more harness added to the pile in the floor!

This is no small feat for a fat man! It is a circus act for me to get into the aft fuse. I always make sure there are no cameras around for miles before I perform this act.....

IMG_4851.JPG


Next I will work on getting the Dynon remote compass out. The bracket can stay but the compass must go. I will also pull the Dynon servo while I am in there.

VP-X Pro is at the local terminal and should be here to the house tomorrow. I am eager to get that installed and have the electrical system whole again!!!
 
My oldest girl also learned to ride at the hanger this year, my youngest still on training wheels learned about road rash on pavement trying to keep up!
 
Well, you sure are scaring the newbies like myself! :eek:

It's not as bad as it may look.

The VP/X makes the electrical system a piece of cake. Their online configurator helps you organize your requirements quite well.

If you buy your avionics through vendors such as Aerotronics or SteinAir, they will provide schematics and wiring harnesses.

Even building your harness for the avionics and power isn't that hard. It just requires a little attention to detail and patience for a lot of repitition.

I found the process of building my harness very educational. Most of the manuals have very detailed instructions on how to wire the various connectors. One of the key benefits is that there is no "magic" in my RV and I know exactly how everything is connected and works after I finished the wiring.

Most of the devices are serial in nature, regardless of the specific protocol. That means on end of the wire is connected to a transmit pin (Tx) and the other end is connected to a receive pin (Rx). All you have to do is to determine which devices need to talk to each other. If you have the time and desire, you can save yourself signifcant dollars. If you get stuck, please consider paying the vendors time and materials for their assistance. It's only fair if your are building the harness yourself. You'll still come out ahead in the long term plus gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about your avionics in the process.
 
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VP-X Pro arrived, configuration complete....

Back when Garmin decided to support the VP-X Pro system with the G3X, I knew that if I ever decided to go with a G3X, I would have to go Vertical Power as well. The integration/functionality offered by this combination is just too good to pass up for a techno geek. When this install is done, I will have went from one extreme to the other in regards to an aircraft electrical system. My first was all done with fuses with the only breaker being on the alternator field. The new system will be all state of the art microprocessor controlled solid state switching and overcurrent protection.

Today I got home to find the VP-X Pro system had arrived. It was well packaged with lots of foam protecting it. Included is the packing list and a quick start document to point you in the right place. I chose to not select the available factory made wiring harness and instead chose the connector kit only. This kit was included in the box along with a crossover Ethernet cable for initial configuration of the unit, the mounting brackets and the VP-X Pro unit itself wrapped in an anti-static bag.

The connector kit seems to be filled with very high quality parts and at first glance looks to include some extra pins and stuff. Also included is a tool to help you remove pins when needed.

There are times in this day and age when you buy something and once it arrives you get the sinking feeling that it either is not going to work as advertised, it is build cheaply and won't last or that the manufacturer is just barely hanging on by a thread. I have to tell you that the VP-X Pro is none of those things and so far it has exceeded my expectations.

Each and every step in the process I have went thru to get this device configured has been a complete pleasure. The software planning tools on the website just work and work well. I did not find any bugs and only one annoyance. This is something that not many manufacturers can claim. The actual software configuration tool used to configure and download to the VP-X downloaded, installed and worked perfectly on my Windows 7 machine. I was able to complete the configuration without even reading the directions with the exception of needing to know what IP address to configure my PC's Ethernet port to.

The following will be some screen shots and brief descriptions on how I got the VP-X up and running in about 15 minutes:

First thing I did was read the short one page quick start document that comes with the VP-X that tells you what pin to ground along with +12V to the main power pin to get the unit powered up for configuration.

I then went to the Vertical Power website and downloaded the VP-X configuration software and installed it. This is a no-brainer....

Once that was done and I powered it up all I needed to do was use the supplied crossover cable to connect the VP-X to the computers Ethernet port. Then I had to set the IP address of the Ethernet port so that the computer and the VP-X were on the same subnet so they could talk to each other.

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When you have that done, you can launch the software and you get this screen:

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All you have to do is click the button for Ethernet and the software will go online with the VP-X and upload the current configuration out of it. The default config is blank so you have to either configure it from scratch or you can use the online software planning tool to create a configuration file for you to download into the VP-X. I chose to complete the online software planning tool several days ago.

The planning tool is very well done and works great. Basically all you do is answer a bunch of questions and then press a button and presto! Your configuration file is created. Once you have your file created, you can request a review by Marc and his team back at the Vertical Power headquarters and they will give you tips and advice on how you might want to massage your configuration to get the most out of the system and to take advantage of the redundancy features of the VP-X. My first pass had some things that Marc did not like so I corrected them and sent it in for another review and he gave me a thumbs up.

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The planning tool will then generate a wiring diagram for you as well as a cross reference document showing all the pin configuration information. You also get the ability to download the configuration file for saving on your computer so you can download it into the VP-X:

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VP-X Pro arrived, configuration complete....Part 2

So now that you have the configuration all you need to do is download it into the VP-X:
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Once the configuration has been downloaded you can explore the software. There are a few features that must be adjusted on a live VP-X box that the software planning tool cannot do for you. Those are things like Wig-Wag, Flaps and Trim functions that require some sort of calibration or extended parameters set.

Most all of this stuff is self explanatory and easy to configure without much help. There are even some buttons so you can test the system out when installed right from your computer.
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The status page fills you in on any system faults and the status of the inputs:
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You have the ability to send fake EFIS data to the VP-X to test your configuration:
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VP-X Pro arrived, configuration complete....Part 3

Last but not least I wanted to touch on the device control screen. This screen lets you control all of your devices right from the computer. It also even indicates overcurrent as well as no-current faults where configured and even lets you reset the pins if they are faulted. This is a cool troubleshooting tool that would allow someone to control and test out their systems without any switches connected and without an active EFIS talking to the VP-X.

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While the above may look intimidating at first, it really is not and this system is easy to get out of the box and get configured quickly with no experience with the unit. Marc and his team have done an awesome job perfecting this product, the documentation, tools and software needed to make it work.

Here is a video explaining a ton of what I went over briefly above:
http://vimeo.com/17655667

Very excited to get this thing installed as the heart of my electrical system!
 
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Thank you for the detailed write-up, Brian.

We have so many cool things we're working on at VP, that I think we forget sometimes how equally cool our bread-and-butter VP-X is. Even while we're working on emerging technologies (VP-400 with iPad Configurator, RunwaySeeker, and a bunch of stuff we're not talking about yet), we're also not neglecting the VP-X. Expect a new version of the VP-X Configurator tool real-soon-now; it will largely look and behave just like the version you documented in your posts above, but we've fixed several bugs, improved reliability, and added a few important features (like reflex flap positioning for RV-10s).

Anyway, when we're all heads down on our projects here, it's really great to hear from satisfied customers like you; Marc passed around your praise to the whole team this morning, and it buoys our spirits and encourages us to keep working on the cool stuff scattered around our benches. Thanks again!

--
Stephen
 
Once that was done and I powered it up all I needed to do was use the supplied crossover cable to connect the VP-X to the computers Ethernet port. Then I had to set the IP address of the Ethernet port so that the computer and the VP-X were on the same subnet so they could talk to each other.

Acutally, the VPX Configurator software will do this for you automatically.
 
Acutally, the VPX Configurator software will do this for you automatically.

It may on some computers but it tried and failed on mine. I knew what the issue was so I just went ahead and did it manually.

It was my fault however because I did not read the directions.....the auto-configuration of the Ethernet port feature of the software did not know how to deal with my unique configuration on my PC. If I had a normal setup, my guess it would have worked just fine.
 
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Another satisifed VPX purchaser

I don't remember having to fool with the IP address on my computer when I connected to the unit and used the configuration tool. But I got the Sport so the setups probably are different. I did some soul searching before I purchased my unit because I already had my plane wired. Of course the VPX product wasn't available when I started. But after I got my EFIS it just made sense to get a unit so I could display my electrical system on the screen. If you are going to utilize an EFIS in your plane the VPX is at a minimum the only way to go. This from a builder on the low end of the financial scale.
 
Little Teaser

I just can't resist making Brian agonize over waiting for his big Xmas Boxes to arrive! Everyone gets to see his new goodies at the same time he does! :)

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