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Conduit Locations

boom3

boom3

Well Known Member
I have read the threads I could find about the wing conduits and am planning on using the Home Depot .062 thin walled conduits. Hopefully I am planning ahead for everything I can think of.

Landing Lights
Nav Lights
Strobes
Heated pitot with AOA
Whatever antennas you would or could put in the tips. (Planning for IFR platform)

My plan was to use one of the conduits for lighting and the other for antenna cables. I plan on opening up the rear tooling hole so I can maximize the distance from the lighting conduit. As for the heated pitot and AOA I was just going to open up the tooling hole next to the pitot line to 7/16? and use grommets. I figure this wiring would be pretty easy to run open since it is near the inspections plates.

Any suggestions, comments, criticism? Thanks!

conduit.jpg
 
Jeff, I wouldn't put wiring at the back spar.

I would be very difficult to service if needed back there. I would run the extra line up forward next to the first run if you need the extra tube. I ran everything (wires not pitot tubes) through one tube and I used the corrugated stuff that Vans sells.

Left wing has:
strobe, nav light, landing light, nav coax, marker coax, pitot heat.

Right wing has:
strobe, nav light, landing light, comm coax, AP servo (this is a 5 wire shielded cable).

The strobe wires are from the strobe power supply located behind the baggage area.

It was tight but worked OK.

Kent
 
Thanks Kent! As far as the conduit near the rear spar, is it difficult to get to because of where it comes out at the fuselage? I don't have my full plans in front of me and I'm having trouble visualizing where the wiring would actually come into the fuselage. At the wingtip I suppose it would be a long reach from the light location to the rear spar if you didn't remove the tip.

I was thinking if there was a conduit in there, you would just have to get to both ends. Maybe that's the tough part. I'll study my full set of plans a little more tonight.
 
I agree with Kent in NOT installing a conduit by the rear spar. Also, in your drawing you have the forward conduit run through the top of the ribs. I would run it along the bottom as Van's suggests here: http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/Wing_Wiring.pdf. If you run it along the top it could sag and interfere or chafe with the aileron pushrod. If you need additional runs, you can always drill more bushing holes (up to three total) in the ribs just aft of the main spar.

I used the conduit to make the wiring runs that go all the way from root to wingtip (wingtip antennae, nav lights, wingtip lights, leading edge landing light, etc.) and I used bushings behind the main spar for all runs that terminate within the wing (roll servo, OAT sensor, probe heat, etc.). I also used separate runs through grommets just behind the main spar for my wingtip strobe wiring, just to help ensure I don't induce noise in the other wiring.

Note: if you install a magnetometer in the wingtip (I did not), I would not route the wiring in the same conduit with the wingtip comm antenna, or perhaps even the strobe wiring.

Here's my list:

Left wing: strobe light, nav light, wingtip halogen taxi light/wig-wag, leading edge HID landing light, NAV 1 antenna, OAT sensor, probe heat, pitot line.

Right wing: strobe light, nav light, wingtip halogen taxi light/wig-wag, NAV 2 antenna, marker beacon antenna, roll servo, AFS AOA lines.
 
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Also keep in mind that the aft tooling hole on the outboard rib is used to align the ailerons ... it will be a little more difficult if it is drilled out and has conduit in it...

T.
 
I ran a top and bottom split conduit. One for power and one for antenna's.

Worked pretty well. Hopefully no noise will be picked up on the radio systems.

FP13092006A00014.jpg


my two cents
-Ron
 
Forget the conduit. Extra un-necessary weight. Run a string to use in the future for pulling a new wire in with. You will probably never change it once you get it in the air and flying.
 
Thanks for that picture Ron. It looks like the conduit in the back would be a bad idea because of the aileron hinge bracket also.
 
The split conduit that I ran (Bought from Vans) probable weighs 6 oz total. Without it you risk chaffing unless you use grommets on all the ribs. Although I do have string for future pulls, you do not need it with the conduit. You can push most wires through without the string.

There are 50 millon different ways to build these things. Mine is only one. :)

-Ron
 
Sparky said:
If you run it along the top it could sag and interfere or chafe with the aileron pushrod.
Click to expand...
I hadn't thought about that. Does anyone have experience with Van's conduit sagging over time?
I am running mine along the top, near the front spar (I think Dan C. ran his in the same place). The reason I'm running it there is - rivet on top skins, install conduit, then when riveting bottom skins it's out of the way.
 
rlo1 said:
I ran a top and bottom split conduit. One for power and one for antenna's.
Click to expand...
Ron,

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your top conduit is gonna dead-end at the fuselage. It's above the seat rib profile. You're gonna have to "jog" the wires to get 'em into the fuselage from that point.

I constantly tell builders...low & aft, as in below & aft of the largest lightening hole.
 
Nice catch Dan! I am currently building the center section. I see your point. Do you think it will be a problem to sit on a wire harness??? :)

Oh well, another issue to resolve among 1000 others. This project can be overwhelming if you try to think about all the problems and issues ahead of time.

I may jog the cables in the first rib bay. We will see.

Thanks!

-Ron
 
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