Switching gears a bit here, I have also posted several new pages on my site regarding my Panel! I'm excited to have my panel design finalized and some significant updates to report. Many of you probably already know that I decided to go with Advanced Flight Systems, and working with Rob and Jeffery at Advanced has been a totally delightful experience. Those guys are the best! So I created a sub-menu for all my Panel update pages here:
Instrument Panel - Construction Log The first page gives a lengthy discussion of my thought process and decision-making. I went through quite a few iterations before landing on this one.
To save money and savor the experience (rolling the eyes a bit... it's really all about the money), I'm cutting my own panel. With everyone doing fancy CAD designs and having things laser cut or precision water-jetted, I dreaded this idea at first and wondered if I'm crazy. I don't have easy access to all of those things, wonderful as they are. Then, I remembered that thousands of RV's are finished and flying, and my guess is that many of them, if not most, were probably hand-made by their builders. So I dove into this. Cutting your own panel is not as bad as I thought! The layout wasn't that hard either. Just use full-size drawings and tape them to the panel blank. I did use a software program called XPanel for the design, and the result is the graphic you see here. But I digress...
Here's my finalized panel design, showing the AFS-5600 screen, and the other components. It will be a VFR panel at first, with room enough to install a second screen down the road, if I choose to. I installed a map box, because I don't think you can have too much storage space for small items. You will also notice that I love rocker switches. More on that in a moment.
Next to the main screen, I have an Advanced Flight Systems Intercom, and I will have the Advanced Com Radio, the Autopilot seen below that, and a Garmin Aera 500 GPS. I already have the Aera 500, so I may as well use it until if/when I install a second Advanced screen. I very carefully measured and laid things out so a second, smaller screen will fit if I take out the GPS. The AF-5500 will fit perfectly. I can also mount an iPad or something similar, if I choose to, in place of the GPS. So I have options without having to redo the entire panel. At least for now. My transponder will be remote mounted. Over to the right of the map box, you'll see the control for the ELT transmitter, which will be mounted behind the baggage bulkhead. And below that, I have installed two 12-V power outlets; one is switched to the Master, the other one is unswitched. I'll use it to check/charge the battery without having to pull the cowling.
You will also notice the absense of any fuses, breakers, etc. I have installed a Vertical Power VPX-Pro for all of my wiring. So it's a nice clean panel, simple VFR but with a LOT of capability.
I mentioned my switches. I have always favored rocker switches. I just really like them. Vans is now using them exclusively in the RV-12, the RV-14, and lots of other builders are coming onboard with them as well. The trouble for a do-it-yourselfer like me is, I'll be cutting my own panel. Cutting all those precise rectangular holes in the panel is not only a lot of work, but trying to get them all exactly lined up with each other so they look good and not like some amateur hatchet-job is a real challenge. And then... there's all the labeling. Well... Advanced Flight Systems has taken care of all of this, by using switch panel plates that have been custom cut and powder-coated, labeled, and ready to go. They're fantastic! They're using them in their Advanced Quick Panel design, and all I have to do is cut out one rectangular hole for each switch panel, and put them in. Done! So I'll have three of them... one just to the left of the EFIS, above the key switch with 4 rocker switches in it, another one just to the bottom right of the EFIS, with 5 rocker switches in it. Then, I'm installing a third one below my Map Box on the right of the Panel. This will have 2 switches in it.
So here's a shot of the panel-cutting job. I used a sharp needle-like scribe and a straight-edge ruler to scribe the lines precisely where I'll be cutting. These scribe lines are much more precise than a sharpie or some other marker.
So how do you cut a panel? My die grinder and this cut-off wheel from Vans did the trick! Just stay inside the lines, and file down carefully to the line. The round hole for the key ignition switch required extra time and care. It has a little tab that sticks in a notch in the switch body, to keep it from rotating in use. So you have to drill the hole undersize, then carefully file it to full size, leaving the little tab in place. A bit tedious and time-consuming, but easy enough if you're careful. I didn't have trouble with it at all.
I used a set of files of various shapes and sizes. Round, triangle, flat files, needle files. They were all useful. I was thrilled to see the ignition switch in place for the first time. Here you can also see the scribed lines much better. See how the switch panel will be a single rectangular cut-out, with the corners left in for the hardware? Incidentally, Jeffrey also gave me some PEM nuts. These are amazing! You drill a precise-sized hole, and they squeeze in with your rivet squeezer. They make a permanent "nut" in place on the back side of the panel, for the machine screws that hold all this stuff in place. Kind of like a platenut without the rivets. No messing around trying to get washers and nuts on the hardware behind the panel... just screw the items into the panel and you're done! And if you need to remove anything in the future for maintenance, it's a piece of cake. All you need is a screwdriver. All done from the front.
Most of the cut-outs are finished at this point. A friend loaned me a real Advanced Flight Systems bezel blank (without the EFIS screen, of course) for fitting purposes. This was extremely helpful to make sure I did the cuts accurately, and also to drill the corner holes for the machine screws that will hold it in place. Looking closely, you'll see the rectangular switch panel opening cut out on the left, the corners are drilled for the mounting hardware. Below that, you can see the ignition switch opening with the little anti-rotation tab left in place. To the right of the EFIS, the cut-outs for the Intercom and the COM can be seen, and below that for the autopilot (paper picture image in place). I still need to drill the 4 corner holes for the autopilot. Below that, I still need to cut out the switch panel that is marked with a black marker. I want to more precisely locate it, then use the scribe to make fine lines. Much more accurate than a sharpie. Finally, to the right of that, the Garmin Power/Data cable for the GPS is already cut, drilled, and installed. This will provide power for the unit (not dependent on its battery) and it will provide data to the main screen. The Aera 500 easily snaps in and out of this, and I'm extremely pleased with it.