"Finishing" the Instrument Panel Wiring

I put quotes around the "finishing" in the title because it turned out I wasn't done. I came to find out certain wires on my wiring schematic should have gone to the VPX and not the G3X and a few other hiccups. Nothing major, small stuff really. I think I only messed up one pin on the entire thing so I shouldn't complain. But it felt major at the time. When you're nearing the end, anything that you have to redo is going to be awful work.

I tried and tried to be really organized with the wires. And, I guess it turned out ok. I get complements from electrical engineers so I suppose I did a good job. But in reality you never see it. So as long as you can figure out where each wire goes when maintenance issues pop up then your in good shape.

I love my Passenger Warning label. : )

All finished and installed! Just need the center console and engine controls.

Wild Week of Wiring

My wife and I needed a vacation. A break from the normal drudgery. I hatched a plan. "Honey, lets take a week off work, you can stay home, draw, paint, read, shop, whatever you desire. Ayla will go to daycare so no kid to worry about. And I will do nothing but work on the plane all day and then finish each day by dinner time. Then when Ayla goes to bed we have the evening to ourselves, together, no working on the plane"  ....she thought for second..... "ok" was the reply. She got more excited as the week "staycation" approached. : ).

My plan went even deeper. I was telling Ed Kranz about the idea for a full week of nothing but airplane work. Our discussion went something like this"
    Ed: What's you goal for the week.
    Me: Not sure, I'm gonna work on wiring the panel and whatever else I need to do.
    Ed: Do you think you can have power on by the end of the week?
    Me: I don't know, maybe.
    Ed: You can't do it.
    Me: Care to make it interesting?
    Ed: I bet you cheese curds at Oshkosh you can't have the instrument panel powered on by the end of the week.
    Me: Cheese curds and a beer.
    Ed: Done

So I got to work. I had a very direct goal now. This really helped me focus. If it didn't have to do with wiring the panel I didn't do it. I ignored all urges to complete so many other non bet winning goals....stay focused....cheese curds and beer will be mine! Sunday night at midnight is my deadline.

Step one...start bolting things on. I installed the GAD 29 on the forward side of the subpanel or "behind" the sub panel. This is the only thing that I put back there. It was an easy item to install back there and it connects directly to the GTN-650 so it made wiring easy. This pic shows the four screws holding it on. Also pictured is the route I took for the ignition wires and the auxiliary fuse block.

I started wiring the GTN-650. Even though only a few wires are installed you can see the complexity of each wire.

Here is the hole thing (GTN-650 connector bundle) wired up and in the plane.

"Staycation" begins...Day One

Day Two

Day Three

What a mess of wires...don't worry it all made sense to me at the time.

Day Four....I had to work squished in the foot well.

Day Five

Getting closer...things still need to be cleaned up and tied down, but that'll be after the power on test.

Day Six

Day Seven...Sunday night at 8:15

Cheese Curds and Beer are mine!!!!!

In the end the bet was very helpful in keeping me on track. My efficiency increased every day. By the end of the week I could wire a connector in half the time it took before. About half way through I thought I was going to lose my mind in the Amazon jungle of wires I had coming and going everywhere. I still have some wires I need to run tp finish things and then everything will be cleaned up, tied up, and finished off. When I do this I'll snap some pics of the final product. Until then my power on test confirmed that all was well (FYI I did power pin checks before connecting the battery). The screens are coming back down to finish working and since the system all checked out ok and worked I feel confident in finishing everything up completely!

Panel Plan Rev 3

I rearranged the GTN and mini EFIS. I included a close out panel to lay over the instrument panel, this will hide all the screws and how the instrument panel lays over the lower rail. I also added a little design for fun. I think it's gonna look really nice.

Panel Plan Rev 2

I updated the plan. Rearranged the avionics behind the panel, added an independent mini efis, and changed to the Garmin 650.

I swapped the location of the MFD and Garmin box, which has now changed to the GTN 650 to include ILS and VOR capabilities. I also added the AvMap mini efis/adahrs, it's a standalone system completely independent of the Dynon Skyview and has it's own Pitot/Static input for airspeed and altitude readouts. I also added a second iPad mini for passenger (wife) entertainment. Behind the panel mounted iPad will be a small "glove box" storage compartment. The iPad mounted to the center console will be running Foreflight.

This is a diagram showing all the avionics, instruments, and antennas required for the aircraft. This does not include: switches, probes, lights, or sensors. Note changes: Garmin 650 instead of 635 and added the Mini Efis.

This is a diagram showing the location of each component along with other view orientations.
Note:
- All of the components have been moved onto or aft of the subpanel.
- The VP-X will be mounted on a plate that spans the instrument panel lower angle and sub panel lip. This allows easy access to the component for the large quantity of wiring that will be going to it.
- The ribs do not need to be modified. Only the subpanel will need to be modified to allow the GTN 650 installation.
- The Transceiver and Transponder are mounted directly to the existing tunnel cover side by side.
- The new center console will be made from fiberglass and can be relatively thin since the only thing that is installing to it is the iPad mini.

This is the plan for now...and is still subsequent to change at any time : )

Instrument Panel Plan

I found myself constantly wondering what to do about the instrument panel and all the avionics. The question constantly popped into my head and it was followed with more questions. Do I just build the upper forward fuselage section and worry about all the avionics later? Will it all fit? Do I want to buy or build a center console? Stock panel or expensive aftermarket panel? Layout? Shape? Size? Install now or wait? etc...etc... So I decided to model the entire system to allow me to formulate a plan and resolve a lot of the questions and concerns I had.
So here is my plan...


This is the 3D model I created to show the aircraft structure and how I want to integrate my avionics; a Dynon Skyview system with a Vertical Power ECB and a Garmin GTN 635. I will be using Van's instrument panel and new fuel selector. I will be making the center console, side console closeout panel, and fuel valve enclosure. The center console mounts an iPad mini that is removable, and when removed reveals a small storage compartment for sunglasses etc. The instruments and avionics are shown below.

This is a diagram showing all the avionics, instruments, and antennas required for the aircraft. This does not include: switches, probes, lights, or sensors.

This is a diagram showing the location of each component along with other view orientations.
Note:
- There are mount angles attached to the ribs directly aft of the firewall. These angles are there to install the panels shown. The panels stand off the firewall 1.0in (no new holes in the firewall) and will be lined on the forward side with sound proofing. The other advantage to having the removable panels in this area is the avionics can be mounted to the panel, outside the aircraft, and then the panel screwed into place.
- The VP-X will be mounted on a plate that spans the instrument panel lower angle and sub panel lip. This allows easy access to the component for the large quantity of wiring that will be going to it.
- The ribs do not need to be modified. Only the subpanel will need to be modified to allow the GTN 635 installation.
- The Transceiver and Transponder are mounted directly to the existing tunnel cover side by side.
- The new center console will be made from fiberglass and can be relatively thin since the only thing that is installing to it is the iPad mini.

This is the plan for now...subsequent to change at any time : )