As I cross the 1950 hr threshold, a couple things are becoming clear...#1, it will take more than 2000 hrs for me to finish this beast...and #2, the wiring of one of these airplanes, even with the help of Vertical Power, is a big task. I didn't realize going in, the amount of work involved in this process. So, if you are a newbie to wiring like I was, get ready to expend a lot of brain cells and spend a fair amount of time during this phase. The good news is I am taking big bites out of it!!
Doing the wiring under the seat, this is what my work area looks like. I am doing all of this while leaning over the fuse sidewall...bottom line is, even this relatively young back was sore after doing this for 6 hrs straight. This is where a fuse on a rotating stand would be a huge plus. I am almost done however, so it wasn't too bad. In this pic, you can see I am terminating my stick wiring harness to the terminal blocks.
On the topic of the Infinity grips...I, being very unskilled in all things electrical didn't realize that when I combined my ground wires into one...I missed three of them. I have six switches on the Infinity grips, consequently there are six grounds...one for each switch. Even though the wiring diagram doesn't say there are ground wires for each, there is. Duh..after the fact, but lesson learned. Bottom line is I have extra ground wires I don't really need. Not a big deal, I tied them together at the terminal block...build on.
Here is my Infinity stick wire harness. This terminates at the terminal block. Both the pilot and co-pilot sticks go to the same terminal block. I have read that I might have to separate the PTT functionality between the two sticks...but we'll see. I will have a switch on the co-pilot ground wire so I can disconnect all button functionality when needed....i.e., small kids that want to push buttons.
To give my aching back a rest, I moved from cockpit wiring to tying up loose ends in the FWF wiring. One of was wiring the P-mags. Here is one of my wiring harnesses...I was proud of this until I realized I already had a power wire coming from the Vertical Power...so I had to pull one the pin #5 wire and replace it.
Although I don't show it here. On the left P-mag I added a tachometer wire to pin #6, which will go directly to pin 32 on the SkyView DB37 connector. Dynon calls out a right and left tach...I contacted them via the forum and they said only one is needed. Two would be nice for redundancy though...I only have one...may rethink this?
I had to come up with a way to secure my SCAT blast tubes to the P-mags. There are several clever ways posted on VAF, but I settled on this particular one for the left P-mag. Just use safety wire running inside the tube and then tie it off on the P-mag itself. Looks like it will work just fine.
How it looks when completed...
On the right side, I was able to use an Adel clamp. Also notice the strain relief on the P-mag wire. You don't want these wires moving...also, from VAF posts, don't over tighten the small screws that hold each wire or you will smash the wire and they will come loose later.
I went around and around about whether to add an Avionics Master switch on my plane. After a lot of research and even asking Stein about it, the consensus is that with today's avionics it is really not needed and could be eliminated. In the end though, it came down to convenience for me...its easy to leave your Comm's alone (volume, squelch, etc) and be able to switch them off with the flip of a switch. So...I had to find room for this bugger since I hadn't originally planned on it. This is what I came up with. The starter switch is a "disable/enable" switch, the actual start switch will be on the stick. It will take two deliberate actions to engage the starter. I also wanted this switch up high on the panel so I could see at a glance whether is was disabled.
One last thing, notice the white spot on the AM switch...that is where a chunk of paint came off when I installed it...nice robustness huh?! Fricken CRAP! I like the look and feel of these switches, but the painted on finish is shit! It should be molded in color. I may experiment with a clear coat to protect these b/c I cant live with that.
More details coming together on the panel as I get the last components located...I am in a mode right now where I am just saying screw thinking about it anymore, just start mounting stuff. "Paralysis by analysis"...I am the king of this trait! I've agonized over placement and switch selection long enough. So, notice the small rocker switches next to the Garmin...picked those up at a local electronics store. They will be "Co-pilot stick disconnect", "Map light" and "Baggage dome light". The two dimmers on the left will control the "panel lighting" and "floor lighting". The middle red button is a "PTT button" separate from the co-pilot stick. The right two dimmers control the "Seat heaters".
Last night, I worked late and spent the night at the hangar. It was a perfect opportunity to finalize my interior lighting strategy while it was dark. Here is a shot of my baggage area accent lighting. I will tell you, I am probably going way overboard with my interior lighting...but I am fanatical about good lighting and with LED's, they are cheap, weigh nothing and have very little current draw so why not?? On top of all that, its darn fun! This looks cool. I'll unveil more of my strategy later.
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