Date

I had to grind the Gretz pitot in order for it to fit inside the mount tube.  I also had to fabricate a bracket to mount the Gretz electronic control module.  The pitot is designed to work with the ECM but the wires from the pitot are only about 18" long.  The wires must connect to the ECM as well as the power and ground.  I need to install the ECM one bay out from the pitot tube in order to have access to it via an inspection hole.  I riveted the ECM bracket in the adjoining bay with the bellcrank.

I decided to apply a piece of heat shrink tubing over the wires coming out of the pitot tube to help protect them when routed through the rib and around the bellcrank.
 
 

We also want to add an auxiliary battery for powering the primary EFIS and ADHRS prior to engine start.  Mike has done a fabulous job of combining our discussions and designing the schematic.

I started by fabricating and drilling the hinge angle as well as cutting out the bus panel out of .040 aluminum sheet.  After bending the flanges I drilled the hinge and test fit.

Next, I laid out the 20-slot Main Bus and the 12-slot Endurance Bus (E-Bus).  I alodined the components of the tray and temporarily attached the busses as well as the D25 E-Bus Diode and heatsink.

 

My Finishing Kit is shipped and should be here late next week!
 

Annunciator Fabrication

I have been looking for an annunciator light solution but decided to try and fabricate my own.  I really like the design crafted by Paul Dye.  The design can be found here.  I bought the aluminum "C" track at Lowes and cut it out using my band saw.  The display will have six lights like this:
 

I also went ahead and installed the strobe power supply.

 

I made a change with the drop-down fuse tray by removing the E-bus diode and heat sink and installing it on the rib.  I then placed the auxiliary bus on the tray.  I like this arrangement much more.

 

I also ran the 18AWG wires for the strobe power supply and used my new DYMO RhinoPRO 5000 wire labeler to label the wires.  Sweet!

 

I routed the OAT probe shielded cable through the center tunnel and behind the spar to the right wing root.  As you can see, if I want to extend the probe farther out on the wing I will need to splice more shielded cable. 

I also found that the magnetometer cable, when routed the same way, will need to be routed up the baggage bulkhead support rib and back along the top support rib.  I went ahead and glued several attach points for zip ties.

To help get the wire lengths pretty close to what they will be during final install I clamped an adel clamp to the firewall support angle.  All I have to do is follow the simple wiring diagram...

I also crimped butt splices on the strobe power supply and routed the wires through the subpanel.
 

I also crimped the pins and installed a DB-9 Female connector on the Magnetometer cable.

 

After deburring, I wired the teak stick grips and glued them to the sticks using E6000 adhesive.

Baggage Area Lights

I found some nice surface mount 6-LED lights at SuperbrightLEDs.com for mounting in the baggage area.  I was going to mount them in the side panels but Mike Behnke suggested a better location.  I fabricated two small brackets and riveted them to the small top skin support ribs.

Lastly, I went ahead and installed one of my FPS firewall penetration kits.  Although pricy, these fittings are well made and will offer the best protection for wiring through the firewall.

Control Stick Wiring
 

I found some "super strong" hook and loop at Radio Shack that will be perfect for attaching the relays and speed controller to the cabin floor between the ribs.

 

I also ran the three wires to the limit switch attached to the F-706 bulkhead. 
 

I tested the aileron trim using the hat switch.  I used my 14V power supply to energize a buss in order to test the circuit. 

 

Next, I verified I had maximum stick travel fore and aft by trimming the seat ribs where the control tube was binding.  The Dremel tool was very handy here.

I received my "Thing" from Mark Phillips at the "Possum Works" and shot it with some primer and paint.  This thing is really cool.  It will mount between the seats and is a stable structure to step on when entering the plane so you do not have to stand on the seats.  Once seated, it has a pivoting arm that can be folded back and becomes an armrest.  Oh, it also is a double-cup holder.  More on this later.

I also went ahead and installed the voltage regulator for my LED taillight (Perihelion Designs).

I received a full-scale printout of my panel design from Mike Behnke so I attached it to the panel blank and added the color cut-outs of the avionics.  Pretty cool!

Next week I will be going to Sun N Fun so I hope to snag a few deals.
 

I also bought an E-Mag, a SkyTek starter and an SD-8 alternator.

Today I finished up securing the trim system wiring from the sticks.

 

Installing Battery Cable Connectors

I stripped the insulation back 1/2" and clamped the cable in a vise.  I slipped the connector over the wire and cut 1/2" pieces of 12AWG electrical wiring and "filled the gaps".  I found that it took about 5 pieces in order to fill the connector.  I used a propane torch/soldering iron I bought at Radio Shack and heated the connector until the solder would "suck" into the wire.  I just kept adding solder until I would see it drip out the bottom of the connector.  After cooling, I added a piece of shrink tube to finish it off.  What I liked best about fabbing my own cables is I was able to orient the connectors to their exact positions.

I then installed the aux alternator relay and capacitor.

 

I also received some additional terminals so I was able to finish wiring the relays and battery contactor.

I pulled the shielded cable for the Gretz pitot indicator out the fuse side for running in the wing.  I also ran the boost pump wiring up to the panel.

 

I also installed the oil pressure transducer and the fuel pressure transducer to the manifold
 

Lastly, I installed the ARINC box to the subpanel.  I had to fabricate some .075x.075x.064" AL angle pieces to attach to both sides of the module.  I don't have the EFIS display units yet so I can't tell if there is a clearance issue... No biggie, this box can be mounted just about anywhere.

 

I temporarily zip-tied the bundles as I went in order to keep the runs the correct length and make the routing as neat as possible.  I am also labeling each termination with shrink tube using my Dymo Rhino 5000 labeler.

I also cut two large 4.0" holes in the subpanel for connector access to the two AFS EFIS screens.  I used a rubber trim to seal the edges.

Finally, I fabricated a piece of delrin material to act as a spacer and mounting block for the Gretz pitot tube LED annunciator.  I used E6000 epoxy to mount it to the rear of the panel.

 

Today I installed and wired the engine monitor harness from AFS.  I also took some time and soldered up my annunciator lights.  These lights are actually lighted DPDT switches.  With the help of Mark Phillips, who devised the wiring schematic, I can press each switch and determine if the LED is working.

I also started assembling the landing gear.
 

I also received my braided fuel lines from Brett at Bonaco.  These are the lines that run down the gear legs.  Finally, my neighbor Don, Lynne and I put the plane up on it's gear!

 

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Total Hours Wiring