More Wire Routing
On Sunday I continued running wires for the fuselage electronics, in particular the autopilot servos and the magnetometer. I also gave some thought about how to secure the wires and created some small brackets so that I could use cushioned clamps inside the center tunnel. The brackets are made...
Wiring for Headsets
I began laying out the wires in the center console for the headsets. I’m using lacing cord, spaced every 12 inches, to tie together the wires into a bundle. I’ll do this for other groups of wires too. This is the first time I’ve used lacing cord, and it...
Tosten Grips Arrived
With all the updates I posted yesterday, I forgot to mention that I also bought a pair of Tosten “Military Style” grips. They arrived in the mail yesterday, and they look and feel amazing! Very high quality finish, and the switches have a satisfying feel to them. I ordered...
Instrument Panel Planning
In addition to working out plumbing for fuel and brakes, I’ve spent a lot of time the last two weeks investigating the various avionics options available. I have to do this now because I haven’t settled on what my avionics suite will be. While most avionics are wired similarly,...
Amphenol Duramate Connectors
During last week’s shopping bonanza, I bought electrical connectors to use for the wing wiring. I decided to go with a product made by Amphenol called Duramate – they are a series of circular connectors available in several sizes and pin configurations that are environmentally sealed, IP67-rated, vibration-resistant, and...
Acquiring Hardware
I haven’t posted in about a week, but I’ve been pretty busy acquiring a bunch of stuff that I’ll need in the coming weeks. I decided it was high time that I think about wiring – so I did, coming up with a few diagrams, wire lists, and connector...
Whelen Lights Ordered
I’ve been looking into lighting for a long time, and I have been looking at multiple vendors as evidenced on my links page. I’ve been holding out on buying something since there have been a lot of new products that came to the market over the last few years....
Landing Light Wiring
I continued some of the electrical work for the starboard wing, securing wiring and adding electrical connectors for the lights. I also decided it was time to get rid of the shipping crate for the fuselage kit. The first crates I received last year were assembled using screws, which...
Center Fuselage Parts
In and around holiday events this past weekend I was able to put in a few hours on center fuselage parts. Not much to show, other than a bunch of floor ribs that have been cleaned and primed. Speaking of priming – I found that I spend a lot...
Left Wing End Rib
1 hour last night riveting the end rib to the left wing. It’s amazing how much stiffer the wingtip feels after riveting this rib in place. Pascal L. recommended a trick to check alignment of the trailing edge using a string. I haven’t done the aileron yet, but it...