Disclaimer

This blog is for entertainment purposes only, and is not meant to teach you how to build anything. The author is not responsible for any accident, injury, or loss that occurs as a result of reading this blog. Read this blog at your own risk.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Ch 22 - Electrical/Avionics - Part 21

Panel #5 - design
  
“Come on, you should have seen this coming!”

Really, panel #5 was already being lusted over as I was cutting #4 on the CNC plasma table.

This is not going to be a new design but an incremental improvement to the old concept, and will still allow the panel to be removed as a whole, and brought home for further tinkering.

The first thing you should know about the old panel is that it has been performing very well, and has logged quite a bit of IMC, as well as a few actual instrument approaches, and if you made it to Sun & Fun 2019 you would know that getting out of there and making it home would not have happened any other way.


Leaving S&F 2019 required an IFR clearance since most of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were socked in tight.

At this point I could have just been happily flying about (and I have), but there is just one more thing that I wanted to incorporate into the panel… a COM2.

Although there are many reasons why that is a worthy addition, let’s just say it helps lower your workload during IFR operations by allowing you to remain on Center frequency with COM1 while checking the ATIS/AWOS (weather) simultaneously on COM2, it is also a great backup in case  of COM1 failure, turning an emergency situation requiring priority handling from ATC (read unpleasant paperwork), into a non event.

Problem is that you cannot just have two radios without a way of switching between them, so adding a second radio would necessarily require adding an Audio Panel as well.

Next thing you know, this past Christmas Santa brought JT a new Trig remote radio and a Trig audio panel. I know, JT is such a lucky girl. I wish I had gotten something that nice for Christmas ðŸ˜‰.


Trig remote radio TY-91

Trig audio panel TMA45

Needless to say, the upgrade would require a complete redo of the panel, its backplate, and the wiring, So, I spent most of January and February figuring things out, and that required a few email exchanges with the Trig folks which by the way have been delightful to work with.

Let me first remind you what JT’s panel #4 looks like…


Not a Beasley or Wade Parton's like panel, but very effective and redundant.


And now what I envision it to be like…


Moved things around a little, and added 8 repeater lights for important GNS480 functions

Back plate got expanded a little and now has a few more holes in it

The black box sitting over the GNS480 is a Deslumpifier

The Deslumpifier is basically a bank of capacitors (plus other electronic wizardry) that keeps the GPS from shutting down and rebooting during possible engine restarts near the runway (read CHT management).



Photoshopped new panel

Wiring was a bit of a challenge, and a year after panel #4 I had mostly forgotten how to use the OmniGraffle software, so I had to figure that out all over again. Adding the two new units affected a lot of other systems due to changes in the back plate connectors choices.

This is what I have drawn up so far (bear in mind it all could be wrong and/or change at any time)


Instrument panel wiring

Radio and audio panel wiring

Infinity stick and Push To Test wiring

Instrument panel power delivery wiring

ADS-B out wiring

ELT wiring


So, we are talking about doing quite a bit of work during the colder months of the year in a cold and dimly lit hangar that is 45 minutes away from my home. I am sure I could do a  much better job in my shop at home since it is insulated, heated/cooled, electrified (new 250A panel), and brightly lit by twelve 4’ fluorescent lights, plus I could work in my pajamas.

As much as I weighted the pros and cons of taking JT apart and bringing it home versus working in the hangar, it was difficult to make that decision, but eventually I elected to work from home.

Next time I’ll go over what it took to bring JT home.