Lancair Legacy Airframe control

Wooo hooo - Almost there on the panel

2010-08-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

Powered up the CO detector to make sure I knew how the CO sense line would work and if it went to ground when it should... Does.... yeah, this is the last *widget* that I have to wire on the panel. Well, actually, I have one major device left, but as far as widgets, I'm done. Next step it so clean up the grounds, tidy up the wire runs, create nice bundles. And then I just need to wire up the Audio panel (all the wires are there just waiting on pins and all those shields :) ), and then clean up the power lines and add the final Cannon plug connectors (37 pin versions) and there are 3 of them that completely isolate the panel from the rest of the airplane.

YEAH!!! Can't believe the panel is just about complete....

OMG - and the lights went on!

2010-08-07T23:33:00.002-04:00

I couldn't resist. I have 3 backup instruments - ALT, AS, AI, and all three have the UMA Electroluminescent rings on them. To make sure that I wired them correctly to the transformer, I hooked up 24v and ground to a 0-30v .5amp variable power supply and flipped the switch... Didn't let the smoke out, and varying the voltage caused the rings to dim... exactly what they are suppose to do...

Yeah, one more thing done, only a few more to go on the panel.... why did I wait so long to do this, it's actually been a bunch of fun and challenge...

OSHKOSH 2010

2010-08-06T12:33:00.002-04:00

Did managed to get to OSH for a day, enough that I figured out ADS-B and got that module ordered, and met a few friends that I hadn't seen it a really long time. Poked around a few new modules as well. TruTrak will have some small EFIS displays that will go in a 3" round hole.... my AI will be replaced with one of those as some point.

Almost done with Panel

2010-08-06T12:26:00.002-04:00

So, I've got only 4 more things to wire on the panel... Audio Panel (millions of wires it seems), the CO detector, just a couple of wires, the EL light inverter - again only 4 wires, and finally the antenna switch, which is only a couple of wires and a couple form the Audio Panel. I've got most things prettied up and tied down and I'll save putting on the big Cannon plugs for last. But the Panel is almost complete.

I had to resend my VP switch panel back for yet one other software mod, but it should head back early next week.

Once the panel is complete, I'm going to work on the Avionics Shelf. While in the end it will not be removable, I'm going to try to wire it as a removable component, and get all the objects that will go on it placed on it and the wiring runs identified.

I've already got the Control Units mounted and wired it, and I've got a couple of wires that I've got to add and move around.

The last major wiring effort will be the couple handfuls of items that are scattered around the airframe.... Flap motors, AP servos, lights, etc.

Firewall forward wiring was purchased from Lancair so it should drop in (fingers crossed), with a couple of little modifications... One for the Starter sense circuit that VP has created. It basically can tell you if you have a shorted contactor *before* you have a condition where the starter switch is always on - not good!

Pictures of the panel will wait until its complete, as I mentioned, its just a bunch of wires going every which way, not too much to write home about.

Ok, lots of changes

2010-07-20T21:09:00.005-04:00

Amazing how a clear head, some time and advancement of technology comes together to make things happen.

I've got about 40% of my panel wired now. I actually could make things turn on and off and send data between them, but for now, I'll ignore the option to let the smoke out of things until I'm closer to 90% finished.

No need for pictures just yet, it just looks like a bunch of wires all over the place :)...At this pace however, I should have something more tangible in a few more days.

Wow, it even feels good working on this stuff.

Oh, and drawings have been updated significantly, both to reflect changes in VP feature sets and to reflect some simplification on my end for how things would interconnect... I'll post that information later as well.

Alan

Been way too long

2010-07-07T14:43:00.003-04:00

Ok, so after a year worth of ignoring my Legacy, I got the bug to get it finished. Don't know what happened during the past few months, think I was mostly burned out from a variety of things...

In getting back into this, I had to dust off a bunch of information and in doing so I learned some new things as well.

a) VP has continued to add features - yeah! Some really nice ones too. They have also learned some new things about how best to wire for specific accessories.

b) one of those additions is what they call a "Starter annunciation"... Read the install docs on the VP-200, but plan to add that, it's just a single wire and a 1K ohm 1/4 watt resistor inline to one pin on CU1 or CU2 J5, pin 11 or 12.

c) If wiring a Lancair canopy seal, note, the documentation on their website is correct for wiring and parts (heck, I designed and found all of those parts), but the description has evolved. There is no annunciation for the canopy seal built in... you have to add that. Simply add a wire on the pressure switch side to either CU1 or CU2 J5 pin 11 or 12 and then configure an annunciator when the canopy seal is running

d) *if* using a TruTrak Autopilot, normally, you run 3 power wires, one to the controller, one to servo A and one to servo B.... But in talking with Marc, he said to use a single wire for power and split off of it, they can detect a disconnect by lack of current draw if done this way.

e) if using an MVP-50 you can also wire in passing through the annunciators from the MVP-50, in my case, I just pulled that wire over to the DU.

More later

2008-07-14T09:09:00.003-04:00

Above is my serial interconnect drawing if anyone would like it for reference. This isn't a very complicated panel, but I did plan some future upgrades like ADS-B, etc.

Here is the PDF version in full scale version as well http://www.highrf.com/Rockets/Comms%20Block%20Diagram-b.pdf

VP Display Unit and GPS

2008-07-14T08:31:00.002-04:00

I've been working on wiring my panel, not just the VP wires, but I decided to be one of those that figures they can do it just as well as the pro guys and am wiring *all* the wires in my panel. Ever counted how many wires just the Audio Panel has, not counting power and grounds :).

In the process, I'm also wiring all my serial interconnects. While I was doing this, I was verifying what goes to where and making sure that I had maximum flexibility going forward as Im going to upgrade to the new Chelton WAAS GPS module as soon as it's available. I learned that CFS released a SB on how best to wire the EFIS to a TruTrak AutoPilot. It seems that in the case of the Autopilot, it want's MAG corrected GPS tracks and not TRUE tracks. In order to provide that, you need to wire the Autopilot, for serial GPS, to COM09 from the Chelton, and not directly from the GADAHRS.

This caused me to wonder about this in regards to the VP DU and it's need for a serial GPS data stream. I dropped Marc Ausman a note over the weekend and he replied right away. In reality, the DU could use either, however, a byproduct of hooking up to COM09 is that you have to wait for the Chelton display to fully boot before it's providing those messages out that port and with the latest certified software, that can take minutes. If you connect the DU directly to the GADAHRS, these messages are available as soon as you have a valid GPS solution, which will happen pretty much instantaineously as long as you have view of the sky.

So, his recommendation is to connect the DU to the GADAHRS in a CFS installation.

Another Advantage

2008-06-11T08:06:00.003-04:00

I was talking with Marc Ausman of VP fame at Golden West this last weekend. I have now figured out yet another advantage that can only be accomplished with Vertical Power.

On the IO-550, there are 2 selections for the electric fuel pump - a) Low boost, really only used for after engine crank up if you need a little shot of fuel to keep things running, or if you have a partial engine driven fuel pump failure; b) high boost, used for priming, in emergency conditions where you have an entire engine driven pump failure;

Where this all comes together however is around emergency opps and what state of flight you are in, and how the little switch in the VP Switch Panel operates. Given a specific state of flight (startup, taxi, takeoff, cruise, etc), you can program the switch to just about control anything and in my case, I could set it up for high boost for prime in pre-start, for low boost for taxi incase I need a little fuel on a cold morning, for high-boost in cruise during first flight, or phase 1, until engine driven pump is proved out, etc. As you can see, the scenarios are limiitless.

NOTE: I've since learned that the capability to on the fly change a switch function will is on the future enhancements lists so you can't quite do what I suggested above, but you may be able in the future.

While this discussion is taking place around the fuel pump, it could be any other piece of equipment in the airplane. Try creating that kind of flexibility with switches or breakers - it would take a rewire for each change and you'd never be able to change it for differing stages of flight.

SECOND NOTE:
Even given that you can't on the fly change a switch function by mode of flight, you still have the flexibility of programming a switch to be function A and then later reprogramming that switch to be funciton B. For example. Perhaps you want the high boost to be on the quick switch on the VP switch panel for first flight, or during phase one, and later, after you have become comfortable that your engine and fuel system is performing correctly, could change that to just be the low boost pump on that switch. Nice flexiblity!

Way to go VP, another plus!

I'm back!

2008-05-16T10:50:00.002-04:00

Been a while since a post, so I thought I'd catch up a little.

Took a little break when I bought a company and got it on the road to success. Takes more time that you anticipate for these work related things :)

A good friend of mine designed me a custom bootup screen for my VP Display Unit. Instead of the customary *red* VP bootup screen, mine should startup looking like this :). We also did custom splash screens for the Chelton that match... Now if they will all time their boots the same :)

I should have some updates on wiring and the install in the next couple of weeks along with some new pictures... oh, we love pictures.

Taking a Break!

2008-01-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

Hi, all, been sometime since I posted here. As is always the case, my life got in the way :).

I decided to purchase a small company and as a result, needed to spend some time doing some transition and getting it up and running. That's just about finished, so my personal time should be mine again.

Stay tuned, hang in there and as always drop me an email if you need immediate answers to questions. I'm so looking forward to this VP setup and this Legacy!

Alan

Power up and upgrade

2007-09-24T09:06:00.000-04:00

I've finally finished enough of my wiring to allow me to bring up the Vertical Power system. I was a couple of Beta releases old as well, so have gone thru the upgrade procedure. No issues found at the moment. Before I comment much on the User Inteface, I'll be working thru some of the configuration required. The UI learning is just like any new software on your PC, I'll be learning the flow and patterns and then will be in much better knowledge to comment on kinks, tricks, or tips. For the most part, I'm not expecting many challenges. The Gang at VP have thot thru most of this and the USB port doubles for not only the memory stick interface, but also a real keyboard interface.

More after some configuration learnings.

Good Catch on 24v systems and Alternators

2007-07-30T12:18:00.001-04:00

Good catch by Dan Ballin a fellow Legacy builder.

In talking wth B&C about voltage regulators is seems that in a 24V dual alt system where you use the SD-20 to provide backup alternator and charging for a second battery, that you should use the LS-1A regulator with it *instead* of the LR3C.

Note this only has to do with 24V systems. If you have a 14V one, then the LR3C will work just fine.

This is because the SD-20 is used in either a 14v or a 24v system and the field winding is only a 14V winding. If you use an LR3C with this alternator, it will provide 24 volts to the field and will burn it out. If you use the LS1A, it's regulated on the field output to only provide 14V (scaled to the charging requirements) and so it won't burn out the windings.

This also has direct applicability if you got the power grid fast build option that Lancair provides. I did and got 2 LR3C's. Now I'm trying to exchange one for an LS1A.

Thanks Dan for catching this and saving me some money down the road!
All others plan accordingly.

I'll also get with VP and have them revise and note their regulator drawings.

Suggestions for "laying in the wiring harness"

2007-06-28T17:19:00.001-04:00

If you upgrade to the wiring harness that VP can provide you, here are a couple of observations.

A) Make sure you know how the connectors work and prove to yourself that you can unlock one and redo it without damaging it. Do this prior to "laying" in the harness

B) I'd suggest this order for doing the wiring around the VP harness

Lay in the harness
Group wires together that go to similar locations within the airframe
use tape or tie wraps to loosely bundle the groups mentioned in item 2 above
Determine penetration points where needed and basic wiring attachment points (this won't be all of them and don't do all the bundling and tie-wrapping yet)
Determine your ground points and install the ground connection blocks
"lay in" the ground wires parallel to the power wires from the harness and use the similar paths, penetrations, attach points, etc

C) After step (B) above you should have the basic power harness installed. Now focus on the other "signalling" functions (e.g. flaps, trim, switches, stick grips, etc)

D) Finally install and connector all the other functions (e.g. autopilot signals, serial inputs/outputs, audio, etc)

Some of these steps can be swapped depending upon how complex your equipment is, but the (B) step in the order specified is what worked the best for me.

Wires, wires, everywhere

2007-06-22T09:47:00.001-04:00

Ok, catching up on a few pictures... Harness bascially "layed in", determining where to put tie down blocks.

Other CU in similar state

Inside the tunnel

Center console

Out the front and Avionics shelf

I'll catch up on a few more pictures later today, during which time I'll be working on grounds and basic routing for "fat wires" - which will wait for their final location until weight and balance time.

LPW - latest version

2007-06-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

In case you want to look at mine, here is the link to the latest and greatest... You'll see it's version 14 :)... It did take some thinking in a couple of spots plus as I was one of the first to be putting this in a Lancair, we tweaked some things based upon the way the Lancair Flaps system works and perfected the way the canopy seal works with the VP system.

At least it will give you another example to play with... But mind you don't enter it exactly unless you know what you are doing. :)

Lastest LPW

Impressions (part 2)

2007-06-21T17:34:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about what I wrote yesterday and realized that maybe I should drop some info in the Blog about what to do differently while Planning your VP based airplanes.

a) Component placement - one of the first basic things that you'll need to thing thru is where will you put things. Not only the VP components, but also the individual devices that you'll control. When you build your LPW, you'll need to spec lengths of wire and it's certainly eaiser to make them longer and cut them off to what you need than it is to have one be short due to revised placement and then need to "splice" two wires together. This isn't a VP specific action btw, it would need to be done either way, but if you are going to buy a VP harness, you'll need to think thru this up front.

b) Grounds - Especially if you are building a composite airplane, you'll need to think thru grounding. The VP harness will give you want you need to provide power, trim, flaps, and some control functions, but it won't give you provisions for specific device grounds. If you design "cluster" spots for components to terminate their grounds that will help. Then you can use either ground terminal blocks, or other types of clustering to provide the individual grounds and then take that ground back to the central ground buss between the engine and batteries

c) Wire sizes obviously, but you'll need to do that no matter what

d) While in a traditional environment you need to think thru what goes on what buss. The concept of a main buss and an endurance buss is slightly different with a VP environment. Each CU actually has it's own "endurance" buss back to it's battery, so what you actually have to think thru in a VP environment is your "load shed" plan. This means that if you have some form of electrical failiure (alternator, battery, etc), that you think more about what devices you would want on in which emergency situation than you do what buss to put devices on or what contactor configuration would be needed to power a specific device. It is good practice however to take devices that are "dual in nature", like 2 EFIS displays and put one on one CU and the other on the other if going a VP Duo system.

e) Switches and overrides - *make sure* you read the installation section on these, they allow your system to become extremely flexible in a failure situation. VP has thought thru most of the scenarios and thru a combination of switch and override modes you can make your solution for any emergency or trouble simple

f) Checklists - at some point, you'll need to develop a checklist that can be used for each flight mode. This will make it easier to establish "flows" and reduce cockpit workload.

g) Power connectors - once you get your harness, make sure you learn how to add or move wires if needed. It's easier to learn this skill before you put in the harness than after when you may be constrained on space. Also there are a couple of "help me's" that the guys at VP have created to show you what the connectors should look like when you open them, what not to do and how each should work. Get *very* familiar with the documentation section of the VP site.

h) Avionics Master - let's see, what do they say on the Sopranos.... fugetaboutit, ya don't need it with VP, plus you get added benefits in that only those things that you want on during the particular "Mode" are on. Huge benefit if trying to start an engine on a 12v system with EFIS technology that might be sensative to turning off when voltage drops below a certain threshold.

i) Items you can ignore! :) - I say that tongue in cheek. To some extent you can ignore the "fancy feature devices". For example with VP you no longer need to think about what you need to buy to provide flap steps and control; trim authority, control and speed; light dimming, control and functions; annunciator panels, control, audio prompts; external triggers like canopy open, baggage open, etc; Most of these are included in the fuctions of the VP 200 systems and some are included in the 100 systems. This saves you a significant amount on items that you'd normally want to purchase separately in order to facilitate these functions.

Ok, that should get you started. There are 2 primary rules in getting starting with VP. A) RTFM - Read the darn installation manual; B) RTFMA - Read the darn installation manual again! Then if you have any question, get on VP's forums and post a question or give Marc and team a call.

VP's Forums

Impressions so far (part 1)

2007-06-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

I spent a few minutes (I am after all trying to get this bloody thing flying) in retrospect, thinking about the differences between the original way I was going to wire the airplane and the way it will end up being wired (I'm sorta in the middle/end of that process right now).

Last year, I spent what seemed like forever developing a "wirebook" to aid me in wiring the airplane. This was before I met Marc and the gang at Vertical Power. My original information and wirebook can be found here .

Since that time I've got a hole new appreciation for the amount of effort that original intent would have taken. I've also learned of some of the inflexibility that it would have caused. And also some of the weight that it would have generated. Which, by switching to the VP DUO, I won't have. Here are just a few of the examples.

a) Panel wiring and weight - this is how the back of just the "breaker" area would have looked if I had gone down the path of doing panel breakers. Each device that required a breaker would have required a lenght of wire to be run from the device to the breaker and breaker to battery contactor buss.

b) Fat wires - see those fat wires in that picture above. Depending on where your battery(s) were located, you'd have to run a fat wire from the Alternator(s) to the battery(s) and then up to the panel where usually the breakers ans busses are constructed. In my case, the batteries will be in the tail, so that represents a pretty huge savings in weight that I won't need to do.

c) Space constraints - originally, you have to think in terms of what I'll call a "clustered" power environment. I also needs to be packed into the panel area. I was always trying to constrain space to allow for maximum flexibility around wiring on the back of the panel. This would provide the most flexibility for service down the road, but at the compromise of the smallest area to work in. Ever noticed that you always look at the back of a panel, when you look at some elses handiwork and wonder how they got all that stuff in there. With VP, you end up in a more "distributed" power environment, one where there is a central distribution point, but it doesn't have to be located behind the panel if you elect not to.

d) the other area that your don't really think about centers around the amount of effort required to determine the size and length of wires, how many things need to be connected and where they will get their power. The tools that VP have developed thru the use of their LPW (Load Planning Worksheet) and installation documentation because a huge contributor in saving me loads of time as I retooled and switched from the "old school" to the new VP environment. It created a logical tool to organize your thots, determine distances, wire sizes, breaker sizes and then utimately culminated in a pre-made wiring harness. In my case there are close too 100 wires that all I had to do was "lay them in" and connect them up.

I've read recent posts about people being "scared" to tackle wiring their own airplane and especially their own panel. With the VP approach and their tools, you can't go wrong. Oh, and did I talk about their support, it's excellent.

I've got some more to add to this stream of thot, but for now here's a close up of my panel, it's lack of breakers, switches, etc for you to look at. Me - I want to go work on my airplane.... More with new pictures later.

Serial Interconnects

2007-06-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

In wiring my panel, I needed to build a drawing of all the serial interconnects. In the process, I provisioned it for what I believe would work with a GDL-90 ADS-B receiever.

I also have many things that share a common sources.. For example, I have 3 if not 4 items that take NMEA from the G496 and also about the same from the GPS data from the Chelton GADAHRS.

I devised a way to use "DB" type connectors as a poor mans serial buss. I'll take the source side and daisy chain together the numbers needed, and then on the destination side, the only common pin will be the shield. This should allow easier swapping as needed between the various serial devices. Hopefully, I won't have to swap, but just in case, this method seemed to be the most simple to utilize to facilitate all the sources and destinations.

Anyway, back to the drawing. You can get it from my web site - here

It is color coded for the various interconnects... It also shows the locations of the serial busses and reflects a panel design using CPC connectors to facilitate simple removal of the entire panel if needed.

Hope this helps someone, I know it certainly will help me.

I didn't think this day would ever come!

2007-06-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

As it relates to those very large holes on the left side of my panel. I didn't think the day would come where I'd actually have things stuff in them. And least you only look there.... Lookie, lookie, lookie, what the UPS man dropped off at my house today... Notice the right most Large Holes have items in them as well!!! Yep, that's the VP DU as it's called (Display Unit), and the SP below it (Switch Panel). Real versions with real electronics inside.

Oooooo, Ohhhhhhh, it won't be long now!

VP Duo - Shipped today!

2007-06-07T22:50:00.000-04:00

Got notice from VP that the *real* red boxes, display unit, and switch panel have shipped. Should get them early next week. I also sent them my Pinpoint GADAHRS to do testing with GPS and ADC data. Hope that goes well.

Real boxes, real Display, real close

2007-06-04T20:41:00.001-04:00

I got the following picture from Marc today at VP. Looks like actual hardware is nearing delivery status. Oh man, this is getting exciting. Things are starting to come together and lights are starting to turn on :)...

Can't wait!

VP Duo Saves the day :)

2007-05-30T16:17:00.000-04:00

Whew, was saved a bunch of time today when I realized that I needed to wire *both* the Magnetometer and the AHRS on my Dual Chelton system to the same pin.... Ya see, I had designed it in the LPW, but I had pulled the wire to the wrong place. When I went back and looked at the harness and LPW, I found the pin, the wire and re-pulled it to the right place.

Second save was in adding devices. I wanted to provision ahead of time for an in cockpit video camera and Chelton is coming out with a new WAAS certified GPS module that uses redundant power inputs. Ok, that was easy, I added a new wire on an open 12v regulated pin (I'm a 24v dual system), and I added a new wire on an 18A pin on the *other* CU for the second feed to the GPS. Tada. Poof, done.

Try that in a breaker, switch panel that you didn't plan a spare breaker for, or a switch location for :)...

Those are just a couple of recent saves... There have been countless others that I haven't talked about... yet :)

I'm back

2007-05-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

Had a death in the family that I had to attend to... I'm back now and heard from Marc. Red Boxes, with real electronics in them should be ready by 1st wk in June. Mind you, these will be BETA boxes. Wiring continues and yes I'm behind on pictures... I'll attempt to remedy that shortly.

Move to the Hangar occurs in 2 wks as well...

Quick update

2007-05-13T15:05:00.000-04:00

I've been busy stringing wires, mounting devices, and wiring the panel. However in the middle of all of this, I got a change from the factory on W&B locations, specifically battery locations so I've had to adjust a little. I believe I've minimised the impacts from this. Needless to say I haven't taken many pictures of late. But will catch up on those a bit later. The Red Boxes, are staying were located in the pictures, the Battery(s) *may* be located to behind the baggage bulkhead. Because I'm a FG Legacy in carbon with IO-550, there is only one other built like this and it was the plane the helped determine this W&B issue. Good thing I wasn't trying to figure that as well :).

Stay tuned, working hard to make OSH... Everyone cross your figures, it's gonna take a huge effort...

Before/After panel

2007-05-04T12:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, finally got the panel rework behind me. For reference, here is the "old School" design.

And here is the new one similarly equiped.

You can see there are no breakers, and most of the switch panel was done away with. On the left wing there are only 5 switches. 2 - Overrides for the PFD and Comm, 2 - for the AutoPilot Master and GPS select, and one for Start.

This cleaned up the panel a bunch. Also, note the VP display unit is much larger than the MVP-50. At the moment because I don't have an actual display just yet, Marc loaned me an aluminum billet piece that was cut to match the exact size, mounting and cutout. Now that I've confirmed that shape, I'll be sending that back so the next person can use it :)... Also notice the cutout below the display where the VP Mag switch and control switches will go. I would have liked to have put that in the radio stack, but there is simply no room in a Legacy equiped as mine will be.

Panel distraction

2007-05-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

Got my new metal yesterday and as luck would have it, it was *close*, oh, so *close*, but I've now wasted 2 days tweaking it. At least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Should be done with tweaking metal today and can get back to wiring. All of this has to come together to complete this effort, so I suppose it's not wasted time... I just hated having to file, grind, trim, etc... Mind you some of this was on the fiberglass frame where I needed clearance for the new items that go in the panel...

Pictures once I get it all back together so you can at least compare and contrast to the "old school" version... Warning, tho, there are only 5 switches on the new version... 2 for overrides, 2 for AP master and GPS select, and one for Start... No other breaks, switches, etc.... Even in a Lancair, NO CANOPY SEAL switch :)... Thanks Marc for pushing me to get rid of that one...

Wiring - part 1

2007-04-27T00:15:00.000-04:00

Oh, my gosh, there are lots of wires running everywhere... Worst part of the first CU is just about over with... the bulk of the wires go forward to the avionics area. There is a small handful that will go to the tail, and a bunch will go to the center area for stick grip interface and the few items that are powered in the location. Couple more small bunches that go to each wing.

MVP-50 Blind mount

2007-04-27T00:13:00.000-04:00

So here is the MVP-50 Blind mount. You'll notice that the DB-25 comes out a different side and there is a plate to protect the display when it's facing up. Also, there is a mounting plate on the bottom so it lays flat with the display facing up.

One last braided sleeve solution

2007-04-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

And here is the last braided sleeve for doing wiring harnesses. It's the woven fabric type material that is also a heat shrink material.

You can also get it from McMaster Carr. :)

http://www.alphawire.com/pages/133.cfm

Braided sleeve for finishing the wire runs

2007-04-15T19:02:00.000-04:00

In some professional installations, they use a braided sleeve material to protect and bundle the wires. There are many types, but some of the most common are available from McMaster Carr. This is the type that they carry.

Note, you want the fire retardant type.

Also, if looking for the good stuff for ahead of the firewall, it's called Roundit 2000nx and it isn't cheap, but it's made from Nomex and is a split type braid that wraps around the wire bundles and protects them from heat.

Canopy seal the final chapter

2007-04-15T16:57:00.000-04:00

Marc and I worked up this solution as the final version... It will allow full and automated control of the canopy seal from the VP CU's...

Here is the PDF

Wiring continues

2007-04-15T16:47:00.000-04:00

Guess the cat is out of the bag as I made the VP newsletter :). Wiring continues... I'm bogged down a little perfecting the final placement of items on the avionics shelf and figuring out the final placement of the MVP-50 engine monitor (see post below about that). I've also decided on a low cost solution for ground blocks. For wire sizes up to 18ga, I've decided to use a DB25 connector scheme. Basically it will work like this.

I got some 1/16" thick, double sided printed circuit board material from Frys. I'll cut a small pattern out of it that will fit inside a Shell housing for a DB25 female solder cup connector. On the side where the connector will go, you simply press the circuit board material into the two rows of solder cups edgewise. 1/16" thick board makes for a tight, but not too tight press fit. Then you solder each of the cups to the circuit board. Now drill a hole thru the board for the larger wire that will run to the ground buss and connect it to the circuit board making sure it will all fit inside the shell when it's assembled around it. Connect that to your ground buss and poof, when you need a ground you just add another male pin with a crimped wire and pin to the opposite male DB25 connector. You'll need to size the larger ground wire for the max size of current that the DB25 ground will provide. In my case, I think #10 or even #12 will work just fine. It might be a trick getting a lug onto the wire and screw connected to the circuit board, I haven't tried that yet. As a fall back, use the same process, but cut the board material so it hard mounting ears and don't use the shell halfs. A pretty easy and simple way to do grounds... All the credit goes to Bob Knuckolls tho, I just evolved the concept to use a solder cup connector and circuit board material instead of 2 wires soldered across the cups....

I'll take a set of pictures when I build my first one... I don't want to cut ground wires until I get all placement done first tho as I don't want to waste wire...

MVP-50 - Blind Mount option

2007-04-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

I just got some really good news.... It seems that EI makes a "blind mount" option for the MVP-50 engine monitor. I'm going to use this monitor and didn't want yet another display in the panel. I contacted them at Marc's suggestion and found out that they were thinking of making a Blind Mount. I called them and they offered to exchange or upgrade my display to the new mount. It lays the display down and provides mounting holes. It also reorients the DB25 connector to come out the side when laying down. I got a mock up drawing and entered it into CAD so I could print a mounting template to use while I worked on wiring and waited for my unit to be exchanged.

Here is the template in PDF.

Once I get the actual unit, I'll be sure and post pictures...

Power Grids

2007-04-03T19:59:00.000-04:00

These are the Lancair Power grids, they include battery contactors, xtie, and ANL's. Notice the Avionice Buss contactor has been removed as it's not needed any longer

Wiring - the placement of things

2007-04-03T19:54:00.000-04:00

I got distracted with finishing my baffling for the last little while... But that is almost done, and in between wiring labling, I've formalized some placements of the redboxes, the battery boxes, the contactor modules, etc.

In my Legacy, redboxes, batteries and contactor modules (I'm using the ones from Lancair) will go behind the seat backs. I'm putting a 24v Concorde battery behind the co-pilot seat (to balance weight when single pilot) and the Buss B battery and associated stuff will go behind the pilot seats.

Canopy seal - part 2

2007-03-13T21:09:00.000-04:00

If you read below, you'll see some info about an automatic canopy seal that I've been working on. It seems that the little electronic valve that I got requires voltage to stay switched. If you leave main voltage on it, it gets rather hot. But, they are made for a much reduced voltage to hold their switched position. To accomodate that, you need something called a "Hit and Hold" circuit. It turns out that in my case, a 24v valve, can be held with 1/3 it's voltage or 8volts. This should drop the current *way* down and keep the temps cool. I found a company that actually makes a "Hit and Hold' device just for this purpose. They have a 1/2 and a 1/3 voltage version and so I'll be trying one of them. It's called a "CoolCube" and is available from here http://www.bio-chemvalve.com

Harness is here!

2007-03-13T21:04:00.000-04:00

Ok, so a big box full of colored wire showed up today at my house. I've got to sort it all out and spend some time labeling the wires with a Brady labeler (www.bradyid.com). It's called an IDXpert and if you haven't looked at it, it's truely awesome.... Here's the link Brady IDXpert Labeler

Harness at VP ready to ship

2007-03-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

Wiring harness is just about ready to ship. You all know that VP offers this service with their systems. I don't know the costs of it, but they will be offering it when you purchase a system from them. Plan long term is to have the individual wires each laser labeled. Man won't that be *sweet*.

Harness

2007-02-28T17:36:00.000-05:00

From the sounds of things, the wiring harness for my VP-200 system will be ready in about a week. I'm about 2 wks away from starting to "layin" wiring, won't be final for a while, but will allow for placement of all the goodies and basic harness finishing. I also ordered a bunch of DMC crimp tools today, and got my big box of wire from Stein at www.steinair.com. Should be fun stuff real soon!

Ram Air - Automation

2007-02-28T17:14:00.000-05:00

For those that use Ram Air, one of the concerns is having it open when on the ground and bypassing the engine air cleaner thereby sucking up all the dirt and grit from the airport environment. I've determined that with the VP-200 system you could have a 4th Ray Allen servo control the Ram Air butterfly valve and then use the VP modes and rules to control when the Ram Air is on. For example, you could switch it on/off based upon a specific ground speed, or airspeed, of if you wanted you could switch it on/off at specific altitudes, or maybe even times of flight, etc. Within reason, the possibilities are endless. In my case, it only took using the 2nd servo control function on the second CU in a VP-200 system.

Canopy seal - Automatic version :)

2007-02-28T16:16:00.000-05:00

All,

While you can go to the VP website (www.verticalpower.com) and see the schematic of how to hook up the Lancair Canopy seal pump to the VP-200. Im most instanced with a Legacy, it would still require a mechanical switch that switches the seal from atmosphere to the pump and vic-a-versa. I wanted a more automated solution and worked with Marc at VP to figure out the wiring. I also needed to source an "electronic" switch which I did with Parker's Pneutronics group.

The Part number of the switch is 003-0258-900
And here is the product page - electronics switch pump at Parker
In my case, its a 3 way, 24V switch that's good to 50psi. I has two wires on it. They are simply + and -. When you power the switch, it switches, when it's unpowered it goes back to either NC or NO depending on how your connected the hoses. Also, the one listed above uses 1/8" ID barbs which mate the hose material that is used in the Lancair Canopy seal.

Wiring to the VP box is actually 3 pins. 1 to power the pump (and it's associated pressure regulator switch - the 2 are in series with one another). Another wire will go to the parker switch, and finally, You take a wire off the pressure pump and run it back to one of the Active High inputs on the CU box. This in turn senses when the pump runs and provides a mechanism for annunciation.

I'll try to draw up a version in Cad, to better show this.

What this will give me over time (may not be in first releases of VP software), is the ability to control the canopy switch based upon flight modes, specific rules, etc. For example. I can have the VP-200 system turn on the canopy seal when in Taxi and flight modes, and turn it off when in preflight, startup, or shutdown modes. Plus I don't need yet another ugly switch on the panel or hidden somewhere. :)

Aint this stuff totally cool and all brought to you by the Magicians (my new word for them) at Vertical Power.... It's better than having a Co-Pilot, you don't have to tell them, or educate them on what to do!

Flap functions

2007-02-22T20:21:00.000-05:00

Oooooo, as a side benefit. I sent my flap motor and limit switches to VP this week. They have confirmed and created a Lancair flap system drawing. Marc should get it up on their website soon. It's gonna be *soooo* nice. As the code matures, I'll end up with these features.

- single tap flap positions
- double click to go all the way down
- disable flaps above x speed
- auto trim input when flaps lowered
- reduced-speed flap retract on go-around
- auto-flap lowering at proper speeds

In my case, I use 2 outputs for the flap motor, the box controls the polarity to provide up and down to the motor. I use 2 inputs for the flap switch (up/dwn). I use 2 inputs for the all the way up, all the way down limit switches (the Lancair flap motor has *way* more throw than is needed, hence the limit switch setup). And then I have a Ray Allen position sensor so I get graphical readout on the VP Display.

Gonna be an excellent addition and I didn't have to buy any other items to have the above.

Final Version - VP Panel

2007-02-22T19:26:00.000-05:00

Whew, ok, finally. Here is the final version! Now off to the cutter, powdercoater and silkscreener and then into my panel frame! NOTE, if you are working with Lancair Avionics, make sure you are working with Ray, he's a gem, and was extremely easy to work with as I changed my original panel design...

As a side note, wiring harness is off being made up. Target date for hardware is April. With this now out of the way, it's back to FWF work and other wiring tasks.... I can tell you already tho, this wiring is going to be *soo* much easier. I don't have to build a bloody buss system on the back of the panel at the breakers, and run all those little red wires to and from. Yea!

VP Panel Layout V2

2007-02-20T18:36:00.000-05:00

This is pretty close to the last version. It still has a couple of quirks, and I'll updated once I finalize the last version. Image is clickable to get a larger version.

Latest version of Load Planning document V6

2007-02-20T18:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, here is the latest (submitted as final for review) Load Planning worksheet. I've updated lengths, labels, sizes, etc. As a couple of points of reference. I've utilized all the trim servo positions. I've added support for the Lancair Flap motor and limit switches. I've used 4 serial inputs from the Co Detector, engine monitor, EFIS, and GPS. My version will utilize the EI MVP-50 which will be "blind mounted" behind the panel most likely in a swing down fashion during testing. Because I'm a 28V system, I've utilized the 12V regulated outputs where appropriate. I'm using LED based nav lights that only work on 12V for example. My Com/Nav radio utilized 2 power pins grouped together as one device. Other devices utilize 2 wires off one pin for powering 2 voltage inputs. These are documented in the LPW.

Harnesses from VP when delivered to customers will also have labels on each wire done with a laser etching. Mine will be good ole Masking tape labels I'm sure :)...

V6 LPW is here

So just what can the VP system replace

2007-02-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

I've received a few calls and emails from people trying to understand what all the VP system can do. For the record, I'll be a VP-200 system with dual Control Units.

I told a few people that I'd attempt to document those items that I *was* planning under the "Old School" approach and what of those will be replaced by the VP system.

- Trim controllers - I was going to use the TCM modules that were developed by an F1 Rocket owner (www.f1-rocketboy.com). They integrate the relays, speed control, pilot/co-pilot lockout and trim motor regulation. With the TCM's, you'd need one each for each trim function. I have 2 now that will be collecting dust as the VP system replaces the need for them

- While on trim, I had build a Pitch/Rudder trim indicator panel where I was going to mount the Ray Allen trim indicators. The VP system has done away with trim indicators for me in my panel, so I'll just have a blank panel that covers that opening in my center console

- Flaps - while this is still very much in the early investigation mode at VP. The Legacy uses a Flap motor, a set of relays, and a custom aluminum extrusion that has mounted to it, an up and down set of limit switches. It appears that the VP system can replace the need for the relays and *may* be able to replace the limit switches, however, it might be prudent to leave them in line and allow the VP Control units to sense when they are reached. More on this as I have sent my motor and limit switch setup to Marc and team for further investigation

- Flaps continued - I had thot of using one of the smart flap modules provided by AircraftExtras (www.aircraftextras.com). They make a couple that are pretty nice, provide electronic relays, and step positioning. I had elected to not go that way, but now get that functionality for free with the VP system.

- Breakers - I had a full panel of Klixon breakers that were going to go into my Legacy, as you'll see from the drawings below, those have all been eliminated

- Switch breakers - I also had a full switch panel that also has been eliminated and replaced by the VP system. Now there will only b 3 switches. - Starter, and 2 Override switches, one that will control the PFD and AHRS, and the other that will control the COMM1 and antenna switch for a *worse case scenario*

- 24-12v convertor - I had planned to put an Astron 24-12, 10A converter in my plane, mostly for the trim system as it required 12V. I would have used it for a couple of other smaller things as well, but now, that weight and complexity is gone, The CU's provied a couple of outputs that regulate my 24v system down to 12v. These outputs are in addition to the Trim system which is also regulated for 12V

- Wires, while this is yet to be fully understood, because both of my batteries are going to be behind the seats, the "Old School" system would have required that Large current carrying wire would need to be run from the firewall, where the alternators are, back to the batteries, then back forward to the avionics shelf and the panel, where in effect the busses were created. The VP system should negate the need for the run of large wire from the batteries back up to the panel and avionics shelf, again saving weight.

- Dimmer module - I was going to use a VAL CLA-500, 4 channel dimmer module to provide dimming for Avionics, Glare Screen, Instruments and Cabin/Baggage. This module has been completely removed from my setup going forward and the VP system has replaced it.

- Manual push pull knobs - in the Legacy, you normally have 3 push pulls. One for the cabin heat, one for the Oil cooler door, and one for Ram Air. This later one is a ram air system that bypasses the Air Cleaner and provided about 1-2" of additional Manifold pressure when in flight. With the VP-200 system, while this won't be supported initially, I'm going to replace that push/pull knob with a Ray Allen Servo and a remote mechanism to control the ram air. Theory has it that a rule could be constructed to turn on/off ram air based upon GPS altitude. airspeed, or GPS ground speed, all automatically

- Canopy seal - the canopy seal in a Legacy is a setup with an electrical pump, pressure switch, and a mechanical bypass switch. It maintains a certain amount of pressure when the mechanical switch is closed thereby keeping a pressure seal around all of the canopy. It's actually pretty amazing at how much noise, cold, water, etc, it keeps out. With the VP-200 system, I'll replace the mechanical, manual switch, with an electronic version and be able to control the canopy seal function based upon the VP modes of flight. For example, I'll turn on the seal when in run-up and turn it off when in taxi. Obviously those can be changed and customized for your perferences.

- Avionics Master contactor - This is completely replaced with the VP system and yet, you maintain similar functionality.

There are probably a couple of other things that I'll remember and add to this list later, but for now this is a good start.

HOT! - Red Boxes

2007-02-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

Marc and the gang at Vertical Power sent me some "empty" Red Boxes to do some fitting with. I'm trying to determine the final resting point. First approach is to place them close by the batteries. This should allow only one run of *large* wire from the alternators to the batteries and then short runs to the VP Control Units. From there, its simply small wires that turn to the perpherals. Fall back plan will be one with the batteries and one up Front on the avionics shelf.

At first blush, they are a little larger than I expected, but they grow on your after awhile :)...

Real Picture of "old school" panel design

2007-02-14T22:25:00.000-05:00

The *real* picture of the "Old School" panel design

Planning Activities (part 2 of n)

2007-02-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

Planning document complete (at least for this version) :)

Ok, had a great call with Marc from VP to review my planning document. Man, you sorta have to think a little different when doing this planning. I kept falling into the "old school" routine and Marc would have to rescue me. Towards the end of the call however, I was in the groove and after the call, updated the spreadsheet with great ease.

Let me say one thing right now.... RTFM - or in this case, read the VP200 installation manual a bunch of times. Most of my questions that I asked Marc were answered in the installation manual.

It took me 4 versions of the document to get mine nailed down, but now in looking at it after the fact, its starting to make sense. While it may get tweaked a bit later on, here is my last version as of today - Version 4

Planning Activities (part 1 of n)

2007-02-13T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well, lots going on, but not much to show for it.

I sent a first draft of panel changes off to Lancair, hope to have those back quickly so I don't get caught in the after SNF rush that they normally have.
I'm on my 3rd rev of the VP Load Planning worksheet. I'll share a version after I have a call with Marc at VP tomorrow. It took me a while to think differently about wiring. I was still thinking single wires (ala breakers) and had to think about all the things that could be powered up or down regardless of what they are. This matches to VP's concept of a device and how a device can have multiple power inputs - you have to account for all of those.
I got empty "Red Boxes" today from Marc. These will be used for space planning, etc
Lastly, I found out that EI has a "Blind mount" kit for the MVP-50. Now I need to find out how to get one as I really want to stay with the MVP instead of having to buy an EIS.

More to follow tomorrow after the call with Marc.

2007-02-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

Revised VP Panel Layout

The "Old School" Panel

2007-02-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

The "Old School" Panel

The Journey begins

2007-02-07T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm about to undertake a metamorphisis. Moving from traditional wiring, electrical control, to a more modern computer controlled version. Over the next few weeks, I hope to document this project for others who might be interested in doing the same.

I'll be using a set of products made by Vertical Power (www.verticalpower.com). Because I had already started down the path of the "old school". I've got some basic planning that I'll need to redo. Also in no specific order I've got to nail down the following

Panel layout for a new display unit
Panel layout to remove all breakers and most switches
Panel layout to reorder a few things to make room for the display
Wiring documentation for what devices will exist and where they will be located and how much wiring will be required

All of the above sounds ominus, but stay tuned, you'll be amazed at how easy this is going to be. Wiring an airplane, will never be the same.

The Journey begins....