February 3, 2021 – Well, I fired up (poor choice of words) the panel using my power supply. No pops, sizzles, smoke or fire.
It also was pretty underwhelming, because only the left screen turned on. I tried the dimmer for a lit rocker switch, and it worked. The glareshield fans also worked. So I call it a win. I know there are several things to do to get everything up and running.
I needed to get into the VPX and get it set up. The interface external to the VPX is ethernet. Well, my laptop has no ethernet port, so I used an alternate method suggested by Vertical Power. I used a wireless router.
Once that was complete, I looked over at the panel and saw this:
The right screen came up!
I downloaded the latest software from Dynon (as of January 27) and installed it on both screens.
I then went in to system setup and set up the serial ports and scanned for devices on the Skyview Network.
The issue I then had was that the screens weren’t talking to each other. You can “daisy-chain” the devices on the network, which I had. But it seemed evident that maybe I needed to directly connect the screens to each other. So I ordered a 3-foot Skyview Network cable. When I got it, I rearranged the cables between devices. It worked!
I decided to prepare the wings for installation, so I could get ALL the wiring connected and do all the panel setup maybe at one time.
Pitot Tube and Heater
I started on the pitot tube. I was given a brand-new Dynon heated tube. I had seen online where people mounted the heat controller to the wing access panel.
I took the tube out and realized I didn’t have any of the AN hardware I needed to connect the tube to the pitot and AOA lines. I visited a local avionics shop and got most of what I needed from there. In the meantime, I drilled the holes to attach the tube into the mast. I already had holes in the mast from a long time ago, so I transferred these hole locations to the new tube. Drilled with a #36 bit and tapped for a #6 screw.
I made a bracket to support the plastic pitot and AOA lines and keep them away from the aileron bellcrank.
I’m on hold for the parts I’m still missing, so I moved on to the autopilot roll servo in the right wing.
Autopilot Roll Servo
Here’s the right wing aileron bellcrank without the servo:
The servo bracket replaces the small mounting angle there in the center of the picture. You have to take the bellcrank partly apart, because it has to be drilled. This is where the servo control rod attaches.
I installed the new bracket, and then bolted the servo in place.
The control rod is supposed to be 5 inches long.
Here’s everything installed.
Now it’s time for wiring. I installed the DB9 connectors on the servo and the harness, then ran the harness through to the wing root. I had to do this twice because I had to avoid contact with the aileron bellcrank travel.
For right now, I secured the connection using the threaded bolt holes in the servo itself. This will place the connection on the aft side of the servo when it is on the airplane. The harness runs between the arms of the bellcrank and out through the wing ribs.
Time: 11:45
