Finally got round to doing some wiring. I’ve been putting a few cables on the power switches for those items that are mounted in the panel. For others I think I will wait until the panel is in the plane so that I can see how much wire is needed for each item. I suspect I didn’t order enough (even though I ordered much more than I estimated).
I soldered the two wires onto the passenger side grip
and put it all together – the button is held in place by tiny tiny screws.
Next I took the pilot side grip apart
and with much difficulty got all the wires soldered into place.
All these bare wires gave me an excuse to try out the new label maker
And then I routed the wires around the PTT switch
and lightly re-assembled the grip.
I decided on Sunday that it was going to be cool enough to visit the hangar for a while and got a couple of things done. First I installed the transponder antenna
And I positioned and drilled bolt holes for the transponder
Both of these are under the passenger’s seat. With the transponder in place I could tell that the wiring harness should be plenty long enough to connect to the iEFIS in the panel, no need for extra wires. I decided to bring the transponder home, rather than leave it in the dust and heat.
Finally I trial fit the grips on the stick and decided that the pilot side needed to be shortened so that it looked better. Rather than use the grinder I tried using a hacksaw but in the end I had to grow a pair and use the grinder which took no time at all, though I was terrified the whole time I used it.
And both grips where they will sit
I need to drill the mounting holes through the pilot grip but it is tricky because you have to tack glue the plastic insets and slide the whole thing over the stick (and it is a very tight fit). I may just silicone glue them in place, not like they need to come out again. I also need a #43 drill bit with which to make the holes which I don’t have. I bet drilling into the stick with that tiny thing will be a joy.
At one point I was able to hook up the pilot grip to the flaperon motor and the elevator trim. Using a battery as well and my third hand I was able to use the switch to move both motors in the proper direction. That was pretty exciting, can’t wait until I can do that from the seat.
Probably not much more I will do now until it cools down. Making up wires would be a lot easier (and more motivating) if done in the hangar, and I want to try and get as few joins as possible.