I installed the temperature probe on the left wing just behind the inspection panel:
Temperature probe installed underneath the left wing, near an inspection opening
I also inserted the insulation for the firewall passthrus. Some wires may still need to move back and forth to adjust their firewall-forward length (like the O2 sensor), so I didn't apply the sealant to it just yet.
Wires going through right firewall penetration, with insulation
Wires going through left firewall penetration, with insulation
We secured the coax cables and static tubing in the tailcone:
Static tubing and GTR and GTS coax cables secured in the tailcone
Static tubing and GTR and GTS coax cables secured in the tailcone
and then connected the pitch trim servo wires:
Pitch trim wires connected to pitch trim motor int he tailcone
After fixing the cabin cover forward conduit entrances, I ran coax cable for all the GPS and XM antennas, first just to get rough lengths cut out, then actually terminated them:
Coax cables running out of the antenna holes
Antennas insalled and connected in plce
Antenna connections inside the overhead console
For the yaw trim motor, I finally decided to mount it in the tailcone using springs connected to the rudder cables - somewhat similar to what others have done, but with a smaller Actuonix P16-100-256-12-P motor (I considered using a Ray-Allen T3-12A, but that was weaker, the same weight, lower throw, and significantly more expensive). For that, I finally ran the yaw trim position all the way to the tailcone (including some annoying surgery to add those 4 pins to the subpanel CPC):
Right panel breakout connector with yaw trim position pins installed
After some cabin cover work to clear the conduit entrances and attach the switch pod, I finally routed the overhead wires up through the conduits and into the overhead console.
Wires run through the side conduit and into the overhead console
On the next post, I'll terminate the overhead wiring.
Due to a slight miscalculation :D the forward conduit exits were right against the bulkhead attachment screws and nuts:
Conduit exit going right into the attachment nuts
To fix that, we carved out the tip of that opening (while keeping the walls, and created a new thick passage away from it, filling the rest with resin+flox:
Carving out the conduit exit with the Dremel
Carved-out left conduit exit
Carved-out right conduit exit
Wire bundle position for creating the conduit exit
Waxed wire bundle held in the right position to create the conduit exit
Conduit entrance after filling, routed away from the screws
I rounded the edges of the holes, applied primer again, and installed the top screws - with that I was ready to run the overhead wiring:
Finished forward conduit entrance
I also match-drilled the switch pod in place:
Switch pod clecoed in place
I wanted to have some kind of cover for the wires that go into the console near the top, so in order to get the right shape and angles, I 3D scanned that area to design one:
I worked on finishing the main wire bundle attachment and securing the static tubing, and with that almost everything behind the panel is done:
Final attachment of the main wire bundle
Cooling fan wires running through center rib
Final attachment of the main wire bundle and static tubing
For the stick grip connections, I opened holes on the side of the tunnel for CPCs (the left hole will need to wait until I remove the seat to be fully drilled):
CPC attached to forward tunnel for stick grip connection
Stick grip cable routing within the tunnel, secured away from the pushrod and the fuel lines
Finished stick grip wire bundle (except for the connector shells)
I also terminated the wing root connections - those are not sealed connectors ('cause those wouldn't fit), so I'll use the sealed one on the outside to get some partial sealing, and added the sealing gaskets to these:
Left wing root power connector fully assembled
Left wing root connectors installed in place
Right wing root connectors
Right wing root connectors installed in place
Right wing root connectors seen from the outside
Dust covers installed on right wing root connectors
With this, the main part of wiring still left is the overhead console.
I terminated the EFII battery cables and connected the batteries to those plus the main bus, secured the whole thing with wax lacing, and attached the hall effect sensors with the mounts I had 3D printed:
Batteries installed and connected
Probably unnecessary (they were already a tight fit), but I also ran some wax lacing to secure the sensor mounts more firmly:
Hall effect sensor brackets secured around battery cables
Another tense moment turning it on, but everything worked! Well, everything except the hall effect sensors, which were giving no reading in spite of being connected to the G3X's GP6/GP7 inputs. A lot of troubleshooting later, and I realized that even in Stein's original wiring diagram, they missed the fact that the "LO" side of that connection also needs to be connected to a ground pin (per Garmin's manual: "When using the GP6 and GP7 inputs for general-purpose voltage sensing, including position sensors and user-defined analog parameters, the corresponding GP6 LO or GP7 LO pin must be connected to ground."):
SteinAir's original wiring diagram, without a connection between GP6/GP7 LO and GND
Instead of adding splices to both LOs, I simply moved the sensors to GP3/GP4 which already have the LOs internally connected to GND (and are actually the pins that show up in Garmin's manual for this connection):
My updated wiring diagram, moving the hall effect sensors to GP3/GP4
Moving to the other inputs required a bit of surgery to split those +5V pins again (but to the naysayers that say that a box full of random pieces of wire is useless, I used a white/orange piece with the socket for this):
Hall effect connectors on the GEA24 side after modification to use GP3/4 instead
Once plugged in, I immediately got a reading - however, the reading was something like -13A, which seemed wrong. I then realized Garmin's documentation doesn't match Amploc's for that sensor - Garmin says the sensor should read 2.5V at 0A, however the KEY100 documentaiton says it should read 5V/2.2=2.27V. At 15.9mV/A, that 230mV difference makes it read a significantly wrong value - I calculated the offset would be about -14A, but then I also realized that these must have significant variability, because 8.8/8.9A was the actual offset I had to apply:
Offset that had to be configured for KEY100 sensors
Proper current readings after adjusting the calibration
I had previously made a small hole on the tunnel cover to run wires into the tunnel from the panel, thinking that I could just de-pin connectors and pull the wires out when I needed to remove that cover - but it became apparent that assembling and taking apart the GHA15 connector is more painful that I expected, so I enlarged that hole enough to let the whole connector go through:
Larger hole on the tunnel cover for the GHA15 connector to go through
Tunnel cover with wires going through it (no edge protection just yet)
I also took the opportunity to trim and terminate the center console wiring (I honestly wish I had just shipped the whole plane to Stein to get those lengths right from the start), and changed the gender of the pax connector so they can't be accidentally swapped - I'll later add some Clickbonds cable ties to secure it alongside the engine cables and underneath the throttle quadrant:
Audio wires running underneath the throttle quadrant
Wires running through the center console for pilot and passenger audio
Pilot audio connections inside the center console
I had planned to run the flap wires over the top of the tunnel, but then changed my mind as it was easier to secure the whole thing by running it through the side (plus I had already added Clickbond fasteners near the flap torque tube for them):
Flap motor wires running near the flap torque tube
For the pitch trim motor, I had (way back when I built the tailcone) added a beefy 28-pin connector, thinking of the ELT connection plus anything else that would go in that area. I now realize that was way overkill, plus the connector was too far from the trim motor, so I drilled out the rivets that attached it, and replaced it with a simple Molex SL connector:
Pitch trim motor with previous CPC connector (overkill)
Pitch trim motor with Molex SL connector
More wiring to come - the next big thing is finishing up and securing the main panel bundles for good, and terminating the wing root and stick grip CPC connectors.
For a change, I decided to work on something other than avionics, and got started on the engine baffles, which are a small puzzle of odd-shaped parts:
Cylinder 6 baffles sitting in place
The left aft case baffle is pretty hard to get in place, but I realized that if I just bent the little tab a bit forward, it clears the engine mount and falls in place:
Attempting to insert the left aft case baffle
Bent tab which makes the left aft case easier to install
It was then time to make the baffles fit around the cylinder head gaskets, which required quite a bit of trimming:
Cylinder baffle marked for trimming
Cylinder baffle marked for trimming
After a lot of trimming and deburring, I got them all to fit nicely around the cylinder head gaskets:
Trimmed cylinder baffle sitting around the cylinder gasket
I also match-drilled the oil cooler bracket (I don't really understand why it's called that, since the oil cooler goes on the firewall):
Oil cooler bracket clecoed in place
Oil cooler bracket match-drilled to the aft baffle
I also detected a bit of interference with the System32 injector, which I'll have to trim the baffle for:
Interference between the baffle and the #5 injector
The next steps on the baffle require the cowling to be in place (to trim the top of the baffles), which in turn requires the propeller to be installed...so this section is now on hold until all that happens.
