I started connecting the coax cables, with the transponder and bottom COM cables first (since they don't require messing with the overhead console):
COM and transponder coax cables running through the subpanel
The GPS antennas had too-short screws that were not going through the nut inserts, so I replaced those with longer ones (turned out MS24693C56 and MS51958-68 were the right lengths):
GPS antenna doubler with screws not coming out
GPS antenna doubler with longer screws
Bottom COM cable connected to the antenna
Transponder cable connected to the antenna
Tailcone ground wires connected
It was then the time we've all (or at least I have) been waiting for - I assembled the panel in place, and started turning on the LRUs one by one (by controlling each output of the VP-X from a laptop):
Panel frame and center section attached in place
Connecting left-side switches to wire harness
Panel turned on in place!
All of the magic smoke stayed inside!
I played a bit with the system and most connections seem to be fine, but of course there's a CAN bus failure which is preventing most LRUs from communicating - my next step will be tracing that down, then finishing up the wiring (still have to do all of the overhead console wiring, baggage light, securing all the wires, and then later the engine sensors).
I put together the left-side breakout connector, which is a mixed power/signal connector (TE CPC series 4). For the 10AWG EFII battery wires (which are the main reason to have this connector, so I can easily disconnect the hot battery wires from the rest of the panel without going into the tailcone), they're supposedly standard open-barrel crimping, but my generic crimp tool from ATS did a pretty horrible job at it, ruining the fancy expensive socket:
Bad crimp on $23 10AWG CPC socket :/
Part of the problem was that the crimp tool "pinched" the corner of the connector as it was compressing. I managed to crimp them properly on the second attempt by trimming the tabs, compressing the sides slightly to make it narrower and not caught on the corner of the tool, and by crimping the insulation first before crimping the wire (which left a small mark on the wire but oh well). With that, and by adding all the signal wires, I completed the left-side CPC:
Completed left-side breakout plug
The Aerosport interior panels have a recess that occupies most of the bottom part of the under-panel sides, so to route wires away from that area, we installed some Click Bond mounts on the sides:
Clickbond fasteners to secure the right-side wires behind the Aerosport panels
Battery cable attached to Clickbond fastener
Left-side wires running through Clickbond fasteners
With that, I could tell the wire lengths for the left breakout receptacle and install pins on those wires. This time, I managed to do a much more decent job with the 10AWG pins on the first try:
EFII/bus manager battery wires pinned for the left-side breakout connector
