Oz build SS7

[jiott]

The laser kerf is so narrow that the dropout piece for the glovebox was used as the hinged front cover.

[rosslr]

thanks Bill and Jim. You know Jim, I wish already I got it laser cut! But I am into now. Your panel looks very nice ... And clean! I will try and take photos today of progress and post . I am longing to get my computer back!!

any thought about the door latches?

Cheers

R

[rosslr]

Jim, it is a bit hard to see the labels as they distort when I zoom but they look good. Are they on one long strip? What brand of CB's are they Jim? They appear to have a chrome base?

Cheers

[jiott]

Yes the labels are on one long strip and two shorter strips. They use black lettering on clear tape. By using the correct amount of spaces in the label maker you can make the long strips and have each word come out in the right position. It takes several tries but is not hard to do. The little black border prints out as part of the label strip.

The CB's are Tyco W23 series from Aircraft Spruce. They have a chrome or chrome-like plated neck and mounting nuts.

I made and riveted together my own glove box, but several of the guys have used a nice one you can buy from Van's Aircraft and install it in your panel.

[jiott]

I would highly recommend you mount your throttle and choke cables to a small angle bracket below the panel that can be unbolted from the panel. It seems easier to just punch the cable holes thru the panel and a lot of guys do this. However, if you need to pull your panel out to get at some wiring in the back for maintenance or a new instrument installation the cables will not let you do this if they go thru the panel.

One thing I would do different on my next build is to mount the headphone jacks on a small panel behind the seats, just above those nice pockets in the baggage kit. The factory does this and it keeps the cords neat and out of your way.

[mr bill]

I mounted my headphone jacks that way. The lettering on the panel was done by silkscreen, followed by matte clear coat.

[rosslr]

Thanks Jim and Bill. The pics are great and I want to do the same with the headphone jacks so that is a useful pic. Nice panels guys. I just might start again with laser cutting! By,the way Bill, is screnprinting a company or the process?

I cut away today and added some to the panel. Crappy Pic as I'm using the ipad at the moment until I get my computer back. Off to work again for a few days!

Cheers

R

[colospace]

Bill, I have also installed panels for the headphone jacks, but notice you have a small toggle switch on your panel. What's that for?

[mr bill]

Silkscreen is a process, there must be companies in your area that do it. All the printing cost me $140 USD. I created a SolidWorks file for the printing and emailed the file to the silkscreen company. They used the file to create an artmaster, which in turn was used to create the silkscreen. Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. You could create your own artmaster on a sheet of clear plastic with dry transfer letters.
The switch was to interrupt the battery charger output. It is no longer there, as the battery charger has been removed (second thoughts), which is just part of the build process.

[airlina]

today I bit the bullet cut into the panel...mama bit nervous about it but so far so good. Computer still on the blink so no photos today.

I want to paint the panel a matt dark grey but wondering about a hard wearing paint that will resist scuffs and not scratch or mark easily. any thought?

Also, I have looking at the door latches and thinking about ways to lock the cabin from the outside.mmhave any of you mounted latches - lockable or otherwise, to the bubble door set up??

Cheers

R

Ross , I see you weren't getting a lot of responses on your door lock request, so after my flight this evening , I took a few photos of my locks on my Series 5. Not sure what kind of door latch setup the new kits come with, so I don't know if this setup will work for you, but maybe it will give you some ideas. My door latch is a dual rod that is controlled by a spring loaded lever that rotates to pull the rods away from the door jambs. The lock is simply a furniture drawer lock that can be found at any home supply store (they come in different lengths). Pic 1 shows key slot next to door handle, Pic 2 from inside cockpit shows door unlocked and pic 3 shows locked position over the inside door handle. Not a great explanation but the pictures should help you figure out what I tried to explain. Hope this helps , Bruce N199CL
know if this will work on your airplane, but it might give you some ideas.