SS7 wire lengths

[MikeFairbanks]

I should have my SS7 kit in about 2 months, and am currently working on panel design. The panel layout is complete, but I'm trying to work out wire lengths for the runs to the tail and wings. I've spent hours searching and reading posts here and found a lot of useful information, but I haven't been able to find the wire lengths for these runs. Can anyone point me in the right direction or provide some measurements.

Thanks!

[Eric Page]

Are you trying to determine how much wire to buy? There's really no good answer to your question, as it depends on where exactly you start and end each wire, and what route you take from panel to tail. I think most builders just buy a few hundred feet of 22AWG in whatever colors you want to use, along with some shorter lengths of heavier gauge wire and multi-conductor/shielded cable for specific items, and just accept that they're going to have some left over.

You'll have tons of time to measure your kit before it's time to install any wires.

[jiott]

Ditto to Eric.

[VictorV]

I should have my SS7 kit in about 2 months, and am currently working on panel design. The panel layout is complete, but I'm trying to work out wire lengths for the runs to the tail and wings. I've spent hours searching and reading posts here and found a lot of useful information, but I haven't been able to find the wire lengths for these runs. Can anyone point me in the right direction or provide some measurements.

Thanks!

I am currently deep into wiring my SS7. I estimated wire lengths by measuring the distance between different points on the fuselage such as panel to wing-root, battery to panel etc. I came up with
about 10 measurements and estimated based on my wiring design. Regardless of how accurately you measure, it's probably impossible to get an accurate estimate of how much wire you'll
need. As you install the wiring, things change so the wire lengths may not be valid. Here's a few things I have learned along the way..

* Try to group wires together based on type/function and bundle those together and then bundle the bundles.
* If you're using Adel clamps keep a variety of sizes on hand since each bundle is a different size
* Be sure to have extra length on each wire so you have the flexibility to change the routing.
* Label both ends of the wire with some sort of temporary label and then add the permanent label when finalizing the connections
* Use lacing to group wires together during initial layout. It helps keep things organized. You can then replace with final lacing when
everything is connected.
* Don't lace things too tightly initially so there's room to add wires to the bundle
* Allocate plenty of time for this task. I am using Garmin G3x, VPX, Safety Trim Booster, CO Detector, Low-fuel sensor, Backup battery and multi-button control stick grips and I need about
225 wires. It takes awhile to put that all together.
* Nick A. who builds the Kitfox wiring harnesses suggests that you wire in place rather than building the harness outside the plane if you're just building 1 plane. It's too difficult to get accurate lengths
when building the harness separately.
* Use foam-board mockups of each component to try different layout schemes
* If you're using a Rotax engine, be sure to follow their recommended wiring scheme since deviating from it might void the warranty.

It's a pretty big task but I find it rewarding and it helps me better understand how everything goes together.

Victor

[jiott]

Excellent suggestions VictorV.

FWIW On my long wire run bundles I used low pressure (light weight) drip irrigation tubing which comes in several sizes up to about 1". I slit this tubing the full length in most cases and then pushed the wires in thru the slit; the slit stays closed and holds the wires inside, but if you need to bring one out thru the slit it is easy to do. This tube protects and keeps the wires neatly bundled, and the tube can be mounted to convenient places with plastic zip ties. Easy to add wires later if needed.

[MikeFairbanks]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm not trying to figure out how much wire I will need, I'm actually working with Midwest Panel Builders to build a pre-wired panel. I was hoping that since Kitfox offers a pre-wired panel that wire length information was available. I should have my kit shortly, so I guess I'll be measuring.