Back To Avionics

I finished up some engine breather and fuel drain lines then turned my attention back to getting the avionics installed. The various Garmin widgets were not all going to fit on the subpanel due to canopy interference, so alternatives were needed. Hours were spent analyzing available real estate, wiring harness leads and connectors lengths. Available space behind the panel will disappear quickly once everything is hooked up. With the help of my AZ based build buddy Craig, we whipped up a CAD designed tray that would mount the GEU24 on top and the GD40 CO detector underneath. Things are always more complicated than they first appear, and Van's gives no guidance here. You're on your own. Before installing the tray, I needed to get both cabin heater control cables cut and installed. The heater cable drove the positioning of the tray and also some trimming to make sure it all worked together. I finally got the tray where I wanted it and match drilled to fit. Rather than installing nut plates in the subpanel a simple backing plate was used that served as the drill jig. Then nut plates were attached to it and screws went through the avionics tray and into the backing plate behind the sub panel. The IBBS backup battery was then mounted to the subpanel in a similar fashion. I now have all components mounted on the left side of the panel. Now I'll be moving to the right side and figuring out where and how to mount a couple more boxes there.