Hi There
Just a brief point, Ron first built his floating instrument panel out of
lexan, but had to replace it with aluminium. I used 1/16" aluminium and it
did work out fine with 6 or 7 rubber standoffs. By the time you cut 6 or 7
3 1/2" holes in the aluminium, it does not add an appreciable amount of
weight, and is a great deal stiffer than lexan, and also, will not creep
with temperature over time.
Brian #328R
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Patterson [mailto:
bob.patterson@canrem.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2000 9:55 PM
To: Murphy Rebel Builders List
Subject: Re: Instruments
Nothing leaps to mind - most are ok. Are you planning on having any
gyro instruments ?? Vacuum or electric ?? There ARE differences between
vacuum gyros meant for vacuum pumps, and those for venturi tubes - get
the wrong one, and it won't work properly !! Personally, I dislike
vacuum pumps - they suck about 3 hp. all the time, and need overhaul
too often for my liking. Venturi tubes won't hurt much - it's not
a 300 mph. airplane ! :-) If you don't plan IFR anyway, then maybe
just a standby electric turn-and-bank, just in case ! ;-)
Vertical card compasses are nice, but expensive - probably not worth
the price ... If you can find a good one at Canadian Tire - go for it !
At a recent Rebel Builders meeting, we heard about a new type of compass
that's available through Radio Shack for about $60 - electronic, and
easy to set up, even with extreme magnetic conditions (like steel tube
next to compass).
Get an airspeed indicator that covers your range as close as possible
- markings down to 20 mph, and up to 140 or 160, although even 130 would
likely do. Avoid the 250 mph types - too hard to read the 1" needle range
:-)
Many Rebel Builders are using the VAL panel mount radio - they cost
less than a hand held, and give good performance (8 watts), and have a
bright display that adjusts for lighting conditions. They have a 2 channel
flip flop switch which is handy for going to ground control quickly.
For about $75 extra, they will supply a made-up wiring harness, ready
to go - a bargain !
Hand-held GPS, with a bracket on the panel, is the most cost-effective
way to go. The technology is advancing quickly, so wait as long as you
can to buy - prices are falling. The fancy combination radio & GPS units
look sexy, but they're EXPENSIVE - both to buy, and maintain. If one
part goes, you lose both for servicing :-(
A moving map display is really nice, but we fly one Rebel with a
$140 GPS from the sporting goods store - works way better than our old
LORAN !! You can always move up, when you know what you want ...
You might want to check out photos of other panels - the standard
layout is becoming - electrical stuff on left angle panel, mounted on
a flip down panel with piano hinges top & bottom, with a doubler around
the hole. The flight instruments are often mounted on a floating panel
in front of the pilot - use 1/8" Lexan for this, and you can put labels
on the back, and paint the back. This looks great, and is protected.
The floating panel is mounted on shock mounts (or just bolts with
fuel line over them). Cut holes in the metal panel to match the floating
panel, but oversize about 1/4" or so - to keep the strength of the
panel (it IS structural). Attach a 1 1/2" aluminum angle to the bottom
of the panel - all the way across, and even out the angles. This angle
will stiffen up the panel AND give you a plave to mount the throttle,
mixture, carb heat, primer, and trim button, leaving space for 2 rows
of full sized instruments on the panel. (can be a 2" angle)
......bobp
-----------------------------------orig.------------------------------------
---
At 09:09 PM 1/27/00 -0330, you wrote:
Is there any instruments types or brand names that I should stay away from?
There seems to be such a variety out there. I heard that some of the
cheaper
brands can't stand up to the vibration!?
Richard DeCiero wrote:
Clay,
Check out
www.aeroelectric.com and read some of the material. Bob
Nuckolls is the owner of that site and has some interesting info there.
He
has a book on aircraft electrical systems that would be very helpful.
Gook
luck.
Rick D.
Rebel 446
Clay Smith wrote:
I'm just about ready to start working on my panel. Would anyone have
any suggestions on flight and engine instrument types? A good place to
buy them with reasonable pricing? How about the other stuff, like
switches, wiring and circuit breakers?
Thanks, Clay
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The Murphy Rebel Builders List is for the discussion
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Archives located at:
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