With the sticks finished, the project is to install the wheels. With my dad visiting for a week, it was a great project for us to work on together. First I located all of the components we needed. Since I’m installing Beringer wheels, and using Aircraft Specialty brake lines, we had a few different sets of hardware. No progress today, just locating components.
Tonight I wired up the d-sub pins on both sticks, using a d-sub connector on the right stick, and heat-shrink insulation instead of a connector on the left.
I’m not sure how much of a service loop is going to be appropriate here, so I may need to make some adjustments in the future to sort out the wiring runs.
Tonight I finished making a fitting to hold a d-sub connector, which will allow the right hand control stick to be easily removed. The fitting is made of three sheets of aluminum, and slips over the existing steel fitting for the molex connector. It’s held in place with rivets and is very solid.
On the left stick, since I don’t plan to remove it, I’m going to skip the d-sun connector and just use insulated d-sun pins held together with heat-shrink.
Tonight I finished the left hand control stick. I still need to install connectors on both wiring harnesses, and plan to use d-sub connectors, vs the standard molex from Vans.
Having already done the right stick, the left stick was faster. I cut and fit the sleeve, installed the grip, routed the wires and checked the buttons to ensure they were working as specified.
My concern with both sticks is the possibility of chaffing on the wiring where it exits the tube. To counter the possibility, I covered the wire bundle with mesh, used (electrical grade) silicone around the hole, and will zip-tie the wire bundle to minimize movement. I wish there was more I could do, but I’m out of ideas. I may need to research this more…
Tonight I finished setting up the right hand control stick, by installing the stick grip. I still need to wire up the molex connector, but it’s great to see how it looks installed in the plane. The stick grip feels very comfortable, solid, and easy to manipulate.
The most time consuming part was cutting a slot in the control stick tube, and then drilling holes through the stick. However, the sleeve made for an easy guide and I was able to get it nicely finished. I primed the sleeve and then carefully routed the wiring down the tube and out the hole at the base of the stick tube. I had to enlarge the wiring hole with the step drill, then give it a slightly oblong shape to allow the wiring to pass through without difficulty. I used some mesh to serve as an anti-chaffing layer, and secured it with some shrink seal.
I had been trying to decide what to do in terms of control sticks for the airplane, and finally decided to go with infinity stick grips. They offer a huge array of button options, but I decided to just get the standard configuration, without flaps.
The other option I was considering was Tosten sticks from Vans, which are ready-made and wired. I think the Infinity sticks look a bit better, and that was the deciding factor for me.
I might regret not getting flaps on the stick, but I feel more comfortable with the flap switch on the panel. The situation I was thinking about was a go-around. A last-minute go around involves applying a lot of nose-down trim, while also raising the flaps, and applying full power. I couldn’t imagine how my left thumb would be able to manage flaps and trim, simultaneously. Made more sense to me to have left hand doing pitch, and right hand doing power and flaps. Anyway, I can always make a change if I learn something that changes my mind.
So I started the work by stripping off powder coat on the top 2 inches of the stick, so the sleeve can fit over the stick tube. Then I drilled holes and cut a slot in the back of the stick tube. It is kinda tricky centering the holes, and I’m still working on final sizing the holes.
Today I installed the flap position sensor. I tried a right angle drill bit to see if I could drill the torque tube without removing it. There’s just not enough room, so I reverted to unbolting it and moving it. I found by sliding it up in was able to get a clear enough line to drill the hole. I used a 12 inch drill bit and flexed it slightly to get square onto the torque tube.
With the hole drilled, I moved on to fabricating the connecting rod. This was easy enough.
Instead of using a molex connector, I followed the SteinAir how-to video and used d-sub pins and sockets to form the connections. Each wire’s connector is then covered with heat-shrink to insulate it.
With all that done, I installed the rod and then reinstalled the flap torque tube, which was the hardest part of the whole process. Then I mounted the sensor, and stopped for the day. I still need to tidy up the wiring, but will do that later this week.
Tonight I finished routing the wiring harness. I was able to connect the headset jacks, the control stick, and the flap motor. Still to-do is the flap position sensor, the baggage light, and then working out how to tension the wires to stop them moving around.
Most of the work was a repeat of the right hand side. The time was spent fishing wires through the various ribs, then installing bushings. Because the connectors are already installed on the harness, the routing needs some patience. It also means the the bushings all need to be sliced in one place so that they can be spread apart and installed over the wires, then inserted into their locations in the ribs.
The flap position sensor is on backorder from Vans, but installation looks simple enough. The baggage light needs some thought and research, as this is not in the plans. I need to decide where to route the wires, where to place the light(s), which light I need, and where to locate the switch.