Hey Guys,

I’ve left the painting and finishing world on this bird and am now primarily focused on the electrical system install and expect to start the avionics install in earnest in the next week or two.

Somewhat concurrently, at least mentally (ha!) I’m working to get the rudder/brake pedals configured and installed, along with the brake lines, master cylinders and reservoirs plumbed. 

Coming up soon will be the balancing, rigging and final installation of all the control surfaces.

…getting exponentially closer to finish every day!

Although there are a myriad of pics here regarding the slow design convergence towards the final Taxi Light pivot arm design, there is a video at the end of this blog post showing the plasma cutting of the GPS antenna “puck plate”… for mounting the plethora of GPS antenna pucks I have on hand.

That being said, here is the inside of the nose with the Taxi Light assembly in the up/ closed position with pivot arm #3 just before I removed it.

And this would be version #4.  Notice how each version keeps getting taller?

And here is version #4 shown deployed from the inside of the nose.  I’m not fully securing the pivot arm with a nut just yet to keep from breaking anything during my assessments.

And here is how pivot arm #4 looks from the outside.  The not-quite-so-closed position in pic 2 is not necessarily the pivot arm’s fault, as the sides of the taxi light assembly are catching on the inside sides of the nose opening.  Some clearance-creation actions may be required.

And pivot arm #4 in the closed/up position.

While taxi light pivot arm #5 was 3D printing, I filled up the plasma cutting table’s water tray and aligned/secured the 0.032″ 6061 aluminum plate to be cut.  I also hauled my laptop computer out to the shop to run this operation.

And here we have pivot arm #5 just installed onto the taxi light assembly.  Again, the trend is that they keep getting taller.

And that pivot arm height is simply to drive the taxi light as vertical in the open position, parallel to WL 0, as possible (pic 1).  That being said, right now my primary concern is with the taxi light assembly fully closing and remaining secure in the nose during flight ops (pic 2).  I can always tweak the geometry more fully later, but will continue to do so as long as I see obvious tweaks that can be made now.

And here is pivot arm #5 from inside the nose, with it pretty much in the fully closed position.

I then plasma cut the GPS antenna puck mounting plate (AKA “puck plate’) and grabbed a short (yes, actually short!) video of that process.

After quickly deburring the edges and removing a few bits of very minimal dross, I then used the initial puck plate 3D printed mockup to drill the 2x 4-40 screw holes in the plate, as those are too small in diameter to plasma cut.

I also tweaked the Taxi Light pivot arm to make version #6 and kicked off the 3D print of that, which I’ll test out tomorrow.

In addition, I’m happy to report that the IBBS charged up to 13.7 volts, with 13.5 volts being the bottom threshold for the unit to be called operationally ready.

Still pushing!

This is another 2-day blog post.

Starting off, I removed the HXr from the panel to give me better clearance to install the GNS-480 mounting tube into place (without screws) to then ensure there was enough clearance for the attached SkyRadar ADS-B IN receiver… and there was.

I then checked spacing for the 2 ADS-B IN antennas, and just after confirming they would fit under the right armrest storage bin, I removed the storage bin to allow for mounting the antennas and ground plane.  I also confirmed cable lengths of 48″ and 54″, respectively, for the 2 antenna cables.  I’ll order those Monday.

In the nose I removed the tool box, battery, pitot tube and IBBS unit.  After removing the IBBS unit I hooked it up to the removed battery, via a separate wiring harness, to charge it.

With the nose stuff cleared out, I then set, drilled, countersunk and mounted the Dual GPS antenna puck mounting sleeve on the aft left side of Napster bulkhead, as high up as I could place it.

Here we have the front side of the Napster bulkhead with the front of the Dual GPS antenna puck bracket CS screw heads showing (pic 1).  These counter sinks, especially the outboard one, were a bit tricky given the internal curvature of the nose.  They were also a bit closer to the IBBS upper Clickbonds than I had expected, but again, I wanted the Dual GPS puck as high up as I could mount it.

And here is a shot of the Dual GPS puck mounting bracket without the GPS puck in place (pic 2).

Here we have the Dual GPS puck mounted in place and ready for action!

And a shot of the lower side of the Dual GPS puck mount to show the bottom side of the mount.  I knocked the mount just a hair off level as I was drilling the second hole, but this dog will certainly hunt!

As my timeline went, I was actually working on the nose taxi light’s internal open/close pivot arm that I designed in CAD and fired off the first 3D print last night for configuration testing today.

Here’s the front face of the sanded (and soon to be repainted) drop-down taxi light assembly.

And the same light assembly, turned face down, with the initial iteration of the open/close pivot arm (pic 1), and then version #2 of the pivot arm after I temporarily installed it in the nose (pic 2)… after each redesign and during each subsequent 3D printing is when I worked on installing the GPS puck mount above [out of curiosity I weighed this part, which came in at 1/3 lb = 5 oz].

Not surprisingly, pivot arm #3 is the most promising yet, and is one that I can actually live test with the taxi light deployment/retraction actuator.  Thus, in prep for the taxi light unit open/close test tomorrow, I finished wiring up the taxi light relay (#11) for the test (no pic).

Yesterday I spent about 45 minutes starting on the initial cleaning of my plasma cutting table water tray.  Tonight I spent nearly 2 hours finishing that task (a complete cleaning will involve actually removing all the slats) to allow me to add water —without it turning instantly dirty brown— to get the GPS puck mounting plate and ADS-B IN antenna ground plane/mounting tabs plasma cut.

I’ll note that I’m working the taxi light final install, along with all the other nose components, so that the next time the battery, etc. is installed the nose compartment will all be squared away to allow me install the nose hatch door…. inching closer!

Jess and I got back from our DC trip early evening yesterday.  After unpacking and doing an update on my to-do list, I went out to the shop to flip on the Master Switch to check and see if the Mini-X OAT was still alive and reporting believable temps.  And it was.  I also grabbed the lists for both the GRT HXr and Mini-X that I printed off from the GRT website that covers all the specific features included with the new software updates.

Today I spent a good half hour over coffee looking at the updates and highlighting those I wanted to investigate further.

Out in the shop I needed to address a rather tricky task of installing a screw into the HXr’s J4B D-Sub connector’s outboard side.  You see, I didn’t account for the J4B D-Sub connector needing to be installed and secured BEFORE the TruTrak ADI was installed.  And since there is less than 3/8″ clearance between them, I don’t have an room to get a regular screwdriver in there… and I’m NOT removing anything from the panel to get to it.

So I used a low-profile 4-40 hex-drive screw (visible aft of screwdriver tip) and then lopped off most of the end of a hex key (above screwdriver) to allow me to get in there to first set, then fasten the screw into place.  This entire exercise took right about an hour!

Since I plan on creating and installing the GPS antenna puck mounting plate either tomorrow or the next day, I needed to address an issue that just cropped up recently with the Starlink system dealing with both performance and price.  If you’re interested, Scott on the Canard Boulevard YouTube channel covers the issues very well here.

In light of the unfortunate very significant capabilities reduction and price increase for StarLink use in GA, I’m making my power leads for the StarLink antenna swappable to allow me to connect up my WxWorx antenna for SiriusXM Weather (as an option).

Here is the pulled StarLink power cable right behind the power wire terminated with a knife-splice connector for the power side (pic 1) and the a knife-splice connector terminated onto the ground wire (pic 2).  Clearly this will allow me to connect up either the StarLink Antenna, the SiriusXM Weather system, or any future weather product, respectively of course, that needs power.  Yep, we always need to be ready to improvise, adapt and overcome!

Again, in prep for mounting the GPS antenna puck mounting plate, I updated the zip-tie thru-holes and then printed off a thin version of the plate to check those zip-tie points.  This took a good 45 minutes in CAD to do the initial measuring and outlay of these zip-tie points.

That being said, it will need at least one more tweak tomorrow before I plasma cut the plate.

My final quick, but productive, task for the evening was taking a pair of headphones out to the shop to plug into the pilot headset jacks.  I prepped this audio check by fusing the AMX-2A 10-channel audio mixer before flipping on the Master Switch.

I then turned on the Dynon Intercom and was met with the alarm audio alerts from the AG6 warning annunciators (one for the canopy open alarm from AG6 #1 and the other an IBBS low volts alarm from AG6 #2).  Once I finished booting up the HXr and Mini-X EFISs, I was met with a myriad of EIS audio alarms —since the engine data systems aren’t hooked up (and engine not started).

Clearly these functioning audio alarm outputs are initial indications pointing to good wiring on the audio mixer, intercom, AG6s, HXr and Mini-X.

Pressing forward!

This blog post covers the past few days of the build.

Here’s a shot of the 3D printed ABS test bracket bases to dial in the screw spacing and depth required to bury the nuts into each bracket segment.

As I discussed in my last post, I determined that only #6 110° CS screws provide the internal clearance required for securing anything to the mounting tube innards.

I’ll note that I spent a considerable bit of time researching and also discussing the SkyRadar ADS-B IN receiver’s remote antenna placement and install with GRT. I also did a deep dive on acquisitioning some cable fittings, or better yet, the entire cable assemblies themselves… made to fit of course <wink>.

Fellow local canardian, Guy Williams, and I had made plans to get together last week, when/where I could update him on my build and also perhaps haul the right wing to my hangar.  Well, that fell through, but a couple of days ago we agreed to make it happen today (Day 2).

I was already prepped to do the initial install on the GRT HXr EFIS and knocked that out about 45 minutes before Guy showed up the shop.  It fired up nicely, as you can see here.

Also on my to-do list for quite some time was getting the last of the seat belt segments installed… here we have the left bottom pilot seatbelt installed.  This makes for ALL the seatbelts officially installed

After a good hour-plus BS’ing about my panel and controls installs, Guy and I loaded up the right wing and hauled it to my hangar so it could join the left wing as they both await the delivery of the fuselage…

Here we have a couple of shots with the sunset in the background of the right wing, ready to be unstrapped and placed into the hangar.  If you look closely, you may be able to see the collapsed wing dolly in the bed of my truck, which the wing will be placed upon before it gets installed onto the bird.

Back at the house/shop, I did some final 3D prints of the SkyRadar ADS-B IN receiver’s mounting brackets to allow me to attach the receiver to the inboard side of the Garmin GNS-480’s mounting tube.

Here is the initial assembly of the first of two mounting brackets.

And another shot of the first bracket’s installation (pic 1), and the second bracket ready to be installed as well (pic 2).  Note the threaded 6-32 brass inserts that I staked into the ABS plastic mounting bracket’s mating surfaces, with both a vertical and horizontal screw securing it on each top and bottom corner of each bracket.

The next morning, with the brackets fitting most excellently on the SkyRadar ADS-B IN receiver, I installed the brackets first onto the GNS-480 mounting tube before then doing the final install of the receiver into place.  I have to say, these brackets work a treat and I’m very pleased with them.

I’ll also note that the antennas mounted on the receiver’s forward end (pic 2) are the ones that will have to be removed and remotely mounted under the very aft end of the left pilot armrest.  Inside the armrest of course.  That gets these antennas the required >4′ away from the transponder antenna inside the forward NG30 bracket uprights in the nose.

Moreover, I’ll further note that when Guy was at the shop, I discussed with him a couple of distinct issues I was having with the GRT EFISs.

First off, I’ve been having very spotty reporting from the MIni-X’s OAT probe.  And then after I installed the HXr EFIS, we could see that they were not talking to each other, although they are wired with data crosslinks.

I emailed GRT with some screenshots of my Mini-X’s OAT reporting, which ranged from nothing but dashed lines for the OAT value to a negative value which interestingly put the Density Altitude in the negative thousands.  After a reply from GRT with a few things to troubleshoot —one of which was checking the settings— I decided to go ahead and update the software.

And wouldn’t you know, that seems to have done the trick [knock on wood!].

I was then ready to remove the HXr to check out the wiring between the pair of EFISs, although after some playing around with them I did discover that manipulating the inputs on the Mini-X did change those values on the HXr, but not vise versa… so one wire appeared to be the culprit.

Well, I finally got a lucky break in that as I prepared to remove the HXr, I noticed that one of the 3 data D-Sub connectors on the back of the HXr was cocked at an angle, with the top half not fully inserted into the HXr.  Ahhh, that’s something!  And sure enough, with it fully seated I powered up the panel and every EIS alarm I had been getting on the HXr was now ringing off on the Mini-X as well.  Thus the inputs on the HXr are now also manipulating those items on the MIni-X (altimeter, heading bug, etc.).

Serendipitously, all my <current> troubleshooting tasks on these displays have been resolved!

And here we have the panel with the nose poking out of the shop a hair to allow the GPS pucks to pick up their signals.  I’ll also note that I updated the HXr’s software as well.

Finally, in the mail today I got a nice surprise: the super clean (electrically speaking) 12v-5v converter that Eric Page constructed for me, replete with EZ-PZ labels to ID wire hookups.  Very nice!  This is of course for the one (out of 4 cameras) 5v video camera I have that needs to be hooked up to the Video Camera Multiplexer’s camera 12v power connector.

Tomorrow will be a busy day as we prep for a quick trip up to DC for a few days.  Upon my return I plan on working like a dog and wholeheartedly expect to be pretty much done with the instrument panel and electrical system install on this bird in the week following.

Pressing forward!