I started out today by wiring up and then installing the Pitot Heat switch.  I then focused on getting the two (2) dimmer switches installed, which required me getting back into their respective install manuals to get the job done.  Those required wiring up as well.

The new switches will require the Tri-Paragon to be installed to truly finish up the wiring, as with nearly all the switches on the panel.

I spent a good hour organizing, cleaning up and deconstructing my wood panel mockup in preparation for the Tri-Paragon to soon be installed in the bird.  Obviously having a temporary functional mockup meant that I had to run a bunch of temporary power and ground wires.  Thus, after pulling those off the mockup, I repurposed them on these Dimmer switches for both the power and ground —replete with already attached FastOn terminals (power) and D-Sub pins (ground).

Here we have the front side of the panel showing the Dimmer switches installed (and the orange wires peeking out from underneath for the Pitot Heat switch.

It was quite chilly today and my shop heater ran out of Kerosene in the mid-afternoon, so I ran down to get some more.  While out I stopped at a small hardware store that has a good “Aviation Hardware Department” <wink>.  I grabbed some 1″ spacers and SS screws to test out installing the P5A connector lower to provide the control stick cable another inch or two of slack.

The green tape on the panel is where the ELT Remote Switch mounts.  The battery for that should be delivered tomorrow, at which point I’ll install it and verify clearances between the combined P5 connectors, the ELT Remote Switch and everything else.

A backup option that I have for providing the slack I want for the control stick cable is to convert the P5 cable connector to a D-Sub connection, which would be much smaller and easier to fit into such a busy corner of the panel.  But before I lop off all those CPC pins and sockets I want to do my fairly quick due diligence and see if these current connectors will fit into this corner melee.

Inching forward…