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Panel and electrical upgrade

TShort

Well Known Member
Well, I have come to the end of a 6 month upgrade on the RV-10 and wanted to post some pictures and a summary of the upgrades. We actually finished back in April but I?ve been too busy flying to post?

First, I want to thank Jon Hubbell, who put several hundred hours of labor into the project, and without whose advice and expertise I would never have been able to finish. His experience and knowledge made the project go much more smoothly. Plus, he?s an all around great guy and I had a blast working with him. Even in freezing Indiana winters in an uninsulated hangar (I didn?t add up how much propane we burned, but trust me it was a lot!).

First, the before pictures:

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Here?s a list of the upgrades:

Extended range tanks (7.5 gal per side)
Upgraded LED lighting:
- FlyLEDs for Nav and strobes
- Baja squadron pros in the wingtips for landing / taxi lights
EarthX battery on firewall
New B&C starter and backup alternator
Reiff preheater
SDS valve covers:

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Jackpoints
Stick boots from Abby at Flightline
Center console from Aerosport
ACK E-04 430mHz ELT
TCW backup battery
Flight Data Systems CO detector
VPX Pro
Comant dual function Nav/GPS antenna
G3X Touch 3 screen system
GTN650
G5 backup


The finished airplane and panel:

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I used Bill at Up North Aviation for panel layout and cutting; he was very patient through MULTIPLE iterations of the panel layout, and very quick to respond with an updated file whenever I sent back requests and changes. The final product was exactly what I wanted, and everything fit perfectly.

Danny at SteinAir did the layout for labeling etc, and handled getting the panel painted, laser etched, and backfilled. He was also very patient, and did a phenomenal job with layout. The finished panel looks great, and is very durable.

Tim Hass at Approach Fast Stack and his guys did an unbelievable job with the wiring harnesses. Once we had everything laid out, we pulled scrap wire between the LRUs and sent him lengths (he has a worksheet for this which makes it very easy). The harnesses were all perfect, the CAN bus functions flawlessly, everything is clearly labeled, and they included detailed wiring diagrams for all of the interconnections and devices. I could not be happier with the process and the product, and Tim was always very helpful with my questions and with layout and connections for the system.
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Paul at FlyLEDs has a great product, and great support. Highly recommended, the lights are lightweight, bright, and easy to build / install.
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I had a local guy custom mill, engrave and thread a piece for the throttle quadrant, and installed the TOGA switch in the throttle. Turned out great, and very functional.

Since the upgrade I?ve put 40 hours on the plane, including several trips to Iowa and a trip to the cabin in CO (KAEJ). The amount of information available on the G3X and the integration of the system and components is incredible. Having the extra fuel on board increases utility and safety. Overall, I could not be happier.
 
Thank you!

Thank you Thomas! Very fun project! And it turned out amazing! It looks great.
 
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