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Canopy micro switch wiring tip

Nova RV

Well Known Member
Like most people I spent hours trying to fish some safety wire (both .032 and .041) to run the canopy safety switch wires with no luck. Tried from front to back, back to front, inside slot to front...no go - the safety wire kinks and gets hung up too easily. Finally I tried this method and was done in about 15 minutes. Sorry no pics as I wasn't sure it was going to work.

1) Run a #22 wire from front to back in the wire slot along the canopy side. Let the wire run straight out the back of the canopy, don't worry about getting it out the tiny slit on the side. Mine slid right through easily.
2) Take the end that now sticks out the back and feed it back forward so it pokes out of the side slit, may need some minor twisting but it is easy to get it out. Once it's through pull it slightly so the feed wire goes from the slit to the front as desired.
3) Strip 1/2" from the front end of the feed wire and the 2 canopy switch wires also at the front. Twist these 3 together carefully so as to not make a lump.
4) Solder this twisted connection, again don't make it too large, just flow into the wires.
5) Pull the feed bundle now from the slit end, it should pull through easily.
6) Crimp on the connectors and you are done, total time 15 minutes.
 
Thanks Chris

Thanks Chris! Not quite there yet but wanted you to know your post is appreciated and I?m taking notes! Joe
 
I don't know why the instructions doesn't have you run this wire before closing that part. I made a note (blue masking tape on the rivet holes) "not to rivet before pre-run the wires", this way I would not get excited to close that part before running the wires first.
 
I don't know why the instructions doesn't have you run this wire before closing that part. I made a note (blue masking tape on the rivet holes) "not to rivet before pre-run the wires", this way I would not get excited to close that part before running the wires first.

Two reasons -

1. - The electrical and avionics design and plans sections were still in the design phase when the canopy portion of the finish kit was completed. The canopy plans could have been updated later, but by then there was a lot of builders who had already built past that point and they needed to fish wires so the decision was made to just provide instructions on how to do it afterwards.

2. - In our shop we didn't have any trouble doing it the way that is described and the judgement was made that the typical builder wouldn't either.
 
I was going to post a new thread, but I figured I would jump in here, since others and I plan to do this soon.

I plan on wiring the canopy after finishing the canopy frame, but before putting on the wind screen. I am on 38-19 and plan to wire before 38-21 or 38-22. Any reason that this would be a bad idea? Or is there something that I am missing? I figure that all the wiring of the canopy would be much easier before the wind screen was in place.

I am using the WH-000126 kit from Van's.
 
Here's the technique effectively outlined by Nova_RV, in pictures. I didn't solder. I just twisted the switch wire around the safety wire and pulled it through. I grounded the switch to the canopy frame through its mounting screw, rather than pull two wires.

http://rv-14a.blogspot.com/2017/04/avionics-canopy-harness-switch-and-fan.html

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Stockmanreef:

I wired my canopy after it was completed as I suspect most other builders did too. It wasn't prohibitive.
 
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