SkyView Interconnect Board

[Pdtofly]

A few years ago, I came up with a simple low cost interconnect board for SkyView. I finally made a mock-up using the board in a RV7 Panel. It shows you a simple, neat install using the board.



This is a top view of the front and sub panels with the board and most SkyView modules installed in/on the two panels.



This is a shot through the left screen panel hole. Allows easy access to the board and the transponder and ADSB In Receiver. The right panel gives you easy access to the EMS, ARINC429, and the Dynon Comm Receiver, or whatever you put on the left and right.



This is a shot of the Interconnect Board looking down from the top of front panel.

Everything makes all the connections through the Interconnect Board, and allows easy expansion of the system, as you buy new components, like second screen, and servos. Mount the board, make your own harnesses, connect the modules, then program the SkyView. Easy Peasy.

Brian

 

[RicoB]

Board

Brian, could you send me more info on your board? I have a full dynon system, you board sounds interesting to me to where I would like to redo all my dynon wiring.

 

[jibby212]

I purchased one of these boards from Brian a few years ago. I have been flying with it now for over a year and 150 hours. I loved the idea from the beginning and I am very happy with it. I also showed it to a fellow builder who is also currently flying with it. Brian also offers great support.

 

[rvbuilder2002]

A few years ago, I came up with a simple low cost interconnect board for SkyView. I finally made a mock-up using the board in a RV7 Panel. It shows you a simple, neat install using the board.

View attachment 52214

This is a top view of the front and sub panels with the board and most SkyView modules installed in the two panels.

View attachment 52212

This is a shot through the left screen panel hole. Allows easy access to the board and the transponder and ADSB In Receiver. The right panel gives you easy access to the EMS, ARINC429, and the Dynon Comm Receiver, or whatever you put on the left and right.

View attachment 52213

This is a shot of the Interconnect Board looking down from the top of front panel.

Everything makes all the connections through the Interconnect Board, and allows easy expansion of the system, as you buy new components, like second screen, and servos. Mount the board, make your own harnesses, connect the modules, then program the SkyView. Easy Peasy.

Brian

I’m curious what the benefit is beyond What is already available from Dynon?
https://shop.dynon.com/products/sv-net-hub-skyview-network-hub-with-5-ports

Incorporates connection of serial ports as well? What else is there beyond that?

 

[Pdtofly]

Answer for Scott

Scott,

First, I charge $300 shipped for the board. Dynon/AFS, last time I asked, charged $2700 for the ACM, plus you have to buy some of their harnesses at another $1500 minimum. They charge $65 plus sales tax, and shipping just for the hub alone. If you want to go with the ACM, go for it, it is a nice unit. I came up with this as an option when they would not sell the ACM to anyone unless you bought their pre-built panels.

Yes, it has a 5 position SkyView Network hub on the board, but it does more. It make all the connections on the board by tying the serial ports, audio connections, contact inputs, and servo disconnects together. It also includes the resistor used inline for the external GPS source to the transponder for ADSB out to name a few.

If you did a one screen install, then decide to add another screen at a later date, you need to rewire it, by either redoing the initial wiring, or splicing these wires together. The board does all that for you. You simple just need to put a new connector on the end of the display harness, install another SkyView Network harness, plug them both in, hook up power, and program the new screen. Every time you mess with wiring behind the panel, you risk breaking a wire, or worse, shorting something out. How much is your time worth?

No disrespect Scott, if you are not interested, just don't buy one. I have only sold about 20 of them, but everyone who has, has found the install goes a lot smoother for them. I made the mock-up to show a simple install, and how easy, and neat an install "can" be. Not everyone has the experience that we have, and are looking at other options out there to make their installs goes smoothly. That is what I think I have accomplished with the board.

Brian

 

[Pdtofly]

Rico, check your PM

Brian, could you send me more info on your board? I have a full dynon system, you board sounds interesting to me to where I would like to redo all my dynon wiring.

Rico,

Check your PM.

Brian

 

[rmartingt]

I'm using one of Brian's boards as well. Not flying yet but avionics are done and working. Made the job much easier and neater (well, at least to the extent my ability allows) and I didn't have a bunch of random splices to make. It was also very easy to build almost all the harnesses "on the bench".

I like that the autopilot servos have dedicated connection points (including their power and ground) separate from the 5 SV net ports.

I ended up mounting mine on the subpanel, near the center.

 

[GeoffP]

Thanks Brian, I'm in the process of working out my panel architecture, including placing the interconnect board I got from you some years ago now! This looks like a nice neat way to mount it, as I had been thinking of putting it horizontally between the sub-panel and main panel, behind one of the Dynon Screens.

 

[Pdtofly]

Thanks

Thanks Brian, I'm in the process of working out my panel architecture, including placing the interconnect board I got from you some years ago now! This looks like a nice neat way to mount it, as I had been thinking of putting it horizontally between the sub-panel and main panel, behind one of the Dynon Screens.

Geoff,

Thanks. You can mount it anyway you want. Even upside down like you guys are downunder. LOL

I was thinking about you and how it was coming along. I sold one last summer to a guy in New Zealand, and he is flying it already. Also was an easy install for him.

Thanks for the note and update.

Brian

 

[N890GF]

Audio shields

How do you handle the audio shielding? do you ground the shields to the board somehow? or do you not route intercom/radio audio lines through the interconnect board?

 

[Pdtofly]

Audio

How do you handle the audio shielding? do you ground the shields to the board somehow? or do you not route intercom/radio audio lines through the interconnect board?

George,

The only audio that goes through the board is the SkyView audio out. I just use three twisted wires, like in the display harness, to the Dynon Intercom Panel, or three connector shielded wire to an audio panel, and the shield grounded at the audio panel side.

I have not had, or heard from anyone having any audio problems or noise.

Brian

 

[rvbuilder2002]

Hmmm,
I am starting to do planning work on a panel upgrade that will use Dynon LRU’s but not the Advanced ACM so I was not looking for a comparison to the ACM but was legitimately interested in how your board compared to the network hub (the component that I provided the link to).

Thanks anyway

Scott,

First, I charge $300 shipped for the board. Dynon/AFS, last time I asked, charged $2700 for the ACM, plus you have to buy some of their harnesses at another $1500 minimum. They charge $65 plus sales tax, and shipping just for the hub alone. If you want to go with the ACM, go for it, it is a nice unit. I came up with this as an option when they would not sell the ACM to anyone unless you bought their pre-built panels.

Yes, it has a 5 position SkyView Network hub on the board, but it does more. It make all the connections on the board by tying the serial ports, audio connections, contact inputs, and servo disconnects together. It also includes the resistor used inline for the external GPS source to the transponder for ADSB out to name a few.

If you did a one screen install, then decide to add another screen at a later date, you need to rewire it, by either redoing the initial wiring, or splicing these wires together. The board does all that for you. You simple just need to put a new connector on the end of the display harness, install another SkyView Network harness, plug them both in, hook up power, and program the new screen. Every time you mess with wiring behind the panel, you risk breaking a wire, or worse, shorting something out. How much is your time worth?

No disrespect Scott, if you are not interested, just don't buy one. I have only sold about 20 of them, but everyone who has, has found the install goes a lot smoother for them. I made the mock-up to show a simple install, and how easy, and neat an install "can" be. Not everyone has the experience that we have, and are looking at other options out there to make their installs goes smoothly. That is what I think have accomplished with the board.

Brian

 

[N890GF]

George,

...

I have not had, or heard from anyone having any audio problems or noise.

Brian

Awesome to hear. I really like the idea of your board, I made a much simpler "serial board" to connect the serial devices that is essentially a 15pin version of the Dynon Skyview Network board, thats all I was capable of when I wired up my panel. So far in all the ground testing, I've had no audio issues, but its not as tidy behind the panel as yours is.

 

[PaulvS]

That looks like a neat solution Brian and it is good value considering the amount of work to develop and produce it. I used a similar interconnect 'hub' concept in addition to the Dynon hub. It is used for the serial ports, push buttons, low fidelity audio etc. The advantage is like yours i.e. neater, modular installation instead of a rats nest of point-point connections. It also makes testing easier by providing direct access to the signal pins.
Do you have a picture of the bare board without anything plugged in?

 

[Pdtofly]

Picture of board

Do you have a picture of the bare board without anything plugged in?

Paul,

Here you go. The board is 5” X 5”, but with the mount, it comes to 6 1/2” X 5 1/2”

I have been toying with adding another screen connector for guys who want to add a third center screen.



This one show what goes where, as it was designed, but I added a few extra things. Like if you had an extra GPS-250 and wanted to include it as a backup, you plug it into serial port 4, as it has the required 8 volts for the GPS Receiver like serial port 5. If you were using an external GPS for your ADSB source, you put the RS232 signal into serial 5, which then goes through the required resistor, which is on the board, and it then goes directly to the transponder so you can have an extra serial port for something else. There is quite a bite of flexibility with the board.



Brian

 

[Pdtofly]

Interconnect Board

Hmmm,
I am starting to do planning work on a panel upgrade that will use Dynon LRU’s but not the Advanced ACM so I was not looking for a comparison to the ACM but was legitimately interested in how your board compared to the network hub (the component that I provided the link to).

Thanks anyway

Scott,

Sorry for the miss understanding. I came up with the idea as a simple, low cost option for the ACM, which I was interested in, but they would not sell to me as they only sold with their pre built panels. Now, they do sell them, but you have to buy some of their pre made harnesses, and that can get expensive. I have talked to Rob Hickman, and really like the ACM, but I am not going to redo my wiring at this point in time.

This is not a direct replacement for Dynon’s hub, but an expansion on their hub. It was one product to connect all their modules using the hub, then also tap off the hub to go to the autopilot servos as you needed the SkyView Network data lines. They are all on the top of the board. Notice the three connectors on the right are female, not males, so you would not plug the autopilots servos, or the SkyView modules into the wrong connectors. Serial port one, two, and five have a specific function per Dynon’s install manual. I gave serial 4 two functions, another place to add a second GPS, or use it for other things like a 406 ELT. Each serial port has the basic, 12+, GND, and RS232 TX and RX. Some have extras.

As I said, this is not for everyone, but what is. If it something you would like to discuss further, please contact me at my email, [email protected], and I would be happy to talk to you about it. If not, I understand.

Brian

 

[glider_rider]

Brian, is there any way to add sockets for automotive fuses to your board? Something like the old advanced ACM:

 

[Pdtofly]

Fuses

Sorry, I missed this question, until now.

I didn’t add fuses on the board as I was trying to keep away of a single power in to prevent a single point failure. If the power line broke, you would lose power to the board. Yes, you have the backup battery for the SkyView screens and the SkyView modules, but you would lose the transponder, ADSB In, and autopilot.

I personally didn’t like the fuse idea, as it would have put them on the sub panel, and would not have given you the ability to pull a fuse to depower something in flight or replace a fuse. I had an idea to easily replace the fuses with panel mounted circuit breakers.

I have made it a simple system. It also gives you the option to use fuses, circuit breakers, or connect it to a VPX system.

Brian