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Running electrical cables

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a.s.elliott(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:39 am Post subject: Running electrical cables

Gang:

  

 I am approaching (slowly) the point where I need consider where and how I  will run the electrical connections from the panel back on my 601XL.  I am  looking for some comments from you all that have passed this point.  

  

 It seems that in my dual-stick plane, there are three pathways immediately  obvious:

  

 1. under left canopy rail

 2. under right canopy rail

 3. through control tunnel

     3a. up top on the sides out of the way of the  cables

     3b. down low though the spar hole out of the way of the  cables

  

 I am thinking that the wiring to the wings, for lights and pitot heat,  would be rightly run under the respective canopy rails, then down between the  fuselage side and the interior panel, then out through the fuselage side in the  wing root area.

  

 Similarly, the wiring for the comm antenna, transponder antenna, ELT  control wires (if installed) and beacon, plus the autopilot would be good  candidates for the 3a. route (which is not really available in center-stick  planes).  This would also be the location of the wires from the trim on the  stick to the trim relays behind the seat, and for the coaxes for the remote gyro  (mounted under the console cover) and remote compass (mounted under the  baggage floor) for my EFIS.

  

 The flap control wires could also run through the 3a. path if the switch is  on the console, or alternately under the left rail if the switch is on the  panel.

  

  

 Any comments about this routing plan?

  

 Andy Elliott, Mesa, AZ

N601GE (reserved)

601XL/TD/QB, Corvair,  building...

  

  

   [quote][b]

bryanmmartin

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1018

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:03 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

I ran the GPS and VOR antenna cables under one canopy rail and the  

Com 1 antenna under the other because those antennas are all mounted  

up high in the rear fuselage. I didn't want to run the transmitter  

cable real close to the two receiver cables for any large distance,  

which is why I ran them on opposite sides. I installed half inch poly  

tubing under the canopy rails to use as cable ways. I ran pretty much  

every thing else through the tunnel on either side of and at the same  

level as the torque tube (3c). With the center stick, that puts them  

out of the way of any moving parts.

On Apr 19, 2007, at 3:38 PM, Dr. Andrew Elliott wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Gang:



 I am approaching (slowly) the point where I need consider where and  

 how I will run the electrical connections from the panel back on my  

 601XL.  I am looking for some comments from you all that have  

 passed this point.



 It seems that in my dual-stick plane, there are three pathways  

 immediately obvious:



 1. under left canopy rail

 2. under right canopy rail

 3. through control tunnel

     3a. up top on the sides out of the way of the cables

     3b. down low though the spar hole out of the way of the cables




	


-- 

Bryan Martin

N61BM, CH 601 XL,

RAM Subaru, Stratus redrive.

do not archive.

_________________
--
Bryan Martin
N61BM, CH 601 XL, Stratus Subaru.
do not archive.

VideoFlyer(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:25 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

I enclosed the channel that runs underneath the cabin from the front nose  wheel to the spring gear with a slightly wider piece of channel.  A couple  of holes in the floor with heavy duty rubber grommets allowed me to run all my  cables underneath the spar in the newly enclosed channel.   They  re-enter the plane behind the spar.  I ran all of my wiring...plus the  pitot and static tubes...plus tubes for the LRI ....with plenty of room.   Keeps thing out of the way by your feet and inside the cabin.  I'll send a  pic if you're interested.

  

  

 Dave

 601XL/Corvair



See what's free at AOL.com. 

  [quote][b]

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:50 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

A very cool idea Dave. Thanks for the insight. 



Dred



---- VideoFlyer(at)aol.com wrote: 

 	  Quote: 	
		   I enclosed the channel that runs underneath the cabin from the front nose  

 wheel to the spring gear with a slightly wider piece of channel.

Gig Giacona

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:31 pm Post subject: Re: Running electrical cables

I had thought of doing the exact same thing. Do you have any photos?

 	  VideoFlyer(at)aol.com wrote: 	
		  I enclosed the channel that runs underneath the cabin from the front nose  wheel to the spring gear with a slightly wider piece of channel.  A couple  of holes in the floor with heavy duty rubber grommets allowed me to run all my  cables underneath the spar in the newly enclosed channel.   They  re-enter the plane behind the spar.  I ran all of my wiring...plus the  pitot and static tubes...plus tubes for the LRI ....with plenty of room.ï¿½  Keeps thing out of the way by your feet and inside the cabin.  I'll send a  pic if you're interested.

  

  

 Dave

 601XL/Corvair

_________________
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR

Jaybannist(at)cs.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:02 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

Don't forget that you will probably have a big, fat battery cable to run as well as pitot & static tubing.  



Jay in Dallas

Do not archive

"Dr. Andrew Elliott" <a.s.elliott(at)cox.net> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  Gang:



I am approaching (slowly) the point where I need consider where and how I will run the electrical connections from the panel back on my 601XL.  I am looking for some comments from you all that have passed this point.



It seems that in my dual-stick plane, there are three pathways immediately obvious:



1. under left canopy rail

2. under right canopy rail

3. through control tunnel

    3a. up top on the sides out of the way of the cables

    3b. down low though the spar hole out of the way of the cables



I am thinking that the wiring to the wings, for lights and pitot heat, would be rightly run under the respective canopy rails, then down between the fuselage side and the interior panel, then out through the fuselage side in the wing root area.



Similarly, the wiring for the comm antenna, transponder antenna, ELT control wires (if installed) and beacon, plus the autopilot would be good candidates for the 3a. route (which is not really available in center-stick planes).  This would also be the location of the wires from the trim on the stick to the trim relays behind the seat, and for the coaxes for the remote gyro (mounted under the console cover) and remote compass (mounted under the baggage floor) for my EFIS.



The flap control wires could also run through the 3a. path if the switch is on the console, or alternately under the left rail if the switch is on the panel.

Any comments about this routing plan?



Andy Elliott, Mesa, AZ

N601GE (reserved)

601XL/TD/QB, Corvair, building...

Float Flyr

Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

I personally like to keep my radio Coax separate from potentially noisy

wiring like the lines to the strobes... On aircraft the ERP is quite small

and the coax generally has enough shielding to protect from cross

channelling.  The rest of the wires can be neatly bundled and tied.  The

wires for your avionics aren't so much Coax as they are shielded cable.

Some will only have one conductor others will have multiple conductors.  The

important thing is that the shielding only be grounded at one end.

Grounding the shield at both ends turns the whole wire into a big juicy

inductor similar to a capacitor.  Generally if I put FR coax on one side of

the plane I will put the rest of the wiring on the other side.  Some of the

equipment you mentioned can generate pulses that the radios could interfere

with or could interfere with the radios.



The routing of the cable if it were up to me would be well supported and not

close to any control cables or moving parts (Door latches)  once properly

supported the wires can be clamped into position in the centre of lightening

holes.  I've done my share of aircraft wiring and I can tell  you there will

be times when you wonder if you are really wiring or knitting an electrical

system.



Regardless of which route/s you use the biggest favour you can do for

yourself is to draw a wiring interconnect diagram which shows the routing

and location of all the wires.  This will be invaluable if there is any

trouble shooting to do...e.g. where is the wire for the light on the

transponder???  Remember some problems although minor just won't show for a

few years long after you've forgotten you decided to wire the transponder

lights directly off the instrument lights instead of the pin designated by

the transponder manufacturer because the light would go out when the

transponder was turned off and you decided you didn't want that.  The wiring

diagram can also help you decide how many and what kind of cannon connectors

you will need if you decide to use them, How much and what kind and size

wires you will need.  How many crimp connectors Etc..  Paper is cheap have a

good supply when drawing up your diagrams.  You will find you will be making

lots of changes before you make your first crimp connection.



Remember Cannon/Moulenex connectors can be great if you decide to pull the

wings off to trailer the plane somewhere.



I just noticed the reference you made to the flap control.  This is a

control that is general only used once or twice during a flight.  For that

reason I like to place the flap control and or gear control in a place where

the pilot has to reach for it.  That way there is less chance of accidental

activation. Other considerations may be children in the cockpit.  When I was

a kid I loved to fiddle with just about anything that moved, my father's

Cessna had all the major controls safely out of reach of my little deft

fingers... You may want to consider such things when deciding where to place

certain controls.



Noel



 	  Quote: 	
		   From: "Dr. Andrew Elliott" <a.s.elliott(at)cox.net>

 Subject: Running electrical cables

 

 Gang:

 

 I am approaching (slowly) the point where I need consider 

 where and how 

 I will run the electrical connections from the panel back on 

 my 601XL.  

 I am looking for some comments from you all that have passed 

 this point. 

 

 

 It seems that in my dual-stick plane, there are three pathways 

 immediately obvious:

 

 1. under left canopy rail

 2. under right canopy rail

 3. through control tunnel

     3a. up top on the sides out of the way of the cables

     3b. down low though the spar hole out of the way of the cables

 

 I am thinking that the wiring to the wings, for lights and 

 pitot heat, 

 would be rightly run under the respective canopy rails, then down 

 between the fuselage side and the interior panel, then out 

 through the 

 fuselage side in the wing root area.

 

 Similarly, the wiring for the comm antenna, transponder antenna, ELT 

 control wires (if installed) and beacon, plus the autopilot would be 

 good candidates for the 3a. route (which is not really available in 

 center-stick planes).  This would also be the location of the 

 wires from 

 the trim on the stick to the trim relays behind the seat, and for the 

 coaxes for the remote gyro (mounted under the console cover) 

 and remote 

 compass (mounted under the baggage floor) for my EFIS.

 

 The flap control wires could also run through the 3a. path if 

 the switch 

 is on the console, or alternately under the left rail if the 

 switch is 

 on the panel.

 

 

 Any comments about this routing plan?

 

 Andy Elliott, Mesa, AZ

 N601GE (reserved)

 601XL/TD/QB, Corvair, building...

_________________
Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats

craig(at)craigandjean.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 10:27 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

OK, so you run wires to the rear under the canopy rails. What do you do when

you reach the rear of the cockpit and hit 6B5-6, the upright channel? Have

others just drilled a hole it? And if you do that leaves you above the

luggage shelf. Do you route the wires back or up from that point?



Or do you route the wires from the rail down to pass through 6B6-5 below the

shelf?



Does anyone have any pictures?



-- Craig

tonyplane(at)bellsouth.ne
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:43 am Post subject: Running electrical cables

Craig,

 I thought I had some pics of the wires exiting  under the canopy channels, but could not find them..What I did was at the exit  points, I enclosed the wires/cables in split ribbed auto wire conduit and ran  them up into the cargo area fuselage side (upper antenna/interior lights/  tail light/ elevator & aileron trim)  or down into the area behind  the seats (lower antenna, flaps, Xpndr antenna ), as required.  The  conduit provides chaff protection and the exit area is mostly hidden by the seat  back upholstery.   You may want to try it with only ribbed conduit to  see what it looks like.  Would not recommend adding a hole in the  upright channel.

  

 Tony Graziano

 234 hrs

  

             RE: Running electrical        cables        From:              Craig Payne (craig(at)craigandjean.com ([email]craig(at)craigandjean.com?subject=RE:%20Running%20electrical%20cables&replyto=01af01c78570$47663360$8e01010a(at)northamerica.corp.microsoft.com[/email]))        Date:              [b]Sun Apr 22 - 11:27        PM[/b]  	  Quote: 	
		   	  Quote: 	
		  OK, so you run wires to the rear under the canopy rails. What do you do when

you reach the rear of the cockpit and hit 6B5-6, the upright channel? Have

others just drilled a hole it? And if you do that leaves you above the

luggage shelf. Do you route the wires back or up from that point?



Or do you route the wires from the rail down to pass through 6B6-5 below the

shelf?



Does anyone have any pictures?



-- Craig

	
	
 



   [quote][b]

Gig Giacona

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:25 am Post subject: Re: Running electrical cables

We drill holes in supporting structures all over the aircraft. I don't see how a properly drilled hole in the upright would be of any great threat to the structure of the plane.



 	  tonyplane(at)bellsouth.ne wrote: 	
		  

 Would not recommend adding a hole in the  upright channel.

  

 Tony Graziano

 234 hrs

_________________
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:48 am Post subject: Running electrical cables

I'm with you Gig. While Im not advocating turning  the semi-monococque construction into the aluminum equivalent of Swiss cheese. I think a small number of properly located, drilled and deburred holes won't cause us an early demise. I'm leery about drilling holes in the center spar, but the top of the seat back upright is not likely to be a problem down the line. If the hole is located down the upright about 70 - 100 mm, the wiring could pass into the area under the baggage deck. If the desired wiring run is toward the middle top skin for an antenna, I would go the route of using the spiral loom protection and looping out from under the cockpit side rail and over the top angle of the seat back.

Dred

---- Gig Giacona <wr.giacona(at)suddenlink.net> wrote: 

 	  Quote: 	

 We drill holes in supporting structures all over the aircraft. I don't see how a properly drilled hole in the upright would be of any great threat to the structure of the plane.

 tonyplane(at)bellsouth.ne wrote:

 > 

 >  Would not recommend adding a hole in the  upright channel.

 >   

 >  Tony Graziano

 >  234 hrs

planes_by_ken(at)bellsout
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:12 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

I hope everyone would consider buying or downloading a copy of AC 43.13 

1B & 2A Acceptable Methods of Aircraft Repair ISBN   0-89100-306-1 by 

the FAA.

It can be downloaded from the FAA (warning:  huge files)

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library%5CrgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/99C827DB9BAAC81B86256B4500596C4E?OpenDocument

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library%5CrgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/E533BB05389C90E486256A54006E47B2?OpenDocument



This book is essentially an A&P course all by itself.  It gives guidance 

for radio and wiring installation in addition to almost everything else.

On a non-high stressed bulkhead, I would think that a well deburred hole 

that has a diameter of less than 1/4 of the web height should be OK. 

Keep it in the middle of the web.

Of course, I could not find a reference for this in the 43.13.........

Ken Lilja

A&P

Instructor, Aviation Institute of Maintenance



Flange or cap

________

                  I

                  I

                  I

                  I

                  I

                  I   Web

                  I

                  I

                  I

                  I

                  I

  _______I

Flange or cap



  We had a Beech Duke come through our shop that someone had sunk a # 6 

sheet metal screw through the upper spar cap.  Beech told us to dye 

check it every 100 hours.

Ken Lilja

dredmoody(at)cox.net wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 I'm with you Gig. While Im not advocating turning  the semi-monococque construction into the aluminum equivalent of Swiss cheese. I think a small number of properly located, drilled and deburred holes won't cause us an early demise. I'm leery about drilling holes in the center spar, but the top of the seat back upright is not likely to be a problem down the line. If the hole is located down the upright about 70 - 100 mm, the wiring could pass into the area under the baggage deck. If the desired wiring run is toward the middle top skin for an antenna, I would go the route of using the spiral loom protection and looping out from under the cockpit side rail and over the top angle of the seat back.

 

 Dred

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:48 pm Post subject: Running electrical cables

Thanks Ken. That sounds like good advice to  me.

  

 Dred

  

 Do Not Archive

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