Steve and Adam from Midwest Panel Builders (MWPB) came onsite for the installation process. This was by far the best decision I have made on my project. With their expertise and pre-work done on the wiring harness, avionics shelf and repeatable processes they provide it made for an extremely productive three days. I want to thank Steve and Adam for all of the hard work and the final result which is more than I expected.
Two new features from MWPB that were installed included the flush panel backlighting and the intelligent boost pump system with the fuel pumps in the wing roots. The backlighting uses a small transformer and a unique process to light up the panel at night. I choose to have mine linked to the nav light switch so it only does the backlighting when nav lights are on (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2RQjalsGuY). To prevent fuel vapor lock the boost pump system helps ensure fuel line pressure and works in conjunction with the firewall Rotax fuel pumps (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pdvVVJbmzQ). Also installed was the new Garmin GHA 15 height advisor antenna for AGL reference.
Cut the glareshield so the panel would fit correctly - MWPB includes a cutout template that you cleco on that allows for perfect notching out around all of the panel items. The process was to use a dremel cutoff wheel for the big stuff, a large drum sanding wheel for most of it and a small cutting wheel for the small corners.
Installed com1, com2, gps, XM, GHA 15 and transponder antennas
Installed nav/strobe & beacon lights
Installed ELT
Installed LEMO and standard headset jacks for all four seats
Installed overhead front/rear lights
Installed pitot/aoa/static lines in panel with an extra static line T to connect an alt static switch to
Installed fuel boost pumps in wings and modified fuel selector for logic board
Installed trim motor connectors
Installed beacon connectors
Connected engine to Rotax ECU
Installed battery and battery contactor/shunt
Added circuit breaker box to firewall in addition to usage of VPX system. For example, two 12v power plugs and the rear seat USB C jack was added to a 15amp circuit on this breaker.
Extended the heater wire to reach the panel
Shortened the heater control wire and installed it
Installed the stick wire connector below the stick assembly and tested both grips which worked great. Need to get a smaller connector for the Tosten grips to fit my older Sling stick diameter for final install.
Cleaned up and secured wire runs
Installed G3X Touch, G5, navigator, autopilot and prop controller.
On the third day, powered up the system and tested all of the integration to make sure everything was working. The tail was on but the wings were still on the stand so we wheeled the wings to each side to plug in and test equipment one side at a time. After a few minor troubleshooting and resolutions steps, everything is working beautifully. The battery has an attachment for combo trickle charger/power source for hanger flying of the electronics so I will be playing with the G3X Touch system over the coming weeks/months.