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66' M20E Instrument Panel


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13 minutes ago, Nukemzzz said:

I just checked again and it looks like it just might fit just left of yoke control tube. Fingers crossed!

I used 1/8” 2024T3 aluminum plate and tightened the spacing up until I fit everything in, it worked out fine.

Clarence

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1 hour ago, Nukemzzz said:

Do you have a picture of this Clarence?  So I can see if my holes are about the same as yours?

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Sorry I don’t have a picture of it.  I didn’t used anything other than a ruler, a square and a sharpie marker for the layout, I didn’t have easy access to CAD type design.  Then I used a standard instrument punch to make the holes.  
 

Clarence 
 

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4 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Andy,

What make/ model is the transponder in the top right corner?

Clarence

Clarence,

Actually, that’s the control head for my ADS-B. It’s a 3 year old FreeFlight system.

It works perfectly with my Sandia transponder, which I love!

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9 hours ago, Andy95W said:

Clarence,

Actually, that’s the control head for my ADS-B. It’s a 3 year old FreeFlight system.

It works perfectly with my Sandia transponder, which I love!

Thanks,  I’m looking for a lightweight and small transponder for my Mite panel.  The Sandia looks like a great choice.

Clarence

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I know that "what color should I paint my panel" has been asked many times before.  But I have another question about this topic that I don't see discussed.  Is there a disadvantage to having a white or off-white panel?  Does it cause glare or any vision issues during day or night?  It seems that the light color panel makes the gages easier to spot since they pop in contrast.  An Off-white color goes best with my interior but I don't want to end up with a glare issue.

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Expect in an un-controlled lighting condition....you will get some added light that you would prefer not to have...

Realistically, nicely wired panels have lots of lights pointed in the right direction... with various levels of dimming...

So the need for dark instrument panels with white lettering everywhere has become a bit obsolete...

If you copy a modern panel... Get all the things that come with its lighting system...

Bright lights pointed at unlit instruments with a white panel as the background could be slightly problematic...

Excess brightness inside the cabin makes it a bit difficult to see things outside the cabin...

Dimming becomes primary... followed by make sure you instruments are seeable....

PP thoughts only, not much of a night flyer...

Best regards,

-a-

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On 6/26/2020 at 1:11 AM, carusoam said:

Expect in an un-controlled lighting condition....you will get some added light that you would prefer not to have...

Realistically, nicely wired panels have lots of lights pointed in the right direction... with various levels of dimming...

So the need for dark instrument panels with white lettering everywhere has become a bit obsolete...

If you copy a modern panel... Get all the things that come with its lighting system...

Bright lights pointed at unlit instruments with a white panel as the background could be slightly problematic...

Excess brightness inside the cabin makes it a bit difficult to see things outside the cabin...

Dimming becomes primary... followed by make sure you instruments are seeable....

PP thoughts only, not much of a night flyer...

Best regards,

-a-

That’s good input. Thanks. 

Im moving all the gages to NuLite with the exception of the primary engine gages. I’m changing to little LED on them. I think I’ll be ok for selected light fr within the cabin. 

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So one of the breakers I was moving from a random spot in the old co-pilot panel was labeled “G/S”. I today found that the end was terminated. Any idea what this would have been for?  My guess was Glide Slope. This plane was supposed to be IRF cert before I got it so it seems glide slope would be important but I dont know how a 10amp breaker for that makes any sense. 
 

Ideas?

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Check the clearance on the hole closest to the yoke...

Old Long boxes are challenged in this spot....

We probably discussed this already...

Full forward and full aft... watch the yoke move up and down... behind the panel...

 

GS...

ground speed

glide slope

?

 

Review all of your equipment for proper CBs... while you are doing the layout...  you may be adding more as you go...

Best regards,

-a-

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Final versions (I hope).  Note I left a couple of open CB spots. I also tried to lay it out so G5 would fit without having to cut another panel later.   Control tube clearance wasn’t an issue. It’s horizontal. The biggest issue is the control tube bearing and clearing that on the left side of it on the pilot side. This forced me to push the whole gage set up and then dropping Air speed down a bit so the top row isn’t perfectly aligned anymore. Reasonable compromise I think. 
 

I need to attach some brackets behind the copilot panel to mount the transponder, to tail support it, and to provide a place to mount the stratus 3i box in the proper orientation. 
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  • 2 weeks later...

Update. Final panels came back from water jet Thursday. I spent yesterday afternoon and then 14hrs today fitting the panels, transferring mounting hole locations from plexiglass models to the aluminum models, sorting out standoff lengths and making custom ones so I could get the panel vertical, added a 7th lord mount to the pilot side to lessen the chance of panel sag, making brackets to hold and tail support the transponder, debuting all the edges on all the features on the panel plates, then sanding, priming and painting...Long day.

Need to make stickers now. I bought clear sticker paper for my laser printer and plan to make my own in photoshop. 

I can start putting things back together tomorrow. 
 

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On 6/28/2020 at 11:30 AM, Nukemzzz said:

Final versions (I hope).  Note I left a couple of open CB spots. I also tried to lay it out so G5 would fit without having to cut another panel later.   Control tube clearance wasn’t an issue. It’s horizontal. The biggest issue is the control tube bearing and clearing that on the left side of it on the pilot side. This forced me to push the whole gage set up and then dropping Air speed down a bit so the top row isn’t perfectly aligned anymore. Reasonable compromise I think. 
 

I need to attach some brackets behind the copilot panel to mount the transponder, to tail support it, and to provide a place to mount the stratus 3i box in the proper orientation. 

 

Where did you end up putting the 3I?  I put it on the nose wheel hump but I think it kinda stands out there.

 

Mark

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4 hours ago, markgrue said:

Where did you end up putting the 3I?  I put it on the nose wheel hump but I think it kinda stands out there.

 

Mark

Behind the copilot panel. On top or on the side of the transponder. I haven’t decided yet. 

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So close. So close. After all this planning and making things tidy so it will all go together i find now that the lord panel bushings are sagging under the weight of all this mechanical gage crap and the DG is hitting even though I went through great pains to get it to clear. I’m really curious how others have managed to actually make this work. Even if I trim some away it’s going to sag more and be hitting again in a year. This gage assembly is just too damn heavy. 

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8 minutes ago, Pasturepilot said:

Would going to solid panel mounting be an option? Pretty sure I haven't seen a modern production bird with rubber mounts. 

The new Mooney Ultras have rubber pads on the engine mount, the whole thing can wiggle and move without moving the plane. Ours are somewhat different.

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If you can find appropriate drawings, having a pro cut your panel is great and usually not all that expensive in the scheme of things.  Still, a lot of stuff can be cut with hand layout, drills, dremels, hand saws and files. Check the keystart hole on the left.  All done by hand.

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1 hour ago, David Lloyd said:

If you can find appropriate drawings, having a pro cut your panel is great and usually not all that expensive in the scheme of things.  Still, a lot of stuff can be cut with hand layout, drills, dremels, hand saws and files. Check the keystart hole on the left.  All done by hand.

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P1000757 - Copy.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m jealous of you guys only needing to mount a couple of Lightweight, rectangular, LCD screens. But not jealous of how much those rectangles cost. Lol

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Status update...spent all weekend trying to at least get the pilot side back together. DG hits the yoke guide support. Having to move it to the right one spot. Clearance with the Airspeed gage is an issue. Had to extend most wires. Scrapped the vacuum lines. Ignition and master switch wires are just maybe long enough. Trying to not mess with them.

The hardest part is getting all the static, pitoh, and vacuum lines to be in a good place when it’s together. Very hard to access. Vacuum lines, even the new ones, are super stiff. If you move a vacuum gyro plan on needing new hoses and probably fittings at new angles. 

I need to repaint the panel. It got scratched up on my first 4 attempts. 

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