Avionics Upgrade

[FlyingFool]

Does anyone have experience with these when completing an upgrade on your vintage Mooney?

http://approachfaststack.com/hubs.html

 

[pirate]

I used the fast stack hub for my RV-7 panel, awesome product makes avionics wiring super simple. 
 

[cloud116]

I bought a 1975 M20F about 10 years ago. It had 2 170 radios, old audio panel, and no gps. About 7 years ago I put in new audio panel, radios and gps. Being somewhat of a computer guy whose has dealt with a lot of cables and wiring, the fast stack intrigued and impressed me. My shop said faststack was not necessary and would never make things easier. I did it anyway.  
 Now I am about to do another avionics upgrade and the shop I am looking at, which is not the same shop that did the first upgrade, is suggesting I remove the fastack for the same reason. 
 I love the concept, but unless this method becomes a standard it does not appear to be a benefit. I’m disappointed it is not the std. 

[carusoam]

Some people have used it...

Probably in their experimental planes more than their Mooneys...

I think the cost was high enough, that their wiring skills were good enough to not benefit from it...

https://mooneyspace.com/search/?&q=Faststack&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy

 

More or less, it sounds better than it really is...  and adds a bunch more failure points...

Best regards,

-a-

[DCarlton]

I purchased my GLD82 and wiring harness from this company and would purchase from them again.  They were very responsive and helpful.  I'm intrigued by the hub concept and would consider it I were planning a more extensive ground up avionics installation.

 

[MooneyJohn]

Great product. When I change or add anything to the Mooney that is attached to there hub, I call them and get a new harness and it is plug and play.

[TX-Champ]

Yes, I used the fast stack system in a recent panel upgrade.  The cable quality is really high - fully shielded, quality connectors, etc..  Tim at Approach Systems provides great support.  

It's really important to have a firm idea of the avionics you plan to use.  Any changes along the way may make things complicated.  Some radios are pin-compatible allowing you to use an existing cable (such as the Avidyne IFD440 and the Garmin 430W - as well as many audio panels), but most are not.  

The connectors and hub probably used more space behind the panel than a traditional wire harness but it does allow for some changes and upgrades over time, such as adding new radios, G5's, etc...  It was a tight fit on our restoration but it all worked out nicely.  

I selected the Fast Stack system because I expected to do future radio upgrades in the future and this system makes it pretty easy.  If that is part of your plan, it's a good choice.  

Good luck with your panel upgrade

[GDGR]

On 3/28/2021 at 10:52 PM, cloud116 said:

I bought a 1975 M20F about 10 years ago. It had 2 170 radios, old audio panel, and no gps. About 7 years ago I put in new audio panel, radios and gps. Being somewhat of a computer guy whose has dealt with a lot of cables and wiring, the fast stack intrigued and impressed me. My shop said faststack was not necessary and would never make things easier. I did it anyway.  
 Now I am about to do another avionics upgrade and the shop I am looking at, which is not the same shop that did the first upgrade, is suggesting I remove the fastack for the same reason. 
 I love the concept, but unless this method becomes a standard it does not appear to be a benefit. I’m disappointed it is not the std. 

One buddy of mine who has the nicest J I’ve ever seen has the fast stack in. He says he wouldn’t be able to do all the wiring and installation himself without it, and it’s damn near plug and play. 
Caveat here is that he’s completed his AME courses, just never took the exams. So, he knows what he’s doing, and then has a certified AME sign off. 

[Hector]

Have not used their hub system but just before I bought my C the previous owner had done an avionics upgrade and fas stack build the custom wire harness. He just told them all the boxes in the panel and where they were and they built a wire harness with all the correct connectors to tie it in all together. He installed all the new boxes and just plugged in the new wire harness and it all worked perfectly.


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