Spaghetti Anyone?

[Michael Carter]

I've had this sitting around for a year because I didn't really want to rewire this thing. I decided today to get off my but and get with it. I pulled off the connector plate, cut all of the wires off of the back of the connectors and decided on a plan.

This is what it looked like right after removing the connector plate and cutting all of the (hand tied) harness ties. What a mess.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/wndowheat1.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/windowheat2.jpg

The nice thing about this panel is the multiple pole switches used. Each toggle switch is actually four snap type lever switches, SPDT. The switching possibilities are endless.

The big switch in the center of the Power On Test and Overheat Test is a 4PDT spring-loaded to center off.

I'll post another when I have the new wiring re-tied and routed. The wiring is finished, but I still have to make two buss bars for the voltage connections. I'll mount those atop the posts that held the connector plate in position.

[Michael Carter]

Rewired and ready for installation. There are two large wire bundles top and bottom between the switches that are extra wiring for the interface and anything else I want to control down the road.

Using the busses mounted atop the connector plate mounting rods makes electrical wiring as easy as hooking up two wires to the 12VDC buss in the overhead.

The coil of purple and green wire is for the 5VDC backlighing buss.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/windowheat3.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/windowheat4.jpg

Overheat Test:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/windowheat5.jpg

[ivar hestnes]

Very cool.

Nothing beats the real thing:)

[Michael Carter]

Got that right! With Peter's new FSUIPC release it makes interfacing real aircraft parts all that much easier.

[Kennair]

Mike, did you catch this link to ebay from warvet? There's a few 727 gauges and panels listed at a good price.

http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaircraftstock

Ken.

[Michael Carter]

I'll check it out, thanks!

That's one of my rare Boeing suppliers. Prices are rather high for items that can be used for a simulator, and low prices for unservicable items and those not so easily integrated into a PC based simulator such as gauges and the like.

[phil.]

hello,
what kins of interfacing board are you using since you are using the fsuipc codes ?
thanks,
phil.

[Michael Carter]

I'm using a Hagstrom board for now. It's one of the smaller ones and I've had to use diodes. I hate that part of using a matrix type board.

I'm going to move up to their USB card in a month or so. The one I'm using I've had for about four years now.

[vidarf]

Cable spaghetti.. Man! I wonder how my overhead is gonna look! This is behind my MIP:
http://www.fagerjord.org/cockpit/img/mip/mip_wiring.jpg
A dozen zip-ties and several hours of work right there! But it looks good now, and it works. Flawlessly!

Wish I had the guts going old-school like that! :) Guess your setup is going to look AWESOME! :) Probably already do...

[Trevor Hale]

Vidar, Thanks.. after showing me that, I will never show another person the back of my MIP.

Excuse me everyone, I need to go and rip my sim apart yet again.. GRRR LOL.

Looks great!

[vidarf]

*evil laughter fades into the night...* :D

[Michael Carter]

So I start this 'simple' 30 minute installation that took an hour and a half.

Since I'm not using an actual overhead frame, I have to use cotter pins for the Dzus fasteners to lock it in the framework. I couldn't get that damn pins positioned for the fasteners to turn over. There was virtually no room on the right side and very little on the left.

Fortunately the fit into the holes is tight. I got three pins in and I'd had enough. It's tight though. The wiring really did only take ten minutes or less. The indicators worked great, then I wired the lightplate to the buss.

I throw the switch and the whole overhead backlighting flashed once and then went dark. I thought, "Oh no, not again..."

I burned up another switch. I'm glad I had an extra on hand to replace the bad one. I'm going to be rewiring this on/off circuit to use a high current capacity relay to eliminate this problem once and for all. One of these days I'm going to have to put a clamp on ammeter to this circuit and see what it's drawing. Five amp switches just aren't cutting it anymore.

Anyway, and a frustrating morning it is up and running again and the new panel looks pretty good. You can see to the left of the outboard stack that the panels are all dark. Those are the scratch-built panels that still need to be replaced.

Thanks for the switch caps Gwyn!

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/OH1.jpg

[737NUT]

Mike,
My 727 OH as well as yours also should pull about 6.5 to 7amps total MAX when all the panels are on.

[Michael Carter]

Where did you find that info? That's very useful to know. :grin:

I'm also running the control stand lightplates and the forward radio rack lightplates from this same supply (and switch).

I found some pieces and parts from Mouser that I'll be ordering shortly. I'm getting tired of replacing this switch.:mad:

[superconnie]

That looks really great....

You know what's funny? I have exactly the same lamps in my Super Connie cockpit. The only difference is that my caps are opaque and yours are clear. And I think they are still produced.

One question... do you have 4 blue caps you don't need? I could use them on my F/E panel.

Christian

[Michael Carter]

No, but I have one though I'd trade to you for a red cap for my parking brake lamp on my quadrant.

The blue cap is from my pax address panel. I can stick an amber one in there.

Let me know.

Korry has been making that lamp for decades. It's in about 6 bazillion aircraft.