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Sub Panel Cutting for Deep Avionics

rapid_ascent

Well Known Member
I'm looking for some pics that show how people have cut their sub-panel and reinforced it. I was looking for a pic that I thought was posted by Rudi Greyling that showed a nice example of how to do it but for the life of me I can't find it. Or I could just be remembering the poster wrong. At any rate if anyone has pics of how they cut their sub-panel and then framed it for reinforcement that would be very helpful.

I have a GNS430w and a GRT200. I think clearance in the sub-panel will be required for both.
 
If you go to “My RV build project “ section and look up RV-7A JCarne and go to page 43, he has a good write up. And for that matter, his whole build is a treasure trove of info. Sorry for the round about way of getting you to the post. I do not yet know how to post the link. Good luck.
 
Me too

I want to know how big to make the hole. I would really like to do this out of the aircraft.

Can I make a bigger hole and than use a bracket to connect to the radio tray, or do I need to be more precise with the hole sizing?

I plan to install a GTX375
 
I want to know how big to make the hole. I would really like to do this out of the aircraft.

Can I make a bigger hole and than use a bracket to connect to the radio tray, or do I need to be more precise with the hole sizing?

I plan to install a GTX375

Make the hole slightly larger than you need and use the side brackets to connect to the two trays. They need the aft support anyway.

The upper and lower brackets can just be stiffeners with a space to the trays.
 
I haven't quite figured out exactly how far down my cutout needs to be. It almost looks like I may need to cut down to or possible through the bottom flange of the sub-panel.

I have a full radio stack. In my stack I have the GNS430W, GTR200 and GTX335. The 430W definitely needs a hole, the other two may need clearance for the harness and connectors.

I'm going to start by cutting the clearance hole for the GNS430W and then go from there. I've started the process but I need to enlarge the hole more.

I've been trying to avoid drilling into the trays. I'm not sure if others have drilled into the trays or not.
 
Mine with the cutout and aft supports
 

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Sub panel cuts

I opened up the complete sub panel then added a doubler. The area is much stronger but is now open. My thought was to make everything accessible by removal of the screens. Worked really well.

Send me your email and I can send you some pictures.
 
After some extended hesitation I cut the sub-panel all the way down though the flange. I checked the price of a new sub-panel before I did and it wasn't too bad, so... He who hesitates is lost and all.

Now my GNS430W, GTR200 and GTX335 all stick through the sub-panel. That looks pretty good. I think I can just add a piece of angle across the the opening in the flange to stiffen the sub-panel up again. That should work pretty well I think.

My panel has a separate lower switch panel and I didn't quite realize the implication of using all of the main panel for the radio stack. I possibly could have reordered the pieces so that the lower devices wasn't so deep but I'm too far down the path at this point. Oh the cost of customization.

Now my problem seems to be that the rear mounting hole in the GNS430W rack is basically inline with the sub-panel. I need to figure out how to deal with that little complication.
 

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Great picture

Mine with the cutout and aft supports

So it looks like your width is the same as the sapcing of the support ribs. Thats easy to guestimate. Thank you very much for the pictures.

I think i will make the cutout tall too so i can run wiring thru the hole below and above the avionics.
 
John,

I'll still need to make my cutout wider on one side. My harness wraps to the side of the radio stack. I'm just taking it one step at a time putting the pieces in and seeing the impact. BTW I'm doing all of this in my office on the floor. I have the forward skin down on the floor so that I can position the pieces in their correct location.

I figured out the how to bridge the cutout with some angle and I've clamped the control cable bracket in the approximate position. I need to drag out the cables to set the final position.

I'm trying to decide if I need to attach the rear of the GNS430W to the sub-panel in some way. It looks like some folks have done that and others have not. Right now I have brackets on the sides of my radio stack that tie all of the units together. I'm not sure if that is sufficient support on not at this point.
 

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I completed cutting my sub-panel. I opened up my original cutout to allow about 2" on one side of the radio stack for the harness to be able to wrap around the side of the stack. I decide to tie the framing into the lower support angle. It all seems very sturdy now.

I'll decide about any additional supports or brackets once I install the sub-panel into the fuselage. It's difficult to determine the exact alignment in this pre-assembly state. I'm not sure yet if I'll tie the radio stack into the sub-panel or not. I have all of the units tied together with a piece of 0.062" on each side. I'm not sure if the is enough support or not yet.

I still need to position the F-746 FWD engine control bracket. It needs a little trimming and then I can locate it laterally.
 

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Here is the link to my Google Photos during my ADS-B Out install:
https://goo.gl/photos/SPCzSbSfVtyYdBq26

Here is my web page talking about it:
http://www.newtech.com/bobbyhester/2016Flying.htm

Great photos
icon14.gif


How did you project to the sub panel so accurately? There seems to be no wasted material removed. Did you make a template to get the cutout right?
 
I tied my 430 into the sub panel. Easy enough to do, and it certainly looks stronger than cantilevering everything off the front panel.
 
Bob,

I tend to agree. I think I can tie into angle cross piece at the bottom and support the whole stack. That's my current thinking anyway. I keep adding a little bit at a time, stepping back looking at the situation and then coming up little additions.

mfleming,

I wish I could say I had a precise method. I just used a framing square with the panel and subpanel clecoed in place to mark the initial cuts on the subpanel. I then slid the radio stack in until it hit the subpanel and marked for any needed adjustments. A that point I only had the GNS430W sticking through the subpanel. I realized that I really needed space for the mating connectors and harness so then I cut the hole larger to accommodate the GTR200 and the GTX335. Then I made the cuts to the final width. It was all very incremental.
 
One example

https://a360.co/2JIZGpP

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6n4k4h6qosDEnZmQ6

Might help with ideas. High school teachers said to only ever use me as a bad example....

Hole in sub panel is 6.25 x 6.5

Panel is CF and extended 1.75, before someone comments, G5 to be flush mounted and iPad mount is flush and pivot mounted, I’m aware of the interference issues at top with the tip up bow. Switches just randomly thrown in and will move around.

Stack is

Garmin GNX375
PDA360ex
Garmin GTR200
Garmin GTR200

Cheers.
 
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My approach was similar to Vansrv7arob: I went kind of overkill and modeled my panel and sub panel in Autodesk Fusion 3D, allowing me to among other things precisely cut and locate the necessary holes in the sub panel. I ended up not springing for the IFR navigator, but the holes needed for the radios turned out correct. Modeling the whole thing in 3D also helped me to precisely re-position the subpanel-to-panel ribs right next to my radio stack, allowing maximum room for the large displays.





 
Sub panels

I did it the old fashioned way of keying off the instrument panel mounting holes for the original subpanel, instrument panel and instruments and then marked out the holes in the instrument panel with marking blue, surface table and scribing block and then cut the holes by hand and filed to final size. The two repositioned forward plates between the sub panel and the instrument panel that hold the instrument trays for the GTR 200 and other Garmin instruments needs to be spaced by the tray width plus 0.125 to accomodate the back plate ears for the retention of the connector backplate assembly. I used 0.062 shims for the install of the countersunk screws for the Garmin trays into the sidewalls. Everything lined up perfectly thanks to the precision hole punching from the Vans parts being used as the datum.
KT
 
Big

Seems like we are all trying to put 85” tv monitors in our planes. I guess we can watch a video of the outside passing by.

Of course this comes from a guy still trying to get three G3x touch displays in his RV9
 
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