SonexBuilders.net

Greetings,

I fully expected to have issues with panel depth based on the plans measurements, but I seem to have less room than the plans showed. I have 5-1/2" from the panel to the front of the fuel tank, which is indeed all the way against the firewall angle. My Dynon D180 might be able to fit this if I take the shells off the connectors to allow a shallower depth, but realistically, I'd love to have another inch for the D180. My radio is right out, at 8" depth.

I can see being able to move the panel aft to the edge of the glare shield, and that would give me about 1.25". I don't believe that would interfere with anything. That would help the D180 for sure, but not the radio.

I don't have the canopy or windscreen installed yet, so I'm trying to picture how much extra space there is. Could the glare shield be extended aft 1.5-2" with the panel mounted at the edge, or would that interfere with the windscreen bow?

Any pictures of panels that have been modified for more space or depth will receive bonus points :-)

Thanks,
Rusty (finally moving past 912 installation)

The one issue I see is the panel ties into the forward wing box angle.

I don't think that applies to the Onex. What I'm thinking of is to move the panel aft to about the spot you see in the picture, then fill in with an extension to the glare shield. The only issue I see is that the abnormally tall stick will hit the panel at full down elevator. I would never hold the stick that high, so I'd be completely comfortable cutting it off about an inch to resolve that issue.

Rusty

The other odd thought I had was to move the panel to the edge of the glare shield to make room for the D180, then mount the radio on top of the glare shield. I'd have to make some sort of enclosure but essentially the panel could be extended upward instead of downward. When sitting on just a folded towel, that wouldn't come close to blocking any of my forward visibility.

Rusty

13brv3 wrote:I don't think that applies to the Onex.
Rusty

Whoops - my mistake. Disregard.

Would something like this help out with your connector clearance?

Hi Rusty,

When I designed and installed the panel in my OneX about 6 years ago I had a similar problem. The MGL radio was too deep for the panel. In hindsight I should have purchased a radio with a separate display head (very shallow) installed on the panel and a remote box, which I would have installed behind the seat. Oh well.

My solution is shown here:



The radio is in that box you see to the right, above the air vent. All the radio functions can be invoked using the EFIS screen. I'm sure the D180 has similar features. However, in a pinch I can also see and use the controls on the radio itself. The radio box doesn't get in my way at all.

Your solution to move the panel aft should work. Won't interfer with the windscreen bow. I'd avoid placing the radio on top of the glare shield so that your forward view isn't blocked.

So my recommendation, worth exactly 2 cents, would be to trade in your current radio for one that separates the display head from the bulky electonics box. A few bucks up front and you'll be happy in the long run.

BRS wrote:Would something like this help out with your connector clearance?

They would help, but there are 3 connectors, two horz and one vert. You'd have to find the right combination so they don't run into either other. In the past, I've just removed the shell of the DB connector, and allowed the wires to bend more sharply. Since you're not handling the connector, I don't see a problem with that, and it's free. If I really had do, I bet I could make the D180 fit in the 5.5" space I have. The bigger problem is the FL-760A radio, and the longest part of that is the antenna RF connector. I already have a 90 degree adapter for that, and it's still about 8".

Rusty

XenosN42 wrote:
Your solution to move the panel aft should work. Won't interfer with the windscreen bow. I'd avoid placing the radio on top of the glare shield so that your forward view isn't blocked.

So my recommendation, worth exactly 2 cents, would be to trade in your current radio for one that separates the display head from the bulky electonics box. A few bucks up front and you'll be happy in the long run.

Thanks for the pictures and opinions. I have looked into using a remote solution, and it's not totally out of the question. I already have other projects in mind, and could just save the FL-760A for the next project. I saw someone mount the radio chassis below the seat, which is a good use of that space.

The top of the glare shield wouldn't be an issue for visibility for me. I'm tall, and am looking down at the top of the panel, so the radio would only block my view of the front of the glare shield. It's still not my favorite option.

The other thing I thought about doing is fit the panel in it's normal place, squeeze the D180 in there, and then mount the radio below the panel on the far right. The radio would only have to be dropped about 1/2" to 1" below the bottom of the panel to clear the tank, so it could be installed on an extension to the panel than hangs below. I thought of that before, but worried that I wouldn't be able to read the display at that angle. If you can read yours, then it should be more readable than that. I could even angle the radio upward slightly on it's extension if needed. I think this is becoming my leading option.

Thanks,
Rusty