Sonex 800 Wiring Diagram

[falvarez]

I have finally gotten around to wiring my Sonex. Attached is a PDF that shows my electrical system which I created by using input from several sources. It's fairly basic with the exception of a crowbar circuit for voltage protection as well as a "push to test" annunciator light circuit.

Sonex 800 Wiring.pdf

Sonex 800 Wiring Diagram

(137.55 KiB) Downloaded 1075 times

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I'm hoping to have all the wiring wrapped up in the next few weeks.

[gammaxy]

I like it. I assume your annunciator leds, button, transistors, etc. are going to be on a custom PCB?

I'll be interested in your cowl light. I ran wires in the wings for landing lights that I haven't added yet, but a clean cowl installation sounds nice too if it doesn't make installing and removing the cowl too tricky.

What are you considering for power outlets? I'm considering something like this: http://www.commitlift.com/usbchargers.html They sell USB sockets that can rapid charge both Apple and Android devices.

Here's some ways that I did mine differently. I was focused on bare-bones simplicity, but good arguments could be made against how I did it:

I didn't install a capacitor, thinking that I'd add it if needed. I'm pretty sure I haven't needed one, but I haven't put an oscilloscope on the bus. I also didn't use a master solenoid or alternator disconnect relay. There's a small chance my starter might get stuck "on" with no way to turn it off until the battery dies which could be enormously embarrassing for a few minutes :-) There's also a chance that my voltage regulator could fail and pass full voltage to the battery--I was unable to determine how likely this failure mode is, so I just count on the EFIS's voltage alarm to alert me to the situation so I can land. I believe with the Aerovee's permanent magnet alternator this is an OK tradeoff.

I also convinced myself that an avionics switch in my airplane was redundant, so just have one bus and have a switch to turn off the EFIS if desired since it doesn't have it's own power switch. I leave everything turned even during startup and shutdown and only plan on using the power switch if for some reason it needs rebooting.

[falvarez]

I like it. I assume your annunciator leds, button, transistors, etc. are going to be on a custom PCB?

The LEDs and button are panel mounted, and I'll wire up a small board for the electrical components...I'm not going to go through the expense of getting a board etched. It will just have small jumper wires between the components.

I'll be interested in your cowl light.

I also ran wires for lights in the wings, but I ultimately decided on a simple cowl light...another home made concoction. It's made from a Surefire LED Flashlight. I used the lens, and cooling fins from the flashlight and will custom build the mount. I will have 2 blade connections in the cowl so it can easily be disconnected (and during early tests while the cowl is coming on and off frequently I'll just leave it disconnected)

My primary goal here was to just add extra visibility to the plane, and to tinker with LED lighting. I'm not planning to fly at night in the Sonex.

What are you considering for power outlets?

I am using the following USB outlet and a simple 12v power outlet (the 12v one is on top of the glareshield, the USB one is on the panel)

https://www.bluesea.com/products/1016/D ... ger_Socket

Regarding the rest of your comments, I actually agree with your more simplistic approach and don't actually feel the extra items I have added to my system add much value (other than maybe the capacitor). I am mainly building it this way as a learning experience, so some of the circuitry is just be cause I want to try it out.

[falvarez]

I have completed the wiring of my panel...I really like the MGL Xtreme that I installed. I'm looking forward to trying it out for real in a few months.

Sonex 800 Panel

Panel (800x533).jpg (187.88 KiB) Viewed 8018 times

I made a few tweaks to my wiring diagram as I completed the install so below is the final version that reflects what I actually did:

Sonex 800 Wiring.pdf

Sonex 800 Wiring Diagram

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Also, I had some trouble tracking down a wiring diagram for the FL-760 radio (yes, the company provides one but I found it kind of lacking). So I've also attached how I wired my radio based on the research I did.

FL-760 Wiring.pdf

Sonex 800 FL-760 Wiring Diagram

(39.85 KiB) Downloaded 491 times

Time to move on to the engine so I can get this bird in the air :D

[vicdelgado9]

Frank, there is no need to have a board etched by someone else if you want one. A cheap way to etch a copper prototype board is to draw out your circuit on the copper board with a sharpie marker and use the etching solution to etch away the uncoated copper. The boards and etching solution are available at radio shack or most electronics stores. To me that was always easier and neater than using the jumper wires on a prepunched board. They also sell rub on type decals that take the place of the sharpie marker. The sharpie is still good for touching up some of the traces and pads if needed before etching.

I was not sure if you were aware of this, and just sharing the information.

Vic

[falvarez]

Thanks Vic, I wasn't aware of that. Next time I build a board, I will definitely try that out. What I ended up doing is just using a project board from Radio Shack. It turned out great, but using your technique I could have cut the size by 75% :)

Also, in case anyone was looking at my diagram for the annunciator lights, I ended up with a slightly different design. The Forum isn't allowing any more uploads at this time, so if you want to see what I did, just let me know and I'll email it to you.

[chris]

...
Also, in case anyone was looking at my diagram for the annunciator lights, I ended up with a slightly different design. The Forum isn't allowing any more uploads at this time, so if you want to see what I did, just let me know and I'll email it to you.

Frank,

It should work now, try uploading again.

[falvarez]

Thanks Chris.

Here's a photo of what my original prototype board looked like (this was actually my first attempt using the old wiring diagram).

IMG_8001 (800x533).jpg (211.14 KiB) Viewed 7709 times

And here is my updated wiring diagram.

Sonex 800 Wiring.pdf

(134.46 KiB) Downloaded 582 times