Yet another panel revision

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 12:58 am

I really have the cart before the horse here but my favorite part of the project is designing the panel. I'm only half-way through the elevators and I've already gone through about 7 panel revisions. Here's the latest. What do you think? It's okay to be honest. I like opinions.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:59 am

Scott, I like it!

What is under the transponder?

CJ

Post by **Spike** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:53 am

Looks like an autopilot to me. My only comment Scott would be for symmetry. For some reason that is really important to me. Though, its not my panel

painless · Post by **painless** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:14 am

Looks good Scott. If you are like me, though, by the time you actually install the panel, you should be on revision 15.1

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 2:51 pm

Spike, you mentioned symmetry before and as I recall you never told us what it meant.

What do you mean by symmetry?

I know what it is, but what do you mean by it here with respect to panel design?

It looks fine to me! It is symmetrical with a good balance of stuff on both sides.

CJ

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 4:18 pm

CJ: That's the Vertical Power power/switch/annunciator panel that controls the Vertical Power display on the far left.

Spike: I'm planning on going with the Afforable Panels panel but it gives you limited options on where you can put things. As far as symmetry are you talking about lining up the glass panels? I would like to but that would force me to put the analog backup gauges above the EFIS and they look kind of stupid there to me.

Then again, the symmetry may come when I have to drop the VP display because I don't have $6K for an electrical system.

Is this more symmetrical?

I don't like this layout because it puts the AOA display too far below the top of the panel. I want the EFIS as high up as I can get it. Since the electrical monitor won't be in my normal scan it didn't seem to matter where it went. Plus now the GPS is no longer symmetrical with the EFIS. Those two systems will be my primary scan and it doesn't make sense to scan back and forth in an up-down angle.

What I really couldn't figure out was were to put the ELT control and intercom. They were just thrown there as an afterthought.

What would be most symmetrical of all?

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:20 pm

OH! I see!

Gotcha!

Cool!

CJ

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:15 pm

It's a pipe dream. I'll never be able to afford the VP display. Might go for the lower end VP product that has a full bank of switches but back-ends into their control unit. Then again, I may just wire it up myself again like last time.

Probably go with a Dynon too cuz' they're less expensive than the AFS unit. Just wish they had the graphics that the AFS unit does.

Anyway, this panel looks MUCH less kludgey than my last panel. I like this one too.

Post by **Spike** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 9:24 am

Yes, typically I like to draw a vertical & horiz line somewhere on the panel, and then have instruments symmetrical around those lines. Sometimes I can see where you would to two sets of lines, one right in front of the pilot, and the other in the center of the panel.

If you are symmetric about a point somewhere in front of you, then the scan feels more predictable. 3" to the left is one instrument, 3" to the right is another, 3" up, 3" down, get what I mean? Maybe its just a me thing, but I want a predictable & symmetric path to my information.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:05 pm

Spike, I see.

The scan consists of a single instrument. I see that as perfect symmetry.

Everything else is ancillary, no?

CJ