Most of the remotely mounted avionics will be behind the instrument panel, on a custom designed and fabricated rack. Each Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) has a specific position on the rack and the harness is custom tailored to precisely reach and connect all of the units together, along with all of the other electrical systems in the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I elected to have the harness and panel professionally designed and fabricated by Midwest Panel Builders<\/a> in Lapeer, Michigan — specifically for my Sling 2<\/a> and its extensive Garmin<\/a> G3X advanced IFR avionics suite. While I might have been able to manage the panel and wiring for a modest VFR setup, there was no way I was going to attempt it for this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with the custom-made harness, rack and panel there is still plenty of fitting and integration for me to do. This is no paint-by-numbers ELSA project. It’s full-on experimental amateur-built — all the way. I can’t wait to begin training for my IFR rating in this aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The LRU rack is a replacement for the one I received back in April. The original rack was the first of an all new design and needed several refinements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The new rack needed to be fitted and the mounting points established. The center portion of the rack needed support. I designed and fabricated a bracket. Everything fits nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n