Which panel layout would you choose Pt. II (center stack and copilot side)

[Salty]

Some notes & pros & cons I'm thinking about:

* moving the SL-30 puts all the radios in easy reach. When flying IFR I tend to use one radio for enroute and the other for departure / arrival frequencies. It's not that hard to reach it where it is.
* leaving the SL-30 makes it easier to remove it later if I ever decide I don't need the redundancy (unlikely)
* moving the txpndr - It's a fairly long reach to put in a squawk, but you don't do that very often
* There is not enough room to move both SL-30 and Txponder to the center
* The MX-20 is functional, but it's stupid slow and the maps are stale and I don't think it's possible to update them anymore. I will never use it. It might be a fun toy for a passenger, I dunno. Also not much benefit to removing it other than weight savings. I'm really on the fence on this one.

CURRENT


Move SL-30 to center


Move Transponder to center

 

[MooneyDriver78]

You want the things you interact with readily available with your right hand:

So…

The G5 is only touched for baro changes, engine monitor, transponder rarely touched, note the AP controls are close by but don’t have to be in the radio stacks.

Note my Aera 600 is inexpensive and probably does more than your MX20, including operating on battery if necessary.

 

[AggieMike88]

I agree with MD’s sentiment. Keep the more frequented items close.

This is the Skylane owned by the owners group I am a part of:

 

[mark.staggs]

Move the SL-30. We have one in our Mooney, and it's quite a nice radio for its age and small size. I'm constantly fiddling with it enroute since it can receive and monitor two different frequencies at the same time.

 

[asicer]

Swap the MX20 for an Aera 660. The aera can feed nearby frequencies to your SL30 in real-time.

 

[Half Fast]

- Move the SL-30.
- Install another G5 on the right to make life easier for the right-seater when he’s flying and you’re playing with ‘tronics.

 

[Martin Pauly]

Swap the MX20 for an Aera 660.

Agreed. Either that, or just use an iPad. No way I would put something as ancient as an MX20 in a brand-new panel.

- Martin

 

[Salty]

Agreed. Either that, or just use an iPad. No way I would put something as ancient as an MX20 in a brand-new panel.

- Martin

It’s already there. It’s work to take it out.

 

[NordicDave]

It’s already there. It’s work to take it out.

I'd rather have the 3lbs of useful load back.... It's more productive.

 

[MooneyDriver78]

It’s already there. It’s work to take it out.

Not that much work, have you seen panel upgrades in progress, first they do is pull out all the equipment.

 

[Salty]

Not that much work, have you seen panel upgrades in progress, first they do is pull out all the equipment.

Yes, my panel is already empty. But physically removing it is the easy part.

 

[TCABM]

Seems all these decisions would have been made before work began.

Also seems like a case of “since we’re in there”

What’s left in the budget?

 

[Salty]

Well, since I’m doing the work, I control the budget and how late decisions can be made. I’m tearing everything out anyway to do the things I know I’m doing, if the other stuff isn’t that hard to do, I’ll do it. For example, if the existing wiring won’t support moving the sl-30 then I will likely decide to leave it where it is. As for budget, I’m not adding any more major items, but the labor budget is all sweat, blood, and tears, more flexible.

 

[Half Fast]

It’s already there. It’s work to take it out.

Yes, my panel is already empty.

Then the work to take it out is already accomplished. Why put it back in?

An Aera 660 might be a decent choice. I like my iFly 740b and think it's better than the Aera, but it won't interface to your radio if that's important to you.

 

[Martin Pauly]

It’s already there. It’s work to take it out.

Sorry, then I misunderstood the situation. I thought you were making a new panel and looking for input on what to place where.

- Martin

 

[Salty]

Then the work to take it out is already accomplished. Why put it back in?

Putting it back in is 4 screws and a set screw. Taking it out permanently means removing all the wiring. Removing the configurations from all the devices it’s wired too, modifying the panel to not have a huge hole in it. Quite a bit more work.

 

[Salty]

Sorry, then I misunderstood the situation. I thought you were making a new panel and looking for input on what to place where.

- Martin

No worries. That’s why I clarified. I totally agree with you. No way in hell I would install one of those things!

 

[Salty]

Putting it back in is 4 screws and a set screw. Taking it out permanently means removing all the wiring. Removing the configurations from all the devices it’s wired too, modifying the panel to not have a huge hole in it. Quite a bit more work.

Now, if it were not my plane and I could just snip the wires and not care about the next jerk that tries to figure out what’s going on under the console, it would be a lot easier……

 

[MooneyDriver78]

Putting it back in is 4 screws and a set screw. Taking it out permanently means removing all the wiring. Removing the configurations from all the devices it’s wired too, modifying the panel to not have a huge hole in it. Quite a bit more work.

It’s not that bad:
First you have a connection to the GPS, since the 650 only has 4 RS232 pairs, you might want to make it available.
Second, unless you have Ryan TCAD, WX500, etc, you’ll have just power, GPS pair, and probably a pair going to the 2nd radio.
You probably should download the install manual and then check out the wiring diagrams.

 

[Salty]

It’s not that bad:
First you have a connection to the GPS, since the 650 only has 4 RS232 pairs, you might want to make it available.
Second, unless you have Ryan TCAD, WX500, etc, you’ll have just power, GPS pair, and probably a pair going to the 2nd radio.
You probably should download the install manual and then check out the wiring diagrams.

I know exactly what needs to be done. I appreciate it though.

 

[Half Fast]

Now, if it were not my plane and I could just snip the wires and not care about the next jerk that tries to figure out what’s going on under the console, it would be a lot easier……

Yeah, that was done over and over to my plane. Pulled out quite a bit of stuff when we did my radio, but there’s still a spider’s web of ghost wiring under there.

 

[iamtheari]

With the way you described your use of it, you will interact with the SL-30 often, so keep it close. And keep it lined up with the Nav/Comm #1. Directly beneath it is a good spot. How close to a fit would an Aera product or iPad mount be to the hole for the MX-20? If it’s not useful, then I’d rather have a patch over its old hole than put it back into the panel. Maybe a patch with a RAM ball on it for an iPad mount.

Can you put a PTT button on the panel while you’re in there? I did those for both seats in my RV. The copilot one hasn’t been used yet, but they both serve a purpose. With an autopilot and occasional copilot, there are often times when the guy flying (Captain, FO, or George) is not the same guy who is talking on the radio. Having PTT on the stick and panel has been awesome and was probably the #1 panel decision I made, ranked by return on investment.

 

[Hal]

Another .02 cents

Autopilot
COM #1
Transponder
Audio Panel

Leftover on the right as you want