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Thread: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

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    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    My new Carbon Cub (316) is nearing the end of the production line in Yakima. For several months I have been wrestling with avionics choices for 316. The announcement of touch screen panels for LSA's by both Garmin and Dynon has made the choice very difficult. They are both great products based on reviewing the documentation.

    I finally made the choice to go with Skyview Touch in my new Carbon Cub. Since Skyview Touch is a touch panel I considered some of the challenges of using a touch screen in a bouncy cub. With that in mind I decided to alter the form factor for the display to assist in easier touch screen gesturing. The Carbon Cub panel is inclined 18 degrees but rotating the touch screen panel a little more allows much easier gesturing of the touch screen in turbulence with you hand and arm resting on your knee.

    I decided to design a panel that is inclined another 15 degrees from the existing panel rake of 18 degrees. As the pilot looks at the display, the panel in angled facing your eyes at total of 33 degrees. With my sitting height (I am 5"10") my gaze is exactly perpendicular to the touch panel perpendicular plane.

    My next challenge was how to make the panel with all the complex angles. The solution was to make the panel out of carbon fiber. I know it is an off the wall idea for the Carbon Cub to have a carbon fiber panel, but I decided to proceed with the silly idea.

    So here it is. This is "Mistake #3" in my adventure learning to do carbon fiber vacuum bagging. Each "Mistake" I made got a little better. While the current panel (below) is serviceable there are a few small air bubbles in the face. Depending on the timing of the arrival of CC316 I might try to make another panel in my quest to have a perfect part.

    Making panels is easy. Creating a model then the mold for vacuum bagging is the challenge. Been quite an adventure.



    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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    Senior Member Dan L's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    That's really nice Bob. I can see you've given this a lot of thought and then executed the design very nicely.

    Your comments about panel rake piqued my interest. Where you tipped yours farther back, I straightened mine to make it more vertical. I don't know what the angle change is but the top is moved forward about 1.5". I made mine from aluminum but like the CF look on yours.
    Flying Carbon Cub EX #11 since 2011

  3. #3
    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan L View Post
    That's really nice Bob. I can see you've given this a lot of thought and then executed the design very nicely.

    Your comments about panel rake piqued my interest. Where you tipped yours farther back, I straightened mine to make it more vertical. I don't know what the angle change is but the top is moved forward about 1.5". I made mine from aluminum but like the CF look on yours.

    Dan, I arrived at the 33 degree tilt for two reasons. Sitting in my CC with my right forearm resting on my right knee my hand was perfectly positioned to use the touch gestures on the screen while using my knee to stabilize my arm and hand. Also at 33 degrees the screen was directly perpendicular to my eyes. I know this because there is a full time "selfie" of my face reflected in the screen at that angle. The only unknown to me will be the amount of reflection in the screen with the 33 degree tilt. There will be more reflection than the 15 degree tilt which basically reflects the pilot chest.

    Here is a side on view of the carbon fiber panel without the panel in place.

    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Quote Originally Posted by turbopilot View Post
    The only unknown to me will be the amount of reflection in the screen with the 33 degree tilt. There will be more reflection than the 15 degree tilt which basically reflects the pilot chest.
    I like it; good thinking. I think it will work. The panel recess for the Skyview gives it some shield from the sun, and the small glare shield of the CC gives it a little more. And Skyview has a really bright display. You can always add more shield later if needed.
    Chuck Hull
    L70 Agua Dulce, CA

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    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Quote Originally Posted by Charles View Post
    I like it; good thinking. I think it will work. The panel recess for the Skyview gives it some shield from the sun, and the small glare shield of the CC gives it a little more. And Skyview has a really bright display. You can always add more shield later if needed.
    I am counting on a bright display. I have the full Skyview system but have not powered it up on the bench yet. A confession, I built the mold blank out of clay then cast a fiber glass mold instead of using 3D software. Just too long of a learning curve on the software. Also sitting there looking at a "real" panel made of clay really helped with the conceptualization.

    I really want to learn 3D printing but it was clear to me it would take some experience translating a 3D object on a 2D screen into how the actual part would look in real life. In the end building the mold was easy, vacuuming bagging was a little more challenging that I thought it would be.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Looks like the 5th "Mistake" for my Carbon Fiber panel will be the one that goes into CC316. The panel is now about as good as I can get it as an amateur. Still having problems with very small pin holes in the clear coat over the panel. Clear coat is needed for cosmetic look and UV protection. Limitations come down to equipment needed for a perfect part.

    I visited the carbon fiber shop at CubCrafters. They use infusion vacuum bagging with in mold clear coat which is the professional way to make these parts. Even with those tools a close look at the dumpster outside the carbon fiber shop at CubCrafters suggest many parts do not pass QC. Carbon fiber parts are nice but they are hard to make.

    For the first time tonight I put all the components on a work bench and fired up Skyview Touch. Worked the first time right out of the box. Dynon does a great job putting these systems together for the experimental market.

    Here is a video of the new panel and Skyview Touch.


    Last edited by turbopilot; 05-20-2014 at 02:55 AM.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Just made the first flight with Skyview Touch and a custom carbon fiber panel. Here is a detailed list of the components:

    Skyview Touch Panel SV-D1000
    Backup Battery SV-BAT-320
    Transponder SV-XPNDR-26X
    ADSB Receiver SV-ADSB-470
    Engine Management Module SV-EMS-220
    ADAHARS/Air Data SV-ADAHRS-20X
    GPS Receiver SV_GPS-250
    COM Radio SV-COM-C25
    Pitch and Roll Digital Autopilot Servos (Pre Wired - Servos will be installed later)

    The airplane came with a PS Engineering remote intercom which was used rather than the Dynon intercom.

    Yesterday I made the first flight with the new system. Everything worked. Amazing. Still doing some calibration and configuration. Need to have some permanent labels made for switches and CB's.f In the image below there are some stick on temporary white labels.

    This system is fully 2020 ADSB compliant except for the GPS. It will be fully functional as an ADSB until 2020 then the GPS must be exchanged for a compliant GPS to continue operating. Dynon is working on a compliant GPS.

    I made my first flight last night with the new system out of Roche Harbor airport. As a broke through 1,000' traffic arriving at nearby Victoria airport began to paint on the map and synthetic vision display. Within 2 minutes radar returns of nearby shower painted on the map from the ADSB weather feed.

    Skyview Touch is an exceptional system giving the Carbon Cub cockpit technology not found in most GA airplanes today.

    Last edited by turbopilot; 06-19-2014 at 11:28 AM.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Amazing Bob, congratulations!!
    Chuck Hull
    L70 Agua Dulce, CA

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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Looks great Bob, it was a pleasure working with you.

  10. #10
    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Carbon Fiber Panel for Skyview Touch

    Quote Originally Posted by Mitch View Post
    Looks great Bob, it was a pleasure working with you.
    Mitch, thanks for your help. The CubCrafters and Dynon documentation is outstanding which made this job much easier.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

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