INSTRUMENTATION PROJECT REDUX

Finally got around to making repairs to the helm instrumentation panel built last year. One of the 12 volt battery digital panels meters became intermittent and just went south. While the failure of the whole battery pack voltage meter was my fault. The meter was able to read voltages up to 90 volts but,  two of it's leads needed to be connected to a separate 5 to 30 volt supply to read anything over 30 volts. When I tested it on the bench I used 12 volt power supply and everything tested ok:

But, when I hooked up the completed panel the meter measuring the total battery pack voltage went poof! So I bought another meter one that did not require a separate voltage supply but, one that could read 30 to 90 volts directly. With a new replacements for the 12 volt digital panel meter and a proper 90 volt digital panel meter for the 48 volt battery pack voltage I sat down for what I thought would be a simple quick rewiring job. But I was wrong. Even though the displays of the meters match the others on the instrumentation panel the outside dimension of the replacement meter cases were just slightly larger than the meters they were replacing:

Which required me to spend a lot more time in the 95 degree heat trimming the openings in the panel so the meters would fit. So the quick rewiring job took considerably longer and was a little more messier than expected. 

INSTRUMENTATION PROJECT PART FIVE: Panel Mounting

Now that I had my chosen enclosure in hand it was time to start working on mounting the meters inside the Polycarbonate NEMA 4X Box .  In addition to the box I also bought the optional PNX-91425 Aluminum Internal Panel which is where I will mount the meters.  First I made and outline of the  panel on a piece of graph paper and then positioned the meters where I wanted to mount them:

I then traced their outlines to the paper and cut them out with an  X-ACTO knife . I transferred the outlines for the meters to the panel and cut them out with a nibbler tool:

After fitting checking the fit of the meters:

I removed them and took the panel outside and spray painted it with some Rust-Oleum flat black enamel spray paint to eliminate any glare from the polished aluminum plate once it was installed in the cockpit. Once that was done and I mounted the meters to the plate all I had to do was install it into the box. Since the panel was made to fit the Bud NEMA 4X Box with screw holes already drilled to match up to the ones in the box all I needed was some spacer hardware.  Happily, I was able to recycle these from the old Kings 8001 Loran hardware that I saved.

 With the meters mounted into the panel I could now start on the wiring of the instrumentation project.

INSTRUMENTATION PROJECT PART FOUR CLICK HERE

 INSTRUMENTATION PROJECT PART SIX CLICK HERE 

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