There were many individual upgrades to convert my Exec to the current 162F. I'm trying to show the bigger ones but there were numerous smaller conflicts that had to be be resolved along the way.

Overhead Switch Panel





1. The fiberglass box was purchased from RWI. The flat panel was locally acquired. The switches and harness were purchased used from a turbine upgrader. The box shields the electronics from weather and wind. With the old style dohouse this would have been directly in the wind and ugly. 








2. The harness is well done and tight. If you trace out the schematic from RWI note that at some point both FADEC power sources come from one lead. If that lead is cut the whole system is without power! The solution is to add a separate fused lead directly to the battery. If one lead fails you still have power to the other FADEC.









3. I made the panel out of non-conductive plastic. This prevents unwanted groundings and won't corrode. Should look good indefinitely. I think at some point I may replace the fuses with circuit breakers. I may also put guards on the switches so they can't be accidentally turned off. There has been a recent accident due to inadvertent switching.




4. I recently replaced all my blade fuses with "Glow if They Blow" fuses. I also replaced my panel with a product from Front Panel Express. The new panel is etched white on black and cost $88. You design the layout on provided free software and email it for fabrication. Great product!








Copyright © Rotorway-Rework. All rights reserved.

Rotorway-Rework