~The Instrument Panel~
This page will show the considerable work before it can be cut and installed. I will show the mounting of the instruments, and the backlit overlay. If you care to see what I will put into the panel, check out my Avionics list.
Here is a screenshot from an excellent panel design program called Panel Planner. It allows you to select any instrument or piece of avionics from a large database, and plug them into your panel. You can then drag and drop your instruments into place. After you are finished, the data can be plugged into a CNC machine, as seen below. This software is a must! For more details, see Sam's review of this product!
This is my panel overlay being cut on Steve Davis's CNC machine. This work is prescise! It will have fiber-optic light strips sandwiched between it and the panel. It will then have all the lettering on my panel backlit. You can learn more about what Steve does, at The Panel Pilot, Steve's website.
Here the .090 alluminum is being cut. I went with .090 to provide a more sturdy panel, and I can elimate the angle on the top of the panel.
Here the CNC machine is machining grooves in the panel to accept the light strips. This is so that the overlay will fit absolutely flush on the panel. When the overlay is on and in place, you will not be able to tell that it is on top of a piece of alluminum.
Here is the panel in the jig ready to do the fun stuff!
The light strip is siliconed into the machine grooves in the panel. The strip sits completely flush on the panel so that it does not interfere with the overlay.
This is what the lettering on my panel looks like when illuminated. It is really hard to give it justice when you can't see it with the lights off. Well, TRUST ME! It looks Awesome! You can see the difference in the photo because I do not have light strips on the letters of the ignition switch. Just come see me at a fly in sometime and you will see what this excellent panel looks like!
Here is the N-number of my bird glowing on the panel.