Magnetometer location and pitot tubes

[Bradrock]

Could someone please relay where they have mounted their magnetometer? I am about to skin my wings and would like to avoid making more work for myself down the line.
I'm not decided yet between Dynon or MGL, but they both need to be away from steel. So is the wingtip acceptable, or some interim location between ribs?

I have a Dynon AOA pitot tube. Have people made their own mounts or used commercially available Dynon pitot mounts?

[Battson]

I mounted mine near the wing tip, one bay inboard to keep away from the nutplates. Of course you need a little base to correct for the dihedral angle.

If you are going with a Dynon Skyview, their remote compass is different from mine. Lars Fellman in Auckland has installed one.

I used a commercially available pitot mount, but I made it detachable because it's hard to transport the wings with it riveted on. If I were doing it again, I would look into the benefits mounting it further back to correct for high AoA, although you also need to think about people walking into it. BH wings are much lower than a C180 for instance.

[Blackrock]

Mine is in the same location as Battson. I'm using a Grand Rapids Technologies system.

[tailwind]

Dynon is mounted in second bay on left wing. My garmin is mounted on outside of rib on right wing tip toward the trailing edge of the wing to get space between led strobe and magnetometer. Both work well.

[svyolo]

Resurrecting another thread.

I am trying to figure out where to mount the magnetometer. The outer wing bay is a bit close to the strobes (LED) and the nut plates mounting the wingtips. If I mounted it one more bay inboard I would need to put an access hatch, which in itself is no problem but again the nut plates are magnetic. Are there any flush/nonmagnetic blind nuts to mount an access plate? Are the steel nut plates small enough to not worry about their magnetism?

[tailwind]

First there are aluminum plate nuts that could be used. Having said that I did use mk1000 nut plates to fasten my wing tips. When I swung the plane to set the compass the nuts did not seem to impact the process at all. My Garmin magnetometer is mounted on the outside of the last rib under the wing tip slightly aft to get the magnetometer as far as possible away from my led nav strobe system. My led strobe doesn’t effect my compass either. I ran the nav strobe light wires ahead of the front spar and the compass wires behind the rear spar.

[svyolo]

I have not found any aluminum nut plates, but rivet nuts are aluminum I suppose I could use flush rivet nuts, or just rivet the wingtips on with blind rivets.

[tailwind]

Nut plates.com

[svyolo]

nutplates.com. Why didn't I think of that. Thanks

[22LD]

I fabricated a mount that is on the outside rib on my left wing. I'm installing the Garmin G3X. Happy to post a picture if you would like.

I bench tested for magnetic interference by using just a simple compass right next to my strobe lights and nav light (LED). I saw no compass deviation when powered up. Not sure if that's the best test but seemed logical.

As for wingtips, I had planned to make little .125 aluminum strips that I tapped #6 within a relatively close distance to the magnetometer, but I see now the post about nutplates.com. I'll definitely check that!

[svyolo]

I was going to it a bit inboard. But aluminum nut plates might push me toward making a small access panel, and mounting it to the cover. Easier access.

[svyolo]

The minimum order for Nutplates.com is 50. A buck each. I am going to order 50 6-32 non-countersunk. I will countersink the skin and doubler for the little panel. I will probably only use a third or less than that. Anybody else want some, send me a private message.

[whee]

I mounted my magnetometer just outside the last rib, not counting the tip rib.

I used regular #8 nutplates installed in the flange of my tip rib because I wanted plenty of strength for my extended wingtips. Haven’t had any issues with the magnetometer.

[svyolo]

Nut plates are pretty small. Maybe nothing to worry about.

[Mark Goldberg]

I used aluminum nutplates to attach the wingtip where the magnetonmeter was. Mark

[zkelley2]

I mounted mine near the wing tip, one bay inboard to keep away from the nutplates. Of course you need a little base to correct for the dihedral angle.

If you are going with a Dynon Skyview, their remote compass is different from mine. Lars Fellman in Auckland has installed one.

I used a commercially available pitot mount, but I made it detachable because it's hard to transport the wings with it riveted on. If I were doing it again, I would look into the benefits mounting it further back to correct for high AoA, although you also need to think about people walking into it. BH wings are much lower than a C180 for instance.

I'm not as familiar with the Dynon, but with the GRT you should be able to calibrate the dihedral out and just mount it directly to the rib in some way. I'd imagine Dynon would have something similar.

I've always gone with putting it in the tip or on the last rib. Nutplates have never effected it.

[svyolo]

I have another reason to put it on a access panel cover. If I put an access panel on the 2nd bay in from the tip, I think I can rivet the wings closed by myself, and work on any part of the wing down the road, myself.

[rodsmith]

I wouldn't try to rivet the wings by yourself. Pretty sure you will end up with a nicer looking finished wing with one person on the gun and one on the bucking bar.

[svyolo]

I always assumed you would roll the lower skin back and have one person buck, and the other drive. Other than the 3rd and 4th rib from the tip, I can reach my arm in with a bucking bar and easily buck the first 10 rivets, and get the rest from the rear.

[Battson]

I agree with Rod, please find help to rivet the wings closed. Two things, it won't be possible to finish the job so you will need some help either way, and there's a good chance you will end up denting the wing skin or splitting a lot of rivets - it's slow going with two people, one would be torturous.
There is a good two days work closing the wings.

[Bcone1381]

I lean towards the school of "A proper technique produces properly installed rivet." Meaning the shop head will be properly formed when
-the proper rivet is used,
-proper placement of bucking bar on the rivet.
-coinciding with a properly placed rivet gun set
-and application of the trigger, air pressure which applies the force to form the shop head.

As long as the reach is comfortable, and proper technique is used, the riveting goes just fine, and maybe faster than with two.

BUT.... "Splitting Rivets." I REALLY don t understand what causes a rivet to split. I have not yet experienced a split rivet. Help me please.

Lets get back to the workshop!!

[zkelley2]

I lean towards the school of "A proper technique produces properly installed rivet." Meaning the shop head will be properly formed when
-the proper rivet is used,
-proper placement of bucking bar on the rivet.
-coinciding with a properly placed rivet gun set
-and application of the trigger, air pressure which applies the force to form the shop head.

As long as the reach is comfortable, and proper technique is used, the riveting goes just fine, and maybe faster than with two.

BUT.... "Splitting Rivets." I REALLY don t understand what causes a rivet to split. I have not yet experienced a split rivet. Help me please.

Lets get back to the workshop!!

I'm not sure either. The only thing I've seen, and done, almost always when solo is hold the bucking bar only half way over the shop side causing half the rivet to deform and the other half go the other direction. Drill time.

The amount of rivets I've messed up over the years solo with an air gun and bucking bar on pieces I could easily reach has me prefer two most of the time when not using a hand squeezer. I hand squeeze everything I can. Perfect rivets every time.