I'm starting to get serious about the layout of the panel. With the wiring phase approaching, I need to get this finalized. I'm working with a cad program to design the layout. I'll furnish the cad file to the laser cutting shop to cut the panel for me. I have a CO2 laser, but not powerful enough to cut aluminum. I did use it to cut a mock-up out of foam board to get an idea of what the finished panel will look like. I also cut the wire bundle access hole in the botton of the switch console. In photo #1 you can see the 1/8 thick alum. angle that was used to form the "floor" of the console. This thickness combined with the thickness of the floor prevented me from using the supplied rubber grommet in the cutout hole. I was able to find a product in the Aircraft Spruce catalog called 'Spring Fast" that is used to protect wire bundles that pass thru bulkheads. It is very similiar to the nylon edge protection that Boeing uses on many of the assemblies that we work on, but it requires no messy adhesive.
