Approach Fast Stack wiring hubs

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:56 pm

All I can say is WHOA! This makes wiring your avionics MUCH EASIER and faster!

Kudos to Wicked Stick for turning me onto them. I hadn't even heard of them before! I think I may use them too!

Basically, they make a magic box with a printed circuit board inside and some harnesses. The harnesses are unique to the avionics you have chosen. Each harness plugs into the magic box and VIOLA! Your panel is now wired!

Check them out at http://www.approachfaststack.com/index.html for more information.

Whatcha thinkaboudit?

I like it! Good find!

Thanks Dave!

CJ

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 5:29 pm

I've been looking at them too. They are a bit on the pricey side for me. Makes wiring up the really complex stuff a no brainer. Get it if it fits your budget.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 5:40 pm

Looks like it will run around $1,600 for what I need.

I think it comes down to what your time is worth again. I also like the rock solid reliability for a lifetime of service. You will be hard pressed to have a bad connection with something like that.

With this, everything will be virtually plug and play!

INCREDIBLE!

CJ

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:33 pm

Maybe a dumb question, but...

Can it interface with the EFIS?
I don't see AFS on the list...?

T.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:40 pm

Thomas,

Yes, it does interface with EFIS displays.

I have an email in their inbox right now asking about integration with the AFS display and the ICOM A-210. I will letcha know what they say!

CJ

Post by **bullojm1** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:37 pm

I like the Approach Systems FastStack in concept - I think it makes everything plug and play and a HUGE time saver. However, if you change what you have in your panel, you are kind of stuck. Also, it seems to be a single point of failure between all of your avionics. If you have a short in one of your avionics is it going to blow the fuse first or the traces on the PCB inside the FastStack?

For me, its a little pricey. I am betting my homebuilt harness is going to run about $350 in tools and $300 in wire (high side for both estimates). More than doubling that seems to be a little pricey for my wallet.

CJ- Why not roll your own? Get a PCB design program with autorouting capability (or know someone who already has one

) and roll your own. I can't see it costing any more than $100 in hardware and $300 for the PCB prototyping board.

ptrotter · Post by **ptrotter** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:25 pm

I didn't find the avionics wiring to be too difficult. There are enough different ways to connect the same devices that I think a system like Approach Systems may limit you. Or else you would need to know exactly how you want to wire things up front. I found that I changed from my original plans in some cases as I got into it. I don't know how approach systems handles that. Very clean looking and simpler, I guess, but not worth the money to me.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:01 pm

bullojm1 wrote:For me, its a little pricey. I am betting my homebuilt harness is going to run about $350 in tools and $300 in wire (high side for both estimates). More than doubling that seems to be a little pricey for my wallet.

If you spent 1/2 in tools and wire/hardware, then perhaps the other half of the cost is the labor involved ?

I think Paul Trotter did an excellent job with his panel wiring. I'd think about doing the same if I had more time on my hands, but I'm kind of already behind my personal "finish the airplane schedule". Also, there's not a lot of access to an RV-8 panel once it's built compared to a tip up, so I think it would be easier if things were nice and plug/play tidy behind there.

Post by **bullojm1** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:21 pm

Wicked Stick wrote: If you spent 1/2 in tools and wire/hardware, then perhaps the other half of the cost is the labor involved ?

True, there is a lot of labor involved in rolling your own harness. But if money was no object, I would of had a QB wing and fuse! I want to wire all of my avionics from scratch to learn and to know what each wire I am hooking up does. Anyone can take some DB15/25/37 connectors and hook everything together.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:43 pm

Well, I briefly thought about having the guys in the electronics shop whittle out a board for me. Then I got to thinking, these guys at Approach have it all figured out. The learning curve and potential pitfalls aren't worth the hassle.

I just don't plan on reinventing the wheel, ya know.

Besides, with a phone call to Stark it can all be ordered plug and play!

Even an idiot like me could figure it out!

CJ

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:33 pm

bullojm1 wrote:
Wicked Stick wrote: If you spent 1/2 in tools and wire/hardware, then perhaps the other half of the cost is the labor involved ?
True, there is a lot of labor involved in rolling your own harness. But if money was no object, I would of had a QB wing and fuse! I want to wire all of my avionics from scratch to learn and to know what each wire I am hooking up does. Anyone can take some DB15/25/37 connectors and hook everything together.

I purposely went slow build on the wings and fuselage so I would have extra money to go towards a nicer panel.

newtech · Post by **newtech** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:58 pm

I am using the Approach Systems approach. Everything has its own straight through cable that plugs into a cross wiring panel. The connectors on the panel all have wire wrap pins so all of the interconnections are simply made with wire wrap jumpers. I am expecting this to greatly simplify the wiring process. We will see. Will be starting to wire the panel in a couple of weeks. Pictures to follow.

Steve Eberhart
RV-7A, On the slippery slope to completion, UPS trucks arriving almost daily

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 1:08 am

So the circuit board is really a wire wrap board? I'm having trouble visualizing that. Wire wrap would certainly make it flexible if you needed to change something. Can you get a pictures of the wraps?

I was certified to DoD standards on solder, crimp, and wire wrap once upon a time.

aparchment · Post by **aparchment** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:42 pm

Johny:

Ken has one of these and says good things about it.

Antony

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:35 am

Cool!

I need to look under his panel next time I see his plane!

CJ

aparchment · Post by **aparchment** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:01 pm

Look under his panel ay - - -

I knew I shouldn't have gone out to Provincetown with you.

Antony

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:18 am

Ogunquit next, big fella!

CJ

kevinsrv7 · Post by **kevinsrv7** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:40 pm

Ogunquit next, big fella!

Hey can I come?

aparchment · Post by **aparchment** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:11 am

Tell ya what -- why don't you guys go together! Or, you could sit in John's lap for the ride over.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:53 am

Much better now, thanks!

Anyways... Did ya hear that Stark Avionics sells these things and DISCOUNTS THEM TOO!?!

...and Scott, no. There is no wire wrapping going on inside. It is a PC board that does all the jumpering and the unit serves as a hub. Check out their website. Lots of pictures there.

CJ

RivetBangers.com

Approach Fast Stack wiring hubs

Approach Fast Stack wiring hubs

Approach Hub

Hmmm

Ogunquit

sure!