Oh fuck!
411. January 2014 by Peter
I have been mounting different things in the cockpit today. A reworked ADF-radio, frames for the screens. And just ten minutes ago I was about to install my lights-panel (The one underneath the screens).
The panel is angled some 30 degrees, so the screws that I used to mount the two panel on to the holding plate was sticking a bit out to the back when I had to mount it on to the MIP.
“No worries” I thought. “I’ll just make some room behind the panels in the MIP-plate”. So I took out the drill and started drilling a hole. The scratches you see under the screens is where the 4 holes should be.
And everything just went well. The hole made way for the screw. But when I looked more carefull I could see metal inside the hole.
“That was strange” was my thought “Everything here is made of wood”. So I took my hand up behind the plate. And my hand found… The monitor!
So apparently I have drilled a hole IN TO the monitor!
Nothing else to du but to turn it on and se if it would work. Luckily it looks like I hit the bracket of the screen and nothing vital. It is working! Thank God! Replacing the screen would have been an tremendous job where – in worst case – I had to take the complete MIP apart.
So right now I cross my fingers and hope it keeps on working.
I’ll start cutting the screws instead…
Build a Boeing 
Hey Peter,
Don’t feel bad, did the same thing when I was building mine…had to get a new monitor for the displays….oh well, live and learn. Just wanted to say I love your site, and am very interested in your overhead panel. I have downloaded the PDF file and am going to begin the process of building one very shortly. Can I ask you one thing, did you have the print-out on the peel and stick label done by an outside company? or did you do this one panel at a time on your home printer?
Keep up the good work and thanks for taking the time to create and maintain your site.
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark.
To make matters worse I couldn’t help my self and had to make the last three holes without proper tools. So I made an extra mark in the screen – this time the actually screen. No holes but dead/white pixels. But behind the plate. But I just couldn’t help my self… 🙂
I ordered as one large print at an outside company. I ordered from this company: print.dk/klistermaerker
You can see pictures of the product. It is the same as foil used on shop windows. Price for the print was €35.
I never thought of making the prints at home. Normally the quality of those own prints are not good enough.
Cheers
Peter
first off love your site. learning a lot. One thing as far as annunciators are concerned. Rather than have the constant on appearance when printed. Can you change the annunciator text to white? If they are white and I print them on clear printer film, it will be black with clear letters, than I would glue the annunciator with clear glue to a piece of clear plastic, and paint the opposite end of the clear plastic the color of the annunciator this would give it a more realistic look don’t you think?
Hi Robert. I think I am one step ahead of you on this one.
On the Overhead page there is a link to a separate annunciator file. And they are exactly black with white letters.
To use them I guess you have to cut the existing annunciators out from the overhead and replace them with these.
My idea is that you cut a piece of plexiglass (13x26mm) and wrap the additional annunciator around it.
Hope that is good enough.
Cheers
Peter