Flightcom 403S IntercomAdvice for installation of a Flightcom 403S intercom system into a Vans RV-8. Builders of other kitplanes will also find this useful.
Mechanical
Installation
I am used to having the push to talk on the throttle, see Throttle Quadrant. In the rear seat I put the push to talk on the stick. Wiring  I
did as much
wiring as I could on the bench. I measured and cut all the
wires to length, marking them as I went, then soldered the
d-sub connector for the back of the main unit (see
Helpful Hints for Soldering Terminals). I then
pulled
the wires through the left gear box, under the throttle quadrant, and
under the F-860-L armrests. Soldering the jacks wasn’t a lot of fun. I was either sitting in the bottom of the plane, or leaning over the side working upside down. Neither was very comfortable. Oops! I messed up while running the wires to the rear cockpit, but didn’t notice until I took the above picture. I had planned on using the top hole for the wires, and the larger, lower hole that I had drilled for the rear cockpit throttle linkage. Well, when I ran the wires, I used the larger, lower hole. Surprise! The throttle linkage no longer fits.
As you can see in the picture, I still need to
repaint where I originally had the grounding screw. The big lesson learned is to make sure you stick
to the plan, and if there is a spot where there could be confusion,
like which hole to use, write yourself a note.
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I
decided to install the headphone jacks on the forward ends of the
F-860A-L and F-860C-L armrests. Besides being a convenient
place to plug-in for flying, it made the wiring easy. I was
able to run the wires aft just below the F-860-L armrests though the
holes in the bulkheads. If I could have found rubber grommets
to fit the holes, I would have used them. Instead, I used a
small piece of angle aluminum and an adel clamp to keep the wires from
chafing. This also allowed me to pull the wires tight to keep
them looking good. I was able to use the screw for the angle
aluminum as a ground for the plugs.
So I
had to rewire the intercom. Luckily, the only wires there
were the ones for the intercom and the rear stick
push-to-talk. I marked the wires and unsoldered them from the
terminals. Then I re-routed then through the correct
hole. An afternoon spent bent over the rail, and I had the
wires soldered back the way they were supposed to go.
With
the newer intercoms, this is very simple. I installed a
stereo jack from Radio shack in the F-860B-R mid arm rest.
This way, I can plug my iPod or any other music source in, and either
the front or rear cockpit can access it.
The
Flightcom has a built in
multiplexor that automatically cuts out the MP3 player when the
aircraft radio makes any noise.