My EI CGR-30P installation log, Part Deux!! (The Twin)

[BGF_Yankee]

Well, about 2 months ago I went and lost my mind. My wife and I decided that we were ready to sell our trusty Lance and go with its red-headed, twin engined, step-brother the Seneca II. After looking at the same inventory, over and over again, for a couple of months, we finally decided on a candidate that had been based in Annapolis, MD. We flew up commercially and flew N5687V home this past weekend.





It didn't take long into the flight home to realize that I was not keen on the JPI EDM760 that was installed in the panel. Almost immediately I decided to give the new Electronics International Twin CGR-30P the nod for install since I'd had such a good experience all the way around in the Lance.



Don't get me wrong, I am not excited about having to start the process over again, but at least it won't totally be from scratch. AND, I feel like we learned quite a bit after the install process last time. I'm hoping that it's a little more streamlined this time around.

To reiterate a little bit about why I chose the EI CGR offering last time, the things that drew me to EI were their customer service, their rebate program, their cost as a primary replacement for several gauges in my panel, and the fact that the CGR will fit a standard 3 1/8" instrument bay without having to slice up my panel overlay.

Once again, the first thing you do when ordering the CGR-30P is to download and fill out a "Configuration Requirements" worksheet. This sheet allows you to select the features you want for your instrument and then tailor them to your specific aircraft. All of this information comes right from your POH (or other related aircraft/engine manuals). This sheet is submitted at the time of your order to the folks at EI and lets them customize the instrument just for your aircraft. This is where I noticed the first difference between the last install and this time around. Since there are two engines, you should fill out two separate worksheets.



"But Zach, why would I do that? Won't both gauges be the same??" Well yes, that could potentially be true, but it didn't take long to realize that all the same functions I built into my last CRG-30P wouldn't need duplication across two gauges this time around. For example, you don't need to have system voltage listed twice, so that freed up one slot to go ahead and include an open spot on the right engine gauge to include outside air temperature.





I also noticed this time around that what used to be a seven page document has morphed into fifteen pages. I'm sure as Electronics International has continued to develop the CGR-30P (and it's cousin the CGR-30C), additional options have become available and/or are more detailed.

Once again this time around though, you can select and customize (to an extent) the options that you want included for your own aircraft. This is not a "cookie cutter" gauge, and is certainly one of the nice things about this instrument. Some of the options have a cost associated with them, some don't. It all depends on how you decide to set up the gauge and distribute the parameters. Once the decisions have been made, you set about filling in the appropriate details for the selected parameters as they pertain to your particular aircraft. As an example, the Seneca II was offered with standard fuel tanks that hold a total of 93 usable gallons, or with extended range tanks that hold a total of 123 usable gallons. If you don't notate this correctly, it will throw off your totalization numbers.





It was nice to see some new options available this time around. For example, the Automatic Dimming Control is a feature I am really looking forward to.

I can't thank our own Dave Arata enough for all of the help he has provided to me during this ordering process. I know I am wearing him out with all of the questions that I have. I had fully intended on copying my worksheet from the last time around, but different aircraft require different things. Thank you again Dave.

Lead time right now is about four to five weeks, so once again, I'm going to settle in and re-read the installation manual so that I'll be ready when my goodie box arrives! I've got some other "upgrades" that I'll be doing on my new plane, as well as an annual inspection next month, so I've got plenty to keep me busy in the meantime.

This thread may be quiet for a few weeks, but I'm happy to answer any questions in the meantime!

 

[bnt83]

We are both going to be doing CGR-30P about the same time, mine is going in a 182L.

 

[BGF_Yankee]

We are both going to be doing CGR-30P about the same time, mine is going in a 182L.

I did this install back in 2016 in our Lance (at the time). If you have any questions whatsoever, just let me know. Either that, or Dave Arata here is very good at coming up with the information for you!!

 

[Mtns2Skies]

Beautiful airplane and panel!
I was really torn between the CGR-30P and the JPI730. Ultimately I decided on the 730 simply because I could dumb it down and declutter the screen moreso. This also made it quite a bit cheaper. The CGR is an absolutely lovely unit and as you already know, you'll love it!

 

[CC268]

Not really related to this thread, but what is the single engine performance of a Seneca II? One of the big flight schools at KDVT has a million of them haha. Nice panel!

 

[BGF_Yankee]

Not really related to this thread, but what is the single engine performance of a Seneca II? One of the big flight schools at KDVT has a million of them haha. Nice panel!

Like what do you mean? It’ll climb on one engine. I love flying it! Thanks, but it’s going to Sarasota in October to get some Avionics updates

 

[Twin_Flyer]

Nice plane!!! Congratulations...

 

[BGF_Yankee]

So wow, it’s really been awhile since I’ve been able to get back in and update this thread. The installation is completed, and now it’s time to go back and chronicle how we did it.

When we last left off, we showed you the steps taken to actually order the Electronics International CGR-30P. Once everything was ordered and we’d coordinated with the folks at EI, we settled in to wait for the delivery of our engine monitors from Oregon. About six weeks after we placed the order, a HUGE package arrived for us!



We cleaned off the workbench in the hangar so we could lay all the goodies out to take stock of what we’d received! As before (when we did the Lance), everything was packed very neatly with plenty of bubble wrap and packing peanuts, and was all labeled appropriately so you knew what was what.





As you can see, each component has its own bag or box. Electronics International sends a copy of the installation instructions for your review, but they are also available in their most updated format online as well. All of the wires and harnesses are labeled very neatly. The quality and care from EI was just as good this time around.



Make no mistake though…we hadn’t just been sitting around for six weeks waiting on this box to arrive. We had work to do on the Seneca to get it prepped for its new equipment. Thankfully, this installation coincided with the annual inspection, so the aircraft was being disassembled anyhow. Additionally, while ordering all of the filters and such required for the annual inspection, we went ahead and ordered some of the various fittings, breakers, and wiring that would be required for the CGRs. The aircraft was taken down at the end of September so work could begin.



After disassembling the aircraft, it was time for what actually would become the hardest part of the installation process; the removal of the old JPI EDM-760 instrument and all of its associated wiring. Here was where I first glimpsed some of the difference in design philosophy between EI and JPI. With the EDM-760, there were bundles and bundles of wiring that came from each nacelle to the backside of the actual instrument. With the CGR-30Ps, the wiring from all of the sensors go to the Engine Data Converter (EDC), located in a service bay just behind the nacelle. “(As per the manual) The EDC-33P converts all of the engine and aircraft system signals into serial data. This data is transmitted to the CGR display via one wire 5V-Serial Bus.” Basically, this reduces a whole bundle of wiring going back into the cockpit down to two wires, the data wire and a power wire for the EDC. This may not sound like much of a difference, but let me tell you, it certainly is when you have to fish a bundle of wires through a wing and all around the cockpit!



You can actually see the sheer amount of wiring (yellow wires) that are required to hook up the old JPI instrument. We pulled them all out with as much care as possible in order for the instrument to be reused later on in another aircraft.







All in all, it probably took us a good week to get the aircraft disassembled and to remove the EDM-760 that was in the aircraft. If we hadn't worried about being able to reuse the old instrument, we could have just cut everything up and out; however, I'm glad that we took our time and did it this way. Since the aircraft is still relatively new to us, it gave us a good opportunity to really dig around inside and see what went where.

In the next section, we’ll look at the various sensors & probes, where they go, and how we hooked them up.

 

[bnt83]

I ended up replacing the 8 gauge cables that originally connected the OEM ammeter (now removed) when I installed the CGR-30P shunt on the firewall in the 182. The Seneca probably already has ammeter shunts so that should be easy.

 

[BGF_Yankee]

I ended up replacing the 8 gauge cables that originally connected the OEM ammeter (now removed) when I installed the CGR-30P shunt on the firewall in the 182. The Seneca probably already has ammeter shunts so that should be easy.

You are correct! That's actually the last little thing that I'm working on at the moment. We did hook the harness wires up for the AMP reading to the existing Ammeter shunts, but it's requiring a little fine tuning. We'll touch on that later

 

[bnt83]

I feel kinda lucky that I can remove the old 6 gauge cluster and actually convert that into useable panel space easily. There are a lotta planes out there with a long strip of old analog engine gauges like you have where you won't gain much by removing them.



Pretty sure I'm gonna plug the hole and add a G5 in it.

 

[BGF_Yankee]

I feel kinda lucky that I can remove the old 6 gauge cluster and actually convert that into useable panel space easily. There are a lotta planes out there with a long strip of old analog engine gauges like you have where you won't gain much by removing them.

To the contrary. I do gain back weight, but I look at it as my gauges were in a place that didn't matter anyhow. I already have the start of a second "6 pack" on the co-pilot side which was a glovebox before. Not sure if I miss the glovebox or like the second set of instruments. I put the USB-6a where my manifold pressure gauge was down low and blanked out the two tach gauges. Blanked out a few other 2" gauges. My panel is just very wiiiiiiiide!

Here it is before start:

 

[Jamie Kirk]

Nice! I am looking to install one of these at my next annual

 

[bnt83]

To the contrary. I do gain back weight, but I look at it as my gauges were in a place that didn't matter anyhow. I already have the start of a second "6 pack" on the co-pilot side which was a glovebox before. Not sure if I miss the glovebox or like the second set of instruments. I put the USB-6a where my manifold pressure gauge was down low and blanked out the two tach gauges. Blanked out a few other 2" gauges. My panel is just very wiiiiiiiide!

Here it is before start:

View attachment 69720 View attachment 69719 View attachment 69718

How many engine hoses do you end up replacing?

The 182 (carbureted O470) being almost dumb simple I replaced two hoses with three, still ran about $330.

The old oil pressure hose was about 44 inches long, starting at the RH top corner of the firewall, passing all the way under and around the bottom of the O470 to connect to a port on the LH side of the engine near the middle cylinder. That hose was LONG. With the CGR-30P I took that hose out, capped the fitting at the firewall and installed a 16" or so hose with the oil pressure transducer on it.

I try to make the fuel flow transducer happy best I can so I replaced the singe hose with two, and made one a bit longer for ideal placement of the transducer.

For kicks I fired up the fuel flow and put the hose into a bucket and turned the fuel selector on, the CGR showed it flowed at about 56 gallons per hour into the bucket. When the CGR showed 2 gallons had flowed I shut it all off and weighed the bucket and came up with 12.13 pounds of gas in it.

 

[BGF_Yankee]

Didn't "replace" any hoses per se. Modified the oil pressure hard lines to work with the new sensors. Pretty much the same for the manifold pressure lines. I did have to buy about 10 feet of Aeroquip 303, fire sleeve, bands, and fittings to make extensions for my fuel lines in order to accomodate the fuel flow transducers. When I did this the first time around on the Lance, there was much calibrating the K factor to make the fuel flow accurate. This time around, only one calibration to the right engine I think was all it took. I'll have photos of how almost everything hooked up.