My stick grips from Pioneer arrived! To save a few bucks, I went with their 3D printed version, which is about half the cost of their wooden grips. I also think the printed version actually matches better with my interior than a wooden grip would as well, so win win. Unfortunately, they messed up my order, but they've already responded to my email and are sending the right replacement parts. I ordered the left grip with trim, flaps and autopilot disconnect buttons (and push to talk on the front trigger), but I asked for the copilot grip to be blank with no buttons. I didn't wire the right side for any functions in the stick because I want that stick to be removable without the hassle of wires. I also don't love the idea of a passenger accidentally hitting a flaps button or the trim switch with a book or something (there will be a PTT button on the panel should the passenger/copilot ever need it, and there will also be a flaps switch and autopilot on/off on the panel). So they are sending me a blank switch plate to swap out for the one with all of the buttons.
I removed all of the wires from the right side grip. The grip adds significant height to the stick, so the stick needed to be trimmed down. How much was the question! The grip goes on the stick 2 1/2 inches, but then sticks up like 3 or 3 1/2 inches from there. I ultimately decided on trimming the stick by 3 1/2 inches. It seemed like a lot, but I sat in the plane and that height felt about right. The most important thing was ensuring the height wouldn't interfere with the panel. I wanted the hand position to be as close to stock as possible. Making it lower would add to the sensitivity of the controls, and any higher is just plain awkward to hold. I probably won't know how I did until I actually fly, but from looking at pictures of other planes, I think it's well within the norm. You can see in the picture that I removed the switch plate and buttons. The PTT button is still on the front side, but it's pretty unnoticeable if you aren't looking for it.
I cut down the left side stick to the same height. At first I was just going to use butt splice crimp connectors to connect the wiring to the wiring in the fuselage, but I decided to use a DSUB instead. Since the grip is technically something I could want to replace at some point (unlikely, but it's possible), a DSUB would make doing that a non-issue.
The big question - did I match up all of the wires coming from the ACM to the correct pins at this connection?
