The 12 volt power supply I had been using to power up the aircraft's electrical system died last week. I was checking out some wiring and suddenly everything went dead. I opened up the power supply and checked the fuse - it was good. None of the components showed obvious signs of distress either. I checked the continuity of the input and output wiring - OK.
The power supply was one of several that another builder had assembled. He gave them to other builders, with the understanding that they would in turn pass them on to someone else. Ken Balch, an RV-8 builder, gave me his when he was done with it. I served at least three builders before it gave up the ghost.
So, I ordered an Odyssey PC-680 battery. Hopefully it'll arrive this week. I'll keep it trickle-charged, and use it to power the electrical system. I choose the PC-680 as it has gotten raving reviews from RV flyers. The best price I could find in Canada was $CDN 175, so I ordered it from the US, for $US 53.50 + $US 19 for shipping, which is a total of about $CDN 97. I'm prepared to pay a small premium to support local business, but not an extra 80%.
I spent a few days in Montreal last week, so I didn't make much progress. This weekend I made a bracket to hold the cockpit end of the cable for the alternate air door. And I punched the hole in the firewall for the cable to go through. I also started working on the cockpit heat control.