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Just got my DA40 back from XU Aviation this week after having the following completed:

1) Mags (500 hr) Overhaul
2) Cabin Cool Air Cond. Controller STC Upgrade
3) Install Status USB Power
4) Install RAM Ball Mount
5) Install VDC Electronics Battery Minder
6) Replace Standby Alternator
7) Re-Torque Starter Bolts
Propeller Overhaul

My plane was the first to have the Cabin Cool Air conditioner controller replaced and was kind of a Guinea Pig for the process which turned out to be a success. New Controller works like charm versus the old one which only worked intermittent then stopped working altogether.

There was a slight rattle on the Propeller cone which turned out to be a bad governor and led to an unexpected prop overhaul. Installed Ram mount and Stratus Power USB interface using tips from topic viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5925&hilit=stratus+usb&start=20 and more specifically beetlebug's configuration...thanks beetlebug. Also installed Battery Minder as recommended by this forum in another post. Re-torqued starter bolts as recommend by this forum in another post. Completed 500 hr Mags service and replaced Standby Alternator. All in all 30 hours of labour and plane down for almost 1 month. Here are some pics:

Other pics which some how did not get added...

I also just got my 2003 DA40 out of annual and added a RAM ball mount for my Ipad Mini and a Stratus USB port. Although my steam gauge panel is different my mount is in approximately the same place and uses the exact same link. As for the Stratus USB port, we looked at several different locations on the panel -- replacing the cigarette lighter with the USB port, using the clock space and moving the clock to the unused 3" hole above the #2 CDI, and using the 3" hole on the co-pilot side. All presented wiring, cutting and access challenges. In the end we decided to place it on bulkhead under the pilot's seat, which according to the POH is where the switches for the electrically-operated rudder pedals are. (Pics below.) I also Velcro-ed a tray next to it to hold emergency equipment. Finally, I stuck my Stratus ADSB receiver under the panel and ran an antenna up to the top of glare shield. (Sorry about the upside down image. I couldn't get right side up.) The Ipad Mini and Stratus ADSB receiver are now powered by the USB port. Next up, replacing the old LED lights with new ones that I hope to purchase at Sun N Fun.

blsewardjr, how well does your Stratus (GPS) work being mounted under the console?

Shawn- I have tested it on the ramp with my Ipad, which does not have an internal GPS, and it works fine. That said, I need to test it in flight as well. Bernie

blsewardjr wrote:Shawn- I have tested it on the ramp with my Ipad, which does not have an internal GPS, and it works fine. That said, I need to test it in flight as well. Bernie

I've found that I seem to get better ADS-B reception using the remote ADS-B antenna plugged in, even though the Stratus sits on the console and the antenna just hangs from the rear-seat handhold above my head.

You might also compare satellite counts when under the panel vs. out in the open. Worst case add the remote GPS antenna somewhere.

Ipad mini mount with ADSB antenna in the background

Thanks Bernie,Rich, I will try mine under the panel as well and check the satellite count. I sat in the cockpit looking for a spot to put it and was lost. Compared to some other cockpits I have peered into, the DA40's do not have much space for adding extra gadgets.

I'm liking this idea of the Stratus under the panel. I hadn't thought of that. For those of you that leave it in the plane all the time, do temperature extremes give it problems? I'm thinking mainly of those cold, cold, nights in an unheated hangar.

Super cool!

I saw the pictures first and thought, “Wow, that’s exactly what I did!”. Then I saw my username.

Have you had a chance to fly with it yet? I still really like the setup.

I’d kill for that AC controller, hate the touch based controller. I’ll have to look into getting that STC done some day.