I decided long before laying out the instrument panel that I would keep it clean and simple. This influenced my decision to use fuses exclusively for protecting all circuits in the aircraft. Having flown my 701 for over 10 years, I never had the need to reset a tripped breaker button. If one did pop out, would I attempt to reset it in flight unaware of what caused it to pop in the first place? The RV9A electrical system is protected entirely with automotive style blade fuses. The fuses are contained in two Bussman Fuse and Relay Modules. These two modules provide up to 20 fuses and 10 SPST relays. The modules have rear entry wiring which provides a nice clean appearance. Both these modules, which I refer to as PDM (Power Distribution Modules) are located on a hinged panel that tucks up on the passenger side of the firewall. A single dutz style fastener holds it up. Undo the fastener and the hinged panel drops into view above the passengers rudder pedals.  As the fuses are feed from a bus on each module, I also needed to add a fuse block which contained 6 individual fuses. Two of these fuses are required for the Eagle Power Management Module. It supplies power to the Left and Right engine control computers.

It was interesting to see the Vans Factory RV12 equipped with similar blade style fuses when I was at Arlington EAA convention in 2010. It was the first time I was aware that they had taken this route. Guess I am not too far off the beaten path with this approach (other than I moved the fuses out of sight for a cleaner appearance