Trutrak Vision 385 with Garmin G5 Compatibility

[eaglen92ce]

I am interested in adding two Garmin G5's in my RV6. I also have a Trutrak Vision 385 autopilot.

Does anyone know if Trutrak is working on interfacing with the G5 DG/HSI? This would allow some control over the AP with the G5 DG.

Garmin has the GAD 29B which interfaces with many of the legacy certified AP systems but does not include Trutrak at this time. I spoke to a Trutrak rep at the Copperstate fly in and he suggested that they were working on it but did not offer a time frame.

[David Carter]

Spoke to someone at TruTrack booth at Sun-N-Fun. They said it is in the works, perhaps by AirVenture. Said priorities are baro setting & heading bug. Said same thing a year ago at SNF.

I have 2 G5s & the Vizion 385. Gets really old updating the altitude on the A/P. I'll have the Vizion up for sale soon. Installing the Garmin servos & GMC 507.

[eaglen92ce]

Thanks David! I called and talked to tech support and they also said they were working on it. I asked some more detailed questions and it seemed to me that they were probably not to far into the project. There is also a Trutrak SNF update on Youtube (AVweb I think) where Andrew talks about future integrations and they talk about Aspen but not G5. Not holding my breath. I really like the Vision though.

How do you like the dual G5 setup? I would like to get rid of my vacuum system and gyros.

Bill

[AndyWW]

We have dual G5s and the Vizion 385 in our RV6, and the setup works well. However as previously stated, there is so far no integration between the G5s and the Trutrak. It's not a huge problem, but it would be nice if they could do it soon. We were told that it would most likely be just a firmware update, but it would require the header unit to be returned to Trutrak.

[Flyer2017]

I too have been talking to TruTrak for months. Finally, at OSH, they said they were only waiting for final approval from the FAA on the certified version of the Vision. Now, finally, I managed to squeeze information out of the customer service people at Bendix-King (who you get when you call TruTrak for tech support). My understanding is that for those who have the experimental Vision 385 possibly only a new head is required. The experimental Vision head has two circuit boards and the certified head has one. The last time I managed to talk to Stephen in TruTrak tech support, he said they would not be upgrading the experimental Vision or the Digiflight II but would be replacing the head.

For those, like me, that want to upgrade from a Digiflight II to a Vision, the head and the pitch servo need to be replaced and there is a short cable supplied that changes the position of a couple of pins in the connector. My upgrade should be about $1250.

As you can see below, you can no longer send it in to TruTrak, it goes to Mid-Continent Instruments. No one seems to know how long that may take. I'll send in my information and go from there. I plan to put in 2 G5s, one as an HSI.

From Bendix-King Support...

The upgrades are being handled thru Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. You will need to provide the following information to trutraksupport@mcico.com. They will provide you with the cost of the upgrade.

Unit Model:
Unit serial number:
Date of installation: (approximate is fine)
Description of what is needed:
You contact details and return address.

[D Weisgerber]

Originally Posted by Flyer2017

I too have been talking to TruTrak for months. Finally, at OSH, they said they were only waiting for final approval from the FAA on the certified version of the Vision. Now, finally, I managed to squeeze information out of the customer service people at Bendix-King (who you get when you call TruTrak for tech support). My understanding is that for those who have the experimental Vision 385 possibly only a new head is required. The experimental Vision head has two circuit boards and the certified head has one. The last time I managed to talk to Stephen in TruTrak tech support, he said they would not be upgrading the experimental Vision or the Digiflight II but would be replacing the head.

For those, like me, that want to upgrade from a Digiflight II to a Vision, the head and the pitch servo need to be replaced and there is a short cable supplied that changes the position of a couple of pins in the connector. My upgrade should be about $1250.

As you can see below, you can no longer send it in to TruTrak, it goes to Mid-Continent Instruments. No one seems to know how long that may take. I'll send in my information and go from there. I plan to put in 2 G5s, one as an HSI.

From Bendix-King Support...

The upgrades are being handled thru Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. You will need to provide the following information to trutraksupport@mcico.com. They will provide you with the cost of the upgrade.

Unit Model:
Unit serial number:
Date of installation: (approximate is fine)
Description of what is needed:
You contact details and return address.

I'm interested in upgrading to a Vision also, I have an ADI Pilot II. Did they tell you what the difference was in the pitch servo? I'd rather not replace that unless I have to, I sent it back to TruTrak about a year ago and had it rebuilt.

[Wasp26]

hello
On my RV8 there's been an AP Trutrak 385 for the past few years. I'm in the process of installing a G5. I had seen in the discussions that the Trutrak needed to be upgraded to be compatible with the G5. After contacting by mail "Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics" I sent them the AP to do this update. I received it, but to my surprise it still displays "VIZION 385R VZ.15" at startup and the work report indicates up-to-date for the software.
Did any of you have this update done?
What version is displayed at startup?

Regard
Herv

[David Carter]

Originally Posted by Wasp26

hello
I had seen in the discussions that the Trutrak needed to be upgraded to be compatible with the G5. After contacting by mail "Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics" I sent them the AP to do this update. I received it, but to my surprise it still displays "VIZION 385R VZ.15" at startup and the work report indicates up-to-date for the software.

Herv?, what did they charge you for the upgrade? When I emailed them last month to ask about an upgrade for my 385, they told me that the only option was to buy the new XCruze 100 AP outright for $750. There's no way I'm throwing good money after bad like that. I will be replacing with the Garmin AP.

[jbDC9]

Originally Posted by David Carter

When I emailed them last month to ask about an upgrade for my 385, they told me that the only option was to buy the new XCruze 100 AP outright for $750. There's no way I'm throwing good money after bad like that. I will be replacing with the Garmin AP.

Same here. I had a Vizion 385 in my RV-8 and planned a panel upgrade to include a pair of G5s and a GNX375; I just couldn’t see the point of spending that much coin on an “update”... after selling the Vizion system and buying the 2 Garmin servos plus the GMC507 controller, the cost differential wasn’t all that much to have the fully integrated Garmin system.

[Hawkzoo]

Hi John are u happy with the GNX 375 and the GMC507 set up with dual G5?
Will it do an LPV ? On Spruce web site someone asked the question and the response was no it won’t work. So I’m just curious?

Thanks,