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  #21  
Old 05-30-2020, 03:05 PM
Doug Eves Doug Eves is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Brigden Ontario Canada
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Quick question on the RS232 line. It was hooked up to my jpi fuel flow instrument as well as my Gemini autopilot. Worked as expected. I have now tapped into this same wire for both of my AV30?s for a grand total of 4 instruments being fed by this single source for the RS232 data. Is there a problem with this? I have not flight tested yet. Hopefully everything is ok this way but wondering if you can have too many instruments on the same data stream?
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  #22  
Old 05-31-2020, 10:42 AM
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gacnik123 gacnik123 is offline
 
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Talk with Trevor at Uavionix. He?ll be able to answer this.
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  #23  
Old 05-31-2020, 01:17 PM
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gmcjetpilot gmcjetpilot is offline
 
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Sorry for the dumb questions, but it's how we learn.

Why is the AV30 attractive or desirable? I watched the ad https://youtu.be/_3SjbeZtruQ

I see it has some unique form, fit and function. However the bug the OP mentions brings some question of suitability as an attitude indictator. Many EFIS use GPS in the solution, as well as magnetometer. May be being self contained stand alone is too much of a compromise.

It seems like a Garmin G5, Dynon D10 or GRT Mini-GA fit in 3.125" hole. The GRT is a full EFIS AI and map. As the Ad says the don't have to add things, stand alone, and they don't believe in plugging a hole with a square. So those are nice, but if it's not a solid gyro it is pointless. I do like the HSI display which brought back fond memories.
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Last edited by gmcjetpilot : 05-31-2020 at 01:35 PM.
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  #24  
Old 06-01-2020, 04:45 PM
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gacnik123 gacnik123 is offline
 
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First of all my plane never had an AI so I replaced my vsi with this. It has a vsi. I loved the g5 but like the looks of round gauges way better. Ya I had a glitch with the first one, but the second is spot on. I?m not IFR and nor are these, so my intent is only a little night flying and god forbid I had to pop through a sucker hole in clouds one day. I also like that it talks to my gps and displays my wpt info and track

That is pretty much why I chose it and the fact that it Has so many gauges in one. With an RV-4 the dash is limited for space so these are perfect.
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  #25  
Old 06-01-2020, 11:09 PM
Doug Eves Doug Eves is offline
 
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It is a solid gyro. That's initially why I bought it. I removed my vacuum equipment and put two of them in. It is not the same as the phony AI that the Trutrak Gemini is. It will give attitude errors under certain conditions. The AV 30 is supposed to be an accurate gyro. Haven't flown it yet however. It also has quite a few other secondary functions as well. I probably will use their Tailbeacon X asdb out/transponder so I will use the AV30 to control the transponder. I can then get rid of my existing transponder and it's antenna. Less drag!! LOL
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  #26  
Old 06-02-2020, 04:08 AM
jliltd jliltd is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmcjetpilot View Post
Sorry for the dumb questions, but it's how we learn.

Why is the AV30 attractive or desirable? I watched the ad https://youtu.be/_3SjbeZtruQ

I see it has some unique form, fit and function. However the bug the OP mentions brings some question of suitability as an attitude indictator. Many EFIS use GPS in the solution, as well as magnetometer. May be being self contained stand alone is too much of a compromise..
Don't think for a second the G5 is perfect. I have had a G5, Sandia Quattro and AV-30 installed in my RV3 simultaneously for testing and the G5 behaved fine until maneuvering caused shadowing of the GPS signal which didn't affect the other two makes. Granted an external antenna would mitigate this. Where I live the gubmit' is occasionally GPS blocking so instruments that depend on it wonk out (G5, Aspen etc). What's that new controversial 5G signal the FCC just approved going to do? I don't know.

Alll these things are gizmos with occasional dud units despite quoted high MTBF (mean time between failures). As an aside if you ever get a chance to tour any of the manufacturers of these types of instruments donit. It is impressively mind blowing how much care and testing goes into each individual unit. Dynon used to do this during the Arlington Fly In and it was brilliant marketing.

I had a G5 air data sensor go nuts at just shy of 20 hours from new installation. It was the AI in a dual G5 panel in a Pioer Comanche and I had used it as the digital altitude encoder source for transponder and ADS-B. Unfortunately it decided to malfunction during VFR climb out from the LA basin. Southern Cal approach lit up when the encoded altitude reported from between zero and 40 some-odd thousand feet and all points in between randomly multiple times a second. The G5 altitude tape exhibited this same behavior. The controllers had the pilot turn off altitude squawk. Consequently we got a nastygram in the mail from the FAA asking for a suitable explanation lest the aircraft be ADS-B blacklisted.

And then there's the issue with support. Trying to get Garmin to believe they have a bad unit can be tough. To be fair they field questions all day and are weary of Grandma calling without even knowing what model number they have. So sometimes they have the same disposition as the IRS when you call. Then having them point you to the dealer you bought it from complicates the whole process. You have to call the dealer and start all over with the questions and answers and convince them Garmin support concured there is a problem. In this case I had a spare G5 I used as a loner to to troubleshoot and correct the problem and get the FAA off our back. But it took more than a month to get the warranty replacement through Spruce with their green and incompetent employees. I had to call back multiple times to check on progress and got confused responses.

Warranty claims and support from uAvionix (and Aerovonics before that) is a quick and simple phone call with someone who is technically knowledgeable and can make an instant decision to get a replacement unit on the way without delay or dealing with a dealer.

The G5 air data module failure was 5 months ago and I still get occasional calls from ACS avionics asking where the battery and connector are for the G5 and I have to explain and swear on my life all they sent me was the stripped down bare unit without these items and I re-used the original accessories. I have a picture in my mind of a box on a desk in a cubicle that nobody seems to know what to do with.

Don't take this the wrong way. I am satisfied with the G5 and just installed one in my Husky. I have a new one in the box waiting to go into my G3X Touch equipped RV-8. There isn't an argument that the G3X and G5 just go together. There isn't anything perfect out there and I go both ways. I just happen to prefer and recommend the AV-30 for aircraft without Garmin glass, or the owner doesnt insist on a slaved heading system or is a Type Certified aircraft (until such time as the AV-30 is approved by the FAA). The AV-30 is more bang for the buck, is beautiful to behold and displays attitude as smooth as a physical gyro. And I dig the EFIS Arc mode for enroute.
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Last edited by jliltd : 06-02-2020 at 04:16 AM.
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  #27  
Old 06-02-2020, 05:51 AM
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gmcjetpilot gmcjetpilot is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gacnik123 View Post
...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Eves View Post
...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jliltd View Post
...
Cool. Thanks for the replies. Glad this was just a bad unit and many have good solid performance.

G5 and others, all the "experimenral" solid state EFIS attitude (some STC'ed for certified planes) have proven to be reliable. Perfect? No.

IFR I would have two independant EFIS AHAR and this unit might make a good back up. The form, fit and function is cool. Some EFIS advertising says they don't need GPS to work. Others may not need it, but they do use GPS as well as Mag heading and airspeed in the altitude solution. I think it helps. It's magic and smoke and mirrors... ha ha

In the end it is electronic sensors, software, microprocessor and a LCD display inconveinencing some electrons. What could wrong. A lot of care goes into IMU calibration and testing. At the heart of the AI is that one chip, G/pitch / roll / yaw sensor. If tolerances are out the AI will not work properly. Hats off to the people that bring these great instruments at a great value to the market.

Dispite the failure rate of EFIS (low), it's better than vacuum pumps and mechanical gyros spinning. No one wants to go back to that. The spinning wheel worked for 80 years but sold state is better.
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Last edited by gmcjetpilot : 06-02-2020 at 07:59 PM.
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  #28  
Old 06-04-2020, 10:11 PM
Doug Eves Doug Eves is offline
 
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Test flew my AV30?s today. They worked totally fine except for one issue that is probably my installation. Neither instrument recognized my gps rs232 connection. Not sure why at this moment.
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  #29  
Old 06-04-2020, 10:16 PM
jliltd jliltd is offline
 
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What type of GPS?
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  #30  
Old 06-04-2020, 10:26 PM
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RV8JD RV8JD is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Eves View Post
Test flew my AV30’s today. They worked totally fine except for one issue that is probably my installation. Neither instrument recognized my gps rs232 connection. Not sure why at this moment.
Just in case you may have missed it, you need to go into the GPS Input Config menu and these options are available: "NONE, AV1 9600, NMEA1 4800". The unit's default is "NONE", so you must choose one of the other choices depending on your GPS unit.
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