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Oshkosh 2011 - MGL Avionics

Rainier Lamers

Well Known Member
As it has become tradition, here is a picture and description of what you can expect to be new at our stand at Oshkosh this year.

Osh2011.jpg


iEFIS(R) Explorer
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Kicking off a new series of panels and a new EFIS concept is the Explorer which is slated to start shipping at the end of this year.
Based on a very bright LED backlight high resolution screen, the Explorer introduces a pressure sensitive touch screen which makes it easy to use a touch screen in the cockpit environment.
The touch screen makes navigation and map work a breeze while it can be used to control all aspects of the EFIS.
A row of 12 soft keys is used mainly as backup to the touch screen but is also used for rapid access to often used functions.
No less than five rotary controls are used for settings where these are of advantage.
In addition, the iEFIS is the first to receive our voice command system which allows full control over all aspects of the EFIS using your voice. However, this will be made available to existing EFIS systems as well.
The iEFIS combines all of the functionality of our G2 EFIS systems including support for 4 video feeds such as from FLIR cameras with around 10 times the raw processing power for a limitless future.
The Explorer is the first in the iEFIS(R) lineup which will see a 7" portrait and landscape mode unit, a 10 inch and a 12 inch plus we are also looking at a transparent EFIS which you can mount on the dash as heads up display.
Up to 8 iEFIS(R) displays connect to a central iBOX(tm) which contains all interfacing like 6 RS232 ports, 2 CAN interfaces pressure sensors, analog and digital inputs and outputs an well as ARINC 429.
For redundancy this can be duplicated if needed, including dual local area networks based on a zero EMI high speed data transport mechanism.

The term "iEFIS" is a registered trademark of MGL Avionics

XTreme EMS
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Based on the successful XTreme EFIS released last year at Oshkosh, this model provides an engine monitoring solution at even lower cost as it does not have to provide pressure sensors, GPS and all things related to a full EFIS.

V6 COM Radio
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The final production version of this excellent COM radio provides a full 4 place intercom system which is stereo. Each microphone input has its own noise reduction system, a further improved version of the VOGAD system found in the V10 radio. The intercom is dual circuit so you can completely separate the passenger circuit from the pilot circuit by means of a single panel switch.
The radio itself is similar to the V10 system with increased RX sensitivity and dual frequency scanning. TX power is 6W minimum at rated supply voltage. The V6 can be fully remote controlled by a MGL G2 or iEFIS.

V6R COM Radio
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Exactly equivalent to the V6 but without the display and user controls it provides a cheaper solution for systems using an EFIS to control the radio.

T6 Mode-S transponder
------------------------------
This is a first public image released of the T6 transponder which is currently in development. Release is however not imminent as this unit is currently a test bed for new technology which will see the cost and complexity of a transponder reduced dramatically. We are hopeful that we can do TSO within the next year.

I will be at Oshkosh this year helping Matt running the MGL stand.
Also from South Africa, Les and Farren. Les is the guy behind the hardware of the RF products and Farren has joined us recently - he brings with him a lot of digital signal processing experience and is responsible for the development of our voice command system.
Our European distributor Olivier will also be there.
Please come and say "hi", we'd love to meet you all !

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
WOW...and I just decided on the Odyssey...decisions decisions....can't wait to see these at OSH..
 
I will definitely have to stop in and check these systems out. I'm not going to build an RV, but rather design my own aircraft and therefore have an even greater amount of leeway for what subsystems to select than I would otherwise have (so long as the components are FAA approved; not going to cut corners and use automotive parts or non-PMAed stuff just to save a few bucks here and there).
 
By the time I get to buying my panel gear, I think you'll have a direct neural interface in production... :p

Keep up the excellent work! (And the open ended highly configurable systems.)
 
Nav radio?

Panel looks great! Timing is about perfect for my already planned panel upgrade and will jive nicely with the MGL stuff I already have.

I saw somewhere that MGL was working on a NAV radio and was hoping for an update...
 
.....................:)
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I have been waiting for the V6 since they first announced it. Now the wait for the
T6 and that will bring an end to long HEAVY rectangular radios punching their way
through sub panels and in general making a mess out of a neat panel.

If MGL keeps this up, the blank aluminum panel will be the heaviest single part
of the panel.................:eek:

I have the Xtreme and could not be more pleased...................:D

PS.... have Matt bring headsets...... I REALLY want to try them.
 
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I'm Very Impressed!

These units are going to go over VERY well!

I have been following your products for 4+ years and love the innovation and insight MGL has. I recently spent some time in a Falcon 7X sim with the glass HUD that projects FLIR images overlayed with PFD info.

I was already starting to think of a way to build an HUD glass unit to display the MGL info. Hearing your news, I'll sit back and watch to see what you come up with. Im sure it will be great if it makes sense.

Any idea on ballpark USA price point for the iEFIS?

Keep up the fantastic work!
 
I guess I'll delay my panel upgrade plan "just a little longer" ! I already wanted to go with MGL and now it's just a matter of planning :confused: :)
 
Any idea on ballpark USA price point for the iEFIS?

We have not done final costing yet and I am somewhat relunctant to give a price due to the difficulty we are facing with the rapidly falling value of the U.S. Dollar which tends to screw up any predictions, even relatively short term.

However, I can tell you that it will be very good - and I mean that. The entire iEFIS range is designed with "more bang, less buck" in mind using the very latest technology has to offer (for example: IPS displays for the 7" iEFIS). 99% will love the prices. The other 1% make EFIS systems. ;)

We are aware that future EFIS systems need to compete with things like iPads and tablet PCs and these are cheap. We are taking up the challenge.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
Wow... Touchscreen EFIS, both portrait or landscape 7", big 10" and 12"... That's great specs and sounds very interesting.

For the ones that can't be there at OSH, will we get more info about the new products?

Thanks,
Phil
 
Wow... Touchscreen EFIS, both portrait or landscape 7", big 10" and 12"... That's great specs and sounds very interesting.

For the ones that can't be there at OSH, will we get more info about the new products?

Thanks,
Phil

I posted some more info over on the Stratomaster users group and paste it herewith. This was a post in response to some questions that where asked.

A new website has been setup: www.iEFIS.com but there is nothing on it yet. Expect details and more detailed information to emerge in the next 4-6 weeks.

Does iEFIS replace the current EFIS systems ?
----------------------------------------------------------

No. The only thing that will make us stop producing Odyssey, Voyager or Enigma is if nobody wants them.
The way I see it, Odyssey and Voyager will proceed to G3 level which in fact will run the same very powerful processor that iEFIS is getting (This is not ready yet as I ran out of time and the iEFIS at Osh is in fact running a G2 processor).
The G3 version of the Odyssey or Voyager is effectively a combination of iEFIS screen and iBOX so could be the central point in an iEFIS system.

Odyssey and Voyager are systems in their own right while the iEFIS is a distributed system. That means these are different system concepts and each has its purpose and right to be.

Enigma should not be affected. Due to the popularity of the Enigma I am however strongly leaning towards an upgrade the moment I have a few spare seconds available...

How much will an iEFIS system cost ?
-----------------------------------------------
Costing has not been completed and there is no easy answer since you can combine elements of the iEFIS system in so many different ways. For example, you could decide that you want two 10" panels, one for pilot, one for pax. Then you would like to put a 12.1" in the middle mainly for map work. Then perhaps one or two 7" in a console in portrait mode mainly for engine and auxiliary use.
Once you have this you could have one or two iBOX's (which contain the guts of the EFIS, the interfaces and sensors) and choose from new RDACs and several SP sensors.
Now, you might think that a system like this would cost you a fortune (and would not look out of place to a Airbus 380 cockpit) - but you would be wrong. Very wrong.
One thing however is certain: You will not find the cost wanting...

Touch screens do not work in the cockpit...
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Correct. They don't.
That is why we have spent two years developing our own technology. Now they do. At least ours does.
A traditional touch screen (regardless of technology) has issues. Rapid pressure changes or operation under low atmospheric pressure (or even vacuum) does not work or can even damage the screen.
Considering the angle and your arm position you cannot work a sensitive touch screen in even slight turbulence (Try using an iPad in that position in your car while driving to see what I mean).
Touch screens introduce loss of light transmission of the display and even worse, dramatically increase reflections and other undesirable light effects.
Many touch screen technologies can't work if you are wearing gloves (even thin ones). Some don't work well with finger touch and need a stylus.

For a touch screen to work, it must work like a good button. You must be able to firmly rest your finger on it and press when ready. This is the way you would operate a button on an EFIS and that works (provided the button does not activate too easily).
For this you need a touch screen that can actually measure your contact pressure correctly and accurately.
The touch screen must be part of the display. It cannot be some seperate overlay. To get good sunlight performance the display polarizer and non-reflective treatment must be, as before, the outer, last layer of the display. Any materials used to make the touch screen must be glass, anything else causes light transmission issues.
You get the idea. This technology in fact works so well that the 7" iEFIS and the 12.1" iEFIS will only get a couple of rotary controls, no other buttons.

How bright is the display
-------------------------------
Well, it's capable of 2000 nits. But for now I'm running it at "only" 1500 nits until I am comfortable with the thermal management of the LED strips. It's deeply dimmable as well.
Considering that we are talking about a touch screen display, this is an incredible brightness level and more than ample.

How much power does the iEFIS use ?
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OK, only had one person ask this. Under 1A at full brightness at 13.8V. Unit operates from 7 to 30V and is fully DO-160 compliant.
Both main and standby supplies can be connected.
The iEFIS runs cool and does not use any cooling fans.

Can I use existing senders, RDACs and SP units ?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Senders yes.
RDAC and SP units are all new for the iEFIS system. All these now use a CAN bus for interfacing.

What is the mounting depth of the iEFIS 8.5" display unit ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not much:

iEFIS%20side.jpg


Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
How Soon?

As soon as the 7" portrait version is available it will almost be a must have item. I am thinking the HUD will be supplied from the main iEFIS?

How large will the new AHRS box be? I was hoping for the same size housing as the current SP7 or smaller so I can put it just aft of the main spar inside of a small pelican case for added vibration and water protection.

Just when will the new iEFIS be available?

Thanks,

Richard
 
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Any chance of an iEFIS without GPS or with a Galileo receiver?

If LightSquared builds its 40,000 towers here in the US, each with built-in GPS jamming functionality, GPS will be mostly unusable for aviation civilian applications. The military will not have such a problem since they have access to PPS.

I'm hoping that Galileo will be more immune, since its a newer system (but probably won't be available until 2018) and may use different frequencies that are less susceptible to LightSquared jamming. Otherwise, its back to VORs, NDBs and compass, clock, and a sectional. I'd much rather use an iEFIS, but if LightSquared builds its towers, I'd like an iEFIS with an IMU as an alternative.

Bill
 
It's the same SP-7, just with a minor software only upgrade to enable the CAN interface. We are also working on a SP-9 which uses high grade, "close to FOG" gyros intended for high end applications.

Availability is "as soon as possible". In practical terms this means towards the end of this year provided we can get sufficient quantities of all required components in time. These are being ordered now. Display parts should arrive in September (we assemble the displays ourselves in our own clean room due to heavy modifications).

The 7" should arrive soon thereafter and the 12.1" after that. The 10" is likely to be last.

Rainier

As soon as the 7" portrait version is available it will almost be a must have item. I am thinking the HUD will be supplied from the main iEFIS?

How large will the new AHRS box be? I was hoping for the same size housing as the current SP7 or smaller so I can put it just aft of the main spar inside of a small pelican case for added vibration and water protection.

Just when will the new iEFIS be available?

Thanks,

Richard
 
The iBOX contains a GPS receiver that is capable of using any positioning satellite in view. This includes Galileo/Glonast. It uses all satellites it can find to arrive at a position resolution, grading each on known performance and rejecting those that would result in worsening the calculated position accuracy.

Sadly, IMUs that are any good for operating in a vibrating, unstable platform like any small aircraft are still way to expensive to be considered even though they can be used (In fact, one of the iEFIS systems is being prepared for a space mission using such a beast - but please don't ask - that is all I can tell for now. This explains the "operation in a vacuum" I mentioned earlier).

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Any chance of an iEFIS without GPS or with a Galileo receiver?

If LightSquared builds its 40,000 towers here in the US, each with built-in GPS jamming functionality, GPS will be mostly unusable for aviation civilian applications. The military will not have such a problem since they have access to PPS.

I'm hoping that Galileo will be more immune, since its a newer system (but probably won't be available until 2018) and may use different frequencies that are less susceptible to LightSquared jamming. Otherwise, its back to VORs, NDBs and compass, clock, and a sectional. I'd much rather use an iEFIS, but if LightSquared builds its towers, I'd like an iEFIS with an IMU as an alternative.

Bill
 
I am thinking the HUD will be supplied from the main iEFIS?
Richard

With the iEFIS system, there is no "main EFIS". This is a true distributed system. Any iEFIS is a full EFIS - you decide what it must show.
The same goes for the HUD, transparent EFIS. It is a full iEFIS just like anything else you plug into the iEFIS network.

I don't have a handy picture available so please bear with me through this explanation:

The iEFIS is just a screen, couple of buttons and Rotary controls but with a powerful processor. Nothing else - so it can be quite low cost. Looking at the rear panel there is almost nothing there: Connections for power and video feeds as well as two LAN sockets. No, not ethernet. This is a special LAN technology using simple, very thin coax cable and SMA connectors - just screw in. Each LAN has two connectors so it is easy to daisy-chain panels. There are two LANs - one is the main LAN, the other is a backup. You don't need to use the backup.

If you use both LANs you are going to use two iBOX units. The second one is a hot standby. The iBOX contains your pressure sensors (including dual airspeed sensors to cover the full range from very slow to over Mach 1). Further to this, you get ARINC TX and RX ports, two CAN interfaces, 6 RS232 serial ports, Balanced analog inputs, single ended analog inputs (connection to flap/trim sensors, switches etc), switched outputs, audio out and a couple of other things.
In other words, the iBOX is everything an EFIS needs if you subtract the part you see in the panel.
If you have two of these, all your external wiring connects to both units (the hot standby disconnects itself internally so there is no conflict with outputs connected together).

The LAN is also used to distribute backup power to the EFIS panels when the system is switched off so the panels can maintain their transient information. The panels do have their own backup batteries for this (in case you disconnect a panel) but these batteries are never used once connected so the batteries should last almost the lifetime of the panel.

Each LAN connects to up to 8 panels. OK, that is a bit much. But there is more: We are also going to make a wireless node available. This means you can hook up your tablet. And this can also get all of the EFIS data - it can also send things like flight plans to the EFIS units.

The most basic iEFIS system consists of one panel, one iBOX, SP-6 compass, SP-7 AHRS and engine monitor module as needed. The SP-7 can be ditched if you are happy using the GPS to calculate a "pseudo attitude" as you can do with our other EFIS systems.
The most complex iEFIS system ? Well, you decide...

There is even more: The iEFIS G3 processor can not only run our own FlightOps operating system but can dual boot Android or Linux (perhaps Windows - but that is becomming increasingly unlikely now, just no need).
And that means: Open source and third party EFIS applications are now possible using real EFIS hardware.

Thinking further - the iBOX is the part missing from an iPad or similar tablet making these viable to be used for real low cost applications such as might be an option in ultra lights and smaller home builts.

Sounds exciting ?

I think so...

Right. Now let me get back to work. Things to do, software to write, hardware to carve...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
Unfortunately, for those of us in the US, having a GPS receiver capable of Galileo won't do anything to improve the situation for those of us in the US.



The head of the European Commission?s Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, the agency that oversees all operations of the Galileo program, has filed an official comment on the Federal Communications Commission?s (FCC) docket regarding the Lightsquared proposal to broadcast a powerful terrestrial signal. Heinz Zourek addresses Julius Genachowski, FCC chair, as follows:

?I am writing to express our deep concerns about the LightSquared system that is proposed for operation in frequencies immediately below the radionavigation-satellite service (RNSS) allocation at 1559-161OMHz. This band is the core band used by global satellite navigation systems including GPS and you are no doubt aware that Europe is at the advanced planning stage for its own system, Galileo, which will be operational by 2014/15, and that will also use this RNSS allocation.


The band immediately below 1559MHz, allocated by the Radio Regulations to the mobile-satellite service (MSS), has been used for satellite based transmissions for many years and has proved to be broadly compatible with RNSS systems above 1559MHz. The LightSquared proposal for a terrestrial network deployment in MSS spectrum would completely change the nature of radio transmissions in the band. What are now neighbour MSS transmissions at similar receive power levels to RNSS would in future be many orders of magnitude higher and with the potential to severely disrupt reception of RNSS signals.

Analysis carried out in Europe, including by our own technical partner the European Space Agency, has shown that transmissions from LightSquared base-stations do indeed have considerable potential to cause harmful interference to Galileo receivers operating in the United States. Interference effects have been determined to occur in the range 100m to almost 1000km, depending on the type of receiver being used. This obviously presents a grave threat to the viability of providing a Galileo service covering US territory - a service which many studies have shown will not only benefit Galileo users, but those of GPS too as the two systems will be interoperable through a common signal design providing significantly improved coverage and accuracy in urban environments. The European Commission is also concerned about potential impacts to safety critical aviation applications. Europe is covered by the EGNOS system, which is equivalent and interoperable with the US WAAS, and so it is vital that EGNOS/WAAS receivers fitted to aircraft entering US airspace do not suffer degradation to the availability and reception of their navigation signals.

The Galileo system will also contribute to the global COSPAS-SARSAT system through the MEOSAR programme and includes a dedicated space-to-Earth linle in the band 15441545MHz acting as a return channel to distress beacons, in accordance with Article 31 of the Radio Regulations. Intended for the maritime and aviation sector the possibility of disruption to this safety related application within US territory should not be ignored. Whilst recognising that the rules governing worldwide radio usage, enshrined in the ITU Constitution and the Radio Regulations, allow the USA freedom to decide on spectrum matters within its own territory, Article 4 of the Radio Regulations makes it clear that ITU Members States are expected not to cause harmful interference to systems of another country that operate in accordance with the Radio Regulations.

We are confident that the process put in place by the FCC to deal with internal US concerns about the threat to GPS reception will reach appropriate conclusions and that these will take into account our own concerns about reception of Galileo signals. However, the receivers may not have identical characteristics and therefore we would be grateful that Galileo and EGNOS receivers will also be taken into account within the FCC's decision making process, thus giving us sufficient assurance that users will be able to receive Galileo and WAAS signals in US territory without risk of harmful interference.

Yours sincerely,

Heinz Zourek

The iBOX contains a GPS receiver that is capable of using any positioning satellite in view. This includes Galileo/Glonast. It uses all satellites it can find to arrive at a position resolution, grading each on known performance and rejecting those that would result in worsening the calculated position accuracy.

Sadly, IMUs that are any good for operating in a vibrating, unstable platform like any small aircraft are still way to expensive to be considered even though they can be used (In fact, one of the iEFIS systems is being prepared for a space mission using such a beast - but please don't ask - that is all I can tell for now. This explains the "operation in a vacuum" I mentioned earlier).

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

As you can see from the above, only the US will be devastated by LightSquared towers since Galileo will be also affected over the US, but not elsewhere. While I have no evidence to support my supposition, based on the European comments, I expect that GLONAS will also be unusable in the US. Note that WAAS may also be unusable.

Unfortunately, US pilots seem to be completely obtuse to the threat and the "alphabet groups" i.e. AOPA, EAA, etc. have done nothing in opposition. In my local (Tucson, AZ) newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star, three full page ads from LightSquared extolling jobs created, public safety, and general public usage appeared with no mention of any possible effect on general aviation. There was no rebuttal to these ads from any aviation organization. Of course, the military doesn't care, since they have SAASM (with the keys) and jamming-nulling antennas that they can afford (but we can't).

Fortunately, I still have my old E-6B computer and a watch that I have used, infrequently, over the past years. I, also, have built "operation in vacuum" vehicles that travel at many multiples of Mach 1 and that will be unaffected by LightSquared jamming. If LightSquared suceeds for civilian applications, what I'll be using will be the primitive, but workable nav aids and will only need an iEFIS with a simple AHRDS plus such VORs and NDBs that remain.

Bill
 
I do not think that the threat to GPS reception is very real in the U.S. as far as airborne applications go.
The reason for this is simple: GPS antennas, like the ones we use are highly directional, facing upwards. In order to jam the signal you would have to beam significant energy directly to the antenna. This is highly unlikely over the distances we are talking about.
I do see a threat for ground based operations as these will be affected far more likely in close proximity to the towers or within beam concentrations.

In any case, I think you can be sure that industry will find a solution if there is one required. This solution will be driven by the affected ground based applications, not airborne ones.

I also believe that the FCC will act if it is proven that interference is unacceptable once operation starts. There is just too much riding on this.

Rainier
 
ADS-B demo at Oshkosh

Looks like we will be able to show ADS-B Nexrad Wx (both conus and regional) working on the G2 systems.
This works with any GDL90 compatible data stream such as from Navworx ADS-B systems and others.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
.......
Unfortunately, US pilots seem to be completely obtuse to the threat and the "alphabet groups" i.e. AOPA, EAA, etc. have done nothing in opposition. In my local (Tucson, AZ) newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star, three full page ads from LightSquared extolling jobs created, public safety, and general public usage appeared with no mention of any possible effect on general aviation. There was no rebuttal to these ads from any aviation organization. Of course, the military doesn't care, since they have SAASM (with the keys) and jamming-nulling antennas that they can afford (but we can't).
.....Bill

The local Arizona Red Star is not a good source for infomation...:)

Just to choose one alphabet group, the AOPA, I have been recieving e-mails and news bulletins, with a request to send in a formal public comment to the FCC by the July 31 deadline.

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2011/110714call_to_action_help_save_gps.html

All pilots should write their own letter and send it in - often these committees just make piles and measure the height of the pro/con piles - we need the pro pile to be a tower.

Or perhaps it's all a plot to sell more sectionals...:)
 
Any Youtube video from Oshkosh for the new iEFIS Explorer? I really wish we could see the UI and workflow...

Phil
 
I went to see the new iEfis 3x while at OSH. I was extremly impressed. wonderful graphics and the touchscreen features were amazing.. Rainier and his staff were great with the demos and answered our questions.
 
Thanks for the feedback Ryan!

Any chance to see it? Maybe some pictures or even better some videos?

Phil
 
I went to see the new iEfis 3x while at OSH. I was extremly impressed. wonderful graphics and the touchscreen features were amazing.. Rainier and his staff were great with the demos and answered our questions.

I'll second this. I was very impressed with the iEfis system and I am really looking forward to the portrait orientation model for a steam gauge retro fit project.
 
IEFIS

I got to play around with the MGL IEFIS and all I can say is "AWESOME" its not just another touch screen like a iPad etc, its better.
 
MGL photos from Osh 2011

I found the MGL booth and the head bottle washer Rainier. I was speaking with him about their products and I could tell this guy is into his product. Nothing but excitement from him when we talked. This team will go far and they are among my short list of avionics for my build.

IMG_0026.jpg


Extreme
IMG_0028.jpg


The new iEFIS (still being fine tuned)
IMG_0030.jpg


IMG_0031.jpg


COMM
IMG_0032.jpg


Transponder
IMG_0033.jpg
 
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Hi Carlos,

Thank you for the pictures. The iEFIS looks just great... I wish we could read the manual and see it working in a video... I'm curious to see the touchscreen entry UI and menus workflow :)

Phil
 
the touchscreen does not work like your smartphone where you just lightly touch it and something happens, you can put your fingers on the screen and move around and nothing will happen..you have to actually press the monitor to select something. I especially liked that everything is customizable, everything, i.e. compass rose to small for your liking...you can make it bigger.

I actually did not realize at the time that the orientation can be landscape or portrait...now having visions of dual screens side by side in portrait mode. :cool: , but first I have to build a hangar door, move out of the garage and save some $$ up.
 
Thanks for the plug.
To clarify, the touchscreen is a "push screen" as one of our vistors suggested. The reason is obvious - we desperately where looking for a way to use a touchscreen in a real cockpit environment in a small aircraft where it gets tricky to use something like this in turbulence. The solution we have works and works very nicely indeed - but we are not the only ones that came up with this - Rockwell-Collin's version of their new, very nice EFIS that they where demonstrating at Oshkosh is very similar in concept (just a couple of million $ more though).
Of course the screen can do "light" as well and this may be used for certain map/navigation functions but typically only for stuff you would do on the ground.
We still combine the touch screen with plenty of soft keys and more rotary controls we ever had on an EFIS - but that is a direct result of increased functionality and the need for the best user interface on a per operation bases but also to provide backup.
A huge amount of functionality is no use if it is difficult to use in flight.

Anyway, had a great time at Osh - thanks to all that visited our booth, thanks for the great feedback and encouragement and thank you America for making us feel so welcome.
We'll be back...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

the touchscreen does not work like your smartphone where you just lightly touch it and something happens, you can put your fingers on the screen and move around and nothing will happen..you have to actually press the monitor to select something. I especially liked that everything is customizable, everything, i.e. compass rose to small for your liking...you can make it bigger.

I actually did not realize at the time that the orientation can be landscape or portrait...now having visions of dual screens side by side in portrait mode. :cool: , but first I have to build a hangar door, move out of the garage and save some $$ up.
 
'Nuther Question

And a second question: Do you have a date for having the autopilot software functioning in the XTreme?
 
Nothing new to release at this point.
Working hard on the new systems - everthing is nicely on track.
Seems we have now settled on a XGA format for the 10" (so it will be a 10.4", same size as the Odyssey - we'll probably call it "Odyssey II").
The 8.5" will be as shown at Osh.
7" and 12.1" designes are unchanged with the 7" being WGA and the 12.1" being WXGA (or else it gets too big for even big cockpits).
iBOX software development is now in full swing and this is progressing well (iBOX is the central "box" that contains all the pressure sensors, GPS and all of the many interfaces - you can connect up to 8 low cost panels or "nodes" to one iBOX and a one of the nodes can be a Wifi access point, I'll leave it to your imagination what you could do with that....)

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Rainier, anything new on the iEFIS system? Details, Pricing, release dates?
 
And a second question: Do you have a date for having the autopilot software functioning in the XTreme?

Software integration of the AP is well under way but not finished yet (taking longer than I expected - sorry, it's not me doing this, I'm dependent on somebody else integrating my AP into the XTreme). It has not yet flown but will hopefully soon.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
This new system sounds pretty awsome. I love simplicity. You know, the old KISS system?

But, how does the new iEFIS system deal with a single point failure event of the iBOX? Would I loose my GPS, Moving Map, Engine Monitoring, Autopilot, Basic Instuments, etc all at once? Wouldn't it be better to have, let's say, two completly seperate Odyseey panels that could operate independent of each other?
 
Yes, the new system is pretty simple to setup - it's one of the fundamental things we have addressed. Plug and play with an absolute minimum of wiring.

Good question on the redundancy issue. Keeping things flexible, we have designed the iBOX in such a way that you can fit two of them. Further to this, each iBOX can disconnect all of its outputs for all of its interfaces (but keeps the inputs alive).
This allows you to connect things like AP servos, nav radios etc to both iBOX units in parallel without fear of electical conflict.

Taking this one step further, each iBOX then connects via its own LAN to each of the panels (i.e. each panel has two identical but independent LAN systems - primary and standby).

So now you have a primary iBOX and a "hot" standby iBOX. The standby iBOX is fully active but controls nothing - until it is given permission to do so by the current master EFIS. This happens if the main iBOX fails to report for duty for any length of time.

So, lets take a nice big installation as example:
2 x 10.4" iEFIS in the panel with a nice 12.1" in the middle, mainly for map work (even though it is a full function EFIS). Then we take two 7" iEFIS units in portrait mode and mount them "console" fashion within easy reach. Even though these are full EFIS systems too - we will use them mostly for input (touch screen and rotary controls).
So now we have 5 panels. We could do more - but let's leave it at that.
Now we add two iBOX units so we have the core of the EFIS and a backup just in case. We could use a iBOX micro (a smaller version with fewer interfaces but built in aided AHRS) as backup to save some money here if needed.
Of course, we would add a WIFI node as well, simply because that's nice.

So what do we have now ?
A fully reduntant multi panel system that stands back for nothing !
Cost ?
Must be expensive ?
Let's wait a bit and find out shall we ?

For those wanting to use an iBOX only to connect to their own EFIS creations (usualy based on tablets or whatever have you), no problem - the LAN will be completely open and this means complete access to all of our sensors, engine monitors, AHRS, compass and even AP servos. The iBOX is exactly what is missing from an iPAD (for example) to turn it into an EFIS.

Regarding rather using two Odyssey systems - yes of course. That would be closer to the traditional way EFIS systems are made and Odyssey, Voyager etc are not going away anytime soon but will continue to be developed as they have in the past.
iEFIS is not meant to replace our current EFIS systems - rather it is a new concept that does things a bit different. You may like it or you may not. It's all about choice.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

This new system sounds pretty awsome. I love simplicity. You know, the old KISS system?

But, how does the new iEFIS system deal with a single point failure event of the iBOX? Would I loose my GPS, Moving Map, Engine Monitoring, Autopilot, Basic Instuments, etc all at once? Wouldn't it be better to have, let's say, two completly seperate Odyseey panels that could operate independent of each other?
 
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Rainier, you're Killing me!

So what do we have now ?
A fully reduntant multi panel system that stands back for nothing !
Cost ?
Must be expensive ?
Let's wait a bit and find out shall we ?

Rainier, you're killing me with the suspense! :eek:
Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on you new iEFIS system, it sounds fantastic and well thought out. I can't wait to see what you have.

In the words of a famous philosopher (Hannibal Smith - 'A' Team):
I love it when a plan comes together!
 
I'm sorry for this, I did not really want to say too much just yet but Osh was such a nice opportunity to show the 8.5" iEFIS and get some feedback from you guys on the concept (just to make sure we are on the right track).

Yes, a plan is indeed coming together and it is in fact quite a story. It started on VAN's some time ago - some may remember we did a little competition looking for a name for our next EFIS. The name that won was "Explorer" and the winner is getting a free one (we have not forgotten).
But what has changed is what this EFIS was going to be. Originally it was to be a high resolution version of our Enigma (effectively a mini Voyager). But that did not look nice when we made it (yes, there is such a thing as "too high" a resolution - it was not practical).
Anyway - the name "Explorer" was very well chosen as now we started thinking about what next to do. This took many turns and ventures into dark alleys and many dead ends. How do you do "ultimate" and "low cost" at the same time ? How do you make things really nice ? How can we use what we have already ? How can we make it open ? How can we make it "easy" and "simple" but keep it as flexible as the current systems ? How do we make it coexist with current systems ?
You get the idea - a lot of questions and a lot of answers. It took a long time to find what we now think is the "right" way. And now it's actually happening. Every day more and more of iEFIS is popping up and saying "hello world". This is what I live for. I'm having great fun with this...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics


Rainier, you're killing me with the suspense! :eek:
Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on you new iEFIS system, it sounds fantastic and well thought out. I can't wait to see what you have.

In the words of a famous philosopher (Hannibal Smith - 'A' Team):
I love it when a plan comes together!
 
The Explorer is the first in the iEFIS(R) lineup which will see a 7" portrait and landscape mode unit, a 10 inch and a 12 inch plus we are also looking at a transparent EFIS which you can mount on the dash as heads up display.

Hello Rainier,
I was just rereading this thread again and wanted to clarify something....you mentioned the 7" is going to landscape and portrait, but what about the 8.4"?...
 
Answered this one yesterday but it seems my post got swallowed so here we go again...

8.5" is not suitable for portrait mode as you would need 10" panel height in your aircraft at least. That is just too much. This is why 7" is the only viable size for portrait mode.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics


The Explorer is the first in the iEFIS(R) lineup which will see a 7" portrait and landscape mode unit, a 10 inch and a 12 inch plus we are also looking at a transparent EFIS which you can mount on the dash as heads up display.

Hello Rainier,
I was just rereading this thread again and wanted to clarify something....you mentioned the 7" is going to landscape and portrait, but what about the 8.4"?...
 
Rainier-
Any update on when iEFIS will be available for purchase? When we spoke at OSH, the predicted price point was quite impressive and,as you mentioned, could fluctuate with the exchange rate. Is release still going to take place this year?
Thanks.
Gerry Peterson
Merritt Island, FL
 
First units will be ready this year still but main production will only be on-line in February. We got our main holiday season coming up and that means from December to middle of January all our contract manufacturers close down.

Exchange rate looks good from a USD/South African Rand point of view so it does look like we will be able to fulfil our target price promise.

Rainier

Rainier-
Any update on when iEFIS will be available for purchase? When we spoke at OSH, the predicted price point was quite impressive and,as you mentioned, could fluctuate with the exchange rate. Is release still going to take place this year?
Thanks.
Gerry Peterson
Merritt Island, FL
 
Rainier, I don't recall reading this but will the iEfis support Vertical Power VP-X when it is released?
 
The iEFIS supports everything that out current line of EFIS systems support and everything in addition that may be added will be ported to the existing systems were this is technically possible and makes sense.

The only item that will not be supported is the Trio servo. There is a technical reason for this, nothing else, it would have made things more complex to include support for this. Currently we have a box called the "COM extender" which on the face of it is 4 x serial ports but it includes a fair portion of the Trio servo interface as well. The iEFIS does not support the COM extender as it provides 6 serial ports as standard but it does not include the Trio servo interface part which was ditched in order to simplify matters.
This means that the iEFIS supports MGL servos via CAN bus only.

Rainier

Rainier, I don't recall reading this but will the iEfis support Vertical Power VP-X when it is released?
 
Rainier,

Just would like an update on the progress of the transponder you are developing. So far I have a complete MGL panel and would sure hate to ruin it with another manufacturers instrument next to my V10 comm.

Thanks so much

Jerry
 
The transponder development is only now starting in ernest (pretty much a paper project up to now with the exception of some hardware we showed at Oshkosh). We had to get the V6 radio out of the way first - and that has now been done.

I am uncertain about the time frame as this is our first TSO'd project involving about everything that can entail and there are still quite a few unknowns. If it where not for the bureaucracy we'd have it done in a few months I'm sure (transponders are not that complicated) but now we have red tape involved and lots of moneys need to be paid to various outside companies to pave the way. We will see what happens...

Rainier

Rainier,

Just would like an update on the progress of the transponder you are developing. So far I have a complete MGL panel and would sure hate to ruin it with another manufacturers instrument next to my V10 comm.

Thanks so much

Jerry
 
The transponder development is only now starting in ernest (pretty much a paper project up to now with the exception of some hardware we showed at Oshkosh). We had to get the V6 radio out of the way first - and that has now been done.

I am uncertain about the time frame as this is our first TSO'd project involving about everything that can entail and there are still quite a few unknowns. If it where not for the bureaucracy we'd have it done in a few months I'm sure (transponders are not that complicated) but now we have red tape involved and lots of moneys need to be paid to various outside companies to pave the way. We will see what happens...

Rainier

Maybe that will pave the way for ADS-B stuff? :D
 
hello Rainier, would love to hear, if you have any, updates on iEfis Explorer.

Today we submitted the Explorer for production together with the iBOX so the hardware is now frozen. This leaves me with a lot of software to do. While the Explorer will start shipping with the G2 CPU, the software has started changing quite a bit with respect to the user interface and is deviating from the original intent which saw the touch screen used in a secondary way. Like many, I believed that a touch screen would not be a great solution in an aircraft. Seems I'm wrong (and sometimes that is a good thing).
So the touch screen is becoming the primary user interface while the buttons and knobs are becomming secondary - but still very useful to target certain functions real quick.

Environmental tests have been completed and all looks good (would breeze though DO160).

Much of the software development is around the user interface but also certain changes to the way our screens etc work - don't worry, you can still do your own screens just as before, it's just a bit different now. In the main, the "info" sections are gone to simplify things while more screens are now available with some dedicated ones (this is new).
Then of course there is the iBOX, the central node of the iEFIS World and that is quite complete now with all the tricky stuff done but some holes still need filling (more like small potholes now).
The hardware for the Wireless access point (Wifi) is finished but I have not done the software for this yet. Hardware for the FAA certified GPS has also arrived so I need to get my head around that soon.
New RDAC XF (required for the iEFIS) is finished and has been submitted for production. This will replace our RDAC XB and RDAC XD also for the other EFIS systems. Updates for SP-6 and SP-7 are finished (these need to "talk" CAN, other than that they are still compatible).
Soooo... that means things are pretty well on track. MGL is shutting down for the annual holiday on the 16th of December to early in January but our contract manufacturers only reopen middle January. Taking all this into consideration we should be able to ship the first Explorer iEFIS units in March.

The 7" and 10.4" iEFIS units should follow relatively soon after that, we are now finalizing the molds for these. Software and most of the hardware is identical for these units to the 8.5" Explorer so that should go fast.

That leaves the G3 cpu. While I developed a prototype G3, I will not be using it and instead use a different processor - things are moving incredibly fast with new processors being released by various manufacturers almost every other week - pushing boundaries faster than ever while simplifying the hardware. Good news is however that the G3 will be able to be used in existing Odyssey and Voyager.
What's different with the G3 ? Around 10-30 times the performance of a G2 (depending on which of two current CPU choices I end up with) plus a departure from the current software framework. It's going Linux. Partly this is forced due to unavailability of technical documentation for the embedded GPUs and the need to use pre-made device drivers for these things.
However, that means OpenGL and this also means a real path opens for "open source" for those that want to spin their own EFISs (and why not ?)
Good news is that our current EFIS software is fully and quite easily ported to Linux as I am in fact already using the GNU assembler and linker in Embedded Pascal.

So, that is where we are at...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
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