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Show your Custom 20% EMS Skyview Screen!

Bill_H

Bill_H

Well Known Member
Mostly I fly the Skyview as 40%PFD, 40%MAP, 20%(Engine.) I did not like the standard Van's 20%EMS layout. Things didn't line up, some widgets horizontal and some vertical, sizing issues, etc. I rearranged mine as shown. All the widgets are vertical for an easier scan.
Oil Pres, Temp and Battery Volts/Amps on Top row.
Fuel Level, Pressure, and Flow, and Trim on second row.
CHT/EGT 3rd row.
Useful numbers at the top, with Stall and Spar Pins.

Post your arrangement!

Now, on the right hand side is something I am posting to the Dynon forum as a suggestion. For TAKEOFF and LANDING I like the 20% view. I like the context that the ranges provide. In CRUISE, I would really like a bigger PFD and Map but I do not like totally getting rid of the engine monitoring! This is a 5% wide strip (One-FOURTH the width of the standard one!) That would let the PFD and MAP both be 47.5% rather than 40%!

Note that the example is for a conventional RV with 2 fuel tanks and 4 CHT/EGT possibilities. Ignore the values of the numbers, this is a sizing-spacing example.

You can see all the numbers. I would add the coding of a green background when the number is in that part of the range (current widgets do not do that.) Comments are welcome on this too!
Oh - the pic on the left is not the STANDARD Van's 20% layout of instruments. I meant it is the standard 20% SIZE. The layout on it is my revision from Vans version.

New5PercentEMS.jpg


Bill H
N412BR "Sweetie"
 
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Before you request that the numeric strip be horizontally across the top or bottom of the full Skyview screen, Dynon has said that would cause MASSIVE headaches with the paging and scaling code used for their current paradigm.
 
Bill, why do you need all that EMS stuff on the small screen? I, personally, get goo-goo eyed looking at all that stuff.

I'm coming up on my Annual in two weeks and reconfiguring the EMS panels is high on my To-Do Lists.

I plan to get rid of almost everything. I don't need RPM and MAP. I figure it's one or the other. I don't need all that CHT and EGT stuff. And electric stuff. Why do you have that big Spar Pin light and callout looking you in the face all the time?. That duplicates the big red light by the key switch. I figure that's a pre-flight check - like once a year - without any annunciation required at all.

Why have the Stall warning light? Do you need that to tell when you're approaching a stall? What about the annoying aural warning? I can't remember all the stalls I've done and can't remember ever looking at, or even being aware of, the Stall light.

And on and on.

More and more, after pre-take-off checks, I get rid of the EMS screen altogether.

I'd like one or two parameters available as widgets on the Map display. That's all. Then, I'd deep-six the small EMS panel all together. If something starts acting badly, I'd call up one of the larger EMS screens to figure it out. The small screen is barely scannable on a routine basis. Too much info.

Bob Bogash
N737G
 
Good questions Bob!!! I have some initial reluctance to remove stuff that a lot of thought went into at Vans. I too can't figure out why the default layout (which I did not show) has a big gauge for manifold pressure - on a fixed pitch, normally aspirated carb engine. The stall light also can go, it's audible and I also have audible AOA. Spar pin, ditto - almost.... Vans layout had all these things.

But I like having the CHT-EGT temps. CHT would indicate a coolant problem. EGT shows problems even though we do not have a mixture knob. Gotta have volts, amps, fuel pressure, fuel flow, oil pres, temp, and trim. If I take off the items mentioned here as unneeded, then the is room for a few more info items. Fuel at waypoint, etc.

Bill
 
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About the spar pin indication. We had a Bonanza for several years. It had the throw over yoke. The control lock was a big pin that was put in the hub from below. Had a red streamer on mine. Some people just used a pin, no streamer, no flag. Obviously, no electric warning that the pin is in.

A Beech Baron landed at Houston Hobby to pick up some folks. For some reason they inserted the pin (same yoke setup). Then tried to take off. Killed 4 people. After that, my wife would always ask "Is the Pin-of-Death removed"? Then she saw those two big pins holding the wings on while I was building the RV12... So she likes seeing that big word there "SAFE."

Yeah, the pilot did not do a controls-free check. But that shouldn't have to be a death sentence for a few bucks worth of parts. I use the Vans tow-bar control lock plus the seat-belt around the stick, with wood spacer block to hold the tail neutral (see the mods thread.) Ain't taking off with all that in the way! But if I was to install some kind of single pin control lock, I'd spend a few bucks on wire and a sensor and put it in one of the spare inputs on the Skyview.

And you know the spar pin light next to the ignition switch could fail...
 
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I vote for a 5% option.

For those that are comfortable rewriting the EMS files, I have detailed instructions to alter the widgets in ways not addressed in the Dynon manual.
The arc angles can be forced to begin/end where desired and also the thickness of the arcs/bars can be manipulated.

157ymx2.jpg


This is not my 20% screen just showing some possibilities.

2iu6r69.jpg
 
The suggestion is also being discussed over on the Dynon Skyview forum, so Dynon is definitely getting some opinions on this.
 
Well, failing a thin bottom strip, or a couple of widgets on the Map display, I like Bill's 5 % also. I like the colors a lot. I think it's something like they use on submarines use where when all the indicators turn Green, you know at a glance that the boat is ready to dive. I hate reading numbers.

Larry, I don't mind writing code and would be very interested in your EMS hack instructions.

Bob Bogash
N737G
 
The Big Reveal

Here is what a full 47.5-47.5-5% screen would look like!

Leading up to the BIG REVEAL!
First a Standard 40-40-20 Screen
Then a Standard 50-50 Screen
Then a comparison of 40% vs 50% PFD
Then a comparison of 40% vs 50% MAP
Then a NEW 47.5%-47.5%-5% Display! Achieved by a tiny amount of cropping on the left and right sides of the 50% displays!!! Here they are:

First a Standard 40-40-20 Screen
Standard%252040-40-20.jpg


Now a Standard 50-50 Screen
Standard50-50.jpg


Now a comparison of 40% vs 50% PFD
40-50PFD.jpg


Now a comparison of 40% vs 50% MAP
40-50MAP.jpg


REVEAL: a NEW 47.5%-47.5%-5% Display! Achieved by a tiny amount of cropping on the left and right sides of the 50% displays!!!
47-47-5ALL.jpg


Full discussion here:
http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1397348791
 
NASA515 said:
Larry, I don't mind writing code and would be very interested in your EMS hack instructions.
Click to expand...

NASA515 said:
Larry, I don't mind writing code and would be very interested in your EMS hack instructions.
Click to expand...

Bob, I am not the author of the EMS widget wizardry instructions. That honor belongs to Murray Marian. So I wont have to send individual pdf files to interested parties, I again located his web site link. Enjoy

http://www.digitalmapping.sk.ca/EMS_Gauges.pdf
 
If you like the 5% side bar, go to the Dynon forum link at the bottom of post number 11 and say you support it. Looks like they are considering it somewhat positively.
 
A very good suggestion on the Dynon Forum has resulted in this modification.

Green numbers when "in the green," not highlighted! Things on the screen should have prominence based on their importance, and abnormal situations should stand out much more than normal ones. So highlighting of Yellow and Red, no highlighting (or much more subtle highlighting) for normal (green)! Here's how that would look:

47-47-5Rev1.jpg
 
5 % Side Bar Gets My Vote!

I?ll start my comment by saying I have yet to order or install the Skyview in my RV-12 (not at that point yet) nor do I have any real time experience behind the SkyView with the exception of a demo flight at Oshkosh.

It has bothered me somewhat knowing that the EMS display takes up such a large amount or real estate on the SkyViews?s screen. I feel the 5% side bar, as post #15 depicts, is a very eloquent way to monitor EMS data and would be a much welcomed option on my future SkyView Touch. It gets my vote to be sure.

My added suggestion ? Should a value displayed on the 5% side bar be in the red (or perhaps yellow) I would like to see the ability of the new SkyView Touch to bring up the traditional ?arcs and bars? view by touching the questionable display value. Because we (or at least I) visually interpret the position of a needle on a gauge much quicker than a displayed numeric value.

Touch out of normal range value ? bring up the arcs and bars display - quickly visualize the full picture by seeing all the other EMS gauges - make assessment to determine just ?how bad? is it? Take appropriate action.

My two Lincoln?s
 
That's a great EMS hacking post, Larry - thanks very much for that info.

I'm a'really liking the direction of this thread. I can see all sorts of customizations, above and beyond those built in to Skyview to start with. Even guys posting the text packages for their particular layouts that others could use.

Now - I'm wondering if the other SV displays are amenable to similar hacks. For example, could you insert an RPM widget onto the Map display info sidebar? If you could add a few EMS items to the Map, you could dispense with the EMS display altogether (I'm talking the thin strip variety.) Of course, you could always call up a big EMS screen for detailed analysis of something.

I think this is called convergence - in this case computer code-writing with aviation and a flying machine, bringing a new dimension to the word Experimental in flying.

As a certified Techno-Junkie, I'm starting to lick my chops.

Bob Bogash
N737G
 
Bill_H said:
...Green numbers when "in the green," not highlighted! ...
Click to expand...

Only one problem, green numbers/letters are dark and against the dark background, they tend to washout in the sunlight, making them virtually unreadable.

Dynon has done a great job with their colors and struggles to provide good contrast. The good news is that as screen brightness and resolutions improve, these issues tend to go away.
 
Hacking - hmmmm - - - Dynon allows for a lot of layout user-customization on the Engine screens. Much less on the map screen - you can basically choose (from a list) the kinds of data blocks that appear around the edge.

Very little is allowed by Dynon to customize on the PFD screen. So the MAP and PFD would involve true hacking with all the risks of that. Particularly regarding what happens every 3 or 4 months when they do a new release level with new stuff on it. Kinda like jailbreaking an IPAD.

Bill R. - all of the depiction options require flight environment testing. Another idea was a much fainter less saturated green (think a light gray but greenish) background with black numbers. The green analog bar widgets actually have light green in the center getting darker towards the edge. So that light center green might be a better green background for black numbers.

On the Dynon forum discussions, a design desire expressed is that the 20% EMS screen would always be one touch or one button click away when using the 5% strip.
 
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Bill_H said:
Mostly I fly the Skyview as 40%PFD, 40%MAP, 20%(Engine.) I did not like the standard Van's 20%EMS layout. Things didn't line up, some widgets horizontal and some vertical, sizing issues, etc. I rearranged mine as shown. All the widgets are vertical for an easier scan.
Oil Pres, Temp and Battery Volts/Amps on Top row.
Fuel Level, Pressure, and Flow, and Trim on second row.
CHT/EGT 3rd row.
Useful numbers at the top, with Stall and Spar Pins.

Post your arrangement!

Now, on the right hand side is something I am posting to the Dynon forum as a suggestion. For TAKEOFF and LANDING I like the 20% view. I like the context that the ranges provide. In CRUISE, I would really like a bigger PFD and Map but I do not like totally getting rid of the engine monitoring! This is a 5% wide strip (One-FOURTH the width of the standard one!) That would let the PFD and MAP both be 47.5% rather than 40%!

Note that the example is for a conventional RV with 2 fuel tanks and 4 CHT/EGT possibilities. Ignore the values of the numbers, this is a sizing-spacing example.

You can see all the numbers. I would add the coding of a green background when the number is in that part of the range (current widgets do not do that.) Comments are welcome on this too!
Oh - the pic on the left is not the STANDARD Van's 20% layout of instruments. I meant it is the standard 20% SIZE. The layout on it is my revision from Vans version.

New5PercentEMS.jpg


Bill H
N412BR "Sweetie"
Click to expand...

I really like this 5% screen....info is easier to track (especially with back ground color changing from green); and I would have it flash if out of green...
 
Oh Yeah!

skydiverlv said:
I vote for a 5% option.

For those that are comfortable rewriting the EMS files, I have detailed instructions to alter the widgets in ways not addressed in the Dynon manual.
The arc angles can be forced to begin/end where desired and also the thickness of the arcs/bars can be manipulated.

157ymx2.jpg


This is not my 20% screen just showing some possibilities.

2iu6r69.jpg
Click to expand...

I would dearly love your instructions. [email protected]
 
Ess page

I couldn't agree more about a smaller ems page! I would love to see this someday. I love flying with all three pages but it's rough with a 7 inch so I find myself getting rid of the maps and using my tablet witch I dislike. If anyone finds a way to do this please let me know a 10% engine page would be ideal for cruise flight!

Attack
Robert
321-474-4121

Please send instructions [email protected]
 
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skydiverlv said:
Bob, I am not the author of the EMS widget wizardry instructions. That honor belongs to Murray Marian. So I wont have to send individual pdf files to interested parties, I again located his web site link. Enjoy

http://www.digitalmapping.sk.ca/EMS_Gauges.pdf
Click to expand...

Above is the link for instruction to manipulate the coding of the 20% screen.

I for one prefer the 5% bar that Bill has suggested to the Dynon folks and have put my request in the Dynon blog several times.
All interested Dynon users should keep it alive at the Dynon blog.
http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1397348791/90#90
 
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