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Trutrak ADI RS232 from GNC 300XL

kens_cockpit

Well Known Member
The entire instrument panel has been fired up now. Power is on and there are no smoking wires or boxes! Great.

I have the Trutrak ADI and it is taking its GPS track sginal from the garmin GNC300XL. I have spliced the RS232 output from the 300XL to the RS232 input on the ADI. That is done through shielded wire which according to the diagram is grounded only at the 300XL side and not at the Trutrak ADI side. I'm at work without the manuals so I don't have the pin numbers. But I've checked they are correct and also checked continutity.

But when I fire everything up, the Trutrak ADI has no display of track. I figure that is because I haven?t yet hooked up the GPS antenna to the 300XL so it isn?t actually giving an output yet. And of course, the bench isn?t moving so there is no track being displayed.

But I hope it is that simple! Can anyone confirm that for me?

I haven't configured the 300XL output to make sure it is talking the same language in both boxes but I thought that RS232 means they are both talking the same language.

I was hoping not to hook up the aerials and the like until I get this all back in the plane but perhaps I should do that and wheel the bench around outside to make sure it's working properly before putting it back in the plane!

What do you think?
 
Testing

If the 300XL doesn't report "Ready for Navigation", then what you're seeing is normal. Make up a piece of coax and hook up the antenna (if the coax is long enough, you don't have to move the bench :)
 
Ken,

The first thing to do is download the TruTrak ADI manual from TruTrak, www.trutrakflightsystems.com/docs.htm. There will be no track indication until 5-10 kts groundspeed is obtained. The RS-232 signal comes out of J1, pin 24 of the 300XL and goes to pin 6 of the ADI connector. The ADI must be set to a baud rate of 9600. This same signal can be split to provide air/ground info to your 327 (for auto stby), the Dynon (for GPS navigation), and the autopilot (steering and track info). For that matter, an RS-232 output (set to "Aviation") from the Garmin 430/530 can do the same things so you have some redundancy there.
RS-232 is a serial format. Most avionics can have their input and output ports configured to send and receive different data using this format. All the above applications use the "Aviation" or "NMEA" data strings. Instructions for configuring these ports is in the operator manuals for the units.
 
Hi Ken......

.....You have to configure your 300XL. I just went through this with my GX55 and ADI II. On Page 17 of the installation guide, it shows how to do that. It covers both adjusting the baud rate and the Arinc output mode so that the 300XL will "talk" to the autopilot. Simply follow the instructions...takes about 5-10 minutes. BTW, when you get ready to test the unit, you have to have a go-to waypoint AND a line to that waypoint on your 300XL.

Regards,
 
PIN 19 or PIN 24 FOR RS232

I have a 300XL with J101 pin 19 (RS232 OUT 2) hooked up to my Trio A/P and Dynon FD 180. Everything works fine. Does the Pin 24 (RS232 OUT 1) give the same information, or does it provide additional or different sentences? The manual lists the NMEA sentences under the RS232 OUT 2 so that is how I hooked it up.

I also have a MD 41-1444 annunciator in the system and the "ARM" light stays illuminated "always" anytime ships power is on whether the 300XL is on or off. I've double checked the pin out between the 300 and annunciator and it is IAW the manuals. Everything tests fine using the setup pages on the 300XL except for the "ARM" light remaining on. When I bench checked the annunciator applying only a power and ground line the only annunciator light illuminated on the MD 41 was the "Auto" or "Hold" light depending on the selection switch the "ARM" light is out.

I've talked with Garmin and Mid Continent. They think there is a problem with Pin 28 on J1 from the 300XL sending a low logic signal all the time. Any ideas? I sure hate to send the unit in and pay $$$ for this problem, since everything else works fine.

Thanks
Rocky
 
Ken,

The first thing to do is download the TruTrak ADI manual from TruTrak, www.trutrakflightsystems.com/docs.htm. There will be no track indication until 5-10 kts groundspeed is obtained. The RS-232 signal comes out of J1, pin 24 of the 300XL and goes to pin 6 of the ADI connector. The ADI must be set to a baud rate of 9600. This same signal can be split to provide air/ground info to your 327 (for auto stby), the Dynon (for GPS navigation), and the autopilot (steering and track info). For that matter, an RS-232 output (set to "Aviation") from the Garmin 430/530 can do the same things so you have some redundancy there.
RS-232 is a serial format. Most avionics can have their input and output ports configured to send and receive different data using this format. All the above applications use the "Aviation" or "NMEA" data strings. Instructions for configuring these ports is in the operator manuals for the units.

This information is all correct, except the ADI instrument (non-autopilot model), has no baud rate adjustment. It is auto-detecting. Thanks!
 
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