J

jcmcdowell

Well Known Member
For the price- I am this close to ordering one.
http://www.stratomaster.com/Enigma/

having flown a RV6a for about 30 hours this year, a 1956 Cessna 172 for another 30 hours, and just starting to fly my RV7- I've realized I really don't need ALL the bells and whistles.

A complete Enigma EFIS/EIS built in GPS, AHRS, blah blah blah- $3500 or less

Grt Sport EFIS/EIS moving map with internal GPS, sensors, fuel flow- $5000
(I really like GRT though)

A Dynon flightdek 180 probes, harness, fuel flow, battery, OAT, remote compass (no moving map or internal GPS yet)- $4250

All the screen sizes are comparable. I like that I can adjust the layout, there's just some simple things that you'd like to customize to make it more comfortable for your flying style. I was really intrigued by the Odyssey, but it may be overkill for my VFR(one day lite IFR) RV7.

I also like how simple the ENIGMA appears to be to install. Look at the bottom of the "Technical" button page for a sample wiring setup:
pitot,static, 3 wires for the EIS, main pwr, gnd, gps antenna, external compass pwr, gnd- 10 connections without battery backup.

The user groups are very positive, but I haven't found a RV'er to talk too yet.
 
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ok- I'll be the guinea pig, I ordered one...

I sold my Garmin 340 & 327 and it pays for about 70% of the Enigma EFIS AND EIS. I think I can sell my vacuum system and other gauges for the delta.

I put an order in last night and spoke with Matt at Sport Flying Shop. He said they would start shipping in about 10 days.

I asked if they had a trade-up policy like GRT, Tru TRak, and Dynon. I would really like the Odyssey and their version of the NAV/COM with glideslope.

I'll post some picts as I get them.
 
Looks like my answer to your post got swallowed in the big bit bucket of the sky.
So here goes again:

Congrats and thanks for the confidence. You're not the first though, there are a number of Enigmas flying on RVs and many more that are in the building stage. Since release in November, around 650 Enigmas have been shipped.
Here in South Africa in particular, perhaps for obvious reasons, the Enigma is now a near exclusive fitment to many aircraft and we are receiving great and enthusiastic support by Robin Coss Aviation, the largest local factory builder of RVs.

Keep me posted on your progress - we are here to help with any questions you may have. Also, the independent Stratomaster user group (link on our website) is a great source for help or just hanger talk around our stuff.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

jcmcdowell said:
I sold my Garmin 340 & 327 and it pays for about 70% of the Enigma EFIS AND EIS. I think I can sell my vacuum system and other gauges for the delta.

I put an order in last night and spoke with Matt at Sport Flying Shop. He said they would start shipping in about 10 days.

I asked if they had a trade-up policy like GRT, Tru TRak, and Dynon. I would really like the Odyssey and their version of the NAV/COM with glideslope.

I'll post some picts as I get them.
Click to expand...
 
Looking forward to receiving my Enigma...

I have the Laird Owens composite panel- the Enigma looks to be just the right size for the PFD removable panel.

I scaled a sample screen from the website to full size (142% from original) and printed it out and it looks ample.

My beef with glass panels is TOO MUCH INFORMATION. I like that I can ad/subtract/change displays on the enigma.

I was concerned about the resolution, but I agree that clarity and dalylight visibility are more important (too me). Fine resolution doesn't do me as much good as easy to read in the sun. We'll see how the engima does.

It's hard to find access to a REAL LIVE ENIGMA. With one distributor in California, Us folks elsewhere are hard pressed to touch and feel a unit for themselves. I think once more people can see a unit in person- we'll have more feedback on the units.

I'm in the South- so in a month or so we'll have a unit in play to review.
 
Check the screen refresh rate

jcmcdowell-Looks like you've already commited to it, but you might want to check the screen resolution, but especially the screen refresh rate, before you take the leap. After viewing it at OSH I would have a problem with the refresh rate especially.
 
Stratomaster users group....

randylervold said:
jcmcdowell-Looks like you've already commited to it, but you might want to check the screen resolution, but especially the screen refresh rate, before you take the leap. After viewing it at OSH I would have a problem with the refresh rate especially.
Click to expand...

Here's a response on the topic from the head cheese at MGL Avionics:

"After many experiments we decided on the following update rates:

All numeric indicators (and slaved analog indicators) update twice
per second. This avoids "blur" if things change fast and gives the
typical overloaded pilots brain enough time to fully register a
number before it changes.

Attitude updates run at 10 times per second. Anything faster does not
help at all as the LCD screen takes some time to react. In any case,
10 times per second is ample update speed to make the horizon image
follow the real horizon smoothly with little noticeable lag.

The simulator is slower - it aims for 5 times per second but will
settle for less if the PC is too slow.
The simulator uses a mixture of Direct-X and API drawing to simulate
the real instrument which can place a burdon on slower systems.

The simulator runs the actual code that also runs on the real
instrument, only the actual hardware is simulated.
The simulator is written in Delphi which uses Pascal.
Enigma is written in our Embedded Pascal for the ARM which is 100%
code and dialect compatible with Delphi. Both compilers compile the
same source code and it is only a matter of a few seconds to compile
for the one, then the other target.

Code is developed and tested first on the simulator before we compile
it for the actual hardware. This then goes through a few static tests
and finally a flight validation test which tests a number of
predifined routines to try and expose any critical issue.

Rainier"

I'll see if I can't find the video...
 
Saw a rough bench flying video...looks smooth....

You have to join the yahoo MGL Avioncs users group to get access to the files.

It's under:

Files/Misc- Attitude Update Speed (real player video for me)

The quality of the video is poor, but the file is small. The artificial horizon looks smooth and faster than I would probably want to jerk the plane around.

MGL FOLKS- can you post some more videos????
 
The low refresh rates that are being talked about are probably seen on units that had been set to "demo mode". This is an option in the Enigma that simulates engine and flight instruments (including horizon) to allow a basic validation of a screen design (as these can be done by the user) without having to fly the aircraft. This is available on the simulator as well as the real instrument (it has become popular to set the instrument into "demo mode" at exibitions).
This simulation runs not only relatively low screen refresh rates but also makes relatively large jumps from one screen update to the next which results in a jumpy image.
It is not the purpose of this function to make the instrument look good but rather to test it.

For the "real" operation, things are considerably different. Here things are typically updated at whatever rates the many items of data become available. This depends on the individual item more than on the overall screen. Some items have been slowed down on purpose to make them more readable (mainly numeric readouts) while things like the horizon and attitude or heading are updated as fast as new data is available, which is pretty fast, at least 10 times per second depending on the type of AHRS connected - some output data at a much higher rate even though that has little effect on the overall usability. Actual screen refresh (actually drawing the screen onto the LCD screen) is done at a rate of 50 times per second.

We evaluate every function and item in flight tests (here you have a case of the programmers and hardware designers all fly themselves). Then we fine tune everything so we like it best. We hope, that others will judge similar.
We don't allways get it right. Example: We have had a few suggestions from helicopter owners to speed up the update rate on the RPM. So, we do exactly that.

Nice thing, in a way, you don't like something (or much more likely: you need something that is not or not completely supported), give us a shout. We maintain a by now quite famous "wish list" which contains at least 50% customer suggestions and requests. On the programming side, we continously work on this list which goes a long way to explain our rapid rate of updates (we don't wan't you to wait...). Enigma is getting very close to a community supported project, if it's not allready.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

jcmcdowell said:
You have to join the yahoo MGL Avioncs users group to get access to the files.

It's under:

Files/Misc- Attitude Update Speed (real player video for me)

The quality of the video is poor, but the file is small. The artificial horizon looks smooth and faster than I would probably want to jerk the plane around.

MGL FOLKS- can you post some more videos????
Click to expand...
 
Enigma enroute...

I got word from Sport Flying Shop- my MGL Enigma is enroute- should arrive mid next week!

I wish I had ordered another fuel sensor for both tanks, but there's time...

My friend is installing a D100 at the same time- I'll post feedback as soon as I have some.

Regards
 
i have been playing on my workbench with my enigma. my Rube Goldberg test bed is powered by the lawnmower battery and the gps dongle is hanging out the window. my egt and cht thermocouples alternate sitting in a cup of hot or cold water. i have built a couple water manometers and attached 'em to the altimeter and airspeed. all works as advertised. even worked when i let the kids hold the ahrs and magnetometer modules and spin around at about 360 deg/sec till they fall over and puke. testing verifies your compass magnetometer should indeed be far removed from your iron whatchamajigger thingamacallit.

i am a hardware guy and, even for me, nothing could be simpler than updating the software. can't vouch for the mapping as i haven't strayed beyond the back yard with it. looks nice and one thing few mention is the weight. the entire system weighs less than one replaced steam gauge.
 
Mine is also on the test bench prior to installation. The attitude update rate is very good, with the Sim not giving a good representation. The wiring was easy peesy. The screen designer was a bet fiddley for the first 10mins until I got used to it. This must be the biggest benefit. To have all the info you want on each screen, inc. moving map, and as many cylinders as you please, with nothing you dont want. VERY easy to change things.
I am looking forward to how the copilot readout of ASI on the approach track works in real life.
Cant wait to get this baby on the panel.
 
Maybe I should relate the history behind why Enigma has the "copilot" mode.
For those that don't know this, Enigma can be enabled to start reading your airspeeds in "intelligent" fashion, i.e. something like 65...4...2...60...59...8...7
and so on, just like a human would do. It will do this when it is busy logging a flight and airspeed drops below a set limit (perhaps stall+20% or whatever you choose).
When I first started flying our Jora, it was a bit of a handful sometimes on the approach to our airfield "automatic, built in crosswind and turbulence", so my wife Ria who usualy sat in the pax seat started reading out the airspeeds to me so I could keep my eyes out the window and try and put the plane down in one piece.
I got so used to this that it was a major problem when she was not there !
So, Enigma had to take over.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

justinmg said:
Mine is also on the test bench prior to installation. The attitude update rate is very good, with the Sim not giving a good representation. The wiring was easy peesy. The screen designer was a bet fiddley for the first 10mins until I got used to it. This must be the biggest benefit. To have all the info you want on each screen, inc. moving map, and as many cylinders as you please, with nothing you dont want. VERY easy to change things.
I am looking forward to how the copilot readout of ASI on the approach track works in real life.
Cant wait to get this baby on the panel.
Click to expand...
 
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