The AHRS boxes in the certified stuff are also quite different (and read expensive) as compared to what we see in our affordably priced experimental stuff. Not saying they are worse or better, but I will say there are a whole lot more sensors in the certified gyros than you see most of the experimental ones.
Stein,
I have to throw a trip line there.
That is not true in all cases.
As example I have to list our SP-5 AHRS. It is not certified. It is also a huge amount cheaper than the certified Crossbow AHRS-500 which is often used as a benchmark.
It uses the SAME IDENTICAL gyros (designed by former British Aerospace) and the very latest in accelerometers that simply did not exist when the XBow was created.
Like the AHRS-500 the SP-5 performs unaided and its algorithms, even though different are at least as good.
Certification is an arduous and expensive task and due to our remoteness to the U.S. something we are unlikely to do. TSO-C4c is now quite easy to pass with MEMS sensors - the biggest issue is DO-178 which effectively is about documenting the software design and design process (which is not very compatible with the way things are done in real life in small companies).
The point is, certified does not mean better. It "can" mean better but that it as far as I am prepared to take it.
A good, small and nimble engineering outfit that does uncertified CAN have the edge. It can move much faster, use unrestricted methods, tools and parts as deemed best fit. It does mean it has to be satisfied with a tiny (and crowded) market - nothing comes free. But it certainly can produce better goods if it can and wants to. Of course the reverse is also true.
Now here comes an interesting statement:
In a way an outfit that produces uncertified goods still gets certified. It just does not get certified by the FAA. It gets certified by the actual users of the system and their approval or disapproval. It is also subject to a quite powerful peer review system, unofficial as it is. All of this made possible by the internet and forums like VANs.
Everything made is subject to intense scrutiny by a small army of very knowledgeable people that have their hearts set right in the aircraft building (creation ?) process. Not a couple of semi-skilled bureaucrats. Real experts. Real and meaningful judgement. This is what counts.
Trust me on this one: no designer and manufacturer of an uncertified piece of gear can afford to make something that is bad or dysfunctional. If he does, he's out as quickly as you can type http://
Now, even that is better than what the FAA can do...
Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics