We?ve had the avionics wiring for the RV-3 more or less finished now for a few weeks, and I have been busy working on the rest of the aircraft harness. Yes, this is a fairly advanced wiring job for a small aircraft, so a lot of the time is used up in figuring out how to wire ?small? ? how to fit what I need into the available space. The close quarters makes working a challenge, but challenge, after all, is one of the reasons we build!
The last couple of days saw another major milestone however ? we now have all of the avionics configured and talking to one another ? the G3X is playing flawlessly with the 430, audio panel, SL-40, GX pilot and transponder! I can sit in the cockpit listening to XM radio, watch the weather on the G3X screen, and fly (demo) coupled approaches to the nearby ILS runway ? all with the pathways showing a virtual highway to follow through the sky. We can also ?take it out west? and watch the mountains go by on the Synthetic Vision. Pushing a button on the G3X airport info page transfers all of the local frequencies to the SL-40,along with labels showing what they are ?simply amazing!
The impetus for getting the configuration done was a Spring Break visit fromRV-7 builder and Garmin guru Matt Burch. Matt and his brother Adam (an amazing aviation artist ? you should see his web site!) arrived to shake off the effects of the Kansas winter (I think he told me it was snowing in Kansas City again this morning as they were getting ready to fly home) and enjoy a little of what Houstonians call spring ? 80 degree days, for instance. In between taking in the sights, I had him look over my shoulder and point out a few tricks here and there about the configuration of the G3X.
As with most EFIS systems, the most important thing is to know what channels on each box are hooked up to their respective channels on other boxes. Without this knowledge, you?ve got a hunt-and-peck game on your hands. With a good set of interface drawings, it is simply a matter of looking in the manual for the correct data formats, and away you go. The G3X Install Manual is great ? the correct serial link configurations are shown right on the drawings in the back of the book, making ti simple to set things properly. The rest of the avionics set up as usual, but the G3X again helps, with positive feedback when it detects each box, and data statuses on the configuration pages ? very well thought out. We found only one problem with the system, and that was a missing serial wire between the G3X display and the SL-40 to transfer frequency data. I had it on my drawing, but never installed wire ? I seem to remember doing an update, and must have missed it. Not to worry ? it took us less than 30 minutes to add it to the bundle, and the link was established immediately.
The best thing about having Matt drop by was the fact that he could give both Louise and I a bit of a tutorial on the fine points of operating the G3X system and the way it couples seamlessly with the GX Pilot from Tru Trak. It was also nice to know that e had the configurations right ? it is not so hard that it takes an expert to do it. And, of course, it gave us a chance to feed a few ideas back to Matt for things we?d like to see in future upgrades ? one of the best things about Beta testing new stuff. I have already seen a number of things that I have asked for appear in subsequent drops, and expect more features with every release. One of the best things about most of the available EFIS systems is the free software updates ? we aren?t just talking bug fixes, we are talking major functionality upgrades?.for free!
So here is an obligatory picture showing us enjoying ourselves with all the pretty boxes up and glowing. Most of what I have left is some relay decks for trim and flaps ? then we can get serious about putting this thing on the gear and hanging the engine! Louise has been busy on wing tips, and after the two of us riveted on the final wings skins last week, she is going great gang busters to have the wings ready to hang whenever we need them.
Matt Burch in ?Junior?s? cockpit, checking my work as Adam (his brother) looks on and I enjoy a local brew. Flying was done for the day!
Paul
The last couple of days saw another major milestone however ? we now have all of the avionics configured and talking to one another ? the G3X is playing flawlessly with the 430, audio panel, SL-40, GX pilot and transponder! I can sit in the cockpit listening to XM radio, watch the weather on the G3X screen, and fly (demo) coupled approaches to the nearby ILS runway ? all with the pathways showing a virtual highway to follow through the sky. We can also ?take it out west? and watch the mountains go by on the Synthetic Vision. Pushing a button on the G3X airport info page transfers all of the local frequencies to the SL-40,along with labels showing what they are ?simply amazing!
The impetus for getting the configuration done was a Spring Break visit fromRV-7 builder and Garmin guru Matt Burch. Matt and his brother Adam (an amazing aviation artist ? you should see his web site!) arrived to shake off the effects of the Kansas winter (I think he told me it was snowing in Kansas City again this morning as they were getting ready to fly home) and enjoy a little of what Houstonians call spring ? 80 degree days, for instance. In between taking in the sights, I had him look over my shoulder and point out a few tricks here and there about the configuration of the G3X.
As with most EFIS systems, the most important thing is to know what channels on each box are hooked up to their respective channels on other boxes. Without this knowledge, you?ve got a hunt-and-peck game on your hands. With a good set of interface drawings, it is simply a matter of looking in the manual for the correct data formats, and away you go. The G3X Install Manual is great ? the correct serial link configurations are shown right on the drawings in the back of the book, making ti simple to set things properly. The rest of the avionics set up as usual, but the G3X again helps, with positive feedback when it detects each box, and data statuses on the configuration pages ? very well thought out. We found only one problem with the system, and that was a missing serial wire between the G3X display and the SL-40 to transfer frequency data. I had it on my drawing, but never installed wire ? I seem to remember doing an update, and must have missed it. Not to worry ? it took us less than 30 minutes to add it to the bundle, and the link was established immediately.
The best thing about having Matt drop by was the fact that he could give both Louise and I a bit of a tutorial on the fine points of operating the G3X system and the way it couples seamlessly with the GX Pilot from Tru Trak. It was also nice to know that e had the configurations right ? it is not so hard that it takes an expert to do it. And, of course, it gave us a chance to feed a few ideas back to Matt for things we?d like to see in future upgrades ? one of the best things about Beta testing new stuff. I have already seen a number of things that I have asked for appear in subsequent drops, and expect more features with every release. One of the best things about most of the available EFIS systems is the free software updates ? we aren?t just talking bug fixes, we are talking major functionality upgrades?.for free!
So here is an obligatory picture showing us enjoying ourselves with all the pretty boxes up and glowing. Most of what I have left is some relay decks for trim and flaps ? then we can get serious about putting this thing on the gear and hanging the engine! Louise has been busy on wing tips, and after the two of us riveted on the final wings skins last week, she is going great gang busters to have the wings ready to hang whenever we need them.
Matt Burch in ?Junior?s? cockpit, checking my work as Adam (his brother) looks on and I enjoy a local brew. Flying was done for the day!
Paul
