ChartData on USB memory sticks

[jbeaver]

I was preparing a USB memory stick for ChartData following the instructions at http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/support_software_SkyView_Databases_Charts_USB_prep.html

This quote makes me think I might need one USB memory stick per display in order to show charts:

After you have installed ChartData to your USB memory sticks, simply connect them to your SkyView display(s) to enable charting capabilities. The USB memory stick(s) must be left connected to your SkyView display(s) during normal use for charts to be available.

Do I need to have one USB memory stick per display or can the two screens in my system share the ChartData from a single USB memory stick?

 

[rlmarshall]

yup, each display needs its own stick.

 

[jbeaver]

I was planning to leave one memory stick in the plane and one in the laptop so that the Seattle Avionics DataManager app could keep it up to date. Now it looks like I need to keep two in the plane and two in the laptop. Can the DataManager app keep two memory sticks up to date simultaneously?

 

[rlmarshall]

I update one stick, take it out and then put the other in and update it. Very easy and trouble free. The Seattle Avionics Data Manager asks which states you want for the sectionals and ifr charts, and remembers that data, too. I am amazed that the only thing to do with the skyview is to simply plug in the sticks and the display just reads it. I'm glad I put in the two usb ports on my panel and I use the very small cruzer sticks for the charts, so they look like (and I guess act like) covers for the ports.
Great System Dynon!!

 

[dynonsupport]

I'm actually going to try exactly that experiment tonight . I'll report back.

I was planning to leave one memory stick in the plane and one in the laptop so that the Seattle Avionics DataManager app could keep it up to date.  Now it looks like I need to keep two in the plane and two in the laptop.  Can the DataManager app keep two memory sticks up to date simultaneously?

 

[Bruno]

''I'm actually going to try exactly that experiment tonight Wink. I'll report back.''

So ...does it work??

Thanks

Bruno

 

[dynonsupport]

Yes, it does work to have two USB flash drives plugged into the PC; both will be updated by the SA Data Manager.

Just make sure both have the empty folder: SkyViewUS (must have that exact capitalization) on the USB flash drive so the Data Manager knows it's a SkyView USB flash drive to be updated.

''I'm actually going to try exactly that experiment tonight  Wink. I'll report back.''

So ...does it work??

Thanks

Bruno

 

[timfwalsh01]

Dynon,

Are you saying that if you have two USB flash drives inserted into the computer at the same time, SA Data Manager will update both simultaneously?  Tim

 

[jbeaver]

Yes, it does work to have two USB flash drives plugged into the PC; both will be updated by the SA Data Manager.

Just make sure both have the empty folder: SkyViewUS (must have that exact capitalization) on the USB flash drive so the Data Manager knows it's a SkyView USB flash drive to be updated.

I tried exactly this and it only updated one of my drives. If I unplugged them both and then inserted the other one, SA Data Manager then updated it just fine. How did you get it to do both of them at the same time? I tried with the SA app running first and then plugging both drives in as well as having both drives already plugged in when launching the SA app.

 

[dynonsupport]

Jason:

All I can cite is that it worked that way on my PC.
1. SA Data Manager running.
2. Plugged in two 16 GB USB flash drives, both had the "SkyViewUS" folder, but otherwise empty.
3. Left running overnight.
4. The next morning, both USB flash drives were fully populated.

I tried exactly this and it only updated one of my drives.  If I unplugged them both and then inserted the other one, SA Data Manager then updated it just fine.  How did you get it to do both of them at the same time?  I tried with the SA app running first and then plugging both drives in as well as having both drives already plugged in when launching the SA app.

 

[dynonsupport]

Jason,
There's some conflict here at Dynon as to if this should work. While it worked on one PC, which was used to do the initial population of an empty stick, it does not appear to work on two sticks that already have data but need to be updated. In this case, it appears only one updates.

We'll discuss with Seattle Avionics and see what they say, but I do not believe updating two sticks at once was part of the design of the Data Manager.

 

[jbeaver]

Since this is likely to be a much more common configuration with the SkyView than with the other products they support, can you ask them to support this?

Alternatively (and I what I would really prefer), can you guys add support to share the ChartData database from one memory stick between two displays over the ethernet link? That would be a far better customer experience.

Thanks,

 

[dynonsupport]

Jason, if we use the Ethernet link, there is no redundancy if a screen fails, which is why we went with independent USB sticks. It's also a huge technical challenge to share up to 1/2 a million files across Ethernet efficiently and quickly!

We'll talk to SA and see if mult-stick updating is a possibility in the future.

 

[BMW_X6M]

I have been able to use the command "xcopy" to copy the contents from one USB stick to another, but it probably takes longer than just inserting them one at a time, and letting it progress through it. It seems it would be an easy modification of the software to check for two memory sticks, and if so, do one, and then the other, as part of the software program.