Drone Screens for EFIS Systems

[kevinsky18]

Do any of the EFIS systems have the capability of plugging in a cheap drone screen?

I want to be able to mount an EFIS system preferably the FlightDEK-D180 in the panel on my RV-8 and then have a drone screen mounted in the back of the front seat. Sort of like how the car DVD systems mount in the back of the front seat.

I would then like to run a wire from the main EFIS unit to the drone screen.

I don’t want the expense, weight or complexity of installing a second functioning EFIS I just want a simple drone display screen.

Do any of the EFIS systems offer this option?

 

[dynonsupport]

We don't know of a single EFIS manufacturer that offers this. The second screen would cost almost as much as a full EFIS, so the volume would be very low.

The systems we all use don't just put out a simple video signal to the screen- they put out a digital signal on 30+ wires.

 

[kevinsky18]

"We don't know of a single EFIS manufacturer that offers this."

Great! Seems like a grand opportunity to show up the competition yet again!!

"The second screen would cost almost as much as a full EFIS, so the volume would be very low."

HHHHMmmmm I have a hard time believing that but you guys know best. At any rate, another opportunity for Dynon to leap ahead of their competitors by figuring out an economical way to make this happen.

The number of RV-8 and other tandems are growing. This system could also appeal to others who would simply like a split screen display.

The flightDEK-D180 seems to be on the right track.

“Cockpits equipped with more than one type of Dynon instrument can benefit from the connection capability that comes via the Dynon Smart Avionics Bus (DSAB). When linked via DSAB, pages displayed on one instrument may be shared for display on other Dynon instruments. DSAB not only allows you to share the fun with your co-pilot but delivers Dynon generated data directly to the instrument in front of you whenever you call upon it.”

 

[jim]

Harbor Freight has a 12VDC B&W camera and monitor for $100.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91309

 

[kevinsky18]

;D hmm not exactly what I had in mind.

 

[owl]

The D120 retails for $2000. Could you take out the engine management hardware out and sell just the screen for maybe $1500? This would be usefull for people that have a D180 and just want additional screens. I am saying this as it appears in going from the D100 to the D180 there is an $800 price difference which equates to the value of the engine management hardware.

Niko

 

[PilotKris]

I too would like to add my support for a "drone" screen. There are TONS of tandem aircraft out there who would love something like this. No-one else has it. It's a way Dynon can leap-frog ahead of the competition.

I have a tandem airplane (Sky Arrow) and would REALY like to have the EFIS displayed in the rear cockpit.

I also have the issue of not having any panel depth in the rear so flush mounting would be great.

Just a screen the size of the D10 that only repeats the EFIS display would be so, so helpful.

 

[aceflyingservice]

I also have a tandem aircraft, have no panel depth in the rear, and would love to have a repeater in the rear cockpit.

Roger Johnson
LongEZ N34JR

 

[N941WR]

This comes back to a request I made over a year ago.

Can you break apart the CPU and the screen so the screen can be flush mounted rather than require a cut in the panel? It would also allow future screen upgrades w/o changing the CPU?

It would also solve the RV SbS panel issue with regard to cutting that blasted rib.

 

[dynonsupport]

The data connection between the screen and the CPU is not designed to run more than a few inches. We can't extend this. The processor needs to be near the screen. It isn't a standard VGA cable or anything. On top of that, the biggest power draw in a system is the backlight for the screen, so we can't just bolt a new screen onto the CPU because we need to redesign the power supply as well.

I'm also not sure how the screen being separated from the CPU would make it so you wouldn't have to cut the panel. The screen itself is 6-8mm thick, then you need a plate behind it, and we need structure for the buttons, and a connector to go to the CPU. The screen would still end up being at least 15mm thick.

 

[PilotKris]

15MM would be fine with me. However, I bet you could make it thinner without the buttons (just a "drone" of the primary display as was the 1st sugestion in this thread).

 

[aceflyingservice]

I agree with pilotkris, just a plain repeater (drone) screen for the backseater to look at. They don't need buttons if this is an issue. 15 mm thickness would certainly be acceptable. Maybe a side connector instead of a rear connector so the unit could just be surface mounted.

How about a remotely mounted module that can take info from the Dynon bus and convert it to be compatible with a standard DVD player input?

Roger Johnson
LongEZ N34JR