Dynon GPS Support

[lykowdk]

There seems to be a bit of confusion about what kind of GPSs can be hooked up to our units.
So, here is a list of current requirements.

1. NMEA format GPSs
It does not matter what version of NMEA you are using.
Baud rate must be 4800 or 9600. The baud rate will be auto detected.
Must provide the following sentences.
GPRMB - This sentence is needed always
GPRMC - This sentence is needed always
GPGGA - Only needed if you want GPS altitude
GPBOD or GPAPB - One of the two sentences must be present, but you don't need both. If neither are present, the OBS will always indicate 360.

2. Aviation format GPSs
Any GPS that outputs the Aviation format can be used.
Baud rate must be 9600.
Apollo GPSs may or may not work. They need to be set to MAP mode. (Some Apollo GPSs can only be set to MAPCOM mode.)

GPSs currently known not to work:
All Lowrance ( Will be fixed in next firmware release. )
Apollo/GNS 480/580 ( Only supports MAPCOM output. )
AnywhereMap ( Does not output all the needed sentences. Time output is wrong. )
GX50/60 ( Will be fixed in next firmware release. )

GPSs currently known to work:
Garmin X95 (195, 295)
Garmin X96 (196,296,396,496)
Garmin 430 / 530 (GPS portion only)
Garmin GNC 250/300

Feel free to add/remove from the list if your unit is not currently listed.

 

[lucaberta]

Quick question on the speed of the NMEA stream coming from the GPS.

Does it need to be fixed at 4800 bps, or would the Dynon unit auto-sense the speed and eventually adjust also to 9600 bps?

The reason for the question lies in the fact that the Garmin units have a fixed speed on the serial port, and if I wanted to splice the serial line to both an SL30 (for automatic frequency pre-loading) and the Dynon unit, then I'd have to stick to 9600 bps since that is the only option in NMEA+VHF Out. If I would select NMEA out the speed would be 4800 bps but I would lose the frequency pre-loading on the SL30.

Thanks and ciao, Luca

 

[dynonsupport]

It will auto sense between 4800 and 9600 baud.

 

[azscotts]

Hmm...I don't see the the Blue Mountain EFIS listed.

Anyone running a BMA EFIS/Lite Plus or EFIS/One coupled with a Dynon?

I would be curious as to whether they would work together.

Right now, I am about half a heartbeat from finalizing my panel layout and buying up what I need. Here is what I am most leaning to:

D100 - with AoA and battery backup. EFIS for my PFD
BMA EFIS/Lite Plus G4 - GPS w/Moving Map (hopefully connected to D-100)
SL30 - NAV/GS/Comm connected to both D-100 and BMA
Trio AutoPilot w/Alt hold
D-120 Engine Monitor
Compass/Airspeed/Altimeter (backups)
Garmin GTX-327
Audio Panel/ELT/Etc.

I figure with this layout I get the most bang for my buck. I get the mostly glass panel with redundancy between the D-100 and BMA. I get separate engine monitoring (full time). I get the SL-30 interface to the BMA and the D-100 for NAV/GS data. If the BMA fails, NAV data still goes to D-100 and should the D-100 fail, I can still use BMA for PFD. A complete power power failure is negated by the one magnetic and two steam gauges.

Anyone with additional input regarding BMA EFIS/Lite to D-100 compatibility please let me know.

 

[dynonsupport]

Put the $130 battery in your Dynon EFIS-D100 and a complete power failure is negated by having the EFIS run for over an hour on its own power

As for if we'll work with BMA, that's a question for them. None of their manuals mention having a NMEA output from the GPS, but they may have added it and not documented it. We'll work with it if they send it out in standard form. Make sure they send out all the sentences we need or you'll only get partial support.

Also remember that you will now be fully reliant on the BMA flight planning and database for your GPS navigation info, since the Dynon HSI can only display what it is sent from an external unit.

 

[PRose]

Units known TO work fine:

Garmin X95 (195, 295)
Garmin X96 (196,296,396,496)
Garmin 430 / 530 (GPS portion only)

Does this mean that the GNC250/300 DON'T work fine?

P Rose
RV-9A
contemplating panel

 

[dynonsupport]

No, just that we don't have absolutely positive confirmation that they DO work. Not all devices output the NMEA data exactly properly. Our hunch is a lot of the Garmin stuff is likely to work (having been designed by the same company that makes other products that we know work).

 

[Thomas_Schaad]

I have the GNC250XL hooked up. It does work but once in maybe 3 minutes the CDI jumpes back to 000/180°, then it looses  CDI, keeps the RMI needle on 000/180° and back it is. All this goes that fast, you hardly can see it.

The behaviour is in general ok.

Best regards

Thomas

 

[Glasair1]

I have an fairly old GPS with the moving map (Skymap IIIC).  Will this work also?  Right now I have it
driving a TRUTRAK autopilot with no problems.

I also have a question about the SL30.  Is this the only NAVCOMM that will work with the D10A or will any available navcomm work?  I have a Narco nav and radio setup and have been told they have a
different interface.

Also a question about the GPS /SL30 connection.   Is this a one or the other but not both?  I seem to recall in the D10A manual there is a selector.  They both would give valuable info to the EFIS.....

Lots of questions... sorry .. new to the forum.  I am thinking of getting the D10A and want to make an informed decision....

Jay

 

[dynonsupport]

The Skymap has been reported to work, but you have to put it in AR-NAV output mode. Not sure if the TruTrak will work with the GPS in this mode, but I am guessing that it will, since this is the same as a Garmin 430 and those work with TruTrak units.

The SL-30 is the only NAV radio that will work for now. We only support serial connections, and the SL-30 is the only radio we know of that does NAV via serial.

The EFIS only has one interface to receive data, so it's the GPS or the SL30 at any given time, but if you install an external switch (switching just one wire) you can switch between them and the EFIS will auto-detect this change. If you install an EMS in your plane, then we can support both at once because you can wire one of them into the EMS.

 

[Simn_Smith]

I can confirm that the Skymap IIIc works with the Dynon but can't comment on the autopilot.

Picture of the HSI driven by the Skymap at http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1167702850

 

[azscotts]

Just an FYI for the group.  After talking to Greg Richter at BMA, their EFIS line only output's NMEA-0183, RMB, RMC.  Its used for AP steering only so you would only get partial functionality if piping that stream to a D100.

Too bad too, I thought I was going to have the Ultimate Panel (In my eyes at least) for functionality, redundancy, and simplicity.

I was hoping to have it layed out like this:

- D100 for primary flight w/ AOA & OAT (battery backed up)
- BMA EFIS/Lite + G4 (for moving map, GPS flight plan and backup to the D100 also piping HSI to D100)
- SL-30 piped to both the D100 and BMA (That way I got VOR/LOC/GS for Instrument approaches displayed right on the D100 or BMA)
- Trio auto-pilot receiving GPS steering from the BMA
- Trio EZ3 Alt Hold
- GMA340 Audio Panel (I know the SL30 has intercom but I want the Marker Beacon functions and ability to pipe audio to intercom from a few sources)
- D120 for engine monitoring DSAB to D100
- AS/ALT/Compass steam gauges in case of a catastrophic electrical failure (I already have a handheld ICOM and GPS-195 for backups for Comm and GPS)

My question for Dynon and the others out there...Does anyone see a problem with this setup :question

I guess I could just use BMA's HSI and Moving map keeping the GPS output for driving the Auto Pilot and split the SL-30 output to the D100 and BMA...thoughts/concerns :question

I am really looking for some suggestions as to what others have done and want honest opinions.

Scott
RV-7A N696JS

 

[Simn_Smith]

I was hoping to have it layed out like this:

- D100 for primary flight w/ AOA & OAT (battery backed up)
- BMA EFIS/Lite + G4 (for moving map, GPS flight plan and backup to the D100 also piping HSI to D100)
- SL-30 piped to both the D100 and BMA (That way I got VOR/LOC/GS for Instrument approaches displayed right on the D100 or BMA)
- Trio auto-pilot receiving GPS steering from the BMA
- Trio EZ3 Alt Hold
- GMA340 Audio Panel (I know the SL30 has intercom but I want the Marker Beacon functions and ability to pipe audio to intercom from a few sources)
- D120 for engine monitoring DSAB to D100
- AS/ALT/Compass steam gauges in case of a catastrophic electrical failure (I already have a handheld ICOM and GPS-195 for backups for Comm and GPS)

My question for Dynon and the others out there...Does anyone see a problem with this setup :question

Well my first question is how much will that lot weigh?

The best (tongue in cheek) advise that I had when I was building was to take anything that I was thinking of adding to the aircraft and threough it in the air. If it comes back down it's too heavy

Anyway back to your question. I would suggest the following:

SL30 (plus audio panel)
D100
D180
GPS of your choice that will interface with the Dynon and the autopilot
Backup batteries fitted in both Dynons.

That way you have two sets of flight instruments, one set of engine instruments (displayable on either screen with DSAB) and three independant power sources.

If you want even more redundancy then get two D180s

Simon

 

[azscotts]

I have given the 496 a look but I want a more finished look to the panel and if i were going to go that route, I would probably use a 430 and pray for dynon's dev team to come up with a hardware interface to translate 430 nav info.

 

[dynonsupport]

No need to resort to prayer:

http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1168185939/

 

[RobG]

Can I use a Garmin GNC 420 (GPS/Comm only) and a SL30 Nav/Com?

 

[dynonsupport]

The SL30 will work for sure.

The GPS side of the 420 will work if it has NMEA 0183 or Aviation Format output (the latter is more likely since it looks very similar to the 430/530, which does have compatible Aviation Format GPS output). It doesn't look like we have positive confirmation from a customer yet on that model though.

 

[funflying]

Will a Garmin 196 show simulated information on the HSI of the D100 while parked in the hangar testing systems?

 

[dynonsupport]

Don't know. I'd assume it would still output data in simulator mode, but it may not. It will work in non-simulator mode even without sats.

 

[WT9]

GPS's currently known to work:
 
Garmin X95 (195, 295)
Garmin X96 (196,296,396,496)
Garmin 430 / 530 (GPS portion only)  
Garmin GNC 250/300
Garmin GPS III Pilot
Skymap IIIC in ARNAV-mode but without GPS Time