How long for a firmware upgrade?

[dstclair]

OK -- I've never actually done a firmware upgrade and am going to bite the bullet on 5.3.  My units have been upgraded in the past but by my dealer. I'm on 5.2.

I"ve got two D-100's and single-axis AP. I thought I'd see how the new AP mode works.

How long will the actually upgrade take per D-100?

thanks,

dave

 

[PhantomPholly]

As long as you don't have a disconnected wire or a faulty USB cable (several have been reported), the whole operation should take around 10 minutes per EFIS (including making a firmware backup so you can restore). You should be able to do it using laptop battery power without difficulty.

 

[dstclair]

That's what I figured. I was advised to put a charger on the airplane battery but this didn't make sense to me.

I'm going to assume if the backup takes more than a few minutes then I've got a problem and won't do the upgrade until determining what's wrong.

 

[dynonsupport]

Putting a charger on the aircraft battery is a safety measure against having things shut down while you're waiting for the update to happen. Not really necessary if you're sure your aircraft battery is fairly well-charged and can handle the avionics load for the duration. We do get units back from time to time because the aircraft battery gave out in the middle of an upload, so just make sure you've got enough juice.