iFly 700 connected to HS34

[Speeddog8]

Has anybody connected an iFly 700 GPS to the HS34? I already have a Garmin 396 connected to the HS34, but now I've added an iFly to the airplane and would like to be able to switch between the two. The HS34 instructions for connecting the Garmin includes both a Data in and data out connection. What "data" is the HS34 providing to the Garmin 396? do I have to identify a "data in" on the iFly GPS to successfully connect to the HS34? I've located the "data out" serial, but not the "data in".

Thanks, Chad

 

[dynonsupport]

You won't need the data line going back to the iFly. You only need NMEA data coming out from it. The list of sentences that need to be there are in http://wiki.dynonavionics.com/GPS_Serial_Compatibility_and_Configuration_Settings

 

[Speeddog8]

Thanks so much Guy! By the way, why does the HS34 installation instructions want you to connect the Data out line from the HS34 to the Data in line to the Garmin 396? What purpose does it serve?

 

[dynonsupport]

I think we had the thought that there might be things we could send to it some day, but nothing ever materialized. There isn't any data flowing in that direction, though.

 

[Speeddog8]

Thanks Dynon. I'll omit the return line then.

 

[Speeddog8]

One more question. I'll have a switch that switches between the Garmin 396 and the iFly700 providing data to the HS34 and to the TruTrak autopilot. Will I have a problem with the HS34 or D180 if I'm switching back and forth between the two GPS feeds to the HS34? The primary reason for having the switch is to be able to change which GPS the TruTrak is following and to be able to have the correct GPS / HSI data displayed on the D-180. Will this work? Any recommendations to avoid problems?

 

[dynonsupport]

If they're both NMEA streams, that should theoretically work. But if it doesn't work perfectly (unlikely), you can instead wire each GPSes output to a serial port on the HS34, but also split them each upstream of the HS34 and send them to a switch as well that goes to the autopilot as well. You'd need to mash the HS34's NAVSRC button and flip your AP source switch to get everything in sync, but it's an alternate way in the case that the HS34 doesn't reliably detect the NMEA sentence switch. But it should.

 

[Speeddog8]

I'll try installing the switch first as I think that would be a simple, one step means of switching back and forth, but if it doesn't work, I'll try your alternative method. Thanks!!

Chad

 

[Speeddog8]

If they're both NMEA streams, that should theoretically work. But if it doesn't work perfectly (unlikely), you can instead wire each GPSes output to a serial port on the HS34, but also split them each upstream of the HS34 and send them to a switch as well that goes to the autopilot as well. You'd need to mash the HS34's NAVSRC button and flip your AP source switch to get everything in sync, but it's an alternate way in the case that the HS34 doesn't reliably detect the NMEA sentence switch. But it should.

I got the switch installed and it appears to be switching GPS feeds to the HS34 just fine between the iFly and the Garmin 396.  I have a new question however (go figure). I haven't flown with this setup yet.  I had the Garmin tuned to an airport north of my position and the iFly tuned to an airport east of my position.  When I switch GPS feeds to the HSI, I noticed that the Magenta HSI needle didn't turn to the direction of either airport.  The date at the top, changed appropriately, but the needle kept pointing east. Is this normal?  I also couldn't rotate the needle to an on-course heading using the HS34 (which I think would be normal for a portable GPS feed, correct)  I'm sure I'm missing something, but can't quite figure it out. 

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Chad

 

[dynonsupport]

Is the course direction right for either initially?

What happens when you cycle the HSI with the NAVSRC button?

On the 396, make sure that under the advanced nmea setup that the data rate is set to normal, not fast. Else course will always point north.

 

[Speeddog8]

If I recall, the NAVSRC button just switched it between GPS, VOR, and Compass. The 396 has been working fine with the HSI, but now I've added the iFly into the mix with the switch. I'll monkey around with it a bit more this weekend to nail down the issue. I'll also check the settings on both the 396 and the iFly.

Thanks for the quick reply,

Chad

 

[Speeddog8]

I had apparently selected ALL of the various NMEA sentencing available on the iFly 700 rather than only the sentencing that Dynon recommends. The switch appears to be working perfectly and the HSI needle is swinging as expected. Thanks for the help guys.

Chad