Legibility

[dedgemon]

As a new member of the over 50 club, I have a question about legibility of screen data in high sunlight environments. I fly a RV-8 with a D100 and EMS120 and there are several conditions where the screens are pretty hard to read. Particularly glare headed generally into the sun and high ambient light. We have a pretty tough environment in these bubble canopies even with the bright screen options.

I wondered if it would be possible to persuade the addition of some options on the font size and color for the ASI current value and the Altitude current value. These are the two items that are glanced at a LOT in order to hold altitude and fly approaches. I know the sizing is picked for the overall look and fit. But I would be willing to sacrifice for a little bigger number and/or different, higher contrast colors.

 

[dynonsupport]

Unfortunately, changes to any font sizes drive huge changes to the whole product given the elements we have on the screen already. Software is expensive to develop and test, so we can't really afford to provide a lot of different screen layouts.

We are always torn between the customers that want bigger numbers and those that want a CDI, GS, TAS, OAT, wind vector, g-meter, and a lot more all on the screen at the same time. We do spend a lot of time trying to make everything as big as possible, and do appreciate that sometimes it can end up being awfully tight.

We did do our best to choose high contrast elements (the airspeed and alt are already white on black, and you can't get higher contrast than that), and you don't generally fly IFR approaches with bright sun on your panel

 

[dedgemon]

I'm a simulation developer in the missile business so I understand the expense, however, if you can't read the d... thing it's a real problem.
And obviously this isn't an IFR problem. Strangely I need to see the altimeter and airspeed in VFR conditions also. ;D

One suggestion, is to try black on white. This can actually be quite a bit better even with the same font size.

We got a lot of folks driving around in bubble canopies so its got to be a common issue.

Sounds like we D100 guys are just out in the cold on any meaningful changes at this point. Too bad, I really like the functionality of the units. I think there are a lot of us that would really prefer the legacy systems in terms of features. Currently the main thing I would like from SkyView is the increased nits! If you ever want to beta test some variant software in this area I'd love to help.

Unfortunately, changes to any font sizes drive huge changes to the whole product given the elements we have on the screen already. Software is expensive to develop and test, so we can't really afford to provide a lot of different screen layouts.

We are always torn between the customers that want bigger numbers and those that want a CDI, GS, TAS, OAT, wind vector, g-meter, and a lot more all on the screen at the same time. We do spend a lot of time trying to make everything as big as possible, and do appreciate that sometimes it can end up being awfully tight.

We did do our best to choose high contrast elements (the airspeed and alt are already white on black, and you can't get higher contrast than that), and you don't generally fly IFR approaches with bright sun on your panel

 

[dynonsupport]

All units, D100 included, have a "classic" mode that does have a larger altimeter and ASI, and it's black on white, not white on black. No wind arrow, CDI, GS, track on the heading, etc, so you do have to give up some stuff.

Try it out and see if you like it better.

At this point, we've sold 8,000 of the things and we truly don't hear that readability is a major problem. I've flown tons of hours behind a standard bright D100 in AZ in an RV and I can see it fine. But if this is a common complaint that others have, and people think it can be fixed in software, please let us know. We're 100% open to suggestions.

 

[dynonsupport]

Here's the classic screen:

 

[dedgemon]

Okay, I'll play with that a bit. Maybe you need to hire some of us "old" software guys to do development and testing!

Here's the classic screen:

 

[TRCsmith]

I may be lucky I'm 56 still not required to wear glasses on my flight phys "comm/inst pilot". I have the D100 bright screen and was flying the other day with the sun directly over my back and on the D100 screen.

I had no problems seeing the screen and all information on it. So if you do have the bright screen I guess one way around it would to use a visor or smoked or dark static plastic on the canopy. I do that during the summer to keep the sun off me.

I fly a Long-EZ, so big canopy like the RV's

Hope that may help

 

[TRCsmith]

One more note. I also always fly with the screen split with the nav information displayed. I use the vor and gps info.

My story and I sticking to it!

 

[dedgemon]

DS,
Okay, I got a chance to go flying for a couple of hours yesterday. Had a nice bright clear sky for a while, and later had some high overcast that gave us a bit of shading from the sun (slight).

The classic display (primarily wrt the ASI and Alt numbers) is WAY WAY better. Partly because they're twice the size, but primarily because the black numbers on top of the white background competes with the sun much better. The backlight is giving its all in that white area. I can live with the classic display if need be. It all seems to work. If I could have it all then I'd ask for being able to pull the classic ASI and ALt numeric display over onto the modern display instead of the 'prettier' ones. ;D

Maybe I'm just more picky or more sensitive to the glare or something, but I got to say it was a major improvement in being able to quickly glance at the numbers and stay head out most of the time.

All units, D100 included, have a "classic" mode that does have a larger altimeter and ASI, and it's black on white, not white on black. No wind arrow, CDI, GS, track on the heading, etc, so you do have to give up some stuff.

Try it out and see if you like it better.

At this point, we've sold 8,000 of the things and we truly don't hear that readability is a major problem. I've flown tons of hours behind a standard bright D100 in AZ in an RV and I can see it fine. But if this is a common complaint that others have, and people think it can be fixed in software, please let us know. We're 100% open to suggestions.

 

[JetJockey]

I agree 100% that the A/S and ALT numbers on my D-10A are too small. I find myself always referencing the steam gauges in my Yak rather than the EFIS display even though I fly a 737NG at work. It really would be a HUGE improvement to an otherwise outstanding product to use something approaching the size of the "Classic" screen sized numbers for A/S and ALT. You may not get many complaints about this but almost everyone I ask that has a D-10A tells me the only thing that they would change are the size of the numbers.


Ray

 

[PhantomPholly]

I'm a simulation developer in the missile business so I understand the expense, however, if you can't read the d... thing it's a real problem.

Hehe - that's frightening!  ("Oh, did I just launch against a seagull?  I thought it was an incoming nuke...")



I'm one of those aggravating guys who at 52 still has 20/20 (which is horrible to me, used to be 20/12).  But I know my day will come.

I'm just hoping by then we'll be wearing clear combining reticules that show us a "simulated world" overlayed on the real world, all tied in to head motion sensors etc.  As long as technology stays one step ahead of my aging body, I'm a happy guy!

 

[drseti]

Here's the classic screen:

That link gives me a 404.  

 

[drseti]

All units, D100 included, have a "classic" mode that does have a larger altimeter and ASI, and it's black on white,

As one of the over 60 crowd, I'd probably like that.  But, I'm a new user.  How do I get into the classic mode?

 

[jakej]

Some read the manual :

 

[drseti]

Some read the manual :

Funny you should mention that - I'm online right now, trying to download one.  (Bought the plane used, with the EMS/EFIS installed, and didn't get much documentation with it.)

 

[stevek7m]

So does the skyview have the classic mode??

 

[dynonsupport]

D100 Classic view:

 

[dynonsupport]

SkyView does not currently have an alternate display mode. We do hope to provide some way to increase font sizes in the future (which will always involve some loss of functionality)

 

[TRCsmith]

Maybe it's time for some better glasses?  ;D cuz those numbers ain't that small in the stranded mode unless you screen is way in front .. Just a thought...

 

[drseti]

Maybe it's time for some better glasses?

Well, yes, but...

cuz those numbers ain't that small in the stranded mode unless you screen is way in front

Or way off to the left.  I wonder if other CFIs have this issue?  The EFIS is in front of the student, I'm sitting on the right, and I have trouble seeing what the student is seeing.  (I know, another option is to interconnect the EFIS to the EMS, which is in front of me, via the serial bus, and mirror the EFIS display onto my EMS screen.)