"Lost" VSI Indicator D-180

[JohnWF]

At first I didn't like the D-180, but now that I have used it for a while I think its great.

Today I noticed I have no VSI indication, and can't seem to locate the button sequence to restore it (if that exists)

The rest of the D-180 seems perfectly OK. The OAT/TAS had to be re-selected but that was then OK.

Any suggestions?

 

[JohnWF]

Re: "Lost" VSI Indicator D-180 UPDATE

It was no nice today I rode the Vespa out to the airport and 'fiddled around' with the D-180 and finally got the VSI inicator back.

Again it strikes me that some graphical chart showing the 'tree' of button storkes that lead to various items would be a major help...trying to find how to restore the VSI on the screen took way too much time, and the manual was not very helpful. In flight problems like this would be impossible to solve if you had to also fly the airplane.

 

[dynonsupport]

Page 5-8, 5-9, and 5-10 of the pilot's user guide pretty much tells you exactly how to turn the VSI on and off, either next to the altimeter or as a text info item.

In order for these items to turn off, you must have entered the CLUTR or info items menu, so they won't just dissapear on you in flight.

 

[JohnWF]

I appreciate your prompt response. Dynon's customer support is well above other avionics suppliers.

The pages you mention were ones I read and re-read over and over, and while I respect what you say about them telling exactly how to reset the VSI, I must say that information did not convey anything to me about how to resolve the problem.

The CLUTR phrase is not in the digital copy I have of the operator's manual. I used the "find" and "search" feature several times and that phrase was not found, nor have I ever seen it on the D-180 (and I have pushed buttons on that unit so many times I am suprised I have not worn it out.)

The manual in this area, and some other places, is not precise enough...if one were involved in the design of the unit, or were a very long-time user, perhaps it would be meaningful, but to a relatively new user the manual too often imples something without specifically spelling it out.

I know it would be natural to suppose I am something of a dummy, but to dispel that idea I would point out that
I made a career with the US Gov't as an electronics engineers, I have a doctor's degree in law, and am a
MENSA member, so my IQ isn't all that bad.

Let me say again, I like the D-180. I am very pleased with the customer service you provide, and am really looking forward to purchasing a ADS-B unit from you when it hits the market.

I just wish the manaul for the D-180 was a bit more detailed and had a button "tree" to guide one through the sequence of obtaining a desired outcome.


Thanks again.

 

[dynonsupport]

Page 5-8 has the following to say:

"In the EFIS > SETUP > CLUTTR menu, you can turn on or off almost every item displayed on the EFIS page. As with all other menu items, these options are abbreviated to commands containing 6 letters or fewer. Pressing a button corresponding to one of these options turns the respective onscreen item on or off. The following table summarizes the display item abbreviations and their function."

We use this terminology throughout the manual, like EFIS->SETUP->CLUTTR, which means enter the EFIS menu, then press setup, then press CLUTTR. This is the best and shortest way we know how to tell you exactly how to get to the option we are discussing. The table below then says:

VSI
Vertical Speed Indicator
Toggles and configures the display of the VSI tape next to the altitude tape. The VSI can be hidden (“N”), or can be set to 1k, 2k, or 4k ft/min scaling. The 2000 ft/min display is linear throughout the range, while the 1000 and 4000 ft/min displays incorporate a non-linear scale to increase low vertical speed resolution.

It is very handy to search the manual for the thing you are trying to work on. If I search the user manual (not the install guide) for VSI, the very first hit in the manual is:

"In the CLUTTR menu, the VSI scale can be set to display 1000 ft/min, 2000ft/min, and 4000 ft/min."

The next hit is then the above discussed page 5-8.

We're truly open to making our manuals better, bit really don't know how to make the path to each option cleaner than EFIS->SETUP->CLUTTR->VSI. A big printed menu tree would likely be hundreds of items wide at the bottom, and lots of these would be non-obvious unless you looked upwards in the tree to figure out the context, so that doesn't seem like it makes everything obvious in one stroke.

 

[dynonsupport]

<snip>
The CLUTR phrase is not in the digital copy I have of the operator's manual.
<snip>

Apologies for the misdirection. The actual button name on the FlightDEK-D180 is "CLUTTR" (I previously said "CLUTR").

 

[JohnWF]

Much of the trouble I am having seems to be because Van's Aircraft has "blocked" many of the features of the D-180 from use by its buyers, therefore, the Dynon User's Manual is awkward to use since you have no idea what has been blocked and what has not. Looking for something that has been effectively removed makes the manual's use frustration at best.

Van's has seen fit not to describe exactly what they have blocked and Dynon has written the manual for the full features of their unit, not for the restricted use that Van's imposes on the buyers of the units they sell.

As a Van's RV-12 user it leaves me in the middle of a confusing situation...a manual that doesn't fully apply to the 'modified' software from Van's, and the Dynon unmodified user's manual instructions.

Van's should provide a full description of what they have 'blocked' - and why - to clarify this bad situation.

The "CLUTTR" feature I have been fruitlessly searching for seems to be something that is no longer available to me due to Van's blocked software. Darn !