September 16, 2010

Wiring Change for SkyView Software Version 2.6 Update



New in SkyView version 2.6 software, serial port outputs from multi-screen SkyView systems must be connected together. This change adds redundancy to the system when interfacing to serial devices.

Who this Affects

The changes are required for existing SkyView systems, and all new installations that:
  1. have multiple SkyView displays AND
  2. are transmitting to a serial device. (Today, this includes altitude output provided by SkyView for use with transponders, the Dynon SV-XPDR-26X mode-S Transponders, and other RS-232 outputs SkyView is capable of) AND
  3. are running running 2.6 or later software
Background

In SkyView 2.5 and earlier, external serial devices that can transmit have their TX wires hooked to a serial RX on all SkyView displays in parallel. In the other direction, if an external serial device can receive serial data from SkyView, its serial RX is hooked to only one display's serial TX. This is how serial devices are classically set up: they can transmit to multiple receivers, but can only receive from a single transmitter. This limitation is necessary, otherwise a single receiver would hear only noise as the two competing transmitters essentially talk over each other. SkyView 2.6 overcomes this limitation by smartly turning each display's transmitters on and off as appropriate. This allows devices like the SV-XPNDR-26X, other transponders that receive altitude from SkyView, and other devices to have their serial RX lines connected to multiple SkyView displays simultaneously. SkyView, silently and seamlessly, picks a display to transmit from. Should that display fail, the other display takes over automatically. This allows these devices to continue to receive data, even in the event of a display failure. In SkyView 2.5 and earlier, if the single display that is set up as the serial transmitter fails, the device that is connected to it will no longer receive any serial data.

Action Required

This change means that slight wiring changes will be required in some systems. All devices that have the ability to receive serial data should have their serial RX wired in parallel to a serial TX on all SkyView displays in the system. Each display must then be set up to transmit to the device under the SETUP MENU > LOCAL SCREEN SETUP > SERIAL PORT SETUP. Dynon suggests using the same serial ports on each display, essentially connecting each device serial RX to the same serial X TX on every SkyView display. This makes it easier to duplicate the settings across screens by using exactly the same serial port setup.

The above changes are REQUIRED with SkyView version 2.6 and above. However, the wiring must not be made BEFORE the 2.6 update either, as SkyView will not be able to correctly transmit to devices connected per the above instructions until 2.6 is loaded. Therefore, the above wiring changes should be made at the same time the aircraft is being updated to 2.6.

If the above changes are not made with the 2.6 update, devices that receive serial data from SkyView will only receive serial data some of the time. To the pilot, this will appear like a random failure of the altitude encoding functionality of SkyView, or the failure of the SV-XPNDR-26X module (if installed).

September 2, 2010

World Record for Dynon Customer

Arnold Ebneter is a familiar face around Dynon - he lives here in Woodinville, WA, and sometimes stops by the office for support or just to chat.

It turns out Arnold had world record project up his sleeve. And it looks like his recent non-stop, coast to coast flight from Washington state to Virginia in his self-designed, scratch built airplane was (unofficially for now) a world record distance for the category of aircraft! See this EAA article for more details!

September 1, 2010

D10/D100 Series Firmware Version 5.4 Released

We're really excited to have D10/D100 firmware version 5.4 available for download. 

The major new feature in 5.4 is improved Autopilot pitch axis control algorithms for better performance. In addition to the improved control algorithms, 5.4 offers some new adjustments to fine-tune the Autopilot for your aircraft's unique flight characteristics. See the updated Installation Guide for details on new adjustments that can be used to tune pitch performance.

The 5.4 firmware update can be found here.

Improved Pitch Autopilot with Version 5.4 Software Release - September 2010

Dynon Rolls Out Version 5.4 
for D10/D100/D180 Series

September 1st, 2010
Woodinville, WA, USA, September 1, 2010 – Dynon Avionics continues to lead the Experimental and Light Sport Aircraft industry in new refinements for their EFIS products with the introduction of software version 5.4.
Designed for their EFIS-D10A, EFIS-D100 and FlightDEK-D180 units, the upgrade features enhanced autopilot pitch control. Included are new user-adjustable parameters to optimize autopilot performance for each aircraft. These improvements offer passenger comfort and expand the support to a wider range of airframes. “The autopilot now flies just as an experienced pilot would, with crisp, appropriate inputs that really seem to understand the airplane” said Ian Jordan, Chief Systems Engineer.

Dynon EFIS products have been in service for over seven years and continue to be upgraded by the company, including the free autopilot upgrade two years ago. “It’s all part of our commitment to support our customers,” said Robert Hamilton, Director of Marketing. “Ever since we introduced the first EFIS, we have provided a continuing series of free improvements to the software. With this latest upgrade, our autopilot system now leads the industry in performance.”
More information about these new features and Software Version 5.4 can be found at http://www.dynonavionics.com.

Founded in 2000, Dynon Avionics is the leading manufacturer of avionics for Experimental and Light Sport Aircraft. Continuing a tradition started with the introduction of their first Electronic Flight Information System “glass panel”, Dynon is committed to developing innovative and high-quality avionics at affordable prices for all pilots.