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GNS 430- fuel totalizer - distance to destination

Question – is there a way to set up the 430 to feed distance to destination to the Shadin Miniflo fuel totalizer? The standard setup only gives fuel to next wpt which is totally idiotic.

Verify that your Miniflo is at the current software version and that it is configured to interface with the Garmin type GPS (I think a setting of 5). I have a Miniflo-L and it is connected to a GNS530W (Previously I had a GNS430 installed) and has always provided fuel to destination. I have seen your issue with various other fuel totalizers, but not with the Shadin Miniflo.

KUZA, United States

I changed the setting to 5 on the miniflo as it was previously set for a King GPS. I also selected the proper data-out format in the GNS.

Whoever did the King / GNS430 switch didn’t bother with either (oh and the Com1 Com2 fuses are reversed… But that’s another story).

It still shows only fuel to wpt on the Miniflo. Need to check the software version then…

Last Edited by Shorrick_Mk2 at 12 Oct 18:28

This is actually really interesting, because the later model TB20GTs (approx S/N 2150 ~ 2200 onwards) came with the Microflo-L and were factory wired so the data went both ways i.e. you could see

  • the Landing FOB in the GPS and
  • the Landing FOB in the totaliser

However, it would not surprise me at all if the 2nd part never actually worked, or never actually worked with the Garmin GNS option (the KLN94 was the other option) but nobody noticed. Why? Socata shipped most of their totaliser installations on the GTs with the transducer in the wrong place so the reading was about 25% out. You could fiddle the K-factor but the 25% was not stable and there would be a ~5 percentage point variation around this. The flow totaliser was thus almost useless, but few people would notice because few do long flights where you need to pee into a bottle

So if the GPS showed the fuel at destination while the totaliser showed fuel at the next waypoint, prob99 most would never notice.

More here

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

For those that have a Miniflo-L like mine, I suspect most never look at the GPS and primarily look at the display on the Shadin. I know I never bother to look on the GPS display page.

KUZA, United States

Interesting… I would have said the opposite

That’s because the GPS can be left on the relevant page and it will stay there for ever, whereas the Shadin is normally used to show the current fuel flow. But different pilots work in different ways.

But then on my system (the older TBM700 version of the Microflo) I have only the GPS showing the LFOB anyway…

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

The Shadin documentation says the Miniflo displays fuel to destination IF the distance to dest information is contained in the serial message sent by the GPS. Which I think should be included in the GNS 430 output but have no idea if it’s the case by default.

I’ve just emailed you the GNS400 IM. The serial protocol is in there.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Thanks to Peter now i know. Time to go testflying again!

That’s because the GPS can be left on the relevant page and it will stay there for ever, whereas the Shadin is normally used to show the current fuel flow. But different pilots work in different ways.

On the GNS400/500 series, to see fuel to destination, one must go to the fuel planning page within the AUX set of pages. There is no map or navigation information on that page. On the Shadin Miniflo-L, fuel flow is displayed by default in the LH display and the RH display contents is chosen by a rotary switch by the pilot to display one of these choices: remaining endurance, NM per gallon, reserve fuel at destination, fuel to destination. I tend to leave mine set to reserve fuel at destination when I am on a longer flight. The point is that what I want to see is immediately available on the Shadin and I would have to switch screens to and from my navigation screen to view it on the GNS.

There is also a three position toggle momentary switch, left, right, spring back to center. Center displays one of the 4 items as selected by the rotary switch. Toggle right displays fuel consumed, and toggle left shows fuel remaining. IOW, everything I need to know is displayed on my Shadin.

KUZA, United States
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