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IFD540 or GTN750 - any way to display video, or free format text?

This bench experiment was done a few years ago.

But unless you have a device which can take video input (intended for radar) like the KMD550 the only apparent way is to use the TCAS/stormscope interfaces and maybe do some custom symbol generation – generate symbols for A-Z 0-9 etc and position them at x,y (pretending it is traffic) or angle,radius (pretending it is radar targets).

Avidyne do some boxes which can do radar (video).

NTSC video is easy to generate but the quality is a bit crap – good enough though for wx data.

The TCAS/stormscope protocols seem to be confidential but from my enquiries over the years, all the players have reverse engineered it. Also they tend to be ARINC429 which is another layer of hassle (have to buy an RS232 to ARINC429 converter).

Last Edited by Peter at 01 Feb 18:08
Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

This is what I have in mind

I am pretty sure the GTN750 cannot do this.

There may be a way to do this by faking a TCAS feed and defining one’s own symbols (26 of them ). The protocol for that is confidential but plenty of people have reverse engineered it. Not sure if it can be done over RS232 or whether it needs ARINC429.

The above photo was done over the KMD550’s NTSC video input (using a VGA to NTSC converter, fed from a cheap unix laptop), and the quality was a lot better than the photo shows.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I don’t think so. The traffic unit does not generate it’s own symbols, these symbols are generated by the screen. Maybe when you would manipulate the satcom data, and showing it as an SMS or something like that.

JP-Avionics
EHMZ

According to this press release, the IFD540 will soon do radar images.

How would they be done?

In the King world they were done via NTSC video – as in my post above.

I have also seen other ways where ARINC429 (?) is used to position symbols at a bearing and radius, and with a high enough speed data stream you could draw radar images.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

You know what, if Avidyne integrates radar imaging capability into the IFD540, then I’d be interested. In mine, only way to get rid of the old hideous Bendix CRT radar display, is to have it display on the EX500 MFD from Avidyne. But it would not save much space and have no other function than to show the radar image, which is a lot of real estate to take up for one sole purpose. And in reality, the radar is probably used less than 1% of all flights. I’ve even debated chucking the whole thing out.

Ideally, I would like to go Garmin. But they have no radar display offering for older units, because they want you to buy their $30K radar. Backwards compatibility doest earn them any money. I don’t love Gramin in any way, but it’s become a de facto standard. Avidyne I don’t trust to the same degree.

AdamFrisch wrote:

Ideally, I would like to go Garmin. But they have no radar display offering for older units, because they want you to buy their $30K radar.

I suppose with older units you mean your Bendix/King radar? The Garmin GTN 7XX models support older WX Radar units operating over ARINC 453 / 708 Suchs as Bendix/King RDS 81, RDS 82, RDR 2000 and RDR 2100.

JP-Avionics
EHMZ

Here is an Avidynelive forum thread describing the video and radar support just announced. Since they are apparently just waiting for FAA signoff, a reasonable expectation for availability is sometime in Q3/16.

http://www.avidynelive.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1025&title=ifd-software-release-10200

It says that any RS-140 format video stream is accepted. It is a hardware option with an additional fee.

The new release also supports digital radar input. I believe this includes mostly Bendix/King devices RDR2000, RDR2100 and RDS81/82/82VP/84/84VP/86/86VP. Apparently the unlock fee is $3’999, but the way Avidyne works, this could easily change or be subject to direct negotiation especially in conjunction with other purchases.

Vince

Last Edited by chflyer at 25 Apr 12:52
LSZK, Switzerland

Many thanks for that. I have emailed “Avijake” asking him if they will document enough of this (possibly under an NDA) to enable free format text display.

They say they will support RS-170 video and on a quick search that is NTSC, so that should open the door to displaying all kinds of stuff.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

BTW, “Avijake” is Steve Jacobsen, who I believe is Avidyne VP Engineering so he is definitely the right person to ask. You should get a no-nonsense reply. Please share once received.

I’m intrigued by the support for IR cameras too. Maybe a bit over-the-top, but they sure look like an added value on a snowy visual final at night or against snow-covered terrain. The camera prices are quite reasonable and mounting is in the same category as go pro, which is to say no problem as long as flight characteristics aren’t affected.
E.g. here

Vince

LSZK, Switzerland
16 Posts
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