Follow Report Abuse Next Blog» smsliwa@gmail.com Dashboard Sign Out Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011 Test Flight Today Erik spent most of the day troubleshooting the traffic system. He also installed the glare shield and close out panel (located below the GMX-200). Here is what the final panel looks like: Page 1 of 38
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Next came the Test Flight... Introducing Chris Cannon, Head of AVEX Flight Ops and Chief Pilot, Chris came to us from United where he flew the B737 and A320. Chris is an ATP, CFI, A&P, and has over 10,000 hours, 1,400 of which are logged in a TBM! Erik flew right seat: First were the ground checks. Chris and Erik checked: Page 3 of 38
- Remote Audio Panel - Remote Intercom - Interface w/xm Weather and Music - Nav #1 and #2 - Map Settings - Traffic - Both Remote Transponders - Charts - GPS Steering - Fuel Flow Interface - Entered Flight Plans - Made sure the flight plans cross filled Ground Checks Page 4 of 38
Entering Transponder Code Page 5 of 38
Entering Flight Plan XM Music Test Page 6 of 38
Intercom Set Up In the air Chris shot both ILS and GPS approaches and tested the system in procedure turns/ holding patterns: Page 7 of 38
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Rubber Band Feature on the Flight Plan! Chris changed flight plans so quickly that I nearly missed it! Page 9 of 38
Perfect Landing! After the flight Chris said, "The flight went great as usual with the new Garmin equipment. We will make a few configuration changes to the software to ensure it is perfect before we release it to the owner." Posted by Danielle Quinn at 9:06 PM 0 comments THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011 Traffic Configuration Today the GDL-69A was wired. The COAX to the bottom antenna and top antenna and power box have been wired and terminated. The traffic box has been wired (429 data lines to the displays and the COAX to the antennas). Page 10 of 38
! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install Bottom Antenna COAX Page 11 of 38
Top Antenna COAX Page 12 of 38
! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install Traffic Box The GTNs have been configured and the panel is coming back together. Page 13 of 38
All of the components of the traffic have been installed. Erik set up the install tools on the computer and then headed out to the plane to configure the traffic. This process involves hooking up the computer to the traffic box, the GTNs, and the "IFR 600" an tool Erik uses when testing transponders, DMEs, and traffic systems: Page 14 of 38
!! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install Downloading the Install Tools on the Computer IFR 600, Bottom Right Page 15 of 38
Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:46 PM 0 comments WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011 Traffic Today both of the old antennas have been patched and the two new traffic antennas have been installed. Page 16 of 38
The traffic box, which is like the "brain" or main computer for the traffic has been mounted under the floor behind the copilot seat. Page 17 of 38
Below you can see the power box for the top traffic antenna (this is the one that increases the Watts from 40 to 250, and as a result increases the traffic system's sight range). Below you can see it being mounted next to the top antenna. In the photo you can see the large connector that Erik will need to set up wiring for. Page 18 of 38
Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:58 PM 0 comments TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011 Power Up! Today the antenna patches were roughly 90% completed. Page 19 of 38
Work on the Top Antenna After the Patch from the Exterior Page 20 of 38
Top Antenna Patch from the Interior Page 21 of 38
Bottom Antenna Patch (Green) Now to the fun part... the power-up of the GTN: Page 22 of 38
Posted by Danielle Quinn at 6:36 PM 0 comments MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2011...And The Glass Goes In... Saturday Erik finished the wiring and Installed the rack for the GMX-200. Today Erik finished ringing out all components minus the traffic. He also finished up installing the transponders, which included reinstalling the Symbol Generator for the EFIS. He then installed the GTX-33 and GTX-32. Page 23 of 38
Symbol Generator Page 24 of 38
GMX-33 GMX-32 Page 25 of 38
He also made considerable progress installing the instruments. Here he is installing the Audio Panel: Page 26 of 38
Here Erik is installing the #1 GTN: Here Erik is installing the #2 GTN:! Page 27 of 38
Here Erik is installing the GMX-200 MFD: Erik will need to shave some of the dimmer pod panel in order to get the correct fit, this is usual in these types of installations. Page 28 of 38
Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:59 PM 0 comments THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011 Wiring Continues The back plate from Garmin came in, unfortunately it was the wrong one again! This time they sent a GTX-330 back plate instead of the GTX-32. The transponders have been completely wired in, the only reason they are not already in their racks are because of the back plate issue. Today the Ethernet cables were tied in to the GDL-69A. Also the Shadin upgrade is all wired up to communicate with the GTN and is ready for plug and play: Page 29 of 38
All of the COAX cables for the traffic have been run (but are not yet terminated). Below you can see the work that has been done running the COAX for the top traffic antenna. Page 30 of 38
Posted by Danielle Quinn at 8:04 PM 0 comments WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2011 More Work on the Plane Today COAX was the focus. The COAX for the GTS 820 is a big job. Erik explained that the COAX cables are complex, some of the COAX cables are 13'6" and connect the GTS to the power amplifier, and some are 2'2" connecting the power amplifier to the antenna. This bumps it up to 250 Watts, giving the GTS 820 a 40NM traffic range! There are 8 COAX for the traffic antennas (4 each for top and bottom fuselage antennas). The COAX for the old Skywatch traffic has been removed, two of the cables will be used for the new transponders. The COAX for the bottom traffic antenna is finished, work is still being done running the wires for the top traffic antenna. COAX Cables for Bottom Traffic Antenna Erik is currently wiring the transponders. Below you can see him working on the grey code wires which provide the altitude information. Page 31 of 38
Below you can see the 232 and the 429 lines. There are four 232 lines, each transponder connects to each GTN, (#1 transponder to #1 GTN, #1 Transponder to #2 GTN, #2 transponder to #1 GTN, and #2 Transponder to #2 GTN). The 232 lines communicate various information including altitude and the control inputs from the GTN to the transonders/squawk codes and switching between #1 and #2 transponders. The two 429 lines relay information from each GTN to the traffic and vise versa. The red ones you see are the power wires. Below you can see the suppression lines to the transponder from the traffic, these lines keep the traffic from seeing itself! Also Garmin sent the wrong back plate for the GTX-33, they will expedite the correct back plate to us tomorrow. Posted by Danielle Quinn at 6:28 PM 0 comments Home Older Posts Page 32 of 38
7/25/11 7:15 PM Follow Report Abuse Next Blog» smsliwa@gmail.com Dashboard Sign Out Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011 Work On the Plane Erik finished ringing out the PL30 and closed it up. Then he did a test fit with the dual GTN 750s. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 1 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Perfect Fit! (Please forgive the photo quality, this was taken with Erik's phone) Now that the PL30 is complete, work has started on the plane. Today the Ethernet wires for the GDL69A and the provisional traffic were run. Also new circuit breakers were installed for the remote transponders and GTN (the traffic will need them as well). The new circuit breakers are push/pull which allows you to pull them to the "off" position. The old circuit breakers only offer a reset function in the case of a trip. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 2 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Outside the plane, the old traffic has been removed and the transponder plate and racks have been installed and some of the wiring has been completed. Work has been done on both the old Skywatch and ADF antennas. Each doubler's rivets have been drilled out in preparation for their fills. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 3 of 28
!! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install 7/25/11 7:15 PM Location where Skywatch antenna used to be (top of fuselage) search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 4 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Location where ADF antenna used to be (bottom of fuselage) Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:59 PM 0 comments MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011 Bench Ring-Out Saturday Erik made a plan for installing the traffic, specifically how to mount it most efficiently in regards to physical space on the plane and the amount of DER paperwork involved for each location. He also mapped the fuselage locations of all the antennas, this will be submitted to the DER along with the plans. It turns out that the transponders do not fit back in the area where the old ones were removed, so he has identified the best place for them, which turns out to be the area where the old traffic was removed from. Below you can see the plate that the transponder racks will be mounted on and the area where they will be installed. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 5 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM The Location Where the Transponders will be Installed The Two Transponder Racks and the Plate Mount Erik also removed the right side instruments including the racks for the transponders and the ADF. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 6 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Add caption Erik also installed the 63 pin pigtail connector which houses the Ethernet connections, 232 data lines to control the transponders, and the Nav data lines that go to the HSI on the right side. Then he spent most of the day ringing out the PL30 on the bench. He finished the ring out on the GTN 750 wiring and still needs to do the bench ring out on the PMA 35 audio wiring. The purpose of the bench ring out is to make trouble shooting easier throughout the rest of the install process, if the PL30 has been rung out, the problem is easily isolated to outside the PL30. All of the Blue and White Wires from Friday's Post are Neatly Inside this Pigtail Connector Erik has also figured out a way to adjust the mount on the Dimmer Pots to fit it inside PL30! search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 7 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Posted by Danielle Quinn at 6:13 PM 0 comments FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2011 Finishing up the PL30 Today Erik Removed the Audio Junction Block, an excess hub that is no longer needed, the removal essentially eliminates a lot of extra wires. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 8 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Erik completed all of the wiring in the PL30! All of the interconnect from the old wiring from the GNS 430s now relates to the GTN 750s. Erik ran the new audio wire from the GTN 750 to the GMA 35 audio panel for the radio audio. He hooked up the COAX pigtails for the Comm, GPS, and Nav. He also ran the provisional Ethernet lines for the GTS 820 Traffic. The only thing remaining on the PL30 is to complete the giant 63 pin pigtail connector for the wires coming from the PL30 to interconnect to the aircraft. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 9 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM As expected all the parts for the GTS 820 traffic arrived today. The plane is being prepped for the antenna work. The old traffic antenna on the top of the fuselage and the ADF antenna on the bottom of the fuselage have both been removed. The new top traffic antenna will be installed in the same place as the old one, yet there will still be patch work to be done as the new antenna and mount are shaped slightly different to the existing hole. Unfortunately, we will not be able to mount the bottom traffic antenna in the same place as the ADF hole, for correct grounding purposes there needs to be at least 20" between the center of the new traffic antenna and the existing radar altimeter antenna, as a result the bottom traffic antenna will be mounted aft of the radar altimeter antenna. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 10 of 28
! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install 7/25/11 7:15 PM View of where the old traffic antenna was from inside the fuselage View of where the old traffic antenna was from outside the fuselage!! search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 11 of 28
! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install 7/25/11 7:15 PM The hole where the ADF antenna used to be Erik will be in tomorrow for a half day's work. He will be working on removing the old transponders and installing the new KT 70s. He will be installing them in the PL25 (to the right of the PL30), so he will need to remove the existing racks. Although the transponders will be in a similar spot to where they used to be, they will be covered by a panel and controlled by the GTN 750 touchscreen. Posted by Danielle Quinn at 6:03 PM 0 comments THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011 Wiring Continues Today Erik added the wiring for the Shadin fuel upgrade. With this upgrade the GPS will communicate with the Fuel Flow, allowing both GTN screens to display the fuel burn! Erik also finished integrating all the wiring from both GNS 430s to the GTN wiring interconnect. Below you can see the connectors that can now interface with the GTN units. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 12 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Erik also started on the GMA 35 audio panel wiring, he is about half way through it. He finished the connector and wiring for the Pilot/Co-pilot/Passenger Audio, and still has to change out the connector for the Radio Audio. As you can see in the photo below the new connectors are a lot smaller than the old ones. Today the GMX-200 was sent to Garmin Apollo Technology in Salem to have Service Bulletin SB0901 complied with. Addressing this SB should correct the pink discoloration that you are currently seeing with that unit. Additionally, it looks like we will not need to change the location of the dimmer pots, Eirk has re-evaluated them with respect to the existing panel and they should fit ok! Tomorrow we should see the parts for the new traffic arrive. We are expecting the GTS 820 and the antennas. The Garmin GTS 820 Traffic is the same traffic system that the newest TBM 850 models now come with. Erik explained that the old Skywatch system will be removed and replaced with the new GTS 820, the new system has a total of 8 COAX cables (instead of 3, show on the old one below) and it upgrades the traffic system from the existing one antenna (currently located on the top of the fuselage) to a two antenna system (one located on the top of the fuselage and one on the bottom). The additional antenna increases the visibility of potential traffic hazards, for example if there were two aircraft at the same coordinates at different altitudes (one above and one below your altitude), the dual antennas would have a better chance of search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 13 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM picking them up. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 14 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM The three copper colored cables are the COAX cable mentioned above Posted by Danielle Quinn at 7:05 PM 0 comments WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011 Good News, Bad News, No News? There is some good news and there is some bad news...the good news is that so far the dual GTN install is ahead of schedule, the bad news is that Erik was off today, so essentially there is no new news to report. Here are some other interesting photos to distract you in the mean time... The GMX, PL30, and PL25 are not the only things that have been removed. The seats and carpet have been removed as part of the install process as well, here are a few photos of the current interior of N700VV taken with a wide angle lens, it looks very spacious without the seats. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 15 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Fun Fact: There are 15 TBMs in the AVEX hangar tonight: search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 16 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Tomorrow Erik will be back and there will be more progress to report! Posted by Danielle Quinn at 6:13 PM 0 comments TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011 Wiring and Racks Today Erik Mounted the Audio Rack (Qty1) and GTN 750 Racks (Qty 2). In the below image you can see how the audio panel rack is actually set behind the 750 screen, it will not be visible on the actual instrument panel. The audio panel will be controlled by the touchscreen GTN 750. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 17 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM GTN and Audio Racks Installing the Racks search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 18 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Finished PL30 with (2) GTN and (1) Audio Rack Installed Erik installed a splitter and removed the quadraplexer. Note: the quadraplexer would normally sort the VOR and ILS data from the glideslope data, the GTN does this internally. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 19 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM In order to fit the Second GTN 750 into the PL30 Erik made a modification, this modification not only allows the unit to physically fit into the PL30, but also increases ventilation for the cooling fan. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 20 of 28
! Dual Garmin GTN 750 Install 7/25/11 7:15 PM Rear/ back of PL30 Erik finished the wiring for the #1 GTN 750 and has now started work on the wiring for the #2 unit. Keeping in mind the spaces that will be utilized in the upcoming G600 install, Erik also spent a few minutes finding a spot to mount the remote transponder racks. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 21 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM GTX-33 (Mode S) at Left, GTX-32 at Right Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:37 PM 0 comments MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011 Removal of GMX, PL30, PL25, and Dimmer Pots Erik got off to a big start today by removing the PL30, PL25, dimmer pots, and the GMX-200 and its wiring! After removing what he could today, Erik wasted no time in getting rid of some of the old wires. He even started moving the #1 Garmin GNS 430 wiring/connectors and started the process of installing the #1 GTN 750. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 22 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Posted by Danielle Quinn at 5:07 PM 0 comments The Mock-Up Just to make sure the double GTN 750 set-up would work, Erik installed our demo unit and another GTN 750 unit into a PL- 30. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 23 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:55 PM 0 comments Introducing Erik Miller, TBM Avionics Specialist Erik has been with AVEX for four years and is head of our Avionics Department. He has over nine years cumulative avionics experience specializing in: G1000, G600, Garmin 530, WAAS, GMX-200, Honeywell, Traffic Systems, Auto-pilots, Audio selector Panels, Pitot Systems, Transponders, Encoders, Antenna Mounting, Nav and Comm Receiver Systems, Gyro Plumbing, EFIS, Radar, XM Weather and Radio, and all GPS Systems. He graduated from North Central Texas College with a degree in Electronics and a minor in Criminal Justice. Erik has earned a number of acclaimed awards and certificates over his career including recognition from the Aircraft Electronics Association, Flight Safety International, Avidyne, and the Federal Aviation Administration Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:53 PM 0 comments Rendering of Finished Panel search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 24 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM Here is a rendering of the finished panel: Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:50 PM 0 comments Before Picture Here is what the panel looks like pre-install: Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:49 PM 0 comments The Plan This will be the first double GTN 750 install in a TBM. Avex has organized a plan to increase efficiency and stay on schedule. search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 25 of 28
7/25/11 7:15 PM We will remove: GNS 430 (Qty 2) GMX-200 PMA 7000M-S Audio panel ADF PL30 PL25 Skywatch 497 Remove KT70 Transponders We will rewire/relocate: Remove Diplexer and install NAV Splitter Remove/rewire GMX-200 Wiring #1 430 for use with GTN 750 #2 430 for use with GTN 750 Rewire GMA 340 for use with GMA 35 Remove RS232 Lines Install ethernet to the GDL 69 Add transponder wiring to the 750s Remove and replace Dimmer Pots Install Garmin GTS 820 Install GTX 33 and 32 Transponders We will Fabricate/Laminate: PL25 close-out panel New PL-31 Panel Placards for PL31 Panel and Dimmer Pots Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:16 PM 0 comments About the Garmin GTN 750 The Garmin GTN 650/750 series is the first fully certified touchscreen retrofit panel mounted stack for fixed wing general aviation aircraft. The GTN flightdeck takes GPS to a new level offering compatibility with select Garmin systems and the ability to incorporate the Audio Panel and Transponder functions into its touchscreen creating a virtual fight management system. The GTN display has a greatly enhanced, higher resolution screen that is notably larger than its predecessor. The GTN 750 is 98% more screen area than the GNS 530W. The touchscreen operation, graphical flight planning with Victor Airways and high-altitude jet routes, Chartview capabilities, and point and drag panning, make navigation easy. Posted by Danielle Quinn at 4:03 PM 0 comments Newer Posts Home CONTRIBUTORS search?updated-max=2011-06-22t18%3a28%3a00-07%3a00&max-results=500 Page 26 of 28