EIS - Garmin GI275 vs JP?

WDD

WDD

Final Approach
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C182 P, Continental 0470 R

For an EIS, Garmin GI 276 or JP? Recommendations?
 
Didn’t know if there were any concerns about readability, reliability, etc.
 
One consideration for me was do I need to push any buttons to change screens to see different stuff, or is everything I need to see from startup to shutdown all there.

Another for me was not having to build harnesses, it saved time and cost (I did a supervised install so it was easier too).
 
Readability: GI275 is the brightest and highest res, CGR30P is the the opposite end of the spectrum and JPI is in the middle but does have the advantage of being the biggest so no need for pages. In terms of presentation, the page switching burden aside, I personally like the CGR30P presentation better and the GI275 the least.

Packaging: CGR30P and GI275 have 2 separate boxes, one for the display and one for sensor aggregation. This means another set of holes somewhere to mount the aggregator box. JPI, the sensors wire straight to the gauge.

Data logging: CGR30P uses standard CSV file formats with the USB cable routed behind the panel going to a USB-A or USB-C jack on the panel. I think the GI275 also uses CSV. JPI uses a proprietary file format and there's a mini-USB jack on the unit itself (EDM-900). How quaint. You can download Garmin data wirelessly but not JPI or EI.

Sensors: JPI uses grounded sensors and react faster than the CGR30P. On the other hand, slower sensors filter out noise better. I think the GI275 sensors are more akin to the CGR30P.
 
I don't see Electronics International in your list. It should be.
Their support is top notch and puts JPI's to shame according to folks on the Cessna forums.
I had a CGR30 combo installed earlier this year. EI folks answered every question I had while filling out the config worksheet and reached out when they had clarifying questions about my aircraft/engine when programming the boxes. My avionics guy had high marks for their support as well they one time he needed to talk with them.
 
If you have other Garmin avionics that connect via ethernet, strongly consider the Garmin. If not, I would get a JPI unit. I’ve had/have both. Flip a coin. I’ve flown behind an older EI unit and it was just fine.
 
I have currently two GI 275s (AHR and HSI), GTN 650xi, GNC 355, GFC 500 AP, and a PS audio panel.
 
I have a JPI 930. While I am very happy with the instrument itself, I've found the support from JPI to be fairly choppy. I had one good experience getting a screen replaced. On the other hand I'm on my 2nd RAD (remote display) that cuts out intermittently. Asked during the screen upgrade if they could check it and they said it was OK. When it wasn't, stopped by their both at Sun N Fun and talked with the lone guy in an empty booth, who radiated, why are you bothering me. If I had it to do all over, I'd be tempted to go with the 275.
 
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To be honest, I’m leaning to Garmin. The JPI booth at Oshkosh didn’t give me a hands on demo, and the one person who knew the product the most didn’t give me a good idea of what it was. Hate or love Garmin - it, like ForeFlight, is he largest for a reason I suppose.

Last thing I want is to get something and battle for support/keep it running.
 
I’ve had a JDI EDM for 15 years. It’s been flawless. I reached out to JPI once in that time for a question and they replied very quickly. It’s equal to the EIS component of my other plane’s G3X. It’s just an engine info display, not a status symbol.
 
Not to create a thread drift, but I stopped by the Aspen booth at Oshkosh to take a look at their new engine monitor feature on their displays, and wow, that’s the smallest text I’ve ever seen on an engine monitor!

I’m not that old (54), but my near vision is drifting to backside of perfect and it would be very difficult to see those itty bitty numbers! I have a JPI EDM-830 in my 182 and I think I may need to send it in because the numbers get blurrier every year…

Consider readability of the gauge. The JPI is nice in that all the information is in one page, but some of those numbers are pretty small.
 
Yeah - the readability of the font on the instrument is also a consideration. The Garmin has small font, but I can mount it closer to me in the left panel vs the right, making it more readable. And it is bright and clear.
 
WDD said:
I have currently two GI 275s (AHR and HSI), GTN 650xi, GNC 355, GFC 500 AP, and a PS audio panel.
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In that case, I would definitely go GI-275. Garmin things always play well together.

I went Garmin EIS with my G3X. I had a JPI and really liked it, but did not want to deal with any issues with things in my panel not playing well.
 
That …. Is interesting point. Play well together and future updatability / scalability. Someday I might put in a G3X display, which could also show EIS data from the Garmin sensors used for a GI 275.
 
Pinecone said:
In that case, I would definitely go GI-275. Garmin things always play well together.

I went Garmin EIS with my G3X. I had a JPI and really liked it, but did not want to deal with any issues with things in my panel not playing well.
Click to expand...
What sort of play is there between an EIS and the rest of the Garmin suite?
 
I'm interested in this thread because I have a factory-rebuilt engine on order and plan to add an EIS during the engine swap.
Lycoming is 19 months out on factory rebuilt. :(
Ordered at the end of June 2025, essentially July, and it is due to arrive in February 2027.
Edit: Fixed the dates & duration.
 
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Kiddo's Driver said:
What sort of play is there between an EIS and the rest of the Garmin suite?
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If you have the space and want to spend a few $K extra, you can get a 7" (or 10" for a bit more bread) MFD/EIS and have one half of the screen available for display of other data such as radar, nexrad weather, traffic etc. That is the direction I took my panel. If I was not willing to have a new right side panel cut, I would have stuck with a 275.
 
asicer said:
You can wirelessly transfer the engine logs to Garmin Pilot.

If someday the OP decides to upgrade to a G500, the aggregator box can be reused.
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More than likely any upgrade to a glass panel would be a 10" G3X. Assume that whatever was feeding the G275 EIS would be used to also simultaneously feed the G3X. Which is something I do need to confirm.

Trivia Points: The nice person at the Garmin tent explained that if I had a G3X, it would run the autopilot. If I had a G5 AHRS, the G5 would automatically take over if the G3X failed. BUT I would have my existing GI275 AHRS, and it would not take over. The G3X was built with the G5 in mind, not optimized for the G275. But the failure of a G3X is unlikely, and if it did I'm fairly sure I could fly and not crash by hand flying / not using an AP.
 
WDD said:
Trivia Points: The nice person at the Garmin tent explained that if I had a G3X, it would run the autopilot. If I had a G5 AHRS, the G5 would automatically take over if the G3X failed. BUT I would have my existing GI275 AHRS, and it would not take over. The G3X was built with the G5 in mind, not optimized for the G275. But the failure of a G3X is unlikely, and if it did I'm fairly sure I could fly and not crash by hand flying / not using an AP.
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Were we in the same seminar? That surprised me, too. Maybe not enough to go G5 instead of 275, but....???

Back on topic (sort of) the plane I recently bought has an Insight G3 that is InOp. The prior owner apparently went through several rounds of repairs and had it last a few months each time, then fail again. I'm not sure that I want to go through that repetitive cycle, and I'm not getting a lot of help from them sorting out the likely root cause.
 
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