GNS530W driving a KMD550 - anybody done it?

P

peter-h

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
613
Location
UK
Display Name
Display name:
peter-h
Has anybody here installed this configuration?

The only connection between the two is the GPS data.

I know of one pilot who has done it but he has not been able to
confirm details; it sounds like it works for normal enroute (the white and
magenta lines show, together with waypoint names) but for some reason
the 530's OBS mode doesn't show anything useful on the 550.

I am thinking of installing a 530W (may one day be mandatory in Europe if PRNAV expands significantly) but would like to keep the KMD550 for its superior VFR mapping.
 
I have a friend who has his 430 driving the 550. I can ask him about it. But I do not know if the 530 is any different than the 430 when it comes to driving the external display.
 
What I would like to know is what functionality is obtained in this setup.

As I said, I believe it more or less works as expected in the enroute mode (white line, magenta line, waypoint names showing) but not in the OBS mode.

One reason for keeping the KMD550 would be for its other modes: TCAS screen, WX500 stormscope, anything one can feed into its NTSC video input.
 
I am confident that the 430/530 can drive the KMD550 with position and flght plan data just fine, but I would be very surprised of you got (for example) the OBS "runway extension" data from it.
 
Not sure why you'd tie a 530W to a KMD-550. The only major advantage of the 530 over the 430 is the bigger screen, and with the 550 on board, who needs it? Seems to me you could save both money and panel space by getting a 430W rather than a 530W if you've already got a KMD-550. That said, the tie-in would almost certainly be the same either way.
 
peter-h said:
Has anybody here installed this configuration?

The only connection between the two is the GPS data.

I know of one pilot who has done it but he has not been able to
confirm details; it sounds like it works for normal enroute (the white and
magenta lines show, together with waypoint names) but for some reason
the 530's OBS mode doesn't show anything useful on the 550.

I am thinking of installing a 530W (may one day be mandatory in Europe if PRNAV expands significantly) but would like to keep the KMD550 for its superior VFR mapping.
Click to expand...

Peter,

The 530W STC doesn't include the KMD550 in Appendix G, Approved Equipment in the install manual, so you would need a field approval. What input does the KMD550 take, serial Aviation data or does it have support for Arinc 429?
 
John,

It takes serial RS232 from the KLN94, normally. The KLN94 can be configured to Standard or Enhanced output stream, and if feeding the KMD550 it should be set to Enhanced.

I can dig out the data stream details but it is probably the usual tagged format.

There is no ARINC involved.

Does one need a field approval to feed data from "something" to "something else", if that "something else" is not needed for "something's" certified function?
 
Generally speaking, the FAA will want to give approval for any avionics hook-ups not addressed in the installation manuals or other approved data when an IFR GPS is involved.
 
What if you wanted to bring the NMEA data of an IFR GPS out on a DB9 connector? Or for that matter the data coming out of an air data computer?
 
peter-h said:
John,

Does one need a field approval to feed data from "something" to "something else", if that "something else" is not needed for "something's" certified function?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily, but if the STC is the basis for the installation of the 530W, then only the equipment listed in the approved installation manual that are listed in Appendix G may be interfaced to the 530W unless there is a separate proviso for other equipment in the installation manual as is the case for autopilots, audio panels, and encoding altimeters.

The 530W aviation data format is the same as the KLN94 serial out data format with a few exceptions, it does not support the a (baro corrected altitude), j (UTC time of data) and t(GPS discretes: waypoint, message, enroute, terminal, approach, leg mode, obs mode) record types.

The 530W aviation data format doesn't support the KLN94 enhanced serial output which adds quick tune frequency data.
 
Thank you John for this. This would presumably explain why the KMD550 doesn't do anything when the 530 is in OBS mode. I wonder what it does show in that case?

The loss of quicktune is not an issue - I never use it because it needs more buttons on the KLN94 than it takes to set the new frequency on the radio(s) directly.

If the KLN94 Enhanced output adds only quicktune, that would explain why, inexplicably, I never noticed any difference when the KLN94 was set to the more basic mode for a few years :) There has been speculation that the Enhanced mode adds arcs to procedures, but actually the KLN94 doesn't store any arcs for the vast majority of European procedures in the first place.

So, we are looking at a 337 and having to wait for the FAA to approve it, or getting a DER to look at it and then just doing the job and filing a 337?

DERs don't seem to exist here in the UK - most avionics shops here seem to use derassociates.com in the USA.
 
Peter,

Don't wait on preparing a 337 for a field approval. Go ahead, prepare it, fill out Blocks 1,2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 and get your planned installer to sign it in block 6, fill out block 7, but don't date it or have it signed. Submit the paperwork for field approval and assuming it comes back, then start your project. You can start once you get your 337 signed by the FAA in block 3, then or a year or two from then, or never, if you change your mind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top