User`s guide
Contents
1. Sensor Specifications Startup time Less than 1 minute Max roll and pitch rate 100 degrees per second Drift maximum average drift over 8 hours Pitch and Roll 5 deg in level attitude Environmental Operating Temp Range 30 to 75 C Storage Temp 40 to 90 C MTBF 50 000 hours PCFlight Systems 28 EFIS AISW3 SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS Compatible PocketPC computers serial cables Compaq iPAQ series handheld computer PDA The recommended PDA is the Compaq iPAQ series or faster Slower PDA s generally have screen refresh rates approximately 1 10th that the iPAQ series Display Artificial Horizon Display Simultaneous display of pitch and roll attitude Turn Rate Indicator Slip Skid Indicator Gyro Heading slaved to GPS ground Track requires gps option Altitude MSL requires gps Altitude Trend requires gps Rate of Climb requires gps Ground Speed requires gps Ground Speed Trend requires gps Power Supply Voltage indicator Pitch Acceleration Indicator Refresh Rate approx 10 times sec depending on PDA model used User Controls Align Button Performs caging calibration function to reset display to level Exit Exits PPCEFIS program PCFlight Systems 29 SERIAL INTERFACE PROTOCOL The following describes the serial interface protocol used for the standard product This format can be changed with no prior notice to enable the addi tion of new product features Baud Rate 115 2 Kbaud Message fra2. are attached to the bottom of this case This mounting tech nique has been used successfully even in aircraft such as Piper Cubs which have high levels of airframe vibration and interior noise levels The preferred mounting technique is to use the supplied Velcro strips Four 1 by 1 squares can be cut from the supplied velcro pieces and attached to the aircraft to mate with the corner areas of the velcro on the gyro module It is not necessary to use the full velcro mounting surface The Velcro strips have an adhesive back ing that allows them to be attached to a clean aircraft surface The supplied Velcro is a type of Velcro which can attach to itself that is both mating pieces of Velcro are of the same type instead of the older style of Velcro which used a plastic hook piece in conjunction with a fabric piece For installation on a carpeted surface it may be desirable to firmly attach the Velcro fasteners to the carpet by hand stitching with heavy sewing thread in addition to the adhesive Small bungee cords or elastic straps can also be used to mount the unit to the aircraft A variety of clamp on type holders such as the R A M mounts made by National Products Inc 206 763 8361 www ram mount com can be used to provide a mounting surface The Velcro can then be used to mount the IMU module to the clamping device The most important factors for the mounting of the IMU module are 1 Module must not vibrate 2 Module must
3. not move on the mount 3 Module must be aligned with axis of flight 4 Module should be as close as possible to center of aircraft rotation PCFlight Systems 5 Vibration and mounting movement of the IMU module will cause inaccurate attitude displays Your iPAQ must be connected to the IMU gyro module using one of three methods The IMU module should be connected to the computer display unit using a serial interface cable RS232 serial cable These cables are available from the PDA manufacturers Extension cables can also be used to enable the PDA to be located up to 20 feet from the IMU module The PDA should be connected to the TOP DB 9 con nector of the gyro module The BOTTOM DB 9 connector is used to connect to a GPS data input source Install a fresh 9 Volt alkaline battery into the IMU unit The IMU can also be powered using an external power source 8 to 32 volts DC An optional power adapter is available which can be plugged into a cigarette lighter power outlet A 9 Volt alkaline battery should be kept in the IMU even with an external power supply The IMU will not drain the battery when connected to an external power supply The IMU is designed to automatically switch to the internal battery in the event of a failure of the external power source It is recommended that the gyro module be powered by an external power source to ensure that the battery does not discharge There is no manual on off switch on the gyro
4. GUIDELINE NEVER USE IT AS A PRI MARY FLIGHT INSTRUMENT IT WILL PROVIDE ROLL AND PITCH COMMANDS WHICH MANY AIRCRAFT ARE UNABLE TO FLY NEVER EVER RELY ON THE Flight Director to control your aircraft The autopilot functions are provided to enable you to set a head ing bug or autpilot target heading and altitude bug or autopi lot target altitude The altitude bug is used as also use as the altitude target for the Flight Director The flight director will prompt you to fly the aircraft to this target altitude A future autopilot option will use these values to control the target altitude and heading for an optional autopilot module To adjust the heading and altitude target values use the top hat button Pressing the top of the button increments the altitude tar get value pressing the bottom of the button decrements the alti tude target value Pressing the left side of the button decrements the heading target value Pressing the right side of the button increments the heading target value PCFlight Systems 20 GPS INTERFACE CABLES The GPS connector requires only two wires The GPS data ground line should be connected to pin 5 of the GPS connector The GPS data signal line should be connected to pin 2 of the GPS connector A custom cable GPSIFCAB 2 is available which provides a connector with a short interface wire connected to it The black wire of the GPSIFCAB 2 should be connected to the GPS unit
5. MU is setting on a flat surface Keep in mind that when the IMU is moved by hand you can easily exceed the 100 degree per second maximum angular rate limit This will not damage the unit but will cause loss of calibration and the unit will then temporari ly display an incorrect attitude Setting the unit on a flat surface will allow the unit to automatically recalibrate after a period of a couple of minutes The unit will also automatically recalibrate while the aircraft is maintained in straight and level flight over a period of a few minutes You can also realign the unit by pressing the Align button on the display while the unit is setting on a flat surface or while the aircraft is in straight and level flight The unit will continue to operate though an inverted position and even rolls although it is not intended to be used for aerobatic type maneuvers and will not be accurate when inverted If attitude display does not appear on the PDA display This problem is most likely caused because the PDA is not receiv ing data from the IMU Upon initial startup of the software a cali bration procedure is automatically performed before the attitude display appears This calibration procedure can take up to 30 sec onds If the attitude display does not appear within about 30 sec onds then this indicates that the PDA is not receiving data from the IMU Ensure a fresh battery and or good power source is con nected to the IMU Ensure the IMU exte
6. PCEFIS Electronic Attitude Reference System Inertial Measurement Unit IMU Model no EFIS AIGYRO6X Software Model no EFIS AISW3 Version 3 6b USER S GUIDE PCFlightSystems 9625 SE 70th Terrace Ocala FL 34472 www pcflightsystems com E Mail info pcflightsystems com 1 866 4PCEFIS 1 866 472 3347 Outside U S 352 347 1700 PCFlight Systems CAUTION The Electronic Attitude Reference system is not an FAA TSO d air craft instrument It is intended solely for use as an auxiliary atti tude display for use in VFR flight conditions and should never be used as an IFR flight instrument Any single attitude display device can fail be misused and or misinterpreted and therefore become unsafe Use the attitude reference system at your own risk To reduce the risk carefully review and understand all aspects of this user manual and always use external visual horizon contact for flight attitude control The electronic attitude reference system is not intended to be used as the primary flight attitude indicator and must never be used as such Never rely on any single attitude display instrument for attitude control of any aircraft Violation of this principle virtually ensures that aircraft control will eventually be lost and that an accident will occur Information in this document is subject to change without notice PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS reserves the right to change or improve their products and to make changes in the content without obligati
7. PDA off to keep the battery in the gyro module from discharg ing The EXIT button is selected by tapping it with the iPAQ sty lus NOTE If during flight the PPCEFIS software is stopped by exiting the program the system must be realigned when you restart Keep the aircraft straight and level when you restart the program and hold that attitude until the PCEFIS AI screen reappears YOU CANNOT PERFORM AN ALIGNMENT UNLESS YOU KNOW THE AIRCRAFT IS STRAIGHT AND LEVEL YOU CANNOT EASILY PERFORM AN ALIGNMENT WHILE FLYING PARTIAL PANEL IF YOUR MAIN ATTITUDE GYRO IS NOT PRESENTING ACCURATE INFORMATION WHILE IN IFR CONDITIONS ALWAYS KEEP THE PCEFIS SYSTEM RUNNING PCFlight Systems 11 RUNNING PCEFIS WITH OTHER SOFTWARE NO REALIGNMENT REQUIRED WHEN RESTARTING PCEFIS The PCEFIS software starting with version 2 7a and above can run in the background while other applications are running on the screen This means that the PCEFIS software continues to calculate the aircraft s attitude while other applications are using the rest of the PDA and the screen No alignment is required when PCEFIS is restarted when it has been running in the background For example you may want to run the GPS map on the screen while the PCEFIS software is running in the background However in order for the PCEFIS software to get its data from the gyro at the same time the map program is getting GPS data your iPAQ must have TWO serial ports One port is b
8. The load is small and this cable can be T connected to existing GPS systems even if they are driving other devices To connect the GPSIFCAB 2 connect the black wire to the GPS ground line and the white wire to the GPS signal wire The GPS must be set to run in the 4800 Baud NMEA mode There are also several custom data interface modules available to allow integration or the PCEFIS system with engine monitors and other options Please refer to the custom interface module documentation for these options Connecting the GPSIFCAB 2 to a Garmin GPS35 unit The GPS35 receiver has a single wire running from the antenna gps receiver The other end of this wire is connected to either a DB 9 con nector or an integration module and or power supply If the unit con tains a DB 9 connector simply connect the GPSIFCAB 2 black wire to pin 5 of the connector and connect the white wire to pin 2 of the con nector If the GPS35 is wired directly into an integration and or power module of some sort e g Controlvision Anywheremap then you will need to open the integration power module so you can access the wires connecting to the GPS35 The wires which you must connect to are the black and white wires coming from the GPS35 Connect the black wire of the GPSIFCAB 2 to the black wire from the GPS 35 and connect the white wire of the GPSIFCAB 2 to the white wire of the GPS 35 Note that the GPS35wires can remain connected to other circuits as the gyro mod
9. al If the attitude display becomes blank ensure that the IMU power supply battery is adequate ensure that the serial cable is firmly connected and ensure that the IMU has not been inadvertently turned off If the attitude display becomes blank it is recommended that the align procedure be performed prior to again using the attitude display information If attitude display is not accurate The most probable cause of this problem are the following IMU is not mounted in a level position Align procedure was not performed with IMU in level position IMU is vibrating IMU is moving on it s mount 100 degree second angular rate has been exceeded After confirming that all of the above problems are addressed you should perform the Align function while holding the aircraft in a straight and level flight attitude PCFlight Systems 24 If PDA display turns off The PDA batteries power source have become inadequate Restore the power supply with recharged batteries or reconnect the power source if this occurs You will then have to run the Align procedure The PDA is configured into some power save mode and has powered itself off In this event you must reconfigure the PDA to disable all power save modes Turn the PDA back on and run the Align procedure If the PDA loses the program The PDA requires the internal batteries to contain charge in order to retain internal programs Do not allow the PDA internal batter i
10. ble PCFlight Systems 3 INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT IMU MODULE INSTALLATION The IMU module must be securely mounted in the aircraft The optimum location of the IMU module is near the aircraft center of rotation The recommended mounting location for low wing air craft is on the floor of the cabin area near the center of the main wing spar For high wing aircraft the best location is as close as possible to the fuselage center line Any other location within about 6 feet of the main wing spar will work acceptably The PDA display computer can be located at any convenient location The PDA is not sensitive to any vibrations or movements during flight All motion sensing is performed by the IMU module The IMU module senses the accelerations and roll rates of the air craft yaw pitch and roll axis To ensure good accuracy it is imper PCFlight Systems A ative that the IMU module be mounted so that it does not vibrate or move from its mounted location during flight The IMU module works by detecting the aircraft roll rates and accelerations If the IMU module vibrates or is not mounted securely the vibrations and movements will be interpreted as false acceleration and roll inputs by the IMU system This will cause errors in the calculated and displayed attitudes The errors will be a direct function of the level of vibration and movement of the IMU mounting The IMU module is enclosed in a vibration absorbing case Velcro strips
11. ce downward This allows a convenient way to adjust the pitch zero setting at any time It can also be used on the ground to properly set the pitch attitude reference for tailwheel aircraft An activity status indicator is provided at the bottom left of the display This activity indicator should always be flipping from ver PCFlight Systems 16 tical to horizontal This indicates that the iPAQ and PCEFIS system are both functioning If the activity indicator is not flipping then the system is NOT WORKING and must not be used for any pur pose check all connections power supplys and reset the iPAQ using the reset button before continuing to use the PCEFIS if the activity indicator ever stops flipping The PDA displays a power supply system input voltage level indi cator as a text readout at the bottom of the display When running on external power this will display the aircraft system voltage when running on internal battery it displays the internal battery voltage When the power supply battery reaches 7 volts the IMU will no longer operate properly so the system will automatically stop functioning and display a low battery voltage error display The battery must be replaced or the IMU must be connected to a power source having a voltage of 8 to 32 volts to continue opera tion After this is done the align function must be run to ensure that the system is properly calibrated Next to the system input volta
12. e screen To reactivate PCEFIS press its button When in actual IFR conditions it is rec ommended that you keep the PCEFIS display running on your iPAQ PCFlight Systems 13 PCEFIS BY PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS Error between heading and selected flight course in degrees in miles Heading slaved to gps ground track Autopilot Heading x ge ok Bearing to Destination Bug Select Autopilot Altitude Destination Bug Select Distance to Destination Rate of Climb om Estimated Time Remaining to Destination Altitude Trend Acceleration Indictor Flight Director Airspeed Aude Highway in Sky the Course Dipiction Aircraft Reference Skid Slip Ball GPS Groundspeed Status Indicator Turn Coordinator System Input Voltage iPAQ Power GPS Attitude Battery Status Requires use of a GPS with a destination waypoint selected Pressure Airspeed and Altitude provided when optional airdata interface is used otherwise the tapes display GPS groundspeed and GPS Altitude when a GPS is connected Select Deselect HITS mode by pressing the iPAQ top hat switch in the center When in HITS mode top hat switch controls autopilot target altitude and heading When not in HITS mode top hat switch is used to control pitch reference zero setting This allows pitch zero to be easily manually adjusted for differ ent aircraft trim conditions Copyright 2002 PCFLIGHTSYTEMS all rights r
13. ency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful inter ference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the device off and on you are encouraged to try to cor rect the interference by one or more of the following measures e Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Increase the separation between this equipment and the receiver e Connect the equipment to a power source on a different power bus than that of the receiver e Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help PCFlightSystems gt _ IV TABLE OF CONTENTS CAUTION cise ORAE caiotmanens ETO NOES ii LIMITED WARRANTY Aere nin battens ty oeei iii COPYRIGHT NOVICE Ae toh Z ien bce sane awd os iv REGULATORY COMPLIANCE see nese nea ed iv TABLE OF CONTENTS cso tiar iinl nea R a bs 1 INTRODUCTION ege aha ated odds 2 INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT IMU MODULE e E LCE 4 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION sync 0 sim dent gob e enw os 8 SYSTEM EREECHEN eege rege meas 10 RUNNING PCEFIS WITH OTHER SOFTWARE 12 SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION 15 GPS HIGHWAY IN THE SKY MODE oa aaauaaaanan 18 GPS INTERFACE ege anaes 21 TROUBLESHOOTING ee e502 rin gg E 23 EFIS AIGYRO6X IMU MODULE SPECIFICATIONS 27 SERIAL INTERFACE PROTOCOL 00000050 30 PCFlight Systems 1 INTRODUCTION The attitude reference system uses precision inertial navigation system INS tec
14. es to become discharged The PDA should always be kept on the charger whenever not being used for more than two weeks Failure to keep the batteries charged will cause the PDA to lose the pro gram If this occurs recharge the PDA and reload the software into the PDA then ensure the PDA is kept on the charger when not in use If the PDA Display is slow or sluggish The PPCEFIS software requires the full processing power of the PDA If the PDA screen is slow to update then this indicates that other programs or tasks are running on the PDA It is possible to have many hidden programs running on the PDA which can t be viewed by any of the status software programs The only way to ensure that no programs are running is to use the PDA reset but ton In the Compag iPAQ this button is located behind a small hole on the bottom right side of the iPAQ The button must be pressed by inserting the tip of the Stylus through this hole and ensuring that the button is pressed The PDA will then indicate that it has been reset and will start up You can then run the PPCEFIS soft ware Note that pressing this reset button will not cause you to lose any programs that have been loaded onto the iPAQ The reset button PCFlight Systems 25 will only ensure that no programs are actively running in memo ry This is the only method which can be reliably used to make sure no programs are running in active memory It is recommended that the reset but
15. eserved Patents Pending All rights reserved PCFlight Systems 14 SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION The PPCEFIS software performs two major functions which include digital signal processing of the IMU data and the processing required to graphically display the attitude artificial horizon data The PPCEFIS software performs approximately one half of the digi tal signal processing of the IMU sensor data This allows the signal processing algorithms to be easily enhanced in the future by simply installing an updated PPCEFIS EXE program onto the PDA INS sig nal processing techniques are rapidly evolving and new techniques are continuously being developed Allowing the PDA to perform a portion of the digital signal processing allows these new techniques to be implemented in the future without the need to update the IMU module This prevents the IMU module from becoming obsolete as new signal processing techniques become available The PPCEFIS software performs all of the graphical display capa bility of the system This allows new display techniques to be added in the future by installing an updated PPCEFIS EXE pro gram onto the PDA This further allows the system to remain state of the art through software upgrades New PPCEFIS display capabilities are continuously being devel oped At the current time the PPCEFIS contains several different types of data displays all of which are simultaneously displayed The primary display i
16. ge display is a status display for the iPAQ power When the iPAQ is running from external power this will display ExtON When the iPAQ is running from it s internal batteries the unit will display the approximate amount of battery life remaining such as 90 iB which indicates that the iPAQ has approximately 90 battery life remaining Note that the iPAQ may automatically turn itself off it reaches around 50 iB If the iPAQ ever turns itself off you must run the Align function before using the PCEFIS otherwise the display will not be correct The iPAQ power status will display IBat if external power is lost and the software can t determine the amount of remaining battery power For normal usage the iPAQ status should always be ExtON If EXtON is not displayed then you have either lost aircraft electri cal power or the PCEFIS system has become disconnected from the aircraft supply In either event action must be taken or you will lose PCEFIS functionality when the iPAQ battery becomes dis charged PCFlight Systems 17 HIGHWAY IN THE SKY MODE The gyromodule has a connector which can be connected to any standard GPS serial output NMEA 4800 baud This connector is the bottom connector on the gyro module Pin 2 of the connector must be connected to an NMEA 4800 baud data signal and pin 5 must be connected to the GPS unit ground When the GPS is con nected and at least 4 satellites are received the sy
17. hnology similar to that used in the newest com mercial airliners and many spacecraft The system uses a technique called strapdown inertial navigation strapdown INS This implies that the sensing system is strapped down to the airframe and is then able to sense the accelerations and rotations of the air frame to determine the aircraft attitude The attitude reference sys tem consists of an inertial measurement unit IMU module and an attitude processing display computer The technology used for the attitude sensor module IMU is the same as that used in atti tude heading reference sensor AHRS devices In order for the system to work properly it is imperative that the IMU module be properly installed in the aircraft Until the 1990 s most aircraft attitude systems utilized mechanical gimbaled gyroscopes During the 1990 s commercial airliners and corporate jet aircraft began using strap down INS systems which utilized solid state fiber optic or solid state electronic gyroscopes in conjunction with accelerometers and micro computers to per form the required attitude derivation calculations These strap down INS systems typically cost over 100 000 The recent advent of micro electromechanical system MEMS devices has enabled the development of miniature solid state accelerometers and solid state gyroscopes These new MEMS components can be used in conjunction with personal computer technology to provide strap down INS sy
18. in miles this is the distance in nautical miles the selected course is from your current position Estimated time remaining to the destination This displays the estimated amount of time remaining until you reach the selected waypoint Course indicator circle this is a purple circle which depicts the location of the selected course relative to the aircraft HIGHWAY IN THE SKY MODE NOTE NONE OF THE PCEFIS FUNCTIONS ARE INTENDED FOR PRIMARY AIRCRAFT CONTROL FUNCTIONS THEY ARE TO BE USED ONLY AS BACKUP INDICATORS NEVER USE ANY OF THE PCEFIS DISPLAYS AS PRIMARY AIRCRAFT CON TROL INDICATORS THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH THE HIGHWAY IN THE SKY MODE OF OPERATION The Highway In The Sky HITS mode is selected by pressing the center of the top hat button of the iPAQ This mode requires that a GPS destination waypoint is selected When the HITS mode is selected there are three new major items displayed on the screen The HITS course depiction a flight director and an autopilot head ing altitude selection The HITS course is depicted by three purple circles These circles represent the desired flight path The intent is to keep the aircraft flying through the center of the circles The Flight Director is a purple triangle which can be thought of as a lead aircraft The intent is to follow this lead aircraft to remain on course IMPORTANT NOTE THE FLIGHT DIRECTOR PCFlight Systems 19 IS ONLY A GENERAL
19. me rate gt 50 Hz Data Frame Byte Sequence Byte No Description 0 Synch Char value 0x01 Synch Char value 0x00 Roll Rate LSB Roll Rate MSB Pitch Rate LSB Pitch Rate MSB Yaw Rate LSB Yaw Rate MSB Accelerometer Reference LSB Accelerometer Reference MSB Longitudinal Acceleration LSB Longitudinal Acceleration MSB Lateral Acceleration LSB Lateral Acceleration MSB Yaw Axis Acceleration LSB Yaw Axis Acceleration MSB Power Supply Voltage Checksum OOANAAKRWN NOOR UNSO PCFlight Systems 30
20. module The gyro module will be on whenever external power is applied The internal battery will only be used when the PDA software is running when external power is not supplied to the gyro When the PDA software is running and no external power is supplied to the gyro module the battery will be power ing the gyro module The amount of time the battery can power the gyro module depends on the quality and age of the battery A fresh alkaline 9 Volt battery of high quality Duracell or better will typically power the gyro module for over 5 hours One of the most common problems encountered by customers is the inability to accurately mount the unit in a level position We originally designed the algorithm to be very accurate in all pitch and roll attitudes The problem with this was that it required the unit be mounted to better than two degrees of true level when the PCFlight Systems 6 aircraft was in straight and level flight Because of our desire to make the unit truly portable it became necessary to modify the algorithm to work well even if the unit is not accurately mounted allow as much as 10 degrees of mounting error To meet this requirement we have optimized the algorithm to accurately dis play when the aircraft is in a level attitude The trade off is that the actual bank angles in turns are no longer as accurate as they were previously but straight and level is now very precise We believe this is the appropriate compromise A p
21. n PDAs running the PocketPC and PocketPC 2002 operating systems At the current time all of the Compaq iPAQ series work very well and are the best PDA s to use for this application The HP Jornada 560 series also work well with this application The PocketPC version is contained in the directory labeled PocketPCARM To install the software perform the following pro cedure 1 Install the software floppy diskette into the PC 2 Start Microsoft Windows Explorer and browse to the proper directory on the floppy diskette which contains the PPCEFIS EXE for your PDA 3 Connect the PDA to the PC interface and start Microsoft ActiveSync 4 When the PDA is connected to the PC via ActiveSync use the PCFlight Systems 8 explore feature of the ActiveSync program to browse to the top directory of the PDA then browse to the Windows folder You then drag and drop the PPCEFIS EXE program into the Start Menu folder The Start Menu folder is a folder in the Windows directory of the PDA 5 This completes the PPCEFIS EXE installation procedure Software Media Provided on 3 5 floppy Updates available by download from www pcflightsystems com web site All specifications subject to change without prior notice New software updates are placed on the www pcflightsystems com web site periodically The newest software should always be used PCFlight Systems 9 SYSTEM OPERATION To run the PPCEFIS s
22. oftware do the following 1 Ensure that no other programs are running on the PDA The PPCEFIS software requires most of the computing capacity of the PDA device As a result of this requirement it is important to ensure that no other programs are running during the time the PPCEFIS software is used If other programs are running the PPCEFIS soft ware may not be able to properly communicate with the IMU mod ule and the graphics display may not function properly Ensure that the PDA is configured with all power save features disabled This is essential otherwise the PDA may unexpectedly turn itself off while you are viewing the attitude display If you need to run other programs on the PDA you must exit the attitude display software using the EXIT button first You can then use other PDA programs When you want to again use the attitude display software you must then use the Start menu and again start the PPCEFIS program DO NOT try to run any other programs on the PDA while the PPCEFIS program is running Doing so will cause the other programs to run extremely slow and may cause the PDA to run out of memory CPU resources and lock up causing the need to press the PDA reset button to recover back to normal operation 2 Ensure the IMU module is securely connected to the serial port of the PDA with a serial interface cable Serial communication errors will occur if the serial cable connection is not secure When these errors occur an e
23. on to notify any person or organization of such changes or improve ments New product releases software updates and technical bulletins are available at the PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS web site at http www pcflightsystems com PCFlight Systems LIMITED WARRANTY Sellers Aviation Incorporated PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship under nor mal use and service for a period of one year from the date the pur chaser first receives the product During the warranty period PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS will repair or replace the defective product at no charge provided the purchaser ships the product to PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS The returned product must be accompanied by a return material authorization RMA number issued by PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS The purchaser must ship the product in the original container or equiv alent and must pay the shipping charges to PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS will pay shipping charges associated with returning the repaired unit back to the customer for locations with in the contiguous United States This warranty applies only to the original purchaser and is not transferable PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS may at its option replace or repair the pro duct with new or reconditioned parts PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS war rants the repaired product to be free of defects for a period of nine ty 90 days after the return shipping date or for the duration of the remaining original warranty whichever is greater This warran
24. rimary goal of the current product is to perform as an emergency horizon in the event the pri mary flight display of the aircraft fails To accomplish this goal we have optimized the pitch and roll display algorithm to be accurate when the aircraft is in a near level attitude with a tradeoff of less accuracy when the aircraft is in a steep bank configuration PCFlight Systems 7 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION Note The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS complete system packages with iPAQ will already have the software pre installed on the iPAQ so you will not have to use the following procedure to install the soft ware In the event you need to re install the software then the fol lowing procedure should be used The display software module is named PPCEFIS EXE This soft ware must be installed onto a hand held computer personal data assistant PDA The handheld computer must contain the Microsoft PocketPC operating system The PPCEFIS software is provided on a 3 5 inch floppy diskette This software must be installed onto the PDA using a personal computer The PDA manufacturer supplies an interface which enables software to be loaded onto the PDA from a personal com puter The most widely used software for the PC to PDA interface is Microsoft ActiveSync Microsoft ActiveSync provides the capa bility to drag the appropriate PPCEFIS program from the floppy disk on the PC into the proper file directory on the PDA The software is designed to work only o
25. rnal power is turned on Ensure that the serial cable is securely connected between the IMU and PDA Ensure that the PDA is not running some other software It is especially important to ensure that the PDA is not running software which also uses the serial port such as a GPS software moving map Some software packages use the serial port and do PCFlight Systems 23 not properly close the serial port This can cause the serial port to become inoperative until the PDA is reset A reset of the PDA will generally cause the serial port to start working again and should allow the attitude display software to be able to access the serial port properly It is also important to ensure that the PPCEFIS EXE application is stopped by selecting the exit menu item before turning the PDA off Failure to follow this precaution can cause the PDA serial port to stop operating properly until the PDA is reset In almost all cases replacing the battery in the Gyro module and pressing the PDA reset button will resolve a problem where the attitude display does not appear The PDA reset button is on the bottom of the iPAQ and can be pressed using the stylus If attitude display becomes blank The attitude display software will automatically blank the display in the event that the power supply battery voltage drops below 7 volts The attitude display software will also automatically blank the display if the serial communications with the IMU becomes margin
26. rror message will be displayed on the PDA and the system operation will be halted until the serial data cable is properly secured 3 Verify that the IMU module is firmly attached to the airframe 4 Apply external power to the IMU module and allow the module to operate for at least 30 seconds before starting the PPCEFIS software 5 Turn the PDA on and run the PPCEFIS software by selecting it from the Start pulldown menu When the software starts it will perform a calibration procedure which will take approximately 30 seconds to complete PCFlight Systems 10 6 Keep the aircraft straight and level until the software completes the calibration phase The aircraft should ideally be in a level posi tion on the ground and not moving when the IMU is initially turned on This is easy to do with tricycle gear aircraft With tail wheel aircraft it may be necessary to realign the system while in straight and level flight This is done by selecting the align button on the PPCEFIS software display When performing the alignment in the air it is necessary to hold the aircraft straight and level dur ing the alignment period approximately 30 seconds 7 The attitude horizon should now be displayed on the PDA and the system is ready to use 8 Upon completion of use of the software use the EXIT button at the bottom of the display to end the PPCEFIS EXE application You must use the EXIT button to end the application and turn the
27. s of information depicted on the PDA display This information includes a linear acceleration indicator The linear acceleration indicator is a small horizontal bar that is positioned on the left side of the display This pointer depicts the type of acceleration on the pitch axis of the aircraft If the bar moves upward the pitch acceleration is toward an upward bias If the bar moves downward the pitch acceleration is toward a downward bias During a climb the bar will move upward and during a descent the bar will move downward The bar will also move when the aircraft is accelerating or decelerating this can be useful to evaluate the aircraft acceleration during the take off roll and the level of braking effectiveness after touchdown on the run way During normal straight and level flight this bar should be located at the center reference marker and the slip skid indicator should be centered at it s reference line If these conditions do not exist then this indicates that the IMU and PPCEFIS software are not properly calibrated This means that the Align function should be run during straight and level flight to allow the system to recalibrate You can also adjust the pitch reference without using the Align by using the top hat button located at the bot tom of the iPAQ Pressing the upper part of the top hat button will move the pitch reference upward pressing the bottom part of the top hat button will move the pitch referen
28. s the Attitude Artificial Horizon display This dis play is an EFIS attitude display and looks much like a conventional atti tude artificial horizon gyro display Pitch is denoted with a scale which has a minor divisions at 5 degrees of pitch and major divisions at 10 degrees of pitch A roll display scale is also provided which has minor divisions at 10 and 20 degrees of roll and major divisions at 30 and 100 degrees of roll A roll angle pointer is located at the top of the attitude display This roll angle pointer is an inverted white triangle The roll angle pointer is called the triangle reference pointer The roll angle can be read from the scale marking directly below this roll angle pointer PCFlight Systems 15 The display also simultaneously contains a turn coordinator display This display is at the bottom center of the display and is located at the top of a small vertical line this line is the skid yaw reference line for the ball indicator The turn coordinator display consists of a turn rate indicator line which is a horizontal line which tilts to depict turn rate the same as a turn coordinator and a slip skid ball indicator The turn rate indicator line depicts the rate of turn of the aircraft and is useful to keep the aircraft heading stable The slip skid ball indicator depicts slip and skid information in exactly the same manner as the classic ball slip skid indicator There are several other type
29. stem will auto matically display the additional GPS derived data The data will not appear if there is no valid GPS data being received When valid GPS data is available the AHRS option provides the following additional information onto the EFIS display Directional Gyro Heading slaved to GPS Ground Track at the top of the display Rate of Climb digital readout in feet per minute at top right of display and an altitude trend bar located on the right side of the display Altitude TAPE display at the right side of the display This will show GPS altitude unless the optional airdata interface is used Ground Speed TAPE display at the left side of the display This will show GPS ground speed unless the optional airdata interface is used If a waypoint has been selected in the GPS then the following information will be also displayed on the PDA screen Destination waypoint Identifier This is located in the top left of the screen and is the identifier of the waypoint you are currently configured to navigate to Distance to designation this is the distance to the currently select ed waypoint in Nautical Miles PCFlight Systems 18 Bearing to Destination This is the current bearing compass direc tion to the destination Heading course error in degrees this is the difference between your current heading and the course between your origin way point and your destination waypoint Heading course error
30. stems at a cost of well under 10 000 The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS Attitude Reference System consists of a strapdown INS sensor module the IMU and a software package for use with handheld computers such as the Compaq iPAQ 3600 3700 or 3800 series typically called Personal Data Assistants or PDA s The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS IMU uses electronic gyroscopes These are solid state devices which use silcon elements that utilize the Coriolis effect to determine angular acceleration rates The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS IMU uses MEMS accelerometers to detect the acceleration on the aircraft and also to assist in the determina PCFlight Systems 2 tion of the aircraft attitude The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS IMU con tains three of these solid state electronic gyroscopes solid state accelerometers and a micro controller system The gyroscopes sense the rate of rotation of the aircraft around the roll pitch and yaw axis The accelerometers sense the acceleration of the aircraft around the roll pitch and yaw axis and also sense the aircraft ori entation relative to the earth Three gyroscopes are required to accurately determine aircraft attitude in a strap down INS This is required because the aircraft attitude determination requires yaw angular sensing whenever the aircraft is not in a straight and level attitude Accurate aircraft attitude determination requires that roll pitch and yaw all be measured This requires a dedicated gyro scope for each of the roll pitch and
31. ton be pressed prior to each use of the PPCEFIS program In most cases we have noticed that even brand new iPAQs have some background programs running in active memory This caus es the PPCEFIS program to update the display very slowly To eliminate this problem always press the iPAQ reset button prior to the first time you run the PPCEFIS program PCFlight Systems 26 EFIS AIGYRO6X IMU MODULE SPECIFICATIONS Physical Enclosure Dimensions 6 75 x 4 75 x 2 5 Weight 16 oz Power Supply Battery Standard 9 Volt Battery External Power if battery is not used 8 to 32 Volts less than 50 ma External Interface RS232 DB9 Male Connector Pinouts for upper connector to PDA ch No Connection RX Data from PDA TX Data to PDA 5 volt out to PDA Ground CTS Input from PDA No connection RTS From PDA oO ON BW D FR W N RX Data from GPS connector mirrors pin 2 of lower connector Pinouts of Lower connector to GPS source 1 3 3 vdc out to power GPS 2 2 RX Data from GPS 3 No connection PCFlight Systems 27 A 5 volt out to power GPS 5 Ground 6 No connection 7 No connection 8 No connector 9 Aircraft power out to power portable GPS receivers is connect ed to the DC input jack Method of Attachment to Airframe Velcro Must be aligned parallel to the aircraft longitudinal axis Data Output RS232 Serial 115 2 Kbaud Data update rate greater than 50 per second
32. ty does not cover the repair replacement of products damaged by abuse accident misuse or misapplication The prod uct contains no user serviceable parts Opening or disassembly of the unit by anyone other than PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS in any man ner voids this warranty Sellers Aviation Inc PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS is not responsible for incidental or consequential damages resulting from breach of any express or implied warranty including damage to property and damages for personal injury This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties including all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose PCFlight Systems COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 2001 2002 Sellers Aviation Inc PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS All rights reserved Reproduction of the contents of the manual and software without the permission of PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS is expressly prohibited Patent Pending REGULATORY COMPLIANCE The attitude reference system is not an FAA approved device It must be used as a portable device not permanently connected the aircraft This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the lim its for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequ
33. uilt in on the bot tom of the iPAQ and the second port is implemented using a Compact Flash Card sleeve and a plug in CF card serial port Contact Pcflightsystems about purchasing the required extra hard ware to implement the second serial port For optimum performance when used with a GPS map configure the GPS map for Slow Updates This will not affect the GPS map s operation and will ensure that the PCEFIS software will be able to calculate the aircraft s altitude accurately To allow easy toggling between two applications such as the PCE FIS and the GPS map you must assign these applications to the buttons on the front of the iPAQ This is easily done by the follow ing process Select Settings from the main menue Then select Buttons Now select which of the four buttons you want to use for PCEFIS Then select the arrow on the box below the button selection Select Star Menue and then the PCEFIS Finish by touching the OK at the top right of screen Now the selected button will start the PCEFIS PCFlight Systems 12 application Repeat this process for the GPS map or any other application that you want to toggle with PCEFIS You will have to locate this application where it now resides on your iPAQ after selecting the button which will activate it Start PCEFIS using its new application button Align the gyro as described above and then activate the map program of your choice The map program will take over th
34. ule does not apply any significant load to the GPS35 This allows the GPS35 to drive other devices in addition to the gyro module CABLE OPTIONS TO CONNECT GPS RECEIVERS GARG Cable for Garmin receivers with 4 pin round connector Pilot M PCFlight Systems 21 295 and others Connects GPS to IMU for both GPS power and data Eliminates need to use cigarette lighter power cable for GPS GAR195 Cable for Garmin 195 Connects GPS to IMU for both GPS power and data Eliminates need to use cigarette lighter power cable for GPS GPSSC Smart Cable for panel mounted GPS receivers Converts aviation format to NMEA format using a microprocessor located inside the cable connector Allows any Garmin King UPS or Trimble panel mounted GPS receiver to drive the heading and GPS features of the PCEFIS Requires that a jack be mounted on the instrument panel and connected to your GPS s serial output This jack and mating plug are not supplied The red wire goes to GPS receiver output and black and shield are grounded at the jack PCFlight Systems 22 TROUBLESHOOTING This section discusses some solutions to the problems you may encounter when operating the attitude display system It is recommended that you become familiar with the system and initially use the system before trying to use it in an aircraft The system can be operated sitting on a table and moved by hand All you need to do is power up the system per the procedures while the I
35. yaw axis The micro controller system converts the gyroscope and accelerometer signals into dig ital signals These digital signals are then processed using digital signal processing algorithms The processed data is then sent over a serial communication cable to the PDA The software package in the PDA then further processes the sensor data and converts it into a data display format The data is then displayed as an atti tude horizon gyro display in the same format as the Electronic Flight Information Systems EFIS used in commercial airliners The recommended pocket computer is the Compaq iPAQ H3600 H3700 and H3800 series computer The best source of iPAQs is directly from the Compaq website at www compag com A serial adapter cable is required to connect the iPAQ to the gyro module The recommended serial cable for the iPAQ H3600 series PDA s is the Serial Autosync Cable Compaq part number 191008 B21 The serial cable and adapter cables can be purchased directly from the Compaq website at www compaq com Compaq also provides a cigarette lighter power adapter which is the Auto Adapter Kit part number 180743 B21 This adapter is recommended to power the iPAQ to preserve the iPAQ batteries as an emergency power source PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS provides a custom interface cable that provides data and power to the iPAQ via a single connection to the gyro module The PCFLIGHTSYSTEMS iPAQ interface option contains this combined power data ca
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