IFD540 Upgrade to 550 Special
Printed From: Avidyne
Category: Avidyne General
Forum Name: IFD 5 Series & IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
Forum Description: Topics on Avidyne's IFD 5 Series and IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
URL: http://forums.avidyne.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1459
Printed Date: 16 Apr 2024 at 4:31am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: IFD540 Upgrade to 550 Special
Posted By: avimyers
Subject: IFD540 Upgrade to 550 Special
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2018 at 4:55pm
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Any of our members looking to upgrade your 540 to a 550? We are running a special price of $5499 with the trade-in of your 540. Brand new 550 with a new warranty period. Click this link if you're interested: http://www.avidyne.com/landing/540-to-550-upgrade.asp ------------- Avimyers |
Replies:
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2018 at 8:49pm
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Interesting. * Orest |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2018 at 10:29pm
| Thanks for the offer, could you provide some info regarding the benefits of upgrading? Not just a list of features, but why would I want to upgrade? I've got a IFD540, AXP340, PMA450A, Navomatic 300A, KX155A and steam gauges. I'm looking to upgrade to either the Tru-Trak or Trio AP and would love to install a dual-band ADS-B in receiver that integrates into the 540. |
Posted By: DavidBunin
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2018 at 11:25am
| I'm not sure I understand your question brou0040. You want Kelly to give you reasons to upgrade but you don't want her to list features of the IFD550? What else is there for her to say? Are you looking for data on interfaces or something? |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2018 at 11:46am
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I guess I don't understand why anybody would upgrade unless you have a radar or IR camera that you want to use the 550 as a display. The SVS is neat for a moment until you go back to the MAP page - I can't see why people would fly using the SVS page rather than the MAP. I'm asking what is the functionality that I don't understand, not just the feature list. I'm not sure that is any more clear, but I hope it helps.
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Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2018 at 5:37pm
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Arkvet here has an IFD550, perhaps he will post. He absolutely loves the egocentric SV + attitude display on it. He does not have a PFD, and I think that folks that do not have a PFD, and are ne tplanning to get one soon, could in particular see a real benefit to the IFD550. * Orest |
Posted By: DavidBunin
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 7:12am
I suppose, but $5500 (the price of a 540-to-550 upgrade) will more than buy a PFD and its installation these days. Might even buy two of them. I have to admit that other than for the gee-wiz factor I almost never use the SV view on my 540. Then again, the "terrain" around here doesn't provide much entertainment in that view anyway. |
oskrypuch wrote:Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 10:02am
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It is not just the SV, people often make that mistake when assessing these attitude based display packages. You also get a real air horizon, and a flight path vector marker, together with attitude information, and the speed and altitude tapes. These are only available in the egocentric IFD550 view only, I don't have that with my 540. I do have an ASPEN with the "SV" option unlocked, and enjoy all the same on the PFD. How often do I use the SV part of the SV option unlock, virtually never, that isn't the main value to me. * Orest |
Posted By: Cruiser
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 10:48am
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If Avidyne would get the IFD 550 certified to display and replace the primary flight instruments I would jump on it in a second. Just think an all in one box in the pilot side panel not the center stack that provides primary flight information and navigation The next big thing? Avidyne are you working on this?
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Posted By: AUXAIR
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 11:58am
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One other factor - when my vacuum pump failed, it was a non-event. The SV view on my 550 replaced the need for the vacuum attitude indicator for the remainder of my flight. ------------- David E. Cessna 182 RG II |
Posted By: DavidBunin
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2018 at 7:29pm
Not exactly. If the 550 was your primary attitude indication, it would have to be locked onto that screen permanently while in motion. You would have access to the communications radios maybe, but you would not be able to access the flight plan or the auxiliary screens or anything else. |
Posted By: tony
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2018 at 12:12pm
| In my opinion, Avidyne made a fatal flaw in the 550 design when they selected a Attitude Reference System (ARS) instead of an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS). If they did it had an AHRS, I would have been all of it. Now I will settle with my iPad. |
Posted By: arkvet
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2018 at 2:52pm
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I have the 550. Crazy good SV. If I want to fly my plane 100% off that SV it's easy. If I'm doing that my map / communications / FMS are all running on the IFD 100 app that is panel mounted beside the 550. I do not have to leave the SV page on the 550 for anything. The biggest plus with the 550 IMHO is that ridiculously good SV. Granted, when I got my 550 I had all vacuum primary instruments. Since then I added a Garmin G5 AI. Comparing the two (as far as attitude situational awareness) isn't fair at all. The 550 absolutely smokes the G5 when it comes to situational awareness, even though it's to the right of the primary scan. Doesn't matter. It's good. The entire left side of my panel could die and I could fly an instrument approach with ease given my IFD 550. Try that with any other GPS. *** The only big thing that the IFD 550 lacks IMO is Airspeed. That's on my wish list. Oh, and FWIW I have an ipad Pro 9.7 that I had used previously with a stratus 2. I used to play with SV on the Ipad / foreflight. I thought it was pretty cool but often questioned it's reliability. Between ipads crashing or getting laggy and worrying about the stratus falling off it's mount I just never got comfortable with the thought of the SV foreflight being a backup to any large degree. Even when it was working as expected I just didn't geel comfortable with it. The IFD 550 SV is exponentially better. That being said, if you've got an Aspen, G500, Dynon skyview, etc then the value of the 550 over the 540 may not be there. ------------- Brent PA32-301 IFD550 / AXP322 / SkyTrax100 / Dual G5's / GFC 500 / JPI 830 |
Posted By: LANCE
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2018 at 9:27pm
My shop ran the heading to my IFD550 from my King HSI. That way I get heading plus the Total Velocity Vector on my IFD550 and my IFD100. It was very simple to do.  |
Posted By: bjsieve
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 3:22am
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Regarding Aspen PFD’s, it’s actually a very good idea to have a good backup AI and DG/HSI if you fly behind one since they have a nasty cascading failure flaw. The Aspen PFD will fail it’s AI and HSI if it loses Pitot airspeed input. Very nasty failure problem. My pitot heater failed in IMC earlier this week and froze up my pitot and lost my ASI. My Aspen then proceeded to failed its AI and HSI one input failure resulted in the loss of three primary instruments. Have a Sandia Quattro backup so that was good but the IFD 550 would have been better than my IFD540. Not happy with Aspen on this. They know about it and are promising a fix but who know when. If you fly behind Aspen email them and ask for the fix. The more that do the faster it will likely come. |
Posted By: MarkZ
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 9:00am
| If either pitot or your static air leaks (or fails by ice) you will get red Xs. I had to rebuild my alt static valve to correct this problem, no fault of the Aspen package. I’d seriously consider a secondary pilot/static system if you are a hard core IFR warrior and have all your eggs in that basket. |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 11:12am
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It was a certification issue, the G500 panel is the same. You need to have a certain confidence range in the data, otherwise if cannot be displayed. Airspeed is one of the data inputs that is used. For that matter the G5 will also red X it it loses enough data inputs. The Quattro will continue to display degraded data, with a notice, but I think it cannot be used as primary, only a backup - - so it is in a different category. * Orest |
Posted By: George P
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 3:01pm
| You are incorrect. The Quattro is approved as a primary instrument. I have one. |
Posted By: George P
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 3:03pm
| I should have been more specific. The Quattro is approved as a primary instrument for attitude. It is not primary for either airspeed or altitude. |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 3:23pm
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The airspeed and altitude are certified outputs as well, perhaps only in a backup role? * Orest |
Posted By: George P
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 5:27pm
| Correct, I believe. The existing airspeed and altimiter must be retained, but the vacuum AI may be removed. I chose to keep my vacuum AI in the panel. |
Posted By: 1964-m20e
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2018 at 3:52pm
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This brings up the same struggle I had right before the 550 was certified. They were offering the 550 upgrade for I believe $5000. Of course to get the 10-2.1 update I need to go to the avionics shop and pay them to do the software upgrade with this it would just be the swap between the units and I get a backup ARS. Decisions Decisions Decisions. I do live and fly in flat land USA so SV is nice but I prefer to look at my map display when flying now. |
Posted By: chflyer
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2018 at 6:46am
Orest, do you mean inputs, or outputs from the static/pitot perspective? The Quattro doesn't provide any outputs. ------------- Vince |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2018 at 8:16am
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Visual "outputs". The on screen indications are certified, not just the AI. * Orest |
Posted By: chflyer
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2018 at 8:21am
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:-) ------------- Vince |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2018 at 9:22am
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Outputs to the Mark I eyeball! ;-) * Orest |
Posted By: teeth6
Date Posted: 09 Jun 2018 at 11:50pm
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I’m new to the 550 having just traded in a 540 so can someone explain the difference between the TVV and the ARS. I understand the TVV is where you are going and the ARS is where you are pointing but when I’m in straight and level, the TVV is on the horizon as expected but the ARS is 5 degrees down from the horizon. Why is that? |
Posted By: teeth6
Date Posted: 11 Jun 2018 at 11:23am
| Disregard. Apparently it’s a calibration issue that I have to go back to correct. |