View Full Version : New Avidyne IFD440
peterh337
6th Jul 2012, 11:55
Here (http://www.avidyne.com/products/ifd540/index.asp).
It's interesting to see Avidyne continues to try to mop up the remains of Garmin's discarded lunch, but surely not at the prices mentioned - around $15,000 for the Garmin 430 replacement box.
Plus installation :ugh:
What have these people been smoking (http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/24dash-media/image/2012/06/15/44587/580_Image_cannabis_leaf.JPG)?
On the positive side, a simple installation shouldn't be much because it is meant to be plug-compatible with the 430. But somebody will still have to do the approval(s), to make it legal.
david viewing
6th Jul 2012, 12:25
You could get 20 iPads for that and velcro them over the windows as well! (Obviously leave a bit of a gap to see through).
They'll offer lots of discounts and special deals. The big issue will be when and if they ever deliver. They have a LOT of announced but undelivered products.
what next
6th Jul 2012, 13:04
(Obviously leave a bit of a gap to see through).
Why? They have a camera at the rear that can be linked to the display :O
david viewing
6th Jul 2012, 13:28
I did think about that but I didn't want to appear too ridiculous.
Katamarino
6th Jul 2012, 16:01
I was rather taken aback by the pricing as well. I'd have expected them to at least *try* and make it competitive...
AdamFrisch
6th Jul 2012, 16:04
Units look great, but even at half the price they'd be overpriced.
At least Aspen Avionics have realistic pricing.
peterh337
6th Jul 2012, 16:09
I am not 100% sure about this but I saw what looked like the 540 at EDNY on an outside stand, in sunlight, and was almost unreadable. It may have been one of their MFD products however, but it's worth checking out.
Aspen is cheaper, sure, but everybody (everybody) I personally know who has bought the EFD-1000 has had problems. One pilot is on his 4th unit in 3 years. Usually it is the sensor that packs up, but not always. Aspen are very responsive under warranty and in some cases outside the warranty but then they don't pay for the labour.
IanSeager
6th Jul 2012, 19:50
Aspen is cheaper, sure, but everybody (everybody) I personally know who has bought the EFD-1000 has had problems.
How big is that sample size Peter?
Ian
peterh337
6th Jul 2012, 20:39
Half a dozen?
Good enough for me.
IanSeager
6th Jul 2012, 21:17
That's interesting. I know there were some issues in the early days, but haven't heard about any particular problems with later installs.
Ian
peterh337
7th Jul 2012, 06:30
One failed less than a year ago. Not the remote sensor unit (of which failures were common, though often suffering from incorrect installation) but the instrument. I got photos sent to me, showing a big cross across the whole display.
The youtube video they put out, of the inside of their factory, is very much less than inspiring. I've been in electronic manufacturing since 1978...
The remote sensor unit was a joke. Loads of them were reading wildly off on the OAT. Aspen's fix was quite suprising: a software update :E
It's a very attractive product, especially for King autopilot owners who have the unreliable KI-256, but the flip side is that a lot of functionality is concentrated in it and most owners will have just the one.
And the autopilot adapter (EA-100) is not that reliable either, and by the time you get a failure of that, or the failure of the AHRS (of which I have seen several photos from friends) you are looking at a workload increase due to having a duff autopilot as well.
Anyway, this thread was initially about the new Avidyne products, which don't exist yet, but seem to be priced at levels not corresponding to their value. I wondered of there was an apparent justification.
achimha
7th Jul 2012, 06:53
The remote sensor unit was a joke. Loads of them were reading wildly off on the OAT. Aspen's fix was quite suprising: a software update
Not had a problem with my Aspen so far but I agree, the OAT sensor in the remote sensor unit is a joke. On most aircraft, the sensor unit will be placed on top of the fuselage which exposes the sensor unit to direct sunlight most of the time (at least when IFR). I found the OAT to overread by at least 5°C.
Recently, Aspen have released a new analog converter unit (ACU2) which allows an external OAT probe to be connected in lieu of the integrated one. I have just installed such a probe and about to have it hooked up.
Other than that, nothing negative I could say about the product. They have just announced a warranty extension -- $700 for two more years.
Regarding the Avidyne -- would have been a great product 5 years ago and really increased competition. Now the not yet released Avidyne already looks outdated compared to the Garmin GTN series.
peterh337
7th Jul 2012, 07:02
The thing I never understood was why the Aspen sensor would over-read even in flight, and a ~5C error was commonly reported.
One would think the airflow would remove any temp rise due to solar radiation.
OTOH most light GA planes don't have a lot of internal "padding" so if the OAT is say -10C and the cockpit is say +20C, it will take only a little bit of heat loss from the cockpit (unavoidable) to lift the roof temperature.