TruTrak 380-385 Install manual

Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilots

Installation Manual

8300-086 Rev IR

TRUTRAK FLIGHT SYSTEMS

1500 S. Old Missouri Road

Springdale, AR 72764

POSTAL SERVICE ADDRESS

P.O. Box 189

Springdale, AR 72765-0189

Ph: 479-751-0250 Fax: [phone]

www.trutrakap.com

INSTALLATION MANUAL

For

Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilots

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mechanical Considerations			.....................................................................................................................................................................			1
Pitot / Static Connections........................................................................................................................................................................						2
RFI / EMI Considerations ........................................................................................................................................................................						2
Vizion Series Ground Checkout.............................................................................................................................................................						3
Electrical Pin-out.........................................................................................................................................................................................						4
Vizion Wiring Diagram .............................................................................................................................................................................						5
Controller Dimensions/Panel .............................................................................................................................................Cut-outs						6
GPS Setup Guide........................................................................................................................................................................................						91
Garmin 430W and 530W........................................................................................................................................................................................						113
Warranty Information/Upgrade ..........................................................................................................................................Policy						17
RETURN MERCHANDISE POLICY ...........................................................................................................AND PROCEDURE						18
	Revision		Date		Description	Page #
	IR		12/18/2013		Initial Release

Mechanical Considerations

The installation information in this section is extremely important and must be clearly understood by the installer. Improper servo installation or failure to observe and diagnose installation problems prior to flight can result in extremely serious consequences, including loss of ability to control the aircraft. If there are any questions on the part of the installer it is mandatory to resolve these questions prior to flight of the aircraft.

Most modern experimental aircraft use push-pull tubes to drive the primary controls. These tubes generally have a total travel of 3” or less; therefore, it is best to connect the autopilot servo to the primary control by the same method. This connection consists of an arm on the servo connected by a push-pull rod to the primary control. Rod-end bearings are required on each end of the push-pull rod.

The servo arm must not rotate even near to the point called OVER CENTER, the point at which the primary aircraft control would lock up. Some aircrafts mechanical primary control installations will not

allow this to occur and do not need the servo stops.

This is a condition that would result from the servo being back driven when the pilot operates the controls, or from the servo itself driving the controls to a stop. To protect against this mechanical stops are supplied with the servos. These stops are drilled so that they can be mounted at different angles as required (18 intervals).

In addition to the proper use of the stop it is important to know the amount of travel on the primary control that the servo can handle. With the push rod connected to the outermost hole (1 ½”) the travel on the primary cannot exceed 2 ½”, the intermediate hole 2 1/16”, and the inner hole 1 5/8”.

It is important to note that at the neutral point of the control the SERVO ARM must be PERPENDICULAR to the push rod, and that the stop must be mounted so as to limit travel as near as possible to equal amounts

in both directions. In certain factory-designed installations there may be well-proven exceptions.

There will be installations in which space does not permit the use of the stop. When this is done the aircraft’s primary control stops must be positive and care must be taken to be sure that at the neutral point the servo arm is perpendicular to the push rod, and that the travel limits of the servo arm are not exceeded.

There are installations in which the travel of the push-pull tube exceeds the allowable 2 ½”. For such installations, the drive can be applied to a bell crank at a radius point that moves the desired 2 ½” of maximum allowed travel in the outermost hole of the arm.

When there is no way to have a drive point of less than 2 ½” or when the primary control is cable-driven it is necessary to use the capstan-cable servo drive. When this is done the servo should be mounted so that the 1/16” diameter cable which wraps around the capstan when extended parallel to the primary cable is approximately 3/16” from the primary cable. If the primary control travel does not exceed 5” the cable locking pin will be 180away from the point at which the cable leaves the capstan. When the primary control is at the neutral point this means the total cable wrap around the capstan is 360 . If the primary control travel is greater than 5” the cable wrap is 720 and the pin is adjacent to the output point when the primary control is at the neutral point.

The cable clamps when properly installed will not slip and thus get loose, but it is desirable to NICO press or swedge a fitting on to the cable so as to provide added assurance that the cable will not become slack. If the bridle cable is not sufficiently tight there will be lost motion in the autopilot drive. This will result in hunting (oscillation).

TruTrak Flight Systems	1	Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilot Installation Manual
December 2013		8300-086 Rev IR

Controller Installation

Mounting Considerations

The Vizion controller unit is designed to mount in the aircraft instrument panel within view and reach of the pilot.

Maximum recommended viewing angle should be no more than 20 deg. The maximum mounting angle the Vizion can accommodate is 10 degrees longitudinal (pitch) axis and 0 degrees lateral (roll or yaw) axis. The location should be such that the controller unit is not blocked by the glare shield on top, or by the throttles, control yoke, etc. on the bottom. Use aircraft installation standards for mounting and support of the controller.

Wiring Considerations

Use AWG #24 or larger wire for all connections unless otherwise specified. The standard solder pin contacts supplied in the connector kit are compatible with up to AWG #18 wire. In cases where some installations have more than one component sharing a common circuit breaker, sizing and wire gauge is based on length of wiring and current draw on units. In these cases, a larger gauge wire such as AWG #20 may be needed for power connections. Do not attach any wires to the outside of the programmer or route high current wires within six (6) inch of the programmer. Ensure that routing of the wiring is not exposed to sources of heat, RF or EMI interference. Check that there is ample space for the cabling and mating connectors. Avoid sharp bends in cabling and routing near aircraft control cables. Do not route the COM antenna coax near any autopilot components.

Pitot and Static Connections

All multi-servo TruTrak autopilots require connections to the pitot and static lines. The preferred method of this connection would be tee fittings near the aircraft’s altimeter. The static line for the autopilot requires due care in its construction, as excessive lag or insufficient static orifices can cause the autopilot to oscillate (hunt) in pitch. Although there is compensation within the autopilot sufficient to handle moderate amounts of lag, the importance of a good static port and line cannot be overstated. In some cases problems can be caused by having a large number of devices (including the autopilot) connected to a single, insufficient, static port. In other cases, the static line itself is adequate but there are one or more devices connected to the same line, one of which has a large static reservoir. A simple remedy for this problem if it occurs is a tee-fitting near the static port, and a dedicated line to the autopilot only. Obviously, an insufficiently-large orifice coupled with large static reservoirs can aggravate the problems associated with lag.

RFI/EMI considerations

The autopilot controller is shielded and does not generate any appreciable level of electromagnetic interference. Moreover, the servo lines (except for power and ground) are low-current and cannot contribute to RF interference. The servo power and ground lines do have switching currents through them, but so long as there are no parallel runs of servo power and ground lines with such things as poorly-shielded antenna lines or strobe light power lines, there is no need to shield the servo harnesses.

The autopilot itself has been internally protected from RF interference and has been tested under fairly extreme conditions, such as close proximity to transmitting antennas. However, it is always good practice to insure that such antennas are properly shielded and not routed directly over or under sensitive panel-mounted electronic equipment. Most problems in this area are the result of improper RF shielding on transmitting antennas, microphone cables, and the like. The most sensitive input to the autopilot is the Control Wheel Switch input. This line should not be routed in parallel with transmitting antennas or other sources of known RF interference. If necessary, it can be shielded with the shield connection to pin 13 of the autopilot connector.

TruTrak Flight Systems	2	Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilot Installation Manual
December 2013		8300-086 Rev IR

Vizion Ground Checkout

Once installation and setup of the autopilot are complete (see Operation Manual for setup and operation instructions), a ground checkout is a good idea before the first flight of the system. This is a simple procedure to verify that the servos move in the correct direction. Follow the steps below to verify this:

-1) Center both the aileron and elevator control surfaces. -2) Engage the autopilot.

-3) Turn the knob clockwise, make sure the controls move to the right (stick) or clockwise (yoke).

-4) Turn the knob counter-clockwise. It must be turned enough to select a left bank angle. Make sure the controls move to the left (stick) or counter-clockwise (yoke).

-5) Push the knob to move the cursor to SVS and turn the knob clockwise to select a climb rate. Make sure the controls move aft. The cursor will return to the Bank selection after three seconds.

-6) Push the knob to move the cursor to SVS and turn the knob counter-clockwise. It must be turned enough to select a rate of descent on the autopilot display. Make sure the controls move forward.

If steps 2-6 are all verified then the Vizion is ready to be engaged in flight.

*For instructions on accessing the setup menus and adjusting autopilot settings, please see section 5 of the

Vizion 380/385 Operating Manual.

*For recommended settings of common Experimental-Amateur Built aircraft, please see section 8 of the Vizion 380/385 Operating Manual.

TruTrak Flight Systems	3	Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilot Installation Manual
December 2013		8300-086 Rev IR

Electrical Pin-out

All TruTrak Vizion 380 and 385 autopilots have consistent wiring requirements. Therefore, this manual covers all such units, with special notations covering any differences between the units. The table below provides a brief explanation of each pin function on the main 25-pin connector P101.

		1	2	3		4	5	6	7		8	9	10		11		12		13
																				Rear 25-Pin Connector P101
																				viewed from rear of unit
		14		15	16	17	18		19	20	21		22	23		24		25
P101	P101	FUNCTION					View of P101						Function							Notes
	PIN
					Facing Rear of
										Programmer
Pin	1 Ground connection for Pitch Reverse Jumper.

external2 Pi chEmergencyR v s Ju per. SeeLevelnot 3 obuttonEx er al connectionW r g D agram. 1 Used for AP .

3 CONTROL WHEEL SWITCH

2 Used for external4 PITCHEmergencyS RVO TORQUEAPCONTROLLevel button connection.

5 PITCH SERVO TRIM SENSOR

3 Control Wheel6 AUTOPILOTSwitch. MASTERConnect( +12astoshown+28 VDC )in wiring diagram to a SPST momentary switch

located remotely7 AUXtoRSthe-232autopilotOUT (FUTUREforEXPANSION)convenient engage/disengage function.

8 PITCH SERVO PH2N

4 Pitch Servo9TorquePI CH SERVOControlPH2P. A signal from the autopilot to the pitch servo which sets the

10 PITCH SERVO PH1N

amount of torque11 PITCHtoSERVObe deliveredPH1P by the servo.

5	Pitch Servo Trim Sensor. A signal from the pitch servo to the autopilot which indicates
			12		No C	cti . Reserved for futu e expansion.
			13		GROUND ( - )
	an out-of-trim condition and its direction.
			14		ARINC-429 (A) INPUT
6	Unused.		15		ARINC-429 (B) INPUT
			16		ROLL SERVO TORQUE CONTROL
7	RS-232 Output. Output to G3X/AFS-5000 series						Required for integrated
			17		GPS AVIATION FORM T OR NMEA183 SERIAL INPUT
			18		AUX RS-232 IN (FUTURE EXPANSION)		control mode.
			19		AUTOPILOT POWER (INTERNALLY CONNECTED TO PIN 6)
8	Pitch Servo control lines. These lines cause the stepper motor in the pitch servo to run in
			20		ROLL SERVO PH2N
			21		ROLL SERVO PH2P
9	the appropriate22 ROLLdirectionSERVO PH1Nat the desired velocity. They are small-signal lines and do not
10			23		ROLL SERVO PH1P
	have any substantial current-carrying capability or require any special shielding. Connect
			24		No Connection. Reserved for future expansion.
11	to pitch servo as shown on wiring diagram.
			25		No C	ectio . Rese ved for futu e exp nsion.
12	Yaw				option.
		DamperIGIFLIGHT II PINOUT DESCRIPTION, MAIN I/O CONNECTOR
13	Ground Connection. Provide #20 AWG to common grounding point.
14	ARINC-A				Digital differential signals from Garmin, Sierra, or other panel-mount		Vizion 385 Only
15	ARINC-B				receiver which provide directional steering commands (GPSS, GPSV) to
					autopilot

16Roll Servo Torque Control. A signal from the autopilot to the roll (aileron) servo which sets the amount of torque to be delivered by the servo.

17Primary Serial Input. Baud rate selectable 1200, 2400, 4800 or 9600 baud. Automatically decodes NMEA-0183, Garmin Aviation Format, or Apollo/UPSAT MovingMap or GPSS format. Provides directional reference to the autopilot.

18Auxiliary RS-232 Input. Presently unused.

19Autopilot Master (+12 to +28 V DC). The autopilot itself draws less than 0.5 ampere. Most of the current required by the autopilot system is used by the servos (up to 2A per servo).

	Roll (aileron) Servo control lines. These lines cause the stepping motor in the roll servo					Reverse servo direction
	to run in the appropriate direction at the desired velocity. They are small-signal lines and					if necessary by
20	do not have any substantial current-carrying capability or require any special shielding.					swapping wires on pins
21	Connect to roll servo as shown on wiring diagram.					20 and 21. See note 2 on
22						wiring diagram.
23
	Wiring to roll servo J201			Direction of servo arm / capstan rotation
				(as viewed from face of the servo body)
	J101	Pin 20	Pin 21		for RIGHT aileron
	Standard	J201-4	J201-5	Servo CCW (counter-clockwise)  RIGHT
	Reversed	J201-5	J201-4	Servo CW (clockwise)  RIGHT
24	TCB-A					Unused at this time, for
25	TCB-B					future expansion.
TruTrak Flight Systems				4	Vizion 380/385 Series Autopilot Installation Manual
December 2013					8300-086 Rev IR