TruTrak 8300-057C User Manual

EFIS Autopilot

Installation Manual

8300-057 Rev E

TRUTRAK FLIGHT SYSTEMS

1500 S. Old Missouri Road

Springdale, AR 72764

Ph. 479-751-0250 Fax [phone]

www.trutrakflightsystems.com

INSTALLATION MANUAL

FOR

EFIS Autopilots

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OPERATION OF THE BASIC FLIGHT INSTRUMENT ................................................1

OPERATION OF THE EFIS PILOT.................................................................................1

MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS..............................................................................2

PITOT AND STATIC CONNECTIONS...........................................................................2

RFI/EMI .............................................................................................................................2

BASIC SERVO INSTALLATION ....................................................................................3

THE DISPLAY ..................................................................................................................4

AUTOMATIC ARRIVAL TRANSITION.........................................................................5

OPERATING CONTROLS................................................................................................6

SETUP SCREENS .............................................................................................................8

AUTO PILOT SETTINGS...............................................................................................11

EFIS SOFTWARE UPDATES......................................................................................... 13

VNAV ..............................................................................................................................14

NAV INDICATOR...........................................................................................................14

AP LEVEL BUTTON (OPTION)....................................................................................14

INITIAL SETUP & GROUND CHECKOUT..................................................................16

FIRST FLIGHT................................................................................................................18

ELECTRICAL PIN-OUT .................................................................................................20

EFIS AP BASIC WIRING DIAGRAM...........................................................................22

EFIS AP BLOCK DIAGRAM.........................................................................................22

RETURN MERCHANDISE POLICY AND PROCEDURE...........................................33

Revision

A 07/01/2008 Initial Release
B 11/01/2008 Engine information 17,18, & 19
C 01/20/2009 Updated pictures & GPS information 4 - 14
D 04/14/2009 Updated engine information 13, 20, 21
E 09/14/2009 Added ARINC convert information 14, 24

Date Description Page #

OPERATION OF THE BASIC FLIGHT INSTRUMENT

As with our autopilot products, extensive attention has been given to providing the
simplest operation. No sequential pressing of buttons is required to reach basic control functions
and no additional button pressing is required to set values. Starting with a clean sheet of paper
the layout of controls (two knobs and five soft keys) is sufficient to handle all EFIS and built in
autopilot control functions.

On the basic flight instrument, the right hand knob is primarily dedicated to setting the
barometer and the left hand knob is primarily dedicated to setting the direction bug. Pressing the
ALT soft key sets the altitude bug to the 100 foot mark nearest the present altitude. This setting
is entered into the active state by pressing the right hand knob. If the intent is to select an altitude
the ALT button is pressed and the right hand knob is rotated to select the desired altitude. (With
the knob out, steps are 500 feet and with the knob depressed, steps are 100 feet.) When the
altitude has been set, press the knob to ENTER the value. It will be noted that when any value is
to be set a screen showing the selection to be made will appear above the appropriate knob.

When the aircraft is within 30 miles of the destination fix, the CRS label will display on
the soft key at the far left. To select an arrival course different from the enroute course on the
HSI press CRS and then rotate the left hand knob. When the course is set press the knob to
ENTER. A computer generated arrival procedure in which steering from the enroute course to
the selected runway is described in the special functions section.

Just above the left knob is the label [DIM] in small print. To set the dimmer, press and
release the knob, then rotate to set the desired light intensity. When this is done, press and release
the knob to exit the set mode.

When there is NO GPS the directional gyro operates in the free gyro mode, and the label
above the far left soft key is SET DG. When this button is pressed, the left knob is used to set the
DG to the magnetic compass. As is the case with any free gyro this procedure is to be repeated
periodically as required.

OPERATION OF THE EFIS PILOT

When the autopilot is not engaged operation and labels are the same as the basic EFIS
except for the presence of the AP button. When the autopilot is engaged, the right hand knob is
dedicated to selecting vertical speed. The [BARO] label is now just above the right knob. To
adjust the barometer, press and release the knob to enter the Baro set mode, and then rotate the
knob, press and release the knob to ENTER. The button to the left of AP is labeled with NAV or
GPSS. This mode is turned on or off by pressing the knob. Rotation of the directional knob also
turns off the NAV or GPS mode. When GPSS mode is engaged GPSV appears above the button
to the right of AP. Further information on GPS steering is in the special functions section.

TruTrak Flight Systems 1 EFIS Autopilot Installation Manual
April 2009 8300-057 Rev D

Mechanical Installation Considerations

PROGRAMMER INSTALLATION

Mounting Considerations
The EFIS Series unit is designed to mount in the aircraft instrument panel within view and reach of the

pilot. The primary unit location should minimize pilot head movement when transitioning between
looking outside of the cockpit and viewing/operating the EFIS Series unit. Maximum recommended
viewing angle should be no more than 20 deg. The maximum mounting angle the EFIS can accommodate
is 12 degrees longitudinal axis and 0 degrees lateral axis. The location should be such that the EFIS Series
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 EFIS programmer.

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 EFIS 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 EFIS components.

RFI/EMI considerations

The EFIS programmer 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 poorly­shielded antenna lines or strobe light power lines, there is no need to shield the servo harnesses. The
EFIS itself has been internally protected from RF interference and has been test ed 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 panel­mounted 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. The CWS wire should be shielded with the shield connection to
pin 19 of the autopilot connector or a close suitable ground point.

Pitot and Static Connections

The TruTrak EFIS require connections to the Pitot and static lines, see page 8. The preferred method of
this connection would be tee fittings near the aircraft’s airspeed indicator. 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 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 EFIS only or a dedicated static port close to the autopilot. Obviously, an insufficiently-large
orifice coupled with large static reservoirs can aggravate the problems associated with lag.

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Servo Installation

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 180° away 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).

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THE DISPLAY

Consider first the pitch display. Motion of the pitch display short term is gyroscopic as it must be
to fly in IMC. Long term it is VSI. This is a special case of a presentation used in the military called
VELOCITY VECTOR. This display has two advantages. The first is that it provides an instantaneous
vertical speed presentation. The second is that when the reference airplane is on the horizon the aircraft is
neither climbing nor descending. This eliminates the need for adjusting the position of the pitch reference
airplane to compensate for the angle the fuselage is flying. The resulting benefit of this concept is that it
makes holding altitude easier (not only in straight flight but also in turns). It is a fact that next to AOA,
airspeed provides the best warning of approaching a stall. For this reason the airspeed pointer flashes red
when a pre-set minimum airspeed safely above a stall is reached. There are critics of this concept who
believe that attitude is an indicator of approaching a stall. NOT SO, attitude alone is not at all such an
indicator.

The HSI is placed below the horizon
as in the larger more expensive
displays. It is in the form of an
ellipse for two reasons. First, an
ellipse when compared with a circle
of the same height provides a broader
scale at the top where it is read.
Second, it looks as a circle would
when laid out on the ground ahead of
the aircraft. When a DIRECT TO or
FLIGHT PLAN is set into the GPS
this display becomes an HSI. The
boldness of this high quality display
in combination with its location
enhances the fly ability of the overall
instrument. Finally, the HSI contains
features that make functions available
that are not found in other low cost
systems. These are described in other sections.

The analog presentations of airspeed and altitude are based on the belief that in some cases round
is better. It will be noted that after having tried other presentations the automobile industry is back to
round instruments. Nothing in the modern world of vertical tapes compares with the dynamic effect of a
white needle moving around a black altimeter dial. As a target altitude is approached it is natural for the
pilot to slow the needle velocity so as to arrive at the altitude without overshoot. The difference is that in
this system the dials rotate about fixed pointers, but the relative motion retains the same effect as the
moving pointer. In addition, the rotating altimeter dial further enhances the motion factor. To satisfy
personal preference the display can be switched back and forth between round and rectangular, even in
flight. Of those who have tried both the choices have been almost unanimous in favor of the round.

Within the bank angle scale indicators are inserted which show the angle for a standard rate turn.
These indicators move outward on the bank angle scale as airspeed increases. Placed above the bank
angle scale is an inclinometer that looks just like a conventional ball in a curved tube.

Still another convenient feature is the optional presentation of important engine data in the pilot’s
direct field of vision displayed across the top of the instrument.

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April 2009 8300-057 Rev D

Automatic Arrival Transition

In an aircraft tracking a course inbound to a destination airport, the letters CRS will appear above

the far left soft key when the distance becomes less than 30 miles. When CRS is showing, the autopilot
can be programmed to fly a transition from the enroute arrival course to a selected arrival course set into
the HSI. This is not intended to be
used in an IFR approach but instead
as a convenience for the low time
pilot in arriving at an un-familiar
airport or for the over loaded pilot in
marginal VFR weather.

To initiate the automatic
arrival mode, press CRS, select the
desired runway course, and click the
APPR button. The autopilot will n

ow
fly the entire arrival path to the
desired runway. An additional
feature of the automatic arrival mode
can be used to position the aircraft
according to the desired right or left
hand pattern. After setting the
inbound course press enter instead of
APPR to remain in track mode. Once the desired aircraft position is established, press CRS then APPR to
initiate the automatic arrival. This procedure works regardless of the direction of the inbound course and
that of the selected approach course to the airport.

PRESS CRS – SELECT COURSE – PRESS APPR

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Flight Systems 5 EFIS Autopilot Installation Manu

Operating controls

As with our autopilot products, extensive attention has been given to providing the simplest operation.
No sequential pressing of buttons is required to reach basic control functions and no additional button
pressing is required to set values.

Button labels – White - mode is OFF

Green - mode is ON

Click – Momentarily push and release

any knob or button

Press – Push and hold any knob or

button for 2 seconds and release

Enter – Click appropriate knob

BARO & TRK SELECTION

In the TruTrak EFIS display, both barometer BARO and direction TRK are set by rotation of dedicated
knobs.

DIMMING

Dimming of the display is accomplished by a Click of the left knob
[DIM] and then rotating the knob Counter Clock wise to reduce the
display illumination. External dimmer input will only control the
button illumination.

DIRECTION GYRO

Normally this adjustment will not be necessary, as the HSI will be
slaved to a GPS NMEA source. If there is a loss of the GPS source
then the internal gyro backup will maintain the DG. Click the soft key
(button) beneath SET DG provides a screen for correction of any drift
in the DG that may occur by rotating the left knob to set the DG, and
then click ENTER.
Natural progression will be reduced with repeated DG SET.

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ALTITUDE BUG

Click the soft key beneath ALT
provides a screen for preselecting
the altitude. The GREEN BUG on
the altimeter will move to the closest
100 ft mark of the current altitude.
Then rotating the right hand knob
SELECT ALT will allow the
altitude to be selected. Each step of
the rotary encoder moves the bug 500 ft. while depressing the knob and rotating provides 100 ft. steps and
then click ENTER. The altitude bug will never move out of view but will remain ether at the top of the
altimeter to indicate selected altitude is above current altitude or the bottom to indicate selected altitude is
below current altitude. The selected altitude setting can always be seen above the SEL or ALT after
selection on the display.
EFIS AP II will NOT preselect altitude in AP mode.

GPS INFORMATION

The HSI requires GPS NMEA information to function correctly. If the
primary serial connection and communication protocols have been
setup correctly, the EFIS display will display GPS/HSI information as
shown. If not then the Display will show NO GPS and only the DG
will be operational.
When a flight plan has been entered into the GPS, the HSI will display
a Course to the first waypoint. The deviation bar will offset to show
the aircraft present position compared to the desired track. The small

yellow diamond shaped bug is the DIRECTION TO WAYPOINT bug.
Setting the HSI CRS pointer is accomplished by clicking the soft key

beneath CRS to enter the set up screen. Rotation of the left knob
selects the course, click ENTER to set.

All EFIS with RS-232 (NMEA) input will have GPS NAV (NAV) but
will overfly the waypoint then intercept new the track at about a 45
degree angle.

The EFIS AP IV has the ability to perform GPSS and GPSV
commands from the programming of the GPS unit communicating
across ARINC wires to the EFIS AP. The GPSV requires a GPS
approach to communicate GPSV information to the EFIS AP IV.
Valid information is required to allow the GPSV button to be engaged.
When GPSS and/or GPSV are engaged the steering commands come
from the flight plan programmed in the GPS. See page 15.

AP IV SHOWN

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SETUP SCREENS

STYLE, ATT, ZERO, INFO, UNITS, BALL, ALERTS, SPEEDS, SERIAL, LAT AP, YD, VRT AP,
AUDIO

To enter the setup screen the press
the right knob until SETUP shows
below the HSI then click the soft k

ey
below SETUP at the same time.
Click the button below any selection
to enter and adjust that function.
Click the MORE button or rotate
the right knob to progress through
the different setup selections.

With a dual EFIS system, most
setting that apply to both the EFIS
and EMS will change on both units
when set on one. With the EDM
(Engine Data Module) option,
engine information can be selected
under the ENGINE page.
See EMS installation manual for
more information.

Rotate the right knob NEXT on the first page to enter the AP setup pages.
Click the right knob to return to the main screen.

STYLE

Click ether ROUND gauge or RECT tape style airspeed and altimeter
gauges.

Click the right knob to return to the SETUP screen.

ATT & ZERO

Click ATT, OFF or ON to select
aircraft attitude indication in the
center of the EFIS horizon. This
will display the VSI indication on
the left side with round style and on
the right side with tape style gauges.
The attitude can be zeroed for level
flight for different aircraft by
clicking the ZERO soft key button
at any time.

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INFO

This button will display the information about all the components that
are connected to the EFIS communication buss, Serial numbers,
Software version, and Model type. The LEFT KNOB must be clicked
to return to the main page.

UNITS

Under this button the UNIT of
measure for the

BARO ( IN HG, MBAR) or
DIST (NM, MI, KM) readouts can

be set.

BALL

After installation in the aircraft, center the ball by rotating the right
knob.

Click the right knob to return to the SETUP screen.

ALERTS

LOW AS will set the airspeed

warning in KTS
or if set to “0” airspeed, OFF.

The airspeed (0-300 KTS) that is
selected by the right knob will cause
the needle on the airspeed gauge to
flash red below your selected
airspeed.

Click the right knob to return to the SETUP screen.

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