Butterfly traffic display: firmware update available

On Friday, July 24, 2020 at 2:33:48 PM UTC-4, wrote:
So "newer FLARM protocol" means the display will become compatible
with the version 8 and/or 9 of the PF protocol?
Wonder if you can elaborate on what one gains by moving
from protocol 7 to either 8 or 9. thanks!

Robert

FLARM provides extremely good backwards compatibility;
a display device can request an older protocol and it just works.
Butterfly code had a few minor issues that cropped up over the years,
like parsing assumptions that used to be OK but became invalid over time.
Butterfly now requests version 7 which all operational devices support.
Details of changes in 8 and 9 are in the protocol documentation chapter 6;
not important for most users (especially in USA) nor for Butterfly.

Hope that helps!
Best Regards, Dave

Thank you Dave!

Dave,

First, thanks for all this work for the soaring community.

Questions - Why didn't Air Avionics (nee Butterfly Avionics*) resolve these issues rather than you needing to step in? Has the company orphaned software updates for the entire line of Butterfly devices (which I think has been sold as late as 2017)?

I get that no device's support goes on forever. But to me this doesn't lend confidence with this manufacturer.

Your take?

Thanks again,
John

On Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 7:54:12 AM UTC-7, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
Dave,

First, thanks for all this work for the soaring community.

Questions - Why didn't Air Avionics (nee Butterfly Avionics*) resolve these issues rather than you needing to step in? Has the company orphaned software updates for the entire line of Butterfly devices (which I think has been sold as late as 2017)?

I get that no device's support goes on forever. But to me this doesn't lend confidence with this manufacturer.

Your take?

Thanks again,
John

Actually, a manufacturer releasing the source code to a 3rd party to update an obsolete product is highly unusual, and exemplary support. It is almost unheard of. Now I wish Air Avionics would do that for the Butterfly vario (still the best in the world).

On Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 3:43:24 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
Now I wish Air Avionics would do that for the Butterfly vario
(still the best in the world).

Different developers.
Of course, I'm working a bit on something new here ;-)

OK,

I'll bite. What are you working on?

On Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 3:43:24 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
...a manufacturer releasing the source code to a 3rd party ...
is highly unusual...

Except I'm hardly a "3rd party", as these guys are extremely
familiar with my work, on PowerFLARM at least one other project...