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New GPS from Honeywell/Bendix-King in the works
Another post has raised my curiosity about the availabity of GPSS converters
to provide pseudo roll steering inputs to our S-Tec 60-2 autopilot via our KLN 94 GPS and a converter. Long story short, at this time we're out of luck. The KLN 94 GPS outputs a RS232 signal that isn't tagged correctly for S-Tec's GPSS Converter (UPS GPS's RS232 signals are however) but the S-Tec converter would rather have an ARINC 429 signal to play with. DAC International's Converter has problems with the KLN94's slow update cycle of 3 seconds and produces a wandering S turning and constantly correcting snake path along the selected route. So after talking with S-Tec and DAC, I decided to call King. or Honeywell or who ever they are this week. The guy I talked to was genuinely enthused. He knew the problem of the KLN94 lacking the correct signal tags and said that rather than continuing to update the KLN94's software into areas that it hadn't been designed to be taken, they have a new panel mount GPS in the works. Not just on the drawing board, the new box's hardware has been completed and now they are adding features and options. I pressed him for details several times and he said that the new company really hasn't released any public information but he said there will be several "versions" of the box. I asked him what form or size factor it would take and if all of the KLN94 owners would have to rearrange their panels. He said no, the new company feels that they have a lot of KLN89B's and 94's out there and would like to give those customers a simple and cost effective way to "upgrade" and there will definitely be a version that may require a new tray, but will slide into the same hole. He said they are working on added optional features such as a larger form factor with larger screen, adding TCAS, moving map, and weather. I asked him if they were considering adding COM and NAV abilities ie Garmin's 430/530 and he said that although the company wouldn't let him announce it publicly, he could tell me that "the current hardware would allow those abilities and features." As far as the GPSS feature, he said that the new box would have an ARINC 429 output and that the box itself would have GPSS output capabilities that may eliminate the need for any GPSS converters. This lead me to ask if the new box GPSS outputs would be directly compatible with non King autopilots and all he would tell me was that the "new company was much more receptive to non-proprietary ideas than the old company and they've got a lot of plans and a lot of things are happening now." I told him I looked forward to stopping by their booth at OSH and he said they would have more information available then and would be happy to talk about what is new at Honeywell Bendix King. Jim |
#2
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"Jim Burns" wrote in message ... Another post has raised my curiosity about the availabity of GPSS converters to provide pseudo roll steering inputs to our S-Tec 60-2 autopilot via our KLN 94 GPS and a converter. Long story short, at this time we're out of luck. The KLN 94 GPS outputs a RS232 signal that isn't tagged correctly for S-Tec's GPSS Converter (UPS GPS's RS232 signals are however) but the S-Tec converter would rather have an ARINC 429 signal to play with. DAC International's Converter has problems with the KLN94's slow update cycle of 3 seconds and produces a wandering S turning and constantly correcting snake path along the selected route. Hmmm...I don;t get that with a KFC200 system. So after talking with S-Tec and DAC, I decided to call King. or Honeywell or who ever they are this week. The guy I talked to was genuinely enthused. He knew the problem of the KLN94 lacking the correct signal tags and said that rather than continuing to update the KLN94's software into areas that it hadn't been designed to be taken, they have a new panel mount GPS in the works. Not just on the drawing board, the new box's hardware has been completed and now they are adding features and options. I pressed him for details several times and he said that the new company really hasn't released any public information but he said there will be several "versions" of the box. I asked him what form or size factor it would take and if all of the KLN94 owners would have to rearrange their panels. He said no, the new company feels that they have a lot of KLN89B's and 94's out there and would like to give those customers a simple and cost effective way to "upgrade" and there will definitely be a version that may require a new tray, but will slide into the same hole. He said they are working on added optional features such as a larger form factor with larger screen, adding TCAS, moving map, and weather. I asked him if they were considering adding COM and NAV abilities ie Garmin's 430/530 and he said that although the company wouldn't let him announce it publicly, he could tell me that "the current hardware would allow those abilities and features." As far as the GPSS feature, he said that the new box would have an ARINC 429 output and that the box itself would have GPSS output capabilities that may eliminate the need for any GPSS converters. This lead me to ask if the new box GPSS outputs would be directly compatible with non King autopilots and all he would tell me was that the "new company was much more receptive to non-proprietary ideas than the old company and they've got a lot of plans and a lot of things are happening now." I told him I looked forward to stopping by their booth at OSH and he said they would have more information available then and would be happy to talk about what is new at Honeywell Bendix King. Another nice feature would be a GAMA output. |
#3
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"Matt Barrow" wrote in message ... Hmmm...I don;t get that with a KFC200 system. I'm not familiar with the KFC200, but could it be makeing use of the KLN94's DC roll steering output? Jim |
#4
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Hi again, Jim! I spoke to a King guy at AOPA's fly-in, and got a similar story. He said that the WAAS GPS engine had been designed, built, tested etc. but that the final form of the product hadn't been decided. He said there were two camps -- those who wanted a stand-alone navigator to replace the KLN-94, and those who wanted a GPS-NAV-COM to go after the 430/530. His preference was for the former, but he didn't know how it would go. He doubted, though, that they'd do both. My own guess would be that they'd go for the KLN-94 style product, as they have a huge installed base of KLN-89/90B/94 users with KX-155/165/155A/165A units in their panels. Mike. |
#5
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It almost sounded like a Motherboard/daughterboard type setup, This fit. The guy at AOPA talked about the GPS board, and other boards... |
#6
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Hi Mike,
This sounds like the same story I heard today, BUT, it sounds like the two camps are closer together. It really sounded like the COM/NAV featurs would be available as options in a KLN94 style upgraded box, however, that version may take on a larger size format, so I suppose if you wanted that version it really wouldn't be a slide in replacement, but would function similarly to the KLN94 so the learning curve wouldn't be too steep. For those who didn't want the COM/NAV, TCAS, or MFD type features, a version would be available that will be the same size as the 94. It almost sounded like a Motherboard/daughterboard type setup, because he mentioned "adding" features and options to a standard box but that upgradeable box may be larger size where the standard 94 swapable box may not be able to take on all the features of the big box. Jim |
#7
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Oh, and he said that they would definately have an upgrade program available
to the 94 owners, "maybe" the 90B owners, but probably not the 89B owners. Now the question that I just thought of, after reading your response a second time.... Could they be designing a "standard" 94 replacement (small version), and in addition was he hinting that the larger box with the Com/Nav card being the correct height to replace both a 94 and one KX155?? We've got dual KX155's, and for the right price I'd give them the 94 and a 155 for a WASS GPSS capable 3-in 1 430 type product with a larger screen capable of displaying additional MFD inputs over the moving GPS map. Especially if it was updated with only one subscription! Jim "Mike Granby" wrote in message oups.com... Hi again, Jim! I spoke to a King guy at AOPA's fly-in, and got a similar story. He said that the WAAS GPS engine had been designed, built, tested etc. but that the final form of the product hadn't been decided. He said there were two camps -- those who wanted a stand-alone navigator to replace the KLN-94, and those who wanted a GPS-NAV-COM to go after the 430/530. His preference was for the former, but he didn't know how it would go. He doubted, though, that they'd do both. My own guess would be that they'd go for the KLN-94 style product, as they have a huge installed base of KLN-89/90B/94 users with KX-155/165/155A/165A units in their panels. Mike. |
#8
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Explain this "new company"/"old company" thing to me?
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#9
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Yaayyy! (provisionally)
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