IFD550 and CGR-30P

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   With my group aircraft we have an Avidyne IFD550 and use Electronics International Inc CGR-30P Engine Analyser.
The issue the group are experiencing with the IFD550 is initially populating the fuel quantity in the fuel management dialog box after engine start from the CGR-30P.

The CGR-30P which has no independent on/off switch and is powered on via the Master Switch prior to engine start. Engine start then the avionics are switched on including the IFD550. The IDF550 initialises and then displays the fuel management dialog box. The only way we can get the fuel quantity to populate in the IFD550 fuel management dialog box, is to pull the circuit breaker for the CGR-30P for a few seconds. 

This is all well and good, but the circuit breaker is being pulled after every engine start, which is storing up potential problems further down the line.

The required solution I feel would be some kind of secondary data handshake between both units post IFD550 initialisation, when the fuel management dialog box is displayed.

Has anybody else with this unit combination experienced similar problems? 

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Col037 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 02 Jul 2020 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote Col037 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: IFD550 and CGR-30P Posted: 06 Jul 2020 at 12:10pm
	With my group aircraft we have an Avidyne IFD550 and use Electronics International Inc CGR-30P Engine Analyser. The issue the group are experiencing with the IFD550 is initially populating the fuel quantity in the fuel management dialog box after engine start from the CGR-30P. The CGR-30P which has no independent on/off switch and is powered on via the Master Switch prior to engine start. Engine start then the avionics are switched on including the IFD550. The IDF550 initialises and then displays the fuel management dialog box. The only way we can get the fuel quantity to populate in the IFD550 fuel management dialog box, is to pull the circuit breaker for the CGR-30P for a few seconds. This is all well and good, but the circuit breaker is being pulled after every engine start, which is storing up potential problems further down the line. The required solution I feel would be some kind of secondary data handshake between both units post IFD550 initialisation, when the fuel management dialog box is displayed. Has anybody else with this unit combination experienced similar problems?

paulr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 24 Jan 2014 Status: Offline Points: 545	Post Options Post Reply Quote paulr Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Jul 2020 at 8:00am
	I had an identical problem with our CGR30P + IFD540 combination. To make a long and boring troubleshooting story short, swapping from COM2 to COM3 on the CGR fixed the problem, which was caused by a timing issue: the CGR would try to handshake when it booted (at master on) but the IFD was still off; when the IFD awoke, it didn't see any data. Until we fixed the wiring, the workaround was to switch the CGR from COM2 to COM3 and then back to COM2 while the IFD was powered up. You can also fix this after power-on by going into the CGR maintenance mode (see the manual for details) and swapping the COM port assignment and then swapping it back (e.g. if it's on COM2, set it to COM3 then right back to COM2). This will allow the CGR to listen for fuel data and the IFD will display fuel data properly until the next power cycle.