DigiFlight II Series Autopilots Installation Manual 8300-008 Rev D TRUTRAK FLIGHT SYSTEMS 1500 S. Old Missouri Road Springdale, AR 72764 Ph: 479-751-0250 Fax: 479-751-3397 www.trutrakap.
INSTALLATION MANUAL For DigiFlight II Series Autopilots TABLE OF CONTENTS Mechanical Considerations...........................................................................................................................................1 Pitot / Static Connections..............................................................................................................................................2 RFI / EMI Considerations.............................................................................
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.
PROGRAMMER INSTALLATION Mounting Considerations The DII programmer 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 DII can accommodate is 12 degrees longitudinal axis and 0 degrees lateral axis. The primary unit location should minimize pilot head movement when transitioning between looking outside of the cockpit and viewing/operating the programmer unit.
DigiFlight II Series Ground Checkout Must be performed before first flight Once wiring is completed the autopilot should be tested in the aircraft while on the ground. The first step is to enter the setup mode on the autopilot and set all parameters to their correct values. Apply power to the autopilot programmer. The initial screen should be displayed, along with the words PWR UP in the lower-right of the display.
The VRT ACTIVITY is displayed. Rotate the knob as necessary to set the vertical activity value to a value of 2. Push the ALT button to move to the next setup screen. The next setup screen is VRT TORQUE. Insure that the value displayed is set to the maximum value of 12. Once that is done, press the ALT button to advance to the next setup screen. The next screen allows a MIN AIRSPD to be set.
DigiFlight II DigiFlight IIVS The autopilot programmer unit needs to be out of the panel, so that it can be gently tipped fore-and aft to simulate nose-up and nose-down flight. If the autopilot is tipped in a nose-down maneuver, the control should move in such a way as to attempt to move the control yoke or stick back, in an effort to raise the nose of the aircraft. Similarly, a nose-up tipping of the autopilot should push the yoke or stick forward in an effort to lower the nose of the aircraft.
DII ONLY: TAP “ALT” BUTTON TO ENGAGE ALT HOLD. MOVE TAIL UP AT LEAST A FOOT AND ELEVATOR MUST MOVE UP AT SAME TIME. MOVE TAIL DOWN AT LEAST A FOOT AND ELEVATOR MUST MOVE DOWN AT SAME TIME. The next step in the check-out procedure is to verify that the serial input from the GPS receiver is being properly received and interpreted. With the aircraft outside of any building, Apply power to the GPS panel-mount receiver and the autopilot.
Next, the LAT TORQUE field is adjusted. Again, it is best that this be done in light to moderate turbulence. The reason is that more torque is required of the autopilot in turbulence than is the case in still air, because the velocity of the servo is greater as turbulence requires more rapid servo movement. This means that when activity is set to the high end of the acceptable range, a higher torque setting will be required.
system, and the micro activity setting is a way to compensate for the lost motion. Press the ALT button to move to the next setup screen. The HALF-STEP setting in most cases will not need to be changed. If the half step setting is set to Y (yes), then the pitch servo will now have higher resolution, and take smaller steps. While this setting will make the servo take smaller steps, it will decrease the amount of available torque.
Electrical Pin-out All TruTrak DigiFlight II series (DigiFlight II, DigiFlight IIVS, and DigiFlight IIVSG) 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.
DigiFlight II Wiring Diagram TruTrak Flight System December 2009 10 DigiFlight II Series Auto Pilot Installation Manual 8300-008 Rev D
DigiFlight II Series Block Diagram DigiFlight II Series with Pitch Trim Block Diagram TruTrak Flight System December 2009 11 DigiFlight II Series Auto Pilot Installation Manual 8300-008 Rev D
DigiFlight II Series with Yaw Damper Option Block Diagram TruTrak Flight System December 2009 12 DigiFlight II Series Auto Pilot Installation Manual 8300-008 Rev D
GPS Setup Guide Many new handheld GPS’s have adequate output required to fly a TruTrak autopilot. Although most support data output not all handhelds will provide consistent and reliable information required to fly all TruTrak autopilots. Therefore, some handhelds will not fly the airplane well. Performance may decline by putting the processor in high-load situations. We require a data output rate of once per second for best performance. Some handhelds output data at longer intervals than once per second.
Garmin 296 The Garmin 296 must be configured to provide the correct output to the autopilot. Press the MENU key twice. Use the rocker keypad to select the SETUP in the vertical tabs. Use the rocker keypad to select the ‘COM 1’ tab. Press the down portion of the rocker keypad to select the ‘FORMAT’ field. Press ENTER and a popup window will show the available settings. Use the rocker keypad to select ‘NMEA IN / NMEA OUT’ then press ENTER. Select 4800 for the baud rate.
Garmin 155XL/250XL/300XL J1 on Garmin unit Garmin 155XL/250XL/300XL connections to TruTrak autopilot Signal Name Signal Name (Garmin) (TruTrak) P101 on TruTrak DII 19 GPS RS 232 OUT 2 Primary Serial Input 17 16 GPS ARINC 429 OUT A ARINC-A 14 15 GPS ARINC 429 OUT B ARINC-B 15 Press & hold MSG, rotate outer knob until I/O setup page is displayed. Press CRSR twice and rotate inner knob to select “plotting” for output to autopilot.
UPSAT GX-50/60/65 37-Pin Connector on UPSAT GX-50/60/65 5 or 22 UPSAT GX-50/60/65 connections to TruTrak autopilot Signal Name Signal Name (UPSAT) (TruTrak) Use pin 5 – TxD1 – if GX has no GPSS Primary Serial Input P101 on TruTrak DII 17 Use pin 22 – TxD2 – if GX has GPSS Power the GX-50/60/65 up and turn it on while holding down the leftmost and rightmost “smart keys.” Rotate the LARGE knob to the Serial Interface Configuration “CH RX TX” page.
KMD 150 Power the KMD 150 up and turn it full bright. Press the MENU button then the SETUP button then the INST & DIAGS button then the DATA IN/OUT. Change the DATA OUT PUT to NEMA 0183 the manual states the Baud rate is 9600. The output pin is pin 11 and connects to the Primary Serial input on the auto pilot controller. You will need to match 9600 Baud rate in the auto pilot.
Magnetic Calibration The DigiFlight II autopilot contains a built-in magnetometer which is used to maintain gyro centering and slaving for the builtin Electronic DG of the autopilot in case of GPS loss. Magnetic calibration operation should be done on a day when the winds are relatively calm, so that air is still and heading and ground track are approximately the same in all directions. The operation should be deferred until such flight conditions exist.
Definitions Note: Not all settings appear in every autopilot. ACTIVITY (Setting range 0 – 24) The velocity at which the servo moves the control surface. The higher the number the more movement you will see in the control surface. With a standard servo (DSB-X, DSP-X) you should start at 0 then work your way up in flight to set the level for your aircraft. The High Torque Servo (DSB-HB, DSB-HC) has a different gear ratio, so an Activity setting of 12 will be equal to about 0.
MAX AIRSPD (Setting Range 0-399) This setting is the maximum airspeed in knots that the autopilot will fly the aircraft. Example: If the aircraft is in a decent and the power is not reduced so as to keep the airspeed below the MAX AIRSPD setting, the autopilot will raise the nose until MAX AIRSPD setting is met. NORM CLIMB (Setting Range 0-399) This setting is the airspeed, in knots, that the autopilot will start a climb when a preselected altitude is selected.
RETURN MERCHANDISE POLICY AND PROCEDURE Under no circumstances should products be returned to TruTrak without first obtaining a Return of Merchandise Authorization number (RMA #) from TruTrak. An RMA# may be obtained by contacting us at 866-878-8725. Products that do not have an RMA # will not be processed. Please include documentation stating the reason for the return and describing any symptoms, failure modes, suspected causes of damage, diagnostics performed, data collected, etc.
TRUTRAK FLIGHT SYSTEMS 1500 S. Old Missouri Road Springdale, AR 72764 Ph: 479-751-0250 Fax: 479-751-3397 Toll free: 866-TRUTRAK 866-(878-8725) www.trutrakap.
