Anyone upgraded from S-TEC 55x to 3100

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Kynadog

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Kynadog
As the title says, has anyone here upgraded from the 55x to the 3100? I’ve seen threads devoted to whether to upgrade an older autopilot to a 55x or to a 3100, but none devoted to upgrading from a 55x to a 3100. For those who have done it, I’d be curious to hear your experience and impressions.

Thanks.
 
A guy at my airport did that to a 310. It was part of a whole panel upgrade, but he is very happy with the capabilities of the 3100. I think he was the first to have that specific Garmin navigator paired to the 3100, so it took some work to get it just right. I understand it’s amazing now and the tech support at STEC was great.
 
I upgraded the 55X in my T210L to a 3100. It's been a good upgrade for me, I much, much prefer IAS to VS for climbs (since the 55X would be happy to fly the airplane in to a stall if you called for a VS it couldn't maintain). I had one issue where the electric trim became intermittent. After some troubleshooting it was determined that the computer would sometimes fail to send power to the trim servo (maybe a cold solder joint or intermittent chip issue in the computer). Genesys sent a replacement computer to try and it's been solid ever since. There are a couple small things that I'd love to see fixed/changed and which Genesys has said they are working on. 1) My airplane ('75) is a MPH airplane and 3100 only shows IAS in KTS ... so when I set 110 MPH for climb, computer shows 95, so just a bit "odd" but not a huge deal 2) I'd love to have VNAV support like the GFC autopilots have.
 
I upgraded from an STEC 55 (but with GPSS and preselect, so effectively a 55X, from my understanding) to a 3100 about 2 years ago in my T210N. It was one of the first units from Genesys, and I have been incredibly happy with it. It is leaps and bounds more precise than my 55 was in every mode of operation, but especially with NAV capture and APR. The altitude preselect on the 55 was always a bit sloppy (possibly in part because the baro can only be set to tenths), and that issue is gone on the 3100. I echo the feedback about IAS climbs. The only quirky behavior that I really don't like is that syncing the VS bug from my G500 TXi to the 3100 is a little weird... I have to reset the VS knob on the PFD after selecting VS mode on the autopilot before it takes.
 
If those who have done the upgrade don't mind...what did it cost from start to finish?
 
I upgraded the 55X in my 414 to the 3100. I was an early adopter and one of the first 414's to have the 3100. Upgrade and labor were about 12K as U recall. I don't have the yaw damper. I really like the unit, and as mentioned IAS climb is great. However, I do not have the action in the roll axis that I want. In bumps a rolling motion starts, and the 3100 doesn't damp it out like it should. Also it overshoots heading changes and takes a few S-turns to get on course. Genesys (so far) will not let the shops adjust the gain on any of the axes, so I sit waiting for help from the factory. They know my issue, but as of today haven't given me any schedule to make it right.
 
Last I talked to my avionics guy, he said the 3100 wasn’t compatible with the Garmin G5, only the Aspen. Anyone know if that has that changed?
 
TommyG said:
Last I talked to my avionics guy, he said the 3100 wasn’t compatible with the Garmin G5, only the Aspen. Anyone know if that has that changed?
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The 3100 will work with a steam panel, so not sure why it wouldn't work with the G5. The 3100 has a built in attitude source, which can be primary in the case of no external attitude source being available. An Aspen or G500 can provide ADAHRS to the 3100, but a G5 cannot, but it should be able to use the internal attitude just fine in that case. When interfacing with a steam panel they would provide a Sandia Air Data Computer, but your G5 should be able to provide that AirData info via a GAD29(B). I can't say for 100% sure that it'll work, but I see no reason it shouldn't be able to if it can work with a steam panel. You wouldn't get a flight director, or the various bugs (no Alt, VS, but I think heading would still work via the GAD29B) though I presume. Paging @Doug Tellef :)
 
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TommyG said:
Last I talked to my avionics guy, he said the 3100 wasn’t compatible with the Garmin G5, only the Aspen. Anyone know if that has that changed?
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I’m late to the party but it works great. Garmin appears to do their best to make it hard for anything non-Garmin to integrate with it. Luckily the STEC guys have a simple work around. I’ve flown over 120 hours with this setup and have no complaints.
 
Good Morning,


Sorry i am late to the party as well, but glad to hear all the positive reviews!

The Upgrade from a 55X to a 3100 is a list price of $9,995 if you already have an S-TEC electric trim installed or $11,495 if you do not. That is a savings of $10,000! Along with the discount on the system you will also be getting a 2 year warranty on the new parts AND a 1 year warranty on your existing servos! Additionally, during the upgrade your existing servos will be inspected and if they are found to be needing service or overhaul that will be taken care of under the 3100 warranty at no cost to you. If you do not already have an S-TEC Yaw damper system this is available for $5,000 and is highly recommended on twins. The YD with the 3100 is integrated with the autopilot to automatically keep you coordinated as compared to a standalone system as it was previously.

Genesys Aerosystems S-TEC 3100 is a fully featured, attitude-based autopilot that gives you a list of workload-reducing and safety-enhancing capabilities that were previously unavailable on aftermarket autopilots. Compatible with traditional steam gauges or advanced digital sources & EFIS displays from various manufacturers, the S-TEC 3100 delivers unmatched features and benefits:

• Precise, digital flight control for every phase of flight
• 2-axis (3-axis option on some models)
• Automatic Trim included
• Envelope Protection/Alerting*
• Straight and Level Recovery Button
• Precision Approaches/Missed Approaches
• Indicated Airspeed Hold*
• Altitude Preselect*
• And much more!
*Additional equipment may be required in some configurations

You already have GPSS built in to the 55X (unless it is a straight 55) but the 3100 can make much more use of all the digital data available for improved performance. Enroute VNAV eith a compatible EFIS and navigator is coming soon in a future update.

For more information on the 3100 please view this link:

https://genesys-aerosystems.com/products/s-tec-3100-digital-flight-control-system


The install is a bit more than just a head replacement, the existing servos will be inspected and serviced if necessary (under the 3100 warranty), a jumper harness from the 55X harness to the 3100 will need to be made, trim and yaw servos to be installed if not already present, and depending on your other installed avionics some interface wiring. It is not just a head swap, but also not as much as a complete system install either. You can find a list of S-TEC dealers here if you would like to call around to check on install prices and shop availability:

https://genesys-aerosystems.com/dealer-locator

Please let me know if I can provide any more information. Thank you.


clarkmueller said:
I upgraded from an STEC 55 (but with GPSS and preselect, so effectively a 55X, from my understanding) to a 3100 about 2 years ago in my T210N. It was one of the first units from Genesys, and I have been incredibly happy with it. It is leaps and bounds more precise than my 55 was in every mode of operation, but especially with NAV capture and APR. The altitude preselect on the 55 was always a bit sloppy (possibly in part because the baro can only be set to tenths), and that issue is gone on the 3100. I echo the feedback about IAS climbs. The only quirky behavior that I really don't like is that syncing the VS bug from my G500 TXi to the 3100 is a little weird... I have to reset the VS knob on the PFD after selecting VS mode on the autopilot before it takes.
Click to expand...

Are you on software version 1.3? There was some communication improvement made when interfaced with the G500/600/TXi series PFD's. The 3100 will talk to and listen to just about any avionics out there, the question is if they talk or listen back. In the case of the Garmin PFD's the 3100 will see changes made on the PFD and act accordingly, for example, if you make an alt pre-select or VS target change on the TXi the 3100 will see that and act accordingly (if in VS mode), however if you make the target change on the 3100, it will do as commanded, but since the TXi doesn't take that data in the bug will not move which can lead to some confusion.

Lance F said:
I upgraded the 55X in my 414 to the 3100. I was an early adopter and one of the first 414's to have the 3100. Upgrade and labor were about 12K as U recall. I don't have the yaw damper. I really like the unit, and as mentioned IAS climb is great. However, I do not have the action in the roll axis that I want. In bumps a rolling motion starts, and the 3100 doesn't damp it out like it should. Also it overshoots heading changes and takes a few S-turns to get on course. Genesys (so far) will not let the shops adjust the gain on any of the axes, so I sit waiting for help from the factory. They know my issue, but as of today haven't given me any schedule to make it right.
Click to expand...

Please email me your aircraft info and squawks so i can ensure that out team is aware of it. Doug.Tellef@genesys-aerosystems.com


TommyG said:
Last I talked to my avionics guy, he said the 3100 wasn’t compatible with the Garmin G5, only the Aspen. Anyone know if that has that changed?
Click to expand...

The 3100 will work with the G5 and a whole range of EFIS systems or steam gauges

Ryan Klems said:
The 3100 will work with a steam panel, so not sure why it wouldn't work with the G5. The 3100 has a built in attitude source, which can be primary in the case of no external attitude source being available. An Aspen or G500 can provide ADAHRS to the 3100, but a G5 cannot, but it should be able to use the internal attitude just fine in that case. When interfacing with a steam panel they would provide a Sandia Air Data Computer, but your G5 should be able to provide that AirData info via a GAD29(B). I can't say for 100% sure that it'll work, but I see no reason it shouldn't be able to if it can work with a steam panel. You wouldn't get a flight director, or the various bugs (no Alt, VS, but I think heading would still work via the GAD29B) though I presume. Paging @Doug Tellef :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ping Ryan, not sure how I missed the notification. The 3100 is capable of interfacing with the G5 and in fact there has been recent BIG improvements made to this interface as well, SIL's are starting to be released in regards to this...
 
Thanks for checking back in Doug. I sent you an email.
 
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