Best Place for Garmin G5 (2) Install - Driving Century 41 Autopilot

[A1Topgun]

Recently I have noticed my EdoAir artificial horizon has developed ED. It has become VERY slow to erect and tumbles and wobbles for 10 - 15 minutes before it is stable. It is the input for the Century 41 autopilot which (still) works very well. I am debating the install of dual Garmin G5's to replace the AH and DG. I have some reservations about my local shop and would like to tap the POA brain trust as to best shops for G5 installs which tie to heritage autopilots.
So, where are the best avionics shops, preferably in the North East?

 

[Ryan Klems]

G5 cannot provide the attitude source for your autopilot. It can provide heading/course error to the AP for nav and heading bug tracking/GPSS as the HSI but you'd either need to do a GI-275 ADAHRS+AP for the AI or fix and keep the vacuum AI (can move it to the TC location and pull the TC, as long as you don't have a flight director).

 

[A1Topgun]

Local shop said I would need an add on Garmin digital to analog coupler to interface the Century 41. Yes, No?

 

[Ryan Klems]

Yes, that's sort of true, but not the whole story. You have to add the GAD29B to interface the G5's to the Century 41, but that will _only_ output course and heading error signals. The G5 system cannot provide attitude source to any third party autopilot, it can only provide that for the GFC500. Your options in Garmin products to do so would be the GI-275 ADAHRS+AP unit or a G500 TXi + GAD43. If you want G5's and want to keep your existing autopilot functional you would have to retain your vacuum attitude indicator (Or install a 52D67ME/52D67ME-1 electric AI w/AP pickoffs, but it would be better and more cost effective to do GI-275 IMHO). This has been a common stumbling block for a lot of folks, they see the the G5 supports their autopilot, but not realizing that it only supports the HSI signals, _not_ the attitude signals.

 

[NealRomeoGolf]

I think you've proved why not to use your local shop. I'd just repeat why Ryan said so I've got nothing else.

 

[Fracpilot]

Here’s my set up with my Century 2000 and 2x G5’s with the GAD29. As you can see, I had to keep the vacuum driven attitude indicator to run the Century 2000.

The GI275 came out after my install or I would’ve installed those. I think the GI275 will “drive” the Century AP’s and eliminate the need to have the vacuum attitude indicator in place. I could be wrong though.

The get the Century AP’s to work in GPS Nav mode, you leave the Century AP in heading mode the entire time. On the G5, you select GPSS to fly GPS Nav or turn it off to use the heading bug on the G5 for AP steering

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LesGawlik]

Could G5s be used to drive a new Trio ProPilot AP? Would I get vertical guidance on RNAV approaches?

 

[WannFly]

Here’s my set up with my Century 2000 and 2x G5’s with the GAD29. As you can see, I had to keep the vacuum driven attitude indicator to run the Century 2000.

The GI275 came out after my install or I would’ve installed those. I think the GI275 will “drive” the Century AP’s and eliminate the need to have the vacuum attitude indicator in place. I could be wrong though.

The get the Century AP’s to work in GPS Nav mode, you leave the Century AP in heading mode the entire time. On the G5, you select GPSS to fly GPS Nav or turn it off to use the heading bug on the G5 for AP steering

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i had this exact same setup and worked very well, well until my 480 crapped out

 

[N1120A]

Do not do G5s if you intend to have any autopilot that isn't made by Garmin. The GI275s literally will save you money by avoiding the GAD29B.

 

[bnt83]

The GI275s literally will save you money by avoiding the GAD29B.

No way. The GI275 HSI with autopilot interface alone costs almost as much as a dual G5 system with GAD29B adapter. (The sarasota avionics add does not say if this includes dual standby batteries or just a single)

The G5 standby batteries are 1/2 the cost of the GI275 batteries, all G5s have internal ADHARS (cheap GI275 do not have an ADHARS) GI275 autopilot interface is $900 on Sarasota.

 

[Jon Wilder]

@Ryan Klems is correct. The G5 cannot replace a primary attitude indicator that includes a flight director or is part of an autopilot system.

However, a GI 275 ADAHRS+AP programmed as Primary ADI can replace your primary gyro as both your primary ADI and autopilot attitude reference with this autopilot.

Another note I will mention is that if this will be mounted in a shock mounted panel (such as a Beechcraft), the panel must either be made solid (convert the shock mounts to solid mounts and support the panel so that it cannot move) or an external AHRS on a solid mount will be necessary (such as a GRS 77 or GRS 79). This should be self explanatory, but I've ran into a few Beechcraft Bonanzas with KFC 200 autopilots and a GI 275 ADAHRS+AP ADI serving as the autopilot attitude reference mounted in panels that are still shock mounted...and many of them have had aged shock mounts, which exacerbates the issue. Bottom line...if it's being used as the autopilot attitude reference, it MUST pass the vibration test with very low % numbers to prevent things like wing rock and pitch porpoising.

 

[Jack Presley]

Interesting thread. Just bought a 210 with a single G5 installed as a backup. He kept the vacuum driven artificial horizon and the DG. Cessna 400b auto-pilot. Thought I could add a G5 HSI (to have a stack), gad29b and remove the vacuum system -- and have full autopilot integration. Guess not.

 

[Jon Wilder]

Interesting thread. Just bought a 210 with a single G5 installed as a backup. He kept the vacuum driven artificial horizon and the DG. Cessna 400b auto-pilot. Thought I could add a G5 HSI (to have a stack), gad29b and remove the vacuum system -- and have full autopilot integration. Guess not.

You could do the dual G5 setup. While the vacuum AH and vacuum system would have to be retained, the G5 installation manual authorizes the vacuum AH to be relocated to the turn coordinator position when being retained as the autopilot attitude reference as long as it is without flight director. So the G5 can still serve as the primary attitude display.

 

[LesGawlik]

What about a new install of an AP? Suppose I have 2 G5s and no vacuum system. I want to add a GFC 500. Do I have to put the vacuum system back in? I thought a G5 could display FD data for a GFC 500.

 

[Jack Presley]

You could do the dual G5 setup. While the vacuum AH and vacuum system would have to be retained, the G5 installation manual authorizes the vacuum AH to be relocated to the turn coordinator position when being retained as the autopilot attitude reference as long as it is without flight director. So the G5 can still serve as the primary attitude display.

Thank you.

They flush mounted the G5 where the turn coordinator was located so it'll look bad, but- just a cosmetic issue for me to get over. Was hoping to find an engine monitor that would fit in that square hole.

 

[TommyG]

What about a new install of an AP? Suppose I have 2 G5s and no vacuum system. I want to add a GFC 500. Do I have to put the vacuum system back in? I thought a G5 could display FD data for a GFC 500.

The G5 and GFC 500 were made to work together. So you do not need a vacuum system in order for that to work.

 

[Jon Wilder]

What about a new install of an AP? Suppose I have 2 G5s and no vacuum system. I want to add a GFC 500. Do I have to put the vacuum system back in? I thought a G5 could display FD data for a GFC 500.

The G5 can display FD information for Garmin autopilots only. No FD for 3rd party autopilots. The GFC 500, like the G5, interfaces the control head and all servos via CAN bus (only manual electric trim signaling and autopilot disconnect discretes are on their own interfaces). ADAHRS information is supplied by the G5. No vacuum system necessary.