G3X database updates

[PT20J]

The G3X doesn’t support Database Concierge. So, if I want to keep everything current, I will need to download to an SD card for the G3X, another SD card for the GTN 650Xi, and a USB drive for the GNC 255. I could buy a Flightstream 510 for the 650 and update it from the iPad, but it hardly seems worth it if I have to program cards for the other devices. Aside from the expense, this updating seems like a royal PITA. I can certainly live without updating the GNC 255, but I’m wondering about the G3X.

Currently with my Aspen PFD and GNS 430W, I only update the 430 on 28 day cycles but rarely update the PFD (well, never, to be honest).

I’m wondering how often G3X owners are updating. Has anyone run into any issues by not updating every cycle so long as the external GPS is up to date?

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[laytonl]

I was thinking about that today while flying.  I haven’t updated mine since installing last summer.  Don’t know if I will update.  I keep the 530 updated on the 28 day cycle.  Lee

[ArtVandelay]

Can you connect to G3X via Bluetooth and transfer flight plan from Garmin Pilot? And then transfer to GPS? If yes, then it would be a problem if there’s a new waypoint that G3X doesn’t have.

[carusoam]

1) Primary nav is critical to be updated...

2) Never know when your favorite intersection gets erased and replaced by something else...

3) What happens when... you navigate with your flight plan in the GTN... (keeping the GTN updated every 28days...)

• The plan is graphically displayed on the small screen... great for error checking.
• GPSS has the plane follow the plan flawlessly from start to finish...
• What would happen when the G3X comes upon a missing waypoint...?
• Is there a picture of a radio tower to depict the intersection?

4) Sorry, I can’t add much to this conversation... my HSI isn’t scheduled to be updated for a long time....

I’m looking forward to what you find out...

Best regards,

-a-

[Niko182]

I just bring my computer. It takes me 5 minutes to update the gnx375 and the g3x. I dont update the gnc255 and gtr225.

[toto]

On 4/21/2021 at 11:08 PM, Niko182 said:

I just bring my computer. It takes me 5 minutes to update the gnx375 and the g3x. I dont update the gnc255 and gtr225.

Is there a trick to the 5-minute update for the G3X?  I started another thread about the slow update speed earlier today, but I just came across your post here and I'm curious what you're doing that takes so much less than what I'm doing

Ref: https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49002-g3x-touch-slow-db-updates-from-sd-card/

 

[NickG]

2 minutes ago, toto said:

Is there a trick to the 5-minute update for the G3X?  I started another thread about the slow update speed earlier today, but I just came across your post here and I'm curious what you're doing that takes so much less than what I'm doing

Ref: https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49002-g3x-touch-slow-db-updates-from-sd-card/

 

Mine takes forever to update as well

[Rick Junkin]

2 hours ago, toto said:

Is there a trick to the 5-minute update for the G3X?  I started another thread about the slow update speed earlier today, but I just came across your post here and I'm curious what you're doing that takes so much less than what I'm doing

Ref: https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49002-g3x-touch-slow-db-updates-from-sd-card/

 

@toto I'm thinking @Niko182 was only updating the nav data on the G3X, which goes very quickly.

Updating the whole suite of databases takes about 20-25 minutes, with the FlightCharts and the IFR & VFR Charts taking the bulk of the time.

If you also use an iPad with Foreflight or Garmin Pilot or other EFB with current charts you can reference that as your source of the required current charts and not worry about updating the G3X Touch FlightCharts or IFR & VFR Charts every cycle.

One technique to streamline your data management chore would be to download only the G3X Nav Data update to an SD card and then use another SD card to download the rest of the chart data. Insert the Nav Data SD card before engine start and load it, fly, then put in the other SD card after landing/shutdown and load the rest while you're putting the airplane to bed. If all you're running is the G3X you'll be drawing less than 4 amps on a 28V system, 8 on a 12V system, which won't kill an otherwise good battery in 20 minutes. If you have a BatteryMinder or similar you can connect that before starting the post-flight data load and not have to worry about the battery at all.

This is probably complete overkill, but here’s how I manage my G3X and GTN data cards. I use a bunch of ‘em.  G3X data on the left with two separate sets of identical cards (-1 and -2) for the GDU460 and GDU470 data so I can update both G3X GDUs at the same time. GTN cards are on the right.

GDU460-2 and GDU470-2 (not in the case) were loaded with the recent database updates and my checklist file and remain in the airplane now for flight data logging. When the next update cycle comes around I’ll load both GDU460-1 and GDU470-1 with the new data and move the cards to the top slots in the case, which reminds me that they have the new data on them, and go to the airplane and swap them for the -2 cards and put the -2s in the second slots in the case. Same for the GTN card on the right side, I’ll load it and move it to the top slot, swap it out, yada yada. The rest of the cards are used for what they’re labeled.

This is just one more exercise that allows me to revel in my geekiness/nerdiness. 

Cheers,
Junkman

[toto]

1 hour ago, Rick Junkin said:

@toto I'm thinking @Niko182 was only updating the nav data on the G3X, which goes very quickly.

Updating the whole suite of databases takes about 20-25 minutes, with the FlightCharts and the IFR & VFR Charts taking the bulk of the time.

If you also use an iPad with Foreflight or Garmin Pilot or other EFB with current charts you can reference that as your source of the required current charts and not worry about updating the G3X Touch FlightCharts or IFR & VFR Charts every cycle.

One technique would be to download only the G3X Nav Data update to an SD card and then use another SD card to download the rest of the chart data. Insert the Nav Data SD card before engine start and load it, fly, then put in the other SD card after landing/shutdown and load the rest while you're putting the airplane to bed. If all you're running is the G3X you'll be drawing less than 4 amps on a 28V system, 8 on a 12V system, which won't kill an otherwise good battery in 20 minutes. If you have a BatteryMinder or similar you can connect that before starting the post-flight data load and not have to worry about the battery at all.

Cheers,
Junkman

Thank you. I think the approach where you load nav data every 28 days and update the base maps only once in a while makes sense. I’ve never found much use for the raster charts. 

Unfortunately a Battery Minder won’t work for me, as the county prohibits keeping anything plugged into any outlet when the hangar owner is not physically present.

 

[Rick Junkin]

2 minutes ago, toto said:

Unfortunately a Battery Minder won’t work for me, as the county prohibits keeping anything plugged into any outlet when the hangar owner is not physically present.

It's a more expensive option, but you could consider using a White Lightning GPU if you anticipate needing to run avionics for an extended time without taxing the battery. I picked one up while my panel was in work so that I could sit in the cockpit for hours on end reviewing all of the configuration settings and learning how I wanted to exploit all the new-to-me capabilities. For just doing database updates it, again, is probably overkill but it works for me. It's also useful while doing maintenance that requires power on the airplane.

Cheers,
Junkman

[toto]

I’ve been looking at them today. With the crazy cost of batteries these days, it’s only about half that for a pseudo-GPU. 

Also looking at this, a little bit cheaper - not sure whether the WL is significantly better:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/jumpercablesplugs_power/portPowerCharger24ces.php

[Pinecone]

1 hour ago, toto said:

I’ve been looking at them today. With the crazy cost of batteries these days, it’s only about half that for a pseudo-GPU. 

Also looking at this, a little bit cheaper - not sure whether the WL is significantly better:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/jumpercablesplugs_power/portPowerCharger24ces.php

I have one of those and it works well to spend some quality time with your avionics.

It is also a batter charger.

[toto]

3 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

I have one of those and it works well to spend some quality time with your avionics.

It is also a batter charger.

The White Lightning is about 50% more expensive.. do you know what advantages the WL has for the extra cost?

[Pinecone]

It has a cool name.

Obviously I picked the cheaper unit.   And it does what I need it to do.

[toto]

24 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

It has a cool name.

Obviously I picked the cheaper unit.   And it does what I need it to do.

Honestly, the gearhead in me really wants to make a DIY ground power unit, but I hate the idea of frying my very expensive electronics because I screwed up the GPU project

 

(I should mention that I think this DIY video came from a MSer but I can’t remember who.)

[EricJ]

I made my own GPU (I'm an EE), and in the end it wasn't much cheaper than just buying one.

[Rick Junkin]

1 hour ago, toto said:

The White Lightning is about 50% more expensive.. do you know what advantages the WL has for the extra cost?

The Schauer unit you're looking at has more functionality. A charger as well as a 20A power supply. The White Lightning units have a bit more power at 27A but aren't suitable for use as a charger for a discharged battery.

They do make a unit that has an actual BatteryMinder built in but it is about twice the cost.

The White Lightning units do have very solid construction, weighing twice as much as the Schauer units, and display both output volts and amps, have a timer function you can set to keep from overcharging an in-circuit battery if you forget to turn it off, and have a couple of USB power ports that I've used to power my borescope and keep my iPad charged while displaying the borescope images. It seems more designed for constant use in a shop environment rather than for occasional use by us hobbyists, which I guess means it will last me forever? But I think the Schauer unit will also last forever in our environment, so is likely the better choice.

Cheers,
Junkman

[PT20J]

51 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I made my own GPU (I'm an EE), and in the end it wasn't much cheaper than just buying one.

That's called "Engineer's disease." I'm still in search of a cure.

[PT20J]

You may be overthinking this. The G3X is powered by the main bus. If you don't turn on a bunch of other stuff, the current draw is pretty low. You can certainly run of the battery long enough to install updates without draining the battery significantly.

[Rick Junkin]

19 minutes ago, PT20J said:

You may be overthinking this. The G3X is powered by the main bus. If you don't turn on a bunch of other stuff, the current draw is pretty low. You can certainly run of the battery long enough to install updates without draining the battery significantly.

Always the voice of reason. 

[toto]

5 hours ago, PT20J said:

You may be overthinking this. The G3X is powered by the main bus. If you don't turn on a bunch of other stuff, the current draw is pretty low. You can certainly run of the battery long enough to install updates without draining the battery significantly.

Oh I agree - I wouldn’t buy a GPU charger thing just for the db updates, but I do think if I had a power supply I would probably be able to use it for more hangar flying than I currently do.