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Need advice on upcoming MLB100 install
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scott View Drop Down
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    Posted: 04 Jan 2016 at 9:58pm
I have an MLB100 that I purchased late last year and I am now planning to install it and hopefully make it work with my existing 440/540/AMX240/AXP340. When those components were installed we prewired for the MLB 100. I also have a GDL69 that is providing weather information to the 540. I have heard the WX data from the GDL69 (Sirius/XM) is superior to the free data provided by the MLB100 so I was planning to retain the GDL69. I have been flying with the 540/440 for about 4 months now and my preferred setup is to have the map displayed on the 540 and the FMS on the 440. As a result I would rather have traffic displayed on the 540. Here are my questions:

1. Is it possible to display GDL69 weather on the 540 along with traffic from the MLB100 also on the 540? If so how would the wiring and configuration look?

2. I've read a bunch of posts about wiring gotchas and other issues after installing the new firmware in the MLB100. I will need to update the firmware before install since I told delivery of the MLB around August of last year but I didn't install it since 10.1.1 wasn't ready yet. I was hoping that someone with a similar setup as me could clue me in on any recent bugs or other issues so I can avoid multiple trips to the shop (it's not that close). 

Thanks a lot in advance!
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DavidBunin View Drop Down
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Points: 742 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DavidBunin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jan 2016 at 8:39am

1. Yes. Your GDL69 should already be supplying weather data via a serial port input. The MLB100 traffic data arrives as an ARINC 429 input.  In my airplane, the MLB weather is serial data port #2 and the MLB traffic is in ARINC 429 port #1. If I had a GDL69, I simply would not hook up the MLB at serial data port #2 (or maybe hook it up as a provision and just disable port #2 in the config) and the GDL69 would be hooked up at another port (#4, 5, or 6).

2. The wiring hookup shown in the IFD installation manual is accurate.  The latest MLB software version is 4.0.9 and there is always a "next" software in development.  The next one is expected to be 4.0.10 (not 4.1.0) but no release date has been set that I am aware of.
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Not sure when you pre-wired for your MLB100 but my shop pre-wired for it last Feb when my IFD was installed, then found new wiring changes (to add GPS connectivity) when we actually bought and installed the MLB100 in October.

I just had my plane in the shop to do the recent MLB100 software update, and the shop told me they made another tweak to the wiring (I don't have the details for this change) based on a drawing update that wasn't yet posted to the Avidyne website (this was during the last two weeks of December; at the time, the shop showed me a drawing on the Avidyne website dated circa 12/15/2015 and still watermarked "preliminary" or "provisional" or something like that, and they said the wiring change they made was based on information later than that posted drawing).

Bottom line:  Make sure your shop actually talks to someone at Avidyne to make sure they have the latest-and-greatest MLB100 wiring diagram.  Your pre-wire job may no longer be what you want/need.


Edited by MysticCobra - 05 Jan 2016 at 10:08am
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scott View Drop Down
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Thanks a lot guys. Very helpful.
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AUXAIR View Drop Down
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Originally posted by MysticCobra MysticCobra wrote:

Not sure when you pre-wired for your MLB100 but my shop pre-wired for it last Feb when my IFD was installed, then found new wiring changes (to add GPS connectivity) when we actually bought and installed the MLB100 in October.

I just had my plane in the shop to do the recent MLB100 software update, and the shop told me they made another tweak to the wiring (I don't have the details for this change) based on a drawing update that wasn't yet posted to the Avidyne website (this was during the last two weeks of December; at the time, the shop showed me a drawing on the Avidyne website dated circa 12/15/2015 and still watermarked "preliminary" or "provisional" or something like that, and they said the wiring change they made was based on information later than that posted drawing).

Bottom line:  Make sure your shop actually talks to someone at Avidyne to make sure they have the latest-and-greatest MLB100 wiring diagram.  Your pre-wire job may no longer be what you want/need.

Just back from my avionics shop and found the same thing.  I am not getting traffic data from the MLB100 and now the shop has found that an additional RS-232 cable is needed from the MLB to the transponder, in addition to the ones linking to the 540/440.  Heading back next week to get this wiring change taken care of.  Good to be on the leading edge....
David E.
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sikhpilotmd View Drop Down
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Points: 69 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sikhpilotmd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jan 2016 at 8:30am
Same here, I had it pre wired as well. I will test it tomorrow in flight. On the bench at least, installer says traffic is working.
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