IFD 540 Night lighting problems...

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   I rarely fly at night these days as I am retired but I had the need to fly at night last week.
Much to my surprise the IFD 540 (new install in in Feb. 2015) was quite poor. The bezel and screen were so dimly lit they were very difficult to read. 

Checking the configuration page both were set to SENSOR. The other choices are DIM BUS (which does not work at all in my installation, I’m thinking the shop chose not to hook that up) or USER. I ended up selecting the USER option to fix the issue.

I am stunned at how poorly the SENSOR option worked on my unit. My very old CNX 80 has a sensor that controls the lighting beautifully. I’m wondering if something is amiss.

Anyone?

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SB Jim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Aug 2012 Status: Offline Points: 171	Post Options Post Reply Quote SB Jim Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: IFD 540 Night lighting problems... Posted: 11 Jan 2021 at 9:24am
	I rarely fly at night these days as I am retired but I had the need to fly at night last week. Much to my surprise the IFD 540 (new install in in Feb. 2015) was quite poor. The bezel and screen were so dimly lit they were very difficult to read. Checking the configuration page both were set to SENSOR. The other choices are DIM BUS (which does not work at all in my installation, I’m thinking the shop chose not to hook that up) or USER. I ended up selecting the USER option to fix the issue. I am stunned at how poorly the SENSOR option worked on my unit. My very old CNX 80 has a sensor that controls the lighting beautifully. I’m wondering if something is amiss. Anyone?

oskrypuch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 2783	Post Options Post Reply Quote oskrypuch Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jan 2021 at 11:44am
	I think something is amiss. My IFD shows up very nicely at night. Below are my settings, just go into the System pages, and adjust yours to the same. Edited by oskrypuch - 11 Jan 2021 at 11:44am

SB Jim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Aug 2012 Status: Offline Points: 171	Post Options Post Reply Quote SB Jim Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jan 2021 at 5:25pm
	Thank you; I will give the System pages a try. Is your IFD wired to your aircraft Dim bus? I think mine isn’t - but was hoping to rely on the sensor as I do with my CNX 80. Regards, Jim

oskrypuch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 2783	Post Options Post Reply Quote oskrypuch Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jan 2021 at 6:41pm
	It was installed a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was wired. I don't use the dimbus. * Orest