EDM 800 upgrade to EDM 830 or EDM 900
Has anyone upgraded their EDM 800 to either the. 830 or the 900?
Any feed back would be appreciated as I would like to upgrade to the JPI EDM 900 and remove the fuel cluster , rpm and amps gauges.
Many thanks
Ian Wright
VH-ITW
Any feed back would be appreciated as I would like to upgrade to the JPI EDM 900 and remove the fuel cluster , rpm and amps gauges.
Many thanks
Ian Wright
VH-ITW
Comments
I upgraded my JPI EDM-700 w/fuel flow to an EDM-830 a couple of years ago.
I documented some of the upgrade process on my (poorly written) website:
http://bigandy.com/BigAndy/The_Upgrade/Entries/2010/5/8_Upgrading_the_Engine_Monitor.html
take a look at the other blog entires to get an idea of what I did.
Some points to consider:
The EDM-830 can be mounted in 4 directions - since it has a cylindrical back, consideration should be made to where you want this. The cylindrical back is not centered within the rectangular face. I simply drew up the dimensions in Adobe Illustrator, then printed this on some label paper, then stuck this on to the sheet aluminum to make the panel mount. (AutoCAD might be a better tool compared to Illustrator - but that's what I had handy!). Since you are located in Australia, I could make a cheap comment about you having to mount it upside down....!
My EDM-700 had the serial port for data download, since the 830 uses a USB stick, I decided to leave this serial connection in place, since it could be used for realtime engine monitoring if ever I was trying to grab engine information - but you could just disconnect and remove this serial port.
I think I had to re-route the cabling that was going to the '700 when I replaced it with the 830 - this was not a major issue, just an inconvenience since the 830 is not as deep as the 700 and therefore the cables from the transducers needed to be slightly longer.
Make sure you write down any calibration settings - specifically the fuel sender 'k' factor, since you'll need to enter this in to the 830.
I have not had any hands on with the new 900 product, or know what the difference (functionally) is between it and the 830. Perhaps the new 900 will be able to be used with the new Connected Panel technology that JPI, Aspen and others are working on?
Hope this helps,
Andy
P.S. Which airport do you fly out of? Several years ago I was in Sydney for some business, and managed to break away from work, and fly around the harbor in a TB-10. On another trip I took a C172 out of Cairns and headed up the NE coast line - the instructor I was with pointed out the HF radio installed in the C172. Great country to fly in, hopefully one of these days I'll be able to fly out there again - maybe I should put the bladder tanks in the back of my Six!
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/ats123chole.php
Andy
Apparently you cannot include a URL reference and a file in a single post - got to love the bugs in this forum posting interface!
Let's try attaching the file again - maybe 3rd time lucky!
I upgraded my EDM800-6C to an EDM830 and am now quite happy with it. They charged around US$1100 for the upgrade and transferred over my configuration data to the new unit before sending it out. I installed it in the same instrument hole the EDM800 was in and had to make a few changes. Since the 830 isn't as deep as the 800, I had to "stretch" the cables to get them to plug in - something to be aware of if there isn't any slack in the cables. I also had to grind the instrument hole a bit to get the unit to fit into the panel without touching the sidewall. And of course, I had to cut a rectangular hole in the plastic overlay. Here are the results:
http://www.planetjim.com/Flying/N2969Q/gallery.html#slides/2011_panel_2.JPG
When I first installed the unit in the horizontal orientation with the buttons to the right, there were problems with the readability of the small EGT/CHT numbers and %HP number, but this was fixed with a firmware release. Make sure you get the latest firmware.
I've heard of several reports of problems with the 900 series, so be careful with that. Some customers reported having to ship units back and forth with JPI, which would entail delays from Australia, and grounding the plane since it's now primary. Here's a thread on Beechtalk about 900/960 installs:
http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=46420
Hope this helps!
-Jim
I notice (with envy) that you have the Aspen 1000 installed in your Six. I also notice that you kept the old AI. I am assuming that you did this to drive your Piper (Century) autopilot. Could you have not used the EA-100 to drive the autopilot? Just wondering?
Ian,
Just had another thought. I looked up your tail number, and it appears that you have a Cherokee 140. If this is the case, then you should be OK for using the 900/930 as primary instrumentation since they can only display 2 fuel tank levels. The 930 (I think) can be upgraded to display 4 fuel tanks, but it's not standard. On my Cherokee 6, I have 4 tanks, so using these as primary display instruments add some complexity. When AOPA upgraded a Cherokee Six with the 930, they simply kept two of the original fuel gauges to display the tip tank quantities, while the main tank levels were displayed on the 930's display.
Happy flying,
Andy
One question for you - Are the numbers on the right side of the gauge easy to read? . I like my 800 but the 830 whould be more pratical having all the information in front of you.
I can't open this thread as you require logon details. From all accounts, I might be better off installing the 830 and let the 900 bead down for awhile.
Thanks
Ian,
Numbers/readability
The analog/digital readouts for the MAP and RPM are easily readable.
The 'highlighted' readings for the bottom of the display are also easily readable - even at a glance.
The individual cylinder values are readable, but not so much at a glance. That is to say, you need to 'tai a look' at the display to register what the values are - however, the analog bar graphs are there to depict this information for you.
I don't find any issues in reading the other gauges on the right of the display - these can be user configured as to order and which ones (you don't have to have all 8 displayed).
Display
I have attached a photo of the cockpit (from a couple of years ago) to give you an idea of what the view looks like in flight. I can email you a higher resolution version if you want to see the full clarity of the display.
830 versus 900/930
Another difference between the 830 and 900 is fuel capacity. The 830, like it's 800 and 700 predecessors, depict fuel status as a calculation of fuel used. The 900/930 has the ability to show fuel levels from the fuel senders.
Other Options
Have you considered the Insight products, specifically the GEM - this has come a long way since it's inception:
http://www.insightavionics.com/g3.htm
The Auracle product was picked up by Ultra Electronics, and has now been certified, originally this product was restricted to the home builds - now it might be worth a look:
https://www.ultra-fei.com/index.php?page=auraclelanding
Hope this helps,
Andy
I left the vacuum AI in for two reasons: as a redundant attitude source, as well as the reason you mentioned - it drives the autopilot. Unfortunately, the EA-100 doesn't support the Century autopilots yet. Once it does, I'd love to install a backup electric AI and rip out the vacuum system!
-Jim
GMA340
GTN 650
Aspen Pro 1000
Very happy with the outcome.
It would not be practical to change over to a different engine monitoring system as the EDM 800 is already installed.
I am now waiting for a price from my avionics guy for the upgrade to either the 830 or the 900 as their price will be at least 10% less than the list price quoted by JPI. JPI sales dept have not been that helpful in this regard.
Ian
I think Aircraft Spruce ship to Australia - if this is true, check with them for a JPI EDM upgrade quote. They quoted me a lower price compared to direct from JPI.
Chief Aircraft also quoted a lower price, but not quite as low as Spruce.
Blue Skies,
Andy
My avionics guy can give me the same price as Spruce with less hassle. Just not sure which way to proceed at the moment until I get firm prices for the 830 upgrade and the 900 upgrade. I will let you know know later on this week.
Thanks
Ian
When I was reading the installation notes, and the associated paperwork from the FAA, I noticed that the dates on the paperwork are a few years old. That is to say that the paperwork covering the original EDM-900 was dated back in 2004/5 timeframe. On JPI's technical website, you can see that the '930 TSO document was dated April 2005:
http://jpitech.com/manuals/04/TSO_Scan.pdf
If you want to see the original EDM-900 - have a hunt on the web using your favorite search engine. I found this:
http://myavionicsteam.com/jpiedm900.html
I seem to recall that the original EDM-900 came out to take the EDM-700/800 series to a larger plasma display and include some additional gauges. Then the EDM-930 came out using a LCD panel, followed by the 730/830 to replace the 700/800. Now it looks like that the original 900 is getting the LCD treatment. If the original certification is just updated, then this new EDM-900 could get it's TSO and associated approvals faster.
JPI are known for doing good incentive promotions during Oshkosh - usually in the form of rebates and the like. You may want to wait a couple of months for Oshkosh - then watch the web for updates on what 2012's deals might be, then if needed, broker a deal using a friend or friend-of-a-friend whom may be attending AirVenture Oshkosh! I am not sure if I will be attending this year, but in previous years I have ended up shopping around the avionics vendors to get the best deal on an EDM, then got the vendor to take the order over the (mobile) phone to my friend (whom was back in TX), then I took the sales invoice over to JPI's booth and got the rebate honored. The lengths I have been to save a few hundred $ - which is a bit insane when you consider the cost of AvGas!
Take some before and after pictures of your upgrade(s).
Andy
I will hold off for awhile thanks and the upgrade cost from the 800 to the new EDM 900 is $3650 which is not in my budget at the moment. The only disadvantage with the EDM 800 is that you have scroll thru' each display to obtain the information whereas the 830 has all the information in front of you on 1 screen. Is it worth the cost of $1065 to change over from the 800 to the 830, i don't know. The 800 is a good EM and maybe with avags now $2/ltr this upgrade may not now take place.
Ian