KRnetHeads, I've been waiting something like 18 months on MGL to port their serial data to the microSD card that's plugged into the face of the iEFIS, and after several conversations and assurances, I've finally given up. The iEFIS does have a serial output stream available on a DB-9 connector on the back of the unit, but I was trying to avoid carrying a laptop around to collect that stuff. Been there, done that, didn't like it. I bought the iEFIS specifically to get a simple SD card interface that logs flight data...and it turns out data isn't even logged to it! Instead, an extremely hoaky JPG with a bunch of squiggly lines with corresponding multiple scales is what you get, and trust me...it's useless! There is no data stream of actual numbers that can be gleaned for engine health monitoring purposes.
So I started looking around on ebay for a serial data logger, and there are plenty of options these days. The one I settled on is shown at http://www.ebay.com/itm/271999383948 , and it looks perfect for what I need...just wire it to the master and iEFIS serial data output, plug in a microSD card, and data is automatically recorded to a time-stamped data file whenever power is applied. It weighs 4 grams (.14 ounce) and is the smaller than two postage stamps, is 3/16" thick, and cost me $52 delivered. Needless to say, this is far preferable to lugging a laptop around. I'll report back after flying with it, but thought others might be looking for something similar. This should also work fine with a GRT EIS. I may eventually reinstall the EIS, as I consider it far better than the very expensive iEFIS, as an engine monitoring and parameter trend analysis device. If you wonder what I mean by "hoaky JPG" from the iEFIS, take a look at http://www.n56ml.com/iefis/150513_no_alt_no_rpm.jpg and I think you'll agree that it's not only useless, but a complete waste of time to even download and generate. Contrast that with the GRT EIS output, shown at http://www.n56ml.com/iefis/EIS_logging_example.jpg. This is stable, detailed, readable data you can sink your teeth into! Notice how stable these numbers are...quite a contrast to the iEFIS output. More on this later... -- Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
