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D180 brightness issues

dick seiders

Well Known Member
Don't know if this already discussed, but couldn't find on search. My d180 brightens up at start and by the time I am taxi-ing out in the sunlight it goes to about half brightness (or less) . After takeoff screen (efis/ems} darkens to almost unreadable. Mine was new in 2010 don't know if nits have been improved since, but believe my vintage had 400. Is there anything I can do with it or must it be replaced? (I haven't yet asked Dynon as earlier help experiences with them were not helpful)
Any comments to steer me to a solution are very much appreciated.
dick seiders 120093
 
Long shot- sensor

I am not sure but their is probably a tiny sensor on the front of the unit somewhere that senses the ambient light and auto adjusts the screen. Is it possible there is blockage or crud covering the sensor?
 
Dick,
Have you tried adjusting the brightness? Quote from manual:
press any button beneath an EFIS page (except the far left or far right hotkeys) and press MORE > DIM and increase the brightness
Also search the manuals for BRIGHTNESS and search the pilot user guide for AUTODIM.
 
Will check for sensor. If there is one I am unaware of it.

Have tried brightess adj. on efis with the result that the unit states that full brightness is default setting as a result I could only dim it which of course is not what I need. i will try the buttons plus "more" to see what happens ,Joe.

Just curious has anyone else ever reported this difficulty? Has anyone had to have the d180 repaired for this issue? If so was the improvement real or marginal?

Thanks for input.
dick seiders 120093
 
The sensor may be on one of the other avionics components. I think the Garmin units (com and XPDR) have sensors. Since everything talks to each other on the data bus that may be the sensor input. It's been 5 years since I set up my D-180 and D-100, but I do remember a menu item to max the brightness. Since my 12 is a day VFR machine I haven't ever worried about changing the brightness again.
 
I will keep trying but clearly there is a D1 80 problem as my Garman 496 and my iPad are clear and visible in the same light and conditions at the D1 80 fades out and becomes essentially useless
 
Do you have a HS34 or AP74? If so, the brightness may be controlled by their built in sensor over the bus...
 
I had a similar issue any time I tried to use the automatic dimmer. I finally just set it to manual brightness (sorry, don't remember the exact menu sequence) and cranked it all the way up.
 
Checked out all the items suggested did no good there are no sensors visible nor did the setting buttons do any good. I went into the dSAB configuration tried switching the brightness to yes instead of this customary No. after that it went into automatic dimming which is a essentially what happens after I start the engine taxi and take off it keeps getting dimmer. I switched it back to No on the configure and brightness is normal as before but expect it will get dimmer after start up. Will try later
Dick seiders
 
Probably not why is additional brightness a feature of the upgrade ?
I just had it up for a short flight it was bright enough to be legible but not anything to write home about the one caveat it's very overcast no sun 1600 foot ceilings so readable under those conditions doesn't make it
in bright sunlight I still believe there is something wrong with the unit.
Dick Seiders
 
Does anyone know what the nit rating is on the current d180? secondly does anyone know if there is a upgrade modification that can be made by dynon to increase it to 800 to 1000 nits?
Dick Seiders
 
brightness

I fly a older D180, the later models had a brighter screen. Dynon does an upgrade but the last time I checked the upgraded screen costs $400.00
If I ever have to send mine back for a problem I may do it. I put a generic sunshade on mine that is sold for GPS, bought it on eBay. It helps, flying with a koger sunshade also helps a lot.
Dave
 
Thanx for the info on the upgrade. I have e mailed Dynon to ask that question yesterday. Paying $400 plus shipping is certainly more economic than most likely alternatives. I will buy the brightest upgrade they provide as I suspect there is a diminishing performance as the unit ages.
I also use the Koger screen and it's nice to keep the sun off but it does little to help my ailing unit.
Dick Seiders
 
D-180 FYI

All of the D-180 screens supplied in RV-12 Avionics kits were the latest design (brightness) so there should be no logical upgrade path.

If your screen is not as bright as you remember it being in the past (and you haven't done something configuration wise to influence it) then it likely has something wrong with it that needs to be repaired.
 
All of the D-180 screens supplied in RV-12 Avionics kits were the latest design (brightness) so there should be no logical upgrade path.

This is good to know... My 12 is SN58 and I wondered if the EFIS was Dynon's Super-Bright. No qualms at all. Easy to see/read under all flying conditions using overhead Koger sunshade. I recently installed the D-100 Dual Display and it is identical brightness as the D-180 on the left side.
 
D180

If your serial number ends in 01 it's the bright screen. If it ends in 00 it's the regular screen.
My D180 was purchased in 2006 and has the regular screen.
If you are seeing changes in your brightness and you do not have it wired to adjust brightness you probably have a problem.
Dynon has a great support forum and I would suggest you post the problem there. They usually respond very quickly to tech inquiries.
Dave
 
We'll thanks all for the information which is interesting, but confusing in the different responses. Which are correct? I e mailed Dynon , but got no response which is my memory of earlier efforts.
John you photo is good but looks like Dynon is as bright as th 496.My 496 is considerably brighter than the d180. As a matter of fact so is my iPad mini using Foreflight. So is there a d180
upgrade or not?
Dick seiders
 
So is there a d180 upgrade or not?

Yes, it's called Skyview!:D

Cheaper to just send it in and have it fixed.;)
 
We'll thanks all for the information which is interesting, but confusing in the different responses. Which are correct? I e mailed Dynon , but got no response which is my memory of earlier efforts.

Why not just pick up phone and give them a call?
 
Upgrade D180

As I explained previously, if your D180
Has a serial number that ends in 00 it can
Be upgraded. If it ends in 01 it already has the bright screen.
Dave
 
Ok I'll check the serial # and call.
Just curious if the d180 is bright enough why did Dynon boost the skyview to more than twice the nits of the d180?
Dick seiders
 
Ok I'll check the serial # and call.
Just curious if the d180 is bright enough why did Dynon boost the skyview to more than twice the nits of the d180?
Dick seiders

Hi Dick,
The RV12 D-180 is plenty bright if it's working right. Here is a shot of mine in the sunlit cockpit. Very easy to see.
i-tCN2xVz-L.jpg


I have SV now, and it doesn't actually look any brighter than the D-180 did; no matter the nits.
i-nFVSx4P-L.jpg
 
Dave my d180 ser. # begins with 00 and ends with four digits like 002625. Is that what you are referring to regarding 00 or 01?

Tony, nice to hear from you. If my d180 looked like yours this thread wouldn't exist. As a matter of fact the photos of the two show your d180 as brighter than the Skyview imho.

BTW sent e mail to Dynon last week with no response so called today and had to leave message-- just sayin.
 
John I will shoot some pictures this weekend.

My D180 is the brightest model so no upgrade is available.

I have made contact with Dynon and am sending the. D180 back for whatever. repairs are required to return its performance to acceptable level.

I am looking forward to that.
Dick Seiders
 
Took the 12 to a fly-in at Gainesville Ga today. Thought I would take some photos as I promised John on last post. Two things happened. The first was I turned on the D180 while the 12 was still in the hanger with the front door of hanger open to the bright sunlite. The D180 was superbright and legible.
I cranked it up in the bright sunlite and as usual the Efis was getting difficult to read. This is typical of its performance so I was not surprised. I continued to take photos with my iphone and it continued to be very difficult to read thruout the flight , landing, and taxi, and ditto on the return flight. I put it back in the hanger , turned on the Dynon and snapped a picture of the elapsed time of the flight so I would have the info for logbook. Came home and later looked at the photo of the elapsed time and the second thing happened. The photo showed the dynon in bright clarity, and it occurred to me . So it works fine when the engine s not running????
Maybe I'm a bit slow on this but didn't put it together before. I still intend to have the unit checked for repair by Dynon as I is seven years old and probably needs it.

So for you electrical wizards out there what could be happening when engine is fired up???

Dick Seiders
 
Cracker fly in

I saw your plane yesterday, but was unable to stop by and see you. I was driving the shuttle tractor and things were busy. Maybe next time, wanted to see if I could help with your Dynon. Not likely since I have a SkyView and am not real good with electronics, mechanical stuff is my forte. Hope Dynon gets you back up to speed.
 
Cracker fly in

I was so busy I never got to see the 14 or Vic Syracuse. Vic did stop and talk to my wife. By the time I got a break, about 2:00, Vic was gone. Oh well, at least our new east coast rep is a short RV ride away now.
 
Thanks DB, saw your plane as well .Are you planning to paint it? Thanks for the offer of help, but I believe this is going to require a Dynon lookover so sending it out tomorrow.

Tried the testing for brightness again today while in different lite conditions and no change. Not so sure today that engine running has anything to do with it but don't know.

Pictures of what I am talking about will be sent to forum so all can see what I am experiencing. In all conditions the screen is operating it's simply to dark to be legible.

Hopeful that Dynon will have a solution. I sure don't.
Dick Seiders
 
Paint

I will eventually get some color on it, too much fun flying. Can't decide if I'll paint or vinyl wrap it. I cleaned it with alumaprep for the fly in, so it is nearly ready for paint/vinyl. Did I mention how much fun it is to fly.................
 
Dick's Pictures

Pictures of Dick's problem D-180:

i-X6WSKPT.jpg

In hangar with door open.

i-S7VT7q3.jpg

Outside with engine running.

i-xqdqdZZ-M.jpg

During taxi.

i-8Qw6WCV-M.jpg

In flight.

Dick Seiders
 
Well now, let's see. The only things that I can think of that change when the engine runs are the bus voltage, and vibration. How about checking the voltage with an external meter to be sure it is within specs?
 
John, I always check the voltage at start and again at runup.It has never indicated a problem. I realize the data shown could be in error but if voltage too low wouldn't the battery back up power the display?

MMiller, I tried to find the sensor on AP after "do the time" suggested that. I could not find a sensor. Regarding having it on I have always turned on master, ignitions, avionics, and AP at start, and all remain on for duration of flight. Since I have done this consistently and the screen brightness issue is only six months old I have doubts about the sensor, but we may find out later.

At any rate the D180 is on its way to Dynon for review and repair and hopefully I will have causal info to share with all when it's completed.
Dick Seiders
 
Yes it is resolved . Just fin installing repaired D180 5 min ago. Before installing I lit it up on battery power and it's bright and readable in the hanger and outside in the sunshine. Haven't flown with it yet but am confident it will be good to go.
Dynon said the problem was a failed LCD module. I asked what failed and was told the circuit board. They don't go deeper than that level.
Dick seiders
 
Dim Dynon 180 also!

Increased bright to max, no help! We need a solution, I can't be one of the only two people to experience this.
Thanks,
Sam
 
Sam, IF you have the same problem the only fix is replacing the LCD Module and that requires that Dynon do the repair. Flew mine twice last weekend and it's looking like brand new.
Dick. Seiders
 
You're not the only dim one ;-)

I believed my D180 was getting dimmer over the six years, and had already approached Dynon to see if there was an upgrade option.

And then this week, quite suddenly, the screen became unstable with two images, one an upside-down version overlaid on the other one. Interrmittent dim sections of the screen. And then I couldn't switch off the display, even with the master fuse removed.

It's gone to Dynon for repair today, via a UK agent who lent me a replacement. He did see the same issue running stand-alone off the internal battery, so its not an engine voltage issue.

Interestingly the suffix on my unit was neither 000 nor 001. It was 002, which I believe may be the code for the RV12-configured unit from Dynon.

Based on what I have read here, Scott assured us that the D180 is the superbright version, so I shouldn't need a $400 upgrade, just a $400 repair ;-)

Cheers...Keith
 
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Configuring a replacement Dynon

...so I plugged in a loaner unit which had been configured for something completely different. I installed the latest Dynon Support Program version, then tried to restore a previous backup of my original unit in the hope that this would restore my original configuration settings. No such luck! It appears that you cannot back up serial number 1234 then restore to number 4321 - which I would have thought an essential feature.

No matter. Using the Vans pre-set pdf file it is possible to manually configure all of the settings. The fun bit was then adjusting the number and content of the "pages" to match the original, for which there are no Vans instructions.

Nearly all done, so we flew off to configure the AOA and check all other readings. Just one task remains, and that is to drain the fuel tank and configure the incremental filling thereof.

However we do have one unresolved problem. The fuel pressure now reads between 20 and 30 psi. We have checked the configuration parameters for this and they match Vans figures. Is it possible that the absence of configuration data for fuel volume could affect fuel pressure readings? Or have we coincidentally got a fuel pressure sensor problem?

Ideas?

Thanks...Keith
 
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Hi Keith,

Is the Fuel Pressure Sensor Type set to (1) for carbureted engine in EMS configuration page?

If it is set at (2) for injected engine, this could be the problem.
 
Very high fuel pressure, engine off!

I have now calibrated the fuel gauge, confirming this has no bearing on the fuel pressure indication.

The pressure is still showing around 20 psi with the engine off and electric fuel pump fuse pulled, so no fuel circulating. With the fuse replaced the fuel pressure is around 30 psi, again with no engine running. This is with master, avionics, and Dynon switched on.

I measured the voltage on the sender.

Red 4.96 volts, green 1.93 volts, black 0.01 volts. Does this make sense?

Thanks...Keith
 
Keith, I also have a D-180 and the fuel pressure sensor type is set to "1". My sensor has two 2 wires and is a resistance type. Your sensor has 3 wires and outputs a voltage. So that is the problem. Your D-180 is expecting a resistance but is actually getting a voltage instead. I simulated a voltage type sensor on my D-180 and, using trial and error, determined that sensor type 4 and 5 gave reasonable pressure displays. So I suggest that you change the fuel pressure sensor type to either 4 or 5.
 
Thanks, Joe. I'll try 4 or 5. However, it doesn't explain why changing the D180 unit produces very high readings. Unless, of course, my previous setting was 4 or 5, but I don't recall ever playing with this setting.

Cheers...Keith
 
Been flying with repaired D180 for several weeks now and it's working like new. Just wanted to give a favorable update.
Dick seiders
 
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