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MGL Extreme mini efis

Doyle231

Member
Hey all,

looking to install a MGL extreme mini EFIS in my RV4 with all the engine gear and possibly the autopilot servos down the track. Can anyone provide me with any info or experience on the MGL products. Reason for purchase is price and a small screen that does PFD and EMS. Also it fits in my ASI cutout. No one else is providing so much info on a screen this size. G5 with ems would be unreal.

James
Australia
 
James,
I restored a VW powered Cygnet last year and in the process, gutted the electrical system/instruments. I installed an MGL Extreme plus RDAC and found it to be very straight forward and simple. I made my own CAN bus, and the only thing I struggled with was putting a resistor in a DSUB pin. Stein helped me out with some good advice on how to do that easily. I also installed a V6 digital radio, and so far am really happy with everything. There is so much functionality in the little radio with four buttons that you really need to study the manual so you don't get lost making changes in flight. I power all this through an EXBUS II and it has turned out to be a very simple yet elegant solution. I purchased everything except the RDAC on VAF second hand, and have a great system at relatively low cost.
Best,
Jerry Folkerts
 
I'm not flying with it yet but I installed one in a non-RV homebuilt recently. A friend has a full MGL panel in his -10 and likes it, including the Xtreme as a backup to the larger screens. My decision to use it was based partially on his experience, including a lot of IFR.

Pros- most bang for the buck, most info displayed on a small screen (flight and engine instruments.) Installation is made easier with the RDAC (engine monitor) unit being remotely mounted, which eliminates the need to run all the engine sender wires to the main box. My installation is a pusher so this really made things easier.

Cons- no internal gyro sensors, so in addition to the remote compass, a second remote sensor is required if you want horizon, G-meter, turn coordinator etc. I didn't install this, as mine is a simple day VFR plane. The Dynon and I believe Garmin units have this built in to the box. The weight of the unit is very low, almost leading to a feeling of "cheapness" in construction. Time will tell how robust it is.

I've had a Dynon D-10 in my RV for 13 years now so that will be my baseline for comparison. I hope to be flying it in the next month so I'll have more to report then.
 
~200 hours

I have been flying with the MGL XTreme for two years, ~200 hours. Works as intended and displays a lot of information. Mine has Magnetometer and AHRS. I have not installed AP. If I was starting over I would install the Explorer Lite if panel had the real-estate. Some EMS functions scroll, so you don't see them all the time (but will alarm if set it up to). The smaller buttons on the Xtreme can be tough to hit in rough air. Reliability has been perfect. Also have V6 comm. Works great, no problems.

RV4Panel.jpg
 
V6 help please !

I have not found the MGL V6 easy to get working well. If anyone is willing to share their setup I will give a try. I think mike setting, ambient noise and mike position with/ without foam cover have eluded me. I plan to reset to defaults and work fom there ....Thanks , Larry
 
I have the MGL in my Murphy Rebel that I installed and just got done installing a G3x with G5 in my RV6. The MGL can't hold a candle to the Garmin system, in my opinion. The garmin displays are much more crisp and refined. The software is more refined. The MGL gives you the ability to make any screen you want, which was a selling point, but in the end Garmin really already has it all figured out and makes things easy to customize that need to be. The AHARS and magnetometor in the G3X are much smoother and more consistent. The MGL will sometimes just start going sideways then right itself on the SV screen (MGL explorer lite, BTW). Also just sitting on the ground my altitude tape bounces +- 20'. When I called Matt about it he said oh that's normal. It isn't normal, but it isn't worth fighting over. The V6 radio is great on some freqs, and just blows back static on other....VSWR is under 2.5 and all avionics on or off produces the same effect. Aircraft was wired very carefully to avoid such issues, but no joy.

The garmin autopilot has a stand alone system that is intuitive and extremely capable. I can keep going on and on, but in the end I wish I would have started with Garmin and stuck with it.
 
Larry, give Matt at MGL a call and he will be able to get you set up with the radio. The vogad function causes some problems if not set up correctly. I have the V10 radio, very similar to the V6, and it works very well. Trans and receive is crystal clear and the intercom works great.
I can't comment to the OP's extreme mini question, but I have the Odyssey and it has worked well for me for 375 hours. Very clear clean display with more functionality than I have been able to use. It is very stable as long as the power supply is clean.
 
I have been flying with the MGL XTreme for two years, ~200 hours. Works as intended and displays a lot of information. Mine has Magnetometer and AHRS. I have not installed AP. If I was starting over I would install the Explorer Lite if panel had the real-estate. Some EMS functions scroll, so you don't see them all the time (but will alarm if set it up to). The smaller buttons on the Xtreme can be tough to hit in rough air. Reliability has been perfect. Also have V6 comm. Works great, no problems.

RV4Panel.jpg

is this the extreme mini efis? thanks
 
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