Wanted: Garmin 530 Standalone Software for X-Plane

[RayS]

If anyone has any info on a standalone executable for a Garmin 530 that interfaces with X-Plane please let me know. I've done the googling, but haven't really turned up much except for products from FlyThisSim.com.

This won't work because I am trying to divorce myself from paying $400 in annual renewal costs.

[Garys]

Reality XP?

http://www.reality-xp.com/store/index.html

[RayS]

Yeah I looked at that and it won't work. (It's just a gauge, not a standalone app)

It requires a plugin in X-Plane, as well as adding it to an existing panel. I'm looking for something standalone.

[iwik]

Ray,
This will do the trick.
http://www.flight1tech.com/Products/AvionicsSimulations/G530StudentSimulator.aspx
Les

[Trevor Hale]

Garmin has the training software.... Click the download link.

[url=http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3531#Instruct]http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3531#Instruct[/url]

[RayS]

Awesome replies, guys!

Looks like the 530 Simulator from FlightOne will be the likely candidate. The Garmin trainer from Garmin is a standalone app, but no way to interface it to anything. There's a guy writing a wrapper for it, but so far it lacks everything else required (Screen re-sizing, Display with no Bezel)

[Bob Reed]

The Garmin trainer is the base for the Reality XP gauge. So a wrapper is possible.

[gjha97]

Hey Ray, I am working on a 530 sim as well, but was planning use to the X-Plane software to drive it.  Given that you are on an X-Plane platform, I am curious as to why you want a stand alone piece of software?  Maybe I should be planning a different path....?  Also, curious to see what you are doing for the hardware end of it to see how similar our plans may be.

[RayS]

I'm going to be using 2 G-530 bezels from Ruscool.co.nz. I don't think I can use the X-Plane one because I am throwing the outside view only  onto my projection screen.

Even after looking at the 530 from FlightOne, I don't think that's going to be a contender either because you can't turn off the bezel. I may end up rolling my own using an old project Don and I wrote. It's a GAATS-esque ATC radar scope but with a few weeks work, I can probably get it to look like  530, or even better maybe an Avidyne FlightMax MFD.

[gjha97]

OK.  I am doing the same with the full screen projection, was planning to use a second computer to drive a good portion of the avionics.

I designed my own panels since I was doing the PCB as well. I enclosed a picture of the work in progress.  The software all works on the breadboard and I have version one of the PCB, but am working version 2 to tweak a few things for better fit and operation....seems like no matter how much I check it, there is always a version 2.

The picture shows the bezel with the PCB mounted in the background.  The screen is not in place, nor any of the buttons as yet.

GH

[iwik]

Ray,
You can switch off the bezel on the GTN750 FSX/P3D version. So i cant see it not being possible on their Xplane version. You can email Flight1 to confirm it
Regards
Les

[RayS]

I emailed FlightOne a few weeks ago asking about using keyboard commands and a bezel that you can turn off.

The keyboard commands they said would be added in the next release, giving an ETA of about 1 week for that. I'll be interfacing it to a Teensy in keyboard emulation mode.

Unfortunately, they also said that you can't turn off the bezel in the X-Plane version of the 530. Seems a little odd that you can't. I'm almost tempted to just buy it and see what it can do. I don't think they offer a demo version which would realy help.

[iwik]

Ray,
When i got the gTN750 it was not obvious how one removed the bezel. So i just resized the the Image so the bezel was outside the display. I was able to do this in FSX. Don't know how Xplane does it image sizing though.
It worked well and would have been happy with that.
Les
P.S I would go back to them Ray, their "Enterprise package includes hardware so
the bezel isn't used here. They also say you can resize the window so it should be adaptable
like i did.