[The following information was provided by Richard Kellerman from ClearNav Instruments. – Editor]

Product Overview

The CNI vario will offer ClearNav customers a completely integrated vario and a new standard of performance made possible through the use of contemporary sensors and microprocessors. The vario has also been designed to integrate with other MFD devices, including third party software running on PDA’s and dedicated products such as SeeYou Mobile/Oudie®. CNI will be publishing an open protocol to facilitate data transfer via serial or USB ports.

We will ship only one hardware configuration which includes all sensors and will make advanced features available through software subscriptions. This will eliminate the inconvenience of returning the product for the installation of additional sensors and will mean that the entry-level basic vario is only a credit card away from the fully featured product.

We have chosen to split the product into an Air Data Computer (ADC) in an aluminum enclosure containing all the sensors, and one or more display modules housed in an injection molded enclosure sized for a 57MM (2 1/4”) hole . The display(s), the ADC, and one or two ClearNavs are connected with a four-conductor flat cable terminated with modular connectors. The first photograph shows both parts of the vario system with a US quarter in the foreground:

The second a view of the display module. Note that we are currently evaluating a backlit and much higher resolution display, and also that pilots will have the options of externally mounting a calibrated printed label showing lift strength in either kts or m/s, or neither as shown below:

Project Status

All hardware design is complete. We have materials to build about a dozen systems, some of which are assigned to engineering for ongoing software development, the balance will be used for further in-flight testing and evaluation. We expect to receive working secure flight recorder (SFR) boards within the next two weeks but this have no impact on ongoing flight testing. The SFR boards will be part of the ADC.

Much of the software development is complete, much remains to be done. We have the basic TE variometer code running and are able to display cruise and climb screens, drive the mechanical pointer, and run the audio.

The product is designed to allow all software/firmware upgrades to be done in the cockpit using a USB thumb drive. The enabling software for this critical feature is now complete.

We will be relying on a PC Utility program to accomplish tasks which are either too tedious to manage otherwise, or rarely performed, or both. This utility is substantially complete.

In addition to pitot, static, and TE pressure transducers essential for variometry, altimetry, and airspeed, the ADC contains a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis magnetometer, and a two-axis rate sensor. In order to get the product to market in an acceptable time frame, very limited use will be made of these devices initially but as we create, test, and validate the algorithms and software needed to make use of sensor data we will make it available.

Schedule

We now expect to be able to ship either late this year, or early next year, with the timing controlled largely by manufacturing leadtimes.

Pricing

Final pricing won’t be available until we get closer to production but we continue to expect that the CNI vario will be competitive particularly for those customers who either already own or plan to purchase the ClearNav MFD.