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Group
| B400 AV | B500 VE | B2000 | TE Probe |
| Price Fluctuations: This is an overseas manufacturer, so prices on this page vary with the currency exchange rate. Your price is fixed when you place your order. However, if the price on this page drops within a week after your order ships, you may notify us and we will issue a credit for the difference. |
The B500 VE System replaces the B50 with the addition of new technology and functions. It consists of the B500 variometer, the B500 GCD glareshield controller and display and the B500 GPS global navigation system receiver.
The B500
Identical to the B400 AV in front panel appearance, the B500 VE is slightly longer at 115mm including connectors and
is also available in 57mm or 80mm sizes. An airspeed sensor is included in the B500 VE which enables calculation and
display of advanced variometer functions.
The vario display and climb mode audio are the same as the B400 AV with the addition of red and green LEDs near the zero point of the variometer. When climbing the green LED is ON when the variometer is above the running 20 second value. In cruise the red and green LEDs indicate when the airmass is rising or sinking.
In cruise mode, the vario optionally becomes a TE vario, a netto or a relative netto. Two blue LEDs and two amber LEDs provide the speed command display and the fly faster and fly slower sounds are the same as in the B50 - two alternating tones for fly slower and two very rapidly alternating tones for fly faster. There is a silent zone around the correct speed to fly and when the relative vario goes above the Macready setting the sound changes to the normal TE vario.
The audio is muted and restored by pressing the push button in the lower left mounting screw position.
The B500 VE has a two channel audio and is supplied with left and right speakers. The audio sounds can be switched depending on various circumstances. When thermalling the sound is switched to one speaker when the circle should be opened in that direction. When cruising the speed command sounds come from the side where the next turnpoint lies. (depends on final glide computer)
Various B500 VE functions are customizable by connecting the unit to a PC, including the audio silent zone. Software updates are accomplished the same way.
Total energy is by probe for the same reasons as with the B400 AV. TE probes provide by far the best and most reliable TE compensation. There is a B500 mode where the pilot can select static (uncompensated) vario or pitot/satic compensation for the motor glider case.
The B500 VE has an outside air temperature (OAT) probe and the temperature is displayed on the GCD.
GPS and air data is supplied by the B500 VE to external computers and navigation devices by serial messages at 1 Hz in the same manner as done by the B50.
The B500 GCD
The GCD is a a small unit 30mm high by 80mm wide and only 30mm deep which is designed to mount under or in the lip of the
instrument panel cover. The controls are closer to the pilot and the display is very close to his line of sight,
assisting with orientation and lookout. By separating it from the variometer the variometer pointer does not obscure its displays.
It is supplied with a 0.5m cable with plug which connects to the B500 variometer unit by plugging it in to a socket on the
back of the instrument.
The B500 GCD now includes a Mini SD card slot for GCD program upgrades, B500 settings and turnpoint database updates.
The B500 GCD has a push button top left and under it a rotary encoder with push button action and the rest of the area is occupied by a 122 x 32 graphics LCD with display area measuring 60.5 x 19 mm. The push button changes the display page and the rotary encoder push button moves the cursor to the variable the pilot wishes to change whereupon rotating the encoder changes the variable. There is no enter function. For example, on the main page the MaCready setting is the only variable, so just rotating the encoder is all that is required to change this. To change bugs, ballast or volume press the page button to get to the next page where this is displayed, press the encoder knob to move the cursor to “Ballast” and then rotate the encoder to change the ballast setting.
The B500 GCD receives GPS and air data from the B500 variometer unit/B500 GPS and in addition to the display of the average rates of climb the B500 is controlled by the GCD and the pilot can enter Macready, bugs contamination, ballast state, control B500 audio volume and balance and in addition a simple GPS navigation display with turnpoint database, wind and final glide computer can be shown. This makes the instrument ideal for club gliders while the B500 VE also supplies RS-232 serial air and GPS data to any desired full function glide and navigation computer such as the Borgelt B2000 or any of the PDA type devices.
While in theory the B500 VE could be controlled by a PDA or other air data computer such as the Borgelt B2000, using the GCD keeps the variometer housekeeping functions separate from the glide computer which simply picks up these changes in the serial data stream going to it from the B500 VE. This simplifies both the control of the variometer and of the glide computer.
The B500 GPS
The small GPS unit plugs in to a connector at the rear of the B500 VE.
It uses the latest low power technology, draws less than 30mA at 12 volts, and provides 4 fixes per second.
Manual (requires Adobe Reader)
The PDA_PS
For those using a PDA for a glide computer there is an optional PDA power supply that plugs in to the B500 ve and provides
5 volt power and data to the PDA. There is also a connection for a logger on this unit. A panel mountable switch
allows connection of the logger directly to the PDA for declarations and optionally allows selection of Logger GPS
or B500 VE GPS for flight information.
Installation is simplified, as 12 volt power must be supplied only to the B500 VE.
The PDA power supply distributes power and data to and from the logger and PDA.
Optionally the PDA power supply also supplies power and data to a B2000 glide computer as well as to the PDA.
In addition, when fitted with the optional Serial Data Combiner board, the PDA_PS substitutes the logger or FLARM (whichever is selected) data for the B500 GPS data. If logger or FLARM data is not available B500 GPS data is supplied. This means that logger pressure altitude or FLARM aircraft data and pressure altitude may be passed to the PDA. To cope with the large quantity of data in some messages, input baud rates higher than 4800 are allowed and the data is passed to the PDA at this higher rate. Auto bauding is used so this is transparent to the user.
The Serial Data Combiner board is automatically included in PDA Power Supplies sold by OxAero.
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