Bluetooth NMEA data output

davedq2

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Hi and thanks for letting me join this forum. I have a Quickie ll with a Trutrak autopilot, which receives NMEA data from my current navigation app. The ifly app certainly looks better than the one I'm currently using, but before I install it on my tablet, does it send the data via Bluetooth? I'm hoping it does. Thank you... Dave D
 
BTW I have a Bluetooth receiver that converts data from my tablet to RS232, which is wired to my autopilot. Dave D
 
I want to do exactly the same thing. I am interested in buying a Portapilot and putting a Bluetooth -> RS232 adapter on it. The only option currently to transmit the NMEA data on an iPad is to send to an iLevil AP via WiFi. However, it appears that iOS doesn't let developers connect to generic Bluetooth SPP devices. iFly EFB is a Xamarin app... and it looks like Xamarin only has support for this on the other platforms.


If iFly EFB did this on Windows or Android, I'd be sorely tempted to switch back. I'm currently using an iPad Pro 6 12.9. I do have a comparable sized Surface Pro...

Meanwhile, I'm probably going to buy it and just hook it up to my GNS 480.
 
BTW I have a Bluetooth receiver that converts data from my tablet to RS232, which is wired to my autopilot. Dave D
Dave, I want to also use my tablet to drive an autopilot. What Bluetooth receiver do you have and how is it set up?
 
DSD TECH SH-B23A Bluetooth 2.0 to RS232 Serial Adapter with DB9 Converter https://a.co/d/doE3Qcf
I started with this module. I hard wired it to my Q2 after getting a 5 volt adapter to power it. You can use a cheap one that plugs in the cigarette lighter socket and take it apart to wire it into a small project box with the Bluetooth module, which is what I did. I soldered a wire to the data output from the module, which connects to the data input pin on my Trutrak autopilot. It works great
Dave D
 
DSD TECH SH-B23A Bluetooth 2.0 to RS232 Serial Adapter with DB9 Converter https://a.co/d/doE3Qcf
I started with this module. I hard wired it to my Q2 after getting a 5 volt adapter to power it. You can use a cheap one that plugs in the cigarette lighter socket and take it apart to wire it into a small project box with the Bluetooth module, which is what I did. I soldered a wire to the data output from the module, which connects to the data input pin on my Trutrak autopilot. It works great
Dave D
Just to be clear. It works great from your existing app, right? Not yet from IflyEFB.
 
I'd subscribe to Ifly if I could get it to work with my autopilot. I joined this group because I had heard that it was a feature that might be available in the future, hoping to hear if or when it's in the software
 
I also have interest in the ability to drive an Autopilot with the NMEA data from a tablet.. And presently waiting for the iFly EFB Av tablet to be able to do that. The corp promise was by end of the 1st quarter in 2024. I presently use a 740b and have a hardwire NMEA connection to the TRIO AP that works quite well. It is my understanding that the EFB software ( on a Galaxy or other TAB) will presently drive that NMEA sentence via wifi connection. I have a Galaxy Tab A with the EFB loaded and can see the menu driven set up for that and feel that it's currently there because that's what the iLevil devices use. IFly says that the iLevil is connectable with their EFB. Although I have yet to find anyone that has the EFB wifi'd to a iLevil and driving an AP . The iLevil device has a DB9 output for HW connecting to the AP.

The problem is that the 740b WiFi is already tied up connected to my ECHO and that traffic and wx data is more important to me than being able to drive an AP on course. and of course the 740b doesn't have bluetooth.

davedq2, would be interesting to know if you have attempted to experiment with an iFly EFB loaded onto a generic tablet with bluetooth and see if any results had with your bluetooth box into you AP........ If the data is there for wifi , is it there for bluetooth output??

I would be interested in hearing any results you may have had.
 
DR
I actually set it up on my friends Trio autopilot , who was using IFly EFB.... no way. He's using another program on a Samsung tablet with Bluetooth. I'm ok waiting for IFly EFB to add this feature at some point
 
I have a DSD TECH SH-B23A Bluetooth 2.0 to RS232 Serial Adapter on order to connect Avare to my recently installed Trio EZ Pilot. Currently I'm using a NMEA wired feed from my AvMap ULTRA which is far less than satisfactory. In my previous plane I used an iFly 720 NMEA wired output which worked great for many years. I'm really looking forward to NMEA bluetooth output from the iFly EFB which is already setup for NMEA output, just not via Bluetooth. A big thank you to davedq2 for the info!
 
MBird , unless I misunderstood Davedq2, the Ifly EFB software at present does not support Bluetooth as an output. It does seem to have the SW for supporting wifi. The ifly group is working on a hardwire serial output for the new Av EFB to be able to hard wire that data to an AP. I'm not sure they 're committed to providing a Bluetooth option...maybe someone from Ifly can clarify for us.
 
From Walter:

FYI: The iFly EFB Aviation Tablet will have a hard-wired method of transmitting NMEA data to an autopilot. We are also working on a wireless solution that would work for most other smart devices via bluetooth.
 
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