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Three years ago I swore by my old analog panel setup
At a shop in Tucson last month, I had to troubleshoot a Garmin G5 install on a Cessna 172 and it took me 45 minutes just to find the power wire was loose on the back. An older tech walked over and showed me how the G5's self-test page flags voltage issues immediately, something I always ignored because I trusted my multimeter more. Has anyone else switched from old-school methods to digital displays and regretted not doing it sooner?
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lunaw729d ago
Yeah that self-test feature is a game changer if you actually slow down and pay attention to it. Most of us skip past it because we think we know better or we're in a hurry. My question is how long did it take you to stop reaching for the multimeter first before checking the G5's built in diagnostics? I had the same problem with an Avidyne IFD540 it took me six months to realize the unit was telling me exactly where the issue was if I just let it run its startup sequence. I still carry my fluke but now I treat the digital displays like a second set of eyes instead of ignoring them.
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sandra9169d ago
God yeah exactly! It took me a good year before I stopped yanking the multimeter out first thing. I had a Garmin G3X setup in my homebuilt and I'd still be standing there poking at pins on the back when the self-diagnostics were right there on the screen telling me "hey, your voltage is low on pin 18." Now I just let the startup run its full cycle while I grab a coffee, then glance at the data before even picking up tools. It feels wrong at first, like you're cheating or skipping steps, but really you're just letting the system help you. I still keep my Fluke in the hangar bag but honestly I use it way less than I thought I would.
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