wrote:

Jay Honeck wrote:

[JPI] offered to update the unit's software and to install a USB output
(instead of the stupid phono jack) for "only" $268. When I balked at
that, they offered instead to sell me a "little black box" that has a
USB outlet in it, that I could plug into the stupid little phono jack,
for "only" $200.

I declined that, too. For a feature I've used twice in five years, I
figured that was pretty silly. Although I'd probably use it more if
it were "plug & play"...


If the phono jack is an RS-232 serial port, you can buy a USB-to-RS232
cable for about $20 online. Then you need an additional $10 worth of
parts and some soldering to make a cable to go from the DB-9 connector
on the USB-RS232 cable to a phono plug. The first time you use it'll be
"plug and pray" (i.e., require tweaking), but after that it should be
easy.

Disclaimer: This is based on experience with ground vehicles and
equipment. I don't have an A&P; I don't even have a TG&Y. Some of
this may not be allowable on a certificated aircraft. Your mileage
may vary.

Matt Roberds


The USB download is directly to a USB memory stick, not to a USB port on
a computer. This was actually the one thing I had planned on getting
while at OSH (I did get a good deal on the combination of adding fuel
flow and the USB download by going to OSH).

I got the internal USB download upgrade installed on mine, and I can
tell you it makes a huge huge huge difference. With the USB thingy, you
just plug a memory stick into the jack in your panel. The unit
automatically senses this and goes into program mode directly to the
DUMP ALL/NEW/N question. You push the selection wait for the download
to finish and then it says Wait USB for about 10 seconds and then goes
back to scan and you unplug the stick and throw it back into the flightbag.

The old download is indeed RS232, it comes out to one of those "power
jack" style barrel connector like many of the wall warts would plug
into, not a phone or phono jack. It's an oddball size too. I
originally went the route of the RS232-USB adapter plus the JPI serial
download cable. At first I was using my old Handspring Visor with a
special cable to download the data, but more often than not that didn't
work (I had to make an RS232 adapter that ran off a 9v battery that went
between the handspring interface cable and the JPI download cable). I
also lost data several times because of the handspring.

I later started using my Sony VAIO T350 laptop for the download via one
of those USB to serial port adapters connected to the JPI download
cable. That set up cost me many hours of frustration, because before I
could even start a download I needed to wrestle with Windows XP to get
it to recognize the USB serial adapter, which often took a half hour or
more to do, plus I had to have my laptop with me in order to do the
download in the first place. Before JPI came out with the USB memory
stick download, I had actually considered building something very similar.

I have the recorded data from nearly every hour my engine has run since
its overhaul in 2003 (there were 2 or 3 gaps where I didn't download
data before the memory got full...mostly because of the hassle). Having
that data paid off in a big way when I had the cam go bad in 2005 at 178
hours, after the warranty on the overhaul had expired. With the data, I
was able to show that the engine had been run regularly and had not been
abused. Because I had that data, the engine shop covered the total cost
of teardown and rebuild of the engine with a new cam, new lifters, new
bearings throughout, honed cylinders and new rings, and an exchange
crank case (it was fretting). That would have been a $12K bill had I not
had the JPI data. That data is worth a lot of money when you have a
problem, even if it is just for diagnosing the engine. The recent
history can tell you a lot about a problem.

Anyway, my point is, that USB upgrade was worth every penny when I
consider the convenience now using the dedicated USB memory stick that
lives in my flight bag vs. having to haul my laptop out to the plane
with me and then wresting windows every time to get a successful
download. I chose the internal one because I was done with adapter
cables. Plugging the stick into the panel is a great way to go. I'm
glad I did it.