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#1
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
I am trying to install an old LX7007 Pro IGC vario/computer in a 2-seat
glider. I bought a complete used package including the 2 units in front and 2 in rear and all the cabling. But I am lacking some useful information that I hope somebody here on RAS could help me with. After this model was made, the company split into two, and I cannot find any mention of this model on the web site of either company. No manuals, no software, no data, no firmware, zip, nada - it's been "canceled". If I was in the market for a new glide computer, that track record would raise red flags for me. You can get all the support you want for a Cambridge unit that is twice as old. But I got a deal on this old one and I hope it will work for a while. So here are some questions I couldn't crack from the info in the manuals I have. Perhaps there is information online from the companies after all, if so, please tell me where? There are at least 4 serial (RS232) ports on the main unit, and that's not counting the RS485 bus. "PC" (doubles as "Colibri/LX20"), "PDA", "IGC" and "User". How do they differ in functionality? Which one should I use to connect an e-reader running Tophat (based on XCsoar) if, besides basic GPS location data flowing from he LX, I want functionality such as uploading tasks from Tophat to the LX, and downloading flight logs from the LX into the e-reader? The "PDA" port (only) also has a 5V power supply line, to power a PDA. How much current can be sourced from it? My Nook might draw as much as half an amp. Is that safe for the LX? There is very little info on the slave (rear seat) units in the main manual. Does anybody have a manual specifically for the slave units? In the system I got, the main unit is an LX7007 Pro IGC, and the slave unit is an LX7000 Pro IGC. Are there incompatibilities between them? The slave "analog" unit is fed an RS485 cable (power and data) from the front-seat unit, and that then daisy chains to the slave digital unit. But that latter cable is non-standard, DB9 to DB15. Anybody got the wiring diagram for that cable? What extra functionality do those extra pins add? In the cables I got there seems to be another "PC port" dangling from it (the little round 5-pin connector). The flight logs from the LX7007 are written to its SD card as .LXN files, not .IGC. (So much for standards!) SeeYou can convert those, but then they are no longer "IGC secure" (for badges and records). I have seen mentioned somewhere that later versions of the LX7007 firmware switched to .IGC files. Is that correct? Which version of the firmware does that, and how can I get it? If I can't get that, can I send the ..LXN files to the SSA badge dude? Can anybody send me a copy of the "LXe" PC software that originally came with the LX? Are versions of this software and versions of the hardware forwards and backwards compatible? Is it worth having? The airports and airspace databases need updates over time to stay accurate. Have there been updates? How can I get something newer than what's stored in it now? If I can't, can I override the old info for specific airports with info I manually put into my turnpoints file? Thanks for any info. |
#2
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
On 2/3/21 8:04 AM, Moshe Braner wrote:
Can anybody send me a copy of the "LXe" PC software that originally came with the LX? Are versions of this software and versions of the hardware forwards and backwards compatible?Â* Is it worth having? The airports and airspace databases need updates over time to stay accurate.Â* Have there been updates?Â* How can I get something newer than what's stored in it now?Â* If I can't, can I override the old info for specific airports with info I manually put into my turnpoints file? Thanks for any info. I was just searching for LXe to try to support an old Colibri logger, and found it on the LXNavigation website. Version 3.5.1.1 Airports and Airpace database was not there, but found a 2014 version on an old computer. I can email that to you. LXe and the database actually installed OK on w Win10 computer, but complained about not finding any COMM ports. Those can be added manually on Win10. haven't tried accessing the logger yet, but it may actually still be usable on Win10. Dave |
#3
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
On 2/3/21 8:34 AM, kinsell wrote:
On 2/3/21 8:04 AM, Moshe Braner wrote: Can anybody send me a copy of the "LXe" PC software that originally came with the LX? Are versions of this software and versions of the hardware forwards and backwards compatible?Â* Is it worth having? The airports and airspace databases need updates over time to stay accurate.Â* Have there been updates?Â* How can I get something newer than what's stored in it now?Â* If I can't, can I override the old info for specific airports with info I manually put into my turnpoints file? Thanks for any info. I was just searching for LXe to try to support an old Colibri logger, and found it on the LXNavigation website.Â* Version 3.5.1.1 Airports and Airpace database was not there, but found a 2014 version on an old computer.Â* I can email that to you. LXe and the database actually installed OK on w Win10 computer, but complained about not finding any COMM ports.Â* Those can be added manually on Win10.Â* haven't tried accessing the logger yet, but it may actually still be usable on Win10. Dave To follow up, LXe actually still runs on a Win10 computer, had to install their special USB driver, then manually create a COMM port from inside Device Manager. Database files they provide are all German, African, or European, so you'll need to provide your own data. |
#4
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
Hi Moshe,
I probably have a saved LX7007 Pro IGC manual and can answer most of your questions below. I'd rather talk to you over the phone (less work). Call me any time. Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc. _______________________ On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 9:01:41 AM UTC-6, Moshe Braner wrote: I am trying to install an old LX7007 Pro IGC vario/computer in a 2-seat glider. I bought a complete used package including the 2 units in front and 2 in rear and all the cabling. But I am lacking some useful information that I hope somebody here on RAS could help me with. After this model was made, the company split into two, and I cannot find any mention of this model on the web site of either company. No manuals, no software, no data, no firmware, zip, nada - it's been "canceled". If I was in the market for a new glide computer, that track record would raise red flags for me. You can get all the support you want for a Cambridge unit that is twice as old. But I got a deal on this old one and I hope it will work for a while. So here are some questions I couldn't crack from the info in the manuals I have. Perhaps there is information online from the companies after all, if so, please tell me where? There are at least 4 serial (RS232) ports on the main unit, and that's not counting the RS485 bus. "PC" (doubles as "Colibri/LX20"), "PDA", "IGC" and "User". How do they differ in functionality? Which one should I use to connect an e-reader running Tophat (based on XCsoar) if, besides basic GPS location data flowing from he LX, I want functionality such as uploading tasks from Tophat to the LX, and downloading flight logs from the LX into the e-reader? The "PDA" port (only) also has a 5V power supply line, to power a PDA. How much current can be sourced from it? My Nook might draw as much as half an amp. Is that safe for the LX? There is very little info on the slave (rear seat) units in the main manual. Does anybody have a manual specifically for the slave units? In the system I got, the main unit is an LX7007 Pro IGC, and the slave unit is an LX7000 Pro IGC. Are there incompatibilities between them? The slave "analog" unit is fed an RS485 cable (power and data) from the front-seat unit, and that then daisy chains to the slave digital unit. But that latter cable is non-standard, DB9 to DB15. Anybody got the wiring diagram for that cable? What extra functionality do those extra pins add? In the cables I got there seems to be another "PC port" dangling from it (the little round 5-pin connector). The flight logs from the LX7007 are written to its SD card as .LXN files, not .IGC. (So much for standards!) SeeYou can convert those, but then they are no longer "IGC secure" (for badges and records). I have seen mentioned somewhere that later versions of the LX7007 firmware switched to .IGC files. Is that correct? Which version of the firmware does that, and how can I get it? If I can't get that, can I send the .LXN files to the SSA badge dude? Can anybody send me a copy of the "LXe" PC software that originally came with the LX? Are versions of this software and versions of the hardware forwards and backwards compatible? Is it worth having? The airports and airspace databases need updates over time to stay accurate. Have there been updates? How can I get something newer than what's stored in it now? If I can't, can I override the old info for specific airports with info I manually put into my turnpoints file? Thanks for any info. |
#5
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
Here’s the manual.
https://pngc.co.uk/documents/instrum...7007Manual.pdf Unfortunately, LxNavigation seems to have revamped their website recently. Pretty yes, but terrible to navigate and they seem to have eliminated all the links to legacy manuals. |
#6
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
On 2/3/2021 5:02 PM, wrote:
Here’s the manual. https://pngc.co.uk/documents/instrum...7007Manual.pdf Unfortunately, LxNavigation seems to have revamped their website recently. Pretty yes, but terrible to navigate and they seem to have eliminated all the links to legacy manuals. Dave Kinsell kindly pointed me to this page, which does have *some* software and data offered for their "legacy" devices: https://www.lxnavigation.com/support...legacy-devices - note that there are 3 "tabs" at the top, in faint gray font: Software, Manuals, and Databases. Why are their "databases" executable files I don't know. |
#7
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
Hi Moshe, It was nice talking with you yesterday. The database files for LXe are executable programs because they are installation files. You need to run one to install it after installing LXe. Best Regards, Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc. _____________________________ On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 5:39:56 PM UTC-6, Moshe Braner wrote: On 2/3/2021 5:02 PM, wrote: Here’s the manual. https://pngc.co.uk/documents/instrum...7007Manual.pdf Unfortunately, LxNavigation seems to have revamped their website recently. Pretty yes, but terrible to navigate and they seem to have eliminated all the links to legacy manuals. Dave Kinsell kindly pointed me to this page, which does have *some* software and data offered for their "legacy" devices: https://www.lxnavigation.com/support...legacy-devices - note that there are 3 "tabs" at the top, in faint gray font: Software, Manuals, and Databases. Why are their "databases" executable files I don't know. |
#8
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
On 2/4/2021 7:54 AM, Paul Remde wrote:
Hi Moshe, It was nice talking with you yesterday. The database files for LXe are executable programs because they are installation files. You need to run one to install it after installing LXe. Best Regards, Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc. _____________________________ On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 5:39:56 PM UTC-6, Moshe Braner wrote: On 2/3/2021 5:02 PM, wrote: Here’s the manual. https://pngc.co.uk/documents/instrum...7007Manual.pdf Unfortunately, LxNavigation seems to have revamped their website recently. Pretty yes, but terrible to navigate and they seem to have eliminated all the links to legacy manuals. Dave Kinsell kindly pointed me to this page, which does have *some* software and data offered for their "legacy" devices: https://www.lxnavigation.com/support...legacy-devices - note that there are 3 "tabs" at the top, in faint gray font: Software, Manuals, and Databases. Why are their "databases" executable files I don't know. Well that's one way to do it, and not my preferred way. A data file should be a data file. They can tell you where to copy it to. Or have the program (LXe) ask you to point to the current file location, and then it can copy it to wherever it wants, add it into its list of what's there, etc. Moreover, a data file should be uploadable into the device via its SD card slot, without using an app such as LXe. I guess this whole setup was started before they added an SD card slot to the last versins of the device. Back then EVERYTHING was done via serial cables and helper apps. Ah, the bad old days... I did manage to upload my turnpoints file into the device without LXe. Did have to use SeeYou to convert the .cup file to a .da4 file, put that on the SD card and then used the device menus to import it. Wish they'd accepted the .cup format as is. All the files imported and exported by this device (including the flight logs, pilots info, saved settings...) are in proprietary binary formats. Thus you can't examine or edit them "manually" (in a text editor), like you can with .cup files for example, or XCsoar configuration files. I know, I shouldn't complain about this device which is about 15 years old, but that seems like yesterday. |
#9
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
Thanks. I withdraw my comment. Actually, when I went back into the new site, I was able to navigate it. I guess I previously was confused or they hadn’t added those files yet. I see they were all added mid-December.
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#10
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Seeking tech info on LX7007
To answer one of my own questions:
The LX7000 second-seat DIGITAL slave unit cable pinout: It's a DB15 wired to a DB9 RS485. The (undocumented?) DB15 pinout is similar to that of the ANALOG main unit (and also somewhat similar to the main digital unit): 1,2,9 = ground shield 7,8,15 = +12V (red and white) 5,12 = RS485 data bus (black & yellow) 11,3 = serial communications - mine came with these pins wired to a 5-pin round "PC port" connector, not clear what functionality does this port offer. Curious whether any other of the 15 pins are active in this unit, e.g., SC and VP switches, speaker output? |
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