Mechanical vs electrical vario needles

Hi all,

I'm considering buying a new vario, but am stuck deciding between the new generation of LXNAV/Airglide varios with entirely electronic displays, or a Cambridge/Borgelt type with a mechanical needle.

On one hand, with a pure display vario, there are so many more features available. AHRS, multiple needles displayed, wind readouts.

But, I can imagine they're difficult to read in direct sunlight, and a mechanical needle vario is much more readable from a quick glance. After all, most other instruments in the cockpit are all mechanical needles.

I'm curious to your experiences. Do you prefer the new style with all the bells and whistles, or a more traditional vario?

On Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 3:02:58 PM UTC+1, wrote:
Hi all,

I'm considering buying a new vario, but am stuck deciding between the new generation of LXNAV/Airglide varios with entirely electronic displays, or a Cambridge/Borgelt type with a mechanical needle.

On one hand, with a pure display vario, there are so many more features available. AHRS, multiple needles displayed, wind readouts.

But, I can imagine they're difficult to read in direct sunlight, and a mechanical needle vario is much more readable from a quick glance. After all, most other instruments in the cockpit are all mechanical needles.

I'm curious to your experiences. Do you prefer the new style with all the bells and whistles, or a more traditional vario?

I use an LXNAV electronic vario and a Borgelt B40 stepper motor needle vario as backup. I have had absolutely no problem seeing the display in the LXNAV variometer in any situation from dull Scotland to bright South Africa.

Everyone will find a difference in their preference, but I find the varios without a needle to be wunderschoen.
There's Air-Glide S and ClearNav square display vario in the 29 (only needles are on ALT and ASI in that one) and we put an S100 in the Duo.
Once you're at one with the audio you don't look at the thing as much anyway.
But some pilots miss glancing at the angle of the mechanical needle.
An interesting combination is the LX S3 or S7 (depending on your needs) which have an orange mechanical needle, plus a display in the middle. Flown with both, and set them up to sound just like a Cambridge 302.
A great feature in new varios is the AHRS. Besides the backup for the once in a million cloud encounter, the compass is more accurate than any mechanical compass I've ever seen, even in turns and varied speeds.... You may be able to throw the mechanical thing in the bin, but read your aircraft's documentation first.
Jim

With good audio, all I ever look at is the averager.

T8

Out of the electronic displays, the vario needle of the AirGlide S is the easiest to read in direct sunlight (see picture of last page at https://www.segelflug.de/tests/LS8/LS8.pdf). It has superior contrast compared to the recent LXNav varios (V8/S8 etc.).

The square ClearNav-Vario display also offers good contrast, but no classic needle anymore. It's a good vario. But for us customers in central Europe, it is more or less out of choice now due to a lack in customer support.

With the AirGlide, I get vario, wind direction, and vector to next turn point all in one glance. I listen to, but don't really look at the other vario with a needle except to crosscheck the climb rate.

On Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 7:02:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Hi all,

I'm considering buying a new vario, but am stuck deciding between the new generation of LXNAV/Airglide varios with entirely electronic displays, or a Cambridge/Borgelt type with a mechanical needle.

On one hand, with a pure display vario, there are so many more features available. AHRS, multiple needles displayed, wind readouts.

But, I can imagine they're difficult to read in direct sunlight, and a mechanical needle vario is much more readable from a quick glance. After all, most other instruments in the cockpit are all mechanical needles.

I'm curious to your experiences. Do you prefer the new style with all the bells and whistles, or a more traditional vario?

If you want a needle you could get an LXNAV V7, but the S8(57mm) S80(80mm) or S10, S100 are much nice and can be customized easily.

http://www.craggyaero.com/lxnav_vario.htm


The Air-Avionics is also a very nice vario.

http://www.craggyaero.com/air_glide.htm

I fly with S8, and Air-Avionics Display S, ISU

Richard
www.craggyaero.com



Richard
www.craggyaero.com

LX EOS has a needle also.

Nick.

On Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 6:57:24 AM UTC+9:30, Richard Pfiffner wrote:
On Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 7:02:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Hi all,

I'm considering buying a new vario, but am stuck deciding between the new generation of LXNAV/Airglide varios with entirely electronic displays, or a Cambridge/Borgelt type with a mechanical needle.

On one hand, with a pure display vario, there are so many more features available. AHRS, multiple needles displayed, wind readouts.

But, I can imagine they're difficult to read in direct sunlight, and a mechanical needle vario is much more readable from a quick glance. After all, most other instruments in the cockpit are all mechanical needles.

I'm curious to your experiences. Do you prefer the new style with all the bells and whistles, or a more traditional vario?

If you want a needle you could get an LXNAV V7, but the S8(57mm) S80(80mm) or S10, S100 are much nice and can be customized easily.

http://www.craggyaero.com/lxnav_vario.htm


The Air-Avionics is also a very nice vario.

http://www.craggyaero.com/air_glide.htm

I fly with S8, and Air-Avionics Display S, ISU

Richard
www.craggyaero.com



Richard
www.craggyaero.com

Best of both worlds, especially as a backup:

https://www.westerboer.de/PDF/VW1000/VW1000_EN.pdf

Needle with just enough other digital data to be useful. Best electronic TE I've flown with - easy to have redundant TE that way.

Worth a look.

Kirk
66

I loved my Cambridge LNAV, which has a needle (and, BTW, will sell it, the GPS-NAV Model 20, and all accoutrements, including the panel mount for the old Compaq 1500 running GlideNavigator--which I still have several of!!).

I replaced it with a CNv with a square digital display. It's marvelous for centering thermals and has a superb audio. The UI sucks and the digital needle/edge display is not to my liking. The latter is annoying and not as quick to understand at a glance when both the needle and the scale are moving at the same time. I've love to have the separate analog display but don't feel like paying up just to get what I used to have as standard. I don't miss it much but it simply provides less instantly understandable information than the "old way". Progress.

Chip Bearden