use garmin nuvi as a tft display pricelist

Let"s just get this out there first-- The one thing I don"t like-- At startup, if you want to view the map while driving WITHOUT setting a destination, you have to click the "View Map" button or else it just stays at the "where to"/"View Map" screen. --Unless mine"s messed up or there"s some way around that I couldn"t figure out because on the newer ones, if you start the car and don"t click anything, it"ll default right to the map--That aside, I have to remind myself I only got it FOR 25 BUCKS AT AUCTION. Now on to what I love -- My absolute favorite thing about the nuvi 200 is it"s simplicity. It"s SO EASY to use!! It"s Garmin, so it has a great USER-FRIENDLY interface, unlike many other brands. (It"s the Apple of GPS brands) On startup, it"s ready to go in seconds. All you need to do is click the "Where To" button, and you"re good to go. You can enter the address of your destination or look through its plethora of nearby restaurants, stores, gas stations, and other businesses. It"s that simple. I also love its size---its little, and I like that because it doesn"t take up a lot of space on my windshield. This particular model is discontinued, but it still works just as well and is definitely not spartan-- it has at least 90% of the features on newer models. Most importantly, I can"t stress enough about the value here! There"s no reason to spend $150+ on new ones when you can get these things on eBay auctions for so cheap. If you don"t want to spend a bunch of money but want a reliable and accurate GPS loaded great features, the nuvi 200 is the way to go.Read full review

I love this product with a few exceptions. I notice there"s glitches on the devise. For example, I tested it by going to walmart, the direction to there was perfect, but on the way back, there was a section of the main road wasn"t even there and it got me turning off the main road. Again, going to walmart was perfect but come back wasn"t correct. I was on the main road there and back. Another glitch, when I"m at home, the car icon doesn"t show the correcti destination. It will show sometimes that I"m parked over a block away or a block away. That only happens when I parked at home. It"s probably the structure of my home or garage that could be interfering with the devise. The home icon on the devise shows me that I"m on the corner of the street which I should be in the middle. I"ve tried other destinations and all went perfect, getting there and coming back. These little glitches is something I can deal with. Still worth it. Other then that, it"s a great product. A great buy for $80 I had no problem updating the Garmin but wasn"t aware that you have to dowload Garmin Exspress for the update. So if you get thinking about getting this product, download Garmin express head of time because if you wait to dowload and update the life time maps, it will take some time to complete depending on your connection. It"s a nice portable gps devise and would recommend it.Read full review

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Garmin designed the Nuvi 3790T to be the thinnest, lightest portable navigation device ever and to go toe-to-toe with the iPhone in a fashion show. Though we"re not certain that the Nuvi would win such a matchup, by setting its standards so high Garmin has essentially solidified the 3790T"s spot as the sexiest dedicated GPS device you can buy.

Garmin started by making things thin. At 4.8 inches wide and 2.9 inches tall, it doesn"t look much smaller than your average PND while in its packaging, but unbox it and lay it side by by side with any automotive portable navigator and the svelte nature of the 3790T"s chassis becomes evident. At 0.35 inch thick, this Nuvi is about half the thickness of any other Garmin, thinner even than the iPhone 4. The Nuvi features an array of materials that feel high quality, including a glass screen, chrome-finished edges, and a rear panel that is split between a black brushed-metal texture and a glossy-black-plastic panel, presumably to allow GPS and Bluetooth signals to penetrate.

The 3790T is only 4 ounces; the light weight and the slim profile make this Nuvi very pocketable. However, to our hands it feels a smidge too light, coming off as delicate and a bit fragile. We"d prefer more heft and solidity.

The only physical control on the 3790T"s chassis is the power/lock button located on the device"s top edge. Tapping this button brings up the lock screen, from where you can choose between locking the touch screen and putting the device into a sleep state. Holding this button toggles the unit"s power on and off.

Along the right edge of the device is an unlabeled microSD card slot, and along the bottom edge are the connections for the car dock and a Micro-USB sync cable. At the upper left corner of the glass screen is a small hole, behind which sits the microphone that enables the 3790T to receive voice commands and to act as a speakerphone.

Like most GPS devices, the majority of the user"s interactions with the Nuvi 3790T take place at the touch screen. This unit is built around a 4.3-inch TFT display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Touch sensitivity is capacitive rather than the normal resistive screen. As a result, the screen requires considerably less pressure to register a touch than previous Nuvis, making typing with the onscreen keyboard a much easier affair. This technology also enables the use of multitouch commands, such as pinch to zoom while browsing the map. However, there are compromises to be made. The capacitive screen requires direct contact with the skin to function and cannot be used while wearing gloves--not very good news for people in icy climates. Additionally, the glossy glass screen, though sharper than the matte finish of other Nuvi models, doesn"t perform as well in direct sunlight, throwing up serious glare and washing out. The display is still visible and legible, but for daytime navigation, we prefer the matte finish applied to the rest of the Nuvi line.

Like the 295W that came before, the 3790T features an internal accelerometer that can detect the device"s orientation and switch between landscape and portrait screen layouts. The former is best for in-car use, and the latter for handheld pedestrian use, but one could use either orientation anywhere.

The Nuvi 3790T ships with a suction cup car dock, a 12-volt Micro-USB power cable, a Mini-USB sync cable, an adhesive dashboard mounting puck, and user guides in English and French.

There is more to the car dock than just a plastic bracket and a suction cup. For starters, the dock is the only way to keep the Nuvi charged while in the car, as Garmin"s decision to equip the 3790T with a Micro-USB port has made it impossible to directly connect the Mini-USB car charger. Additionally, closer inspection reveals that the dock features a speaker. When the Nuvi is docked and the power cable is plugged in, this more powerful loudspeaker takes over audio playback instead of the 3790T"s space-saver speaker. The results are much more audible turn-by-turn directions and better quality for speakerphone calls. Finally, in order to save space internally, Garmin has elected to place the 3790T"s FM traffic receiver inline on the power cable. This decision means that the Nuvi cannot receive traffic updates for routing unless it is placed in the dock and connected to power.

One of the most interesting features that the Nuvi 3790T offers is voice command. One could easily overlook this, because there is no voice command button located anywhere on the home or map screens. Instead, the Nuvi is always listening for preselected phrases to activate the voice command function. Simply say "Voice Command" and the Nuvi springs into action, ready to receive your instructions, all without the driver ever having to touch the device. By default, the activation phrase is "Voice Command," but you can change it to any string of words you"d like; for example, we set ours to "Hey, Garmin!"

The system is remarkably easy to use--once you realize that it"s there--thanks to an onscreen display of available commands and spoken prompts. You never have to guess at what the Nuvi is expecting. In fact, we found it quite easy to enter most destinations without ever looking at the Garmin"s screen. Of course, more-complicated street names, such as Divisadero, Tehama, or Embarcadero, are difficult for the voice command system to understand. In these cases, you can simply say "Spell name" and spell the street name aloud to input.

In addition to barking orders at the Nuvi, you can use the Nuvi with a Bluetooth-paired phone to talk to friends and family. Pairing can be initiated from the Nuvi or from the phone and confirmed with a PIN. Once paired, the 3790T acts as speakerphone, displaying caller ID information and prompting to answer or ignore when a call comes in. Additionally, a new Phone button is added to the Home screen. The system prompted us for phone book access when paired with our Motorola Droid, and after a few minutes of syncing, a Phone Book option was added to the Phone menu. You can also utilize the paired phone"s voice-dialing function (if available), as the Nuvi"s built-in Voice Command system doesn"t seem to support the initiation of calls. Call quality is good, particularly when the Nuvi 3790T utilizes its car dock"s loudspeaker.

We mentioned earlier that when the Garmin Nuvi 3790T is placed into its car dock with the power cable connected, the FM traffic function is activated. The Nuvi 3790T features lifetime traffic that is accessible on the main map screen as color-coded street highlights (green is low traffic, red indicates a jam) and icons, or in the traffic menu as a list of incidents. With a destination chosen, the traffic menu also gives you the option of listing only traffic along the selected route and updates the estimated time of arrival to reflect expected delays. The traffic service is free but ad-supported; text advertisements appear in the traffic menu or on the map during long periods of idling. Touching an ad brings up a listing of nearby locations for the advertiser, for example, Olive Garden or Best Western motels. We found the advertising model to be unobtrusive, but some people are bound to take issue with ads on a device they"ve paid almost $450 to own.

The Nuvi 3790T also has a set of features that helps drivers get from point A to B as efficiently as possible. Gathered under the ecoRoute option in the Tools menu is a collection of tools and tips, which help you to monitor and, in some cases, improve fuel economy. After inputting the car"s city and highway fuel economy estimates and fuel costs, you can generate mileage reports and estimated fuel costs per trip. While driving, an ecoChallege icon on the map screen shows how greenly the vehicle is being driven with a score and color code (red to green, of course). When you stop to fill up, a function called At the Pump gives a place to punch in the current fuel price, amount of fuel used, and distance traveled to calculate actual miles per gallon. Interestingly, Garmin doesn"t list the 3970T as compatible with its EcoRoute HD, despite its positioning as the flagship Nuvi unit.

Of course, before we pat the Nuvi 3970T on its brushed aluminum back for any of its gee-whiz features, it has to be able to get us from here to there without issue. Fortunately, the Nuvi seems to have the right stuff in this respect as well.

Garmin isn"t a stranger to making strong-performing GPS devices, and the 3790T is no exception. Boot-up time takes about 20 seconds, but you are given the option to simply put the unit to sleep between uses for instantaneous booting. Cold boot satellite lock took about 60 seconds on the initial boot. Subsequent satellite acquisitions were nearly instantaneous depending on exposure to clear skies. Like all GPS devices we"ve tested, the narrow, skyscraper-lined urban canyons of downtown San Francisco"s caused problems with maintaining a connection with the GPS satellites for positioning, but along wider roads lined with shorter buildings, the Nuvi 3790T maintained a hard lock on our position. Text-to-speech and graphic lane assist go a long way toward improving the quality of the directions received.

Between the good voice command system and the responsive onscreen keyboard, inputting a destination into the Nuvi 3970T is extremely easy. However, we"d like more options during destination entry regarding the sort of trip we"re planning. As it stands, the options for trips that avoid or stick to highway, or fastest or shortest trips, are hidden away many levels deep in the Tools menu. We"d really like to make that choice when we confirm our destination.

Garmin has managed to cram nearly every trick in its book into the 3790T"s svelte frame (with the exception of its nuLink data service; for that you"ll have to check out the Nuvi 1690), but it has done so without making a cluttered mess of the interface. This top-of-the-line model remains as easy to use as the Garmin Nuvi 200, which started it all. For example, we like that the voice command system is truly hands-free, removing both the need for a voice prompt button and for undue driver distraction. Also, we love the 3790T"s design. The slim profile and large, sharp screen make this Nuvi one of the most portable and best-looking standalone GPS devices that we"ve tested. Although we don"t like the screen"s glare in direct sunlight, we still think this device is worthy of an Editors" Choice Award.

As we’ve been reporting, prices for some retrofit primary EFIS systems have dropped to the sweet spot of around $5000 or less. This is thanks to a new regulatory certification process that sidesteps the pricey and time-consuming TSO process in favor of an STC. Aspen Avionics has populated the field with over 20,000 Evolution EFIS displays over a 10-year span and is the latest to offer a budget-based EFIS with the $4995 EFD1000 E5 Dual EFI.

But Aspen also offers other displays with more advanced features at higher price points, which muddies the buying decision. For this report we put the new E5 on our test bench to see how the feature set compares with other Evolution displays.

The non-TSO’d, STC-approved EFD1000 E5 EFI is Aspen’s answer to Garmin’s budget-based G5 EFIS displays. The E5 is approved under an AML-STC (approved model list supplemental type certificate), which blankets over 300 aircraft models. The E5 is still considered a major alteration and has the supporting paperwork for installation in type-certified aircraft despite not having a TSO.

Like every other Aspen Evolution PFD, the new E5 is several instruments in one. Unlike Garmin’s G5 series, which are two separate instruments (attitude and directional), Aspen’s E5 combines both an electronic DG and attitude display. Keeping with Aspen’s original design, the 4-inch-deep solid-state gyro can on the rear chassis slides into the existing attitude gyro panel cutout, while the bottom portion of the instrument simply sits over the DG cutout.

As we explain in the sidebar on page 6, the E5 has a full complement of flight instruments, but (aside from the attitude and heading) they aren’t for primary instrument replacement. That means the rest of the existing traditional instruments have to stay in the panel. The E5 also has basic GPS and raw nav course guidance, but there is no electronic HSI, although the E5 is fully IFR capable. There is no map display that’s standard on other Evolution PFD systems. Think basic utility.

As for sourcing the nav and GPS data for display, the E5 works with GPS navigators with Arinc 429 outputs, and with analog VHF nav radios (KX155, for one) when using Aspen’s optional analog converter unit (ACU), which is a remote box that converts analog inputs to digital outputs. This accessory adds $1000 to the $4995 base price. The converter is included with higher-end Evolution systems.

Unlike higher-end Aspen displays, the E5 won’t display synthetic vision or Aspen’s software-based angle of attack data. It will work with a variety of third-party autopilot systems, including S-TEC and also the TruTrak Vizion. For autopilot interfaces other than the digital TruTrak (which wires directly to the E5), the optional ACU is required.

At first blush the E5 may look like the first-gen Evolution that Aspen has been selling since the beginning, but it’s quite different and uses Aspen’s new display and processor technology. If you’re used to those first-gen Evolution displays, even the entry-level E5’s display will look and perform better. With 32,768 colors, a 400 by 760 display resolution and high-intensity white LED backlighting, the 6.0-inch diagonal TFT active matrix LCD screen is noticeably more crisp and brighter than the first-gen units. Aspen said it designed the new display for better automatic dimming and even at the lowest brightness, the screen doesn’t lose its clarity. That’s important given its small size.

Aspen calls the E5 a Dual EFI (electronic flight instrument) because it’s really a dual instrument, replacing the traditional mechanical attitude indicator and directional gyro in one split display. The main electronics are contained in the unit, including a sensor board with solid-state AHRS (attitude and heading reference system), plus a digital ADC (air data computer) that’s also built into the gyro can. There’s also the MAP (main application processor) board, a CPU and IOP (input-output) board for communicating with remote systems, mainly GPS navigators and VHF nav radios.

The rear chassis has pneumatic connections for tying into the aircraft’s pitot and static systems (used for airspeed, altimetry and for other instrument resolutions). The rear chassis also houses a rechargeable (and field-replaceable) backup battery, a 44-pin D-Sub connector and a cooling fan.

Like every other Aspen PFD, the E5 comes with an RSM, or remote sensor module, which works together with the sensors inside the E5 for 3D magnetic heading and GPS computations. The RSM installs much like an external GPS antenna and its placement in an interference-free area on the top of the fuselage is critical for accurate heading resolution. The setup and initial configuration is also critical, so our advice is to find a shop that has experience installing other Aspen systems. That shouldn’t be difficult given Aspen’s large dealer network.

The primary input controls for the E5 are limited to two control knobs and the center button at the bottom of the display bezel. The knobs are used for setting the course and heading, plus additional bugs and altitude settings. The lower center button is for selecting the navigation sources for the electronic CDI and for entering and exiting the menu and for reversion or manual power control. The left and right buttons have no function on the E5. Five hot keys to the right of the instrument’s navigation display toggle various features on and off, including the built-in GPS steering. The function of each key is indicated by a label on the display to the left of each key.

We think the E5 has an intuitive feature set that’s rather shallow compared to higher-end Aspen displays, and Aspen took a logical approach to the user experience. For instance, the left and right bezel knobs are designed to provide immediate operation, yet are designed with fail-safe so you don’t inadvertently cause an unwanted operation. For example, the first action of the knob wakes it up and changes the corresponding label from cyan to magenta. Additionally, the first click when the knob is turned (or the first press on the knob) wakes up the knob’s function. After 10 seconds of inactivity, the knob returns to its default setting.

The left knob’s primary function is for setting the E5’s course value, and it’s also used to bug an airspeed. The right knob is for the heading bug (HDG), editing the selected altitude field (ALT) and baro (BARO) setting. Successive presses of the right knob will cycle through HDG and ALT in a round-robin sequence. You also rotate the right knob to the left or right to decrease or increase the value of whatever is in the selected field. HDG is always the default setting for the right knob-the way it should be, given the frequency with which it’s used.

The E5 screen is divided into three parts: an upper attitude display, a lower navigation display and a data bar between the upper and lower halves. Unlike other Aspen displays, the E5 only has one page, so you’ll always view attitude and heading data.

The center button on the bottom of the display is for selecting/coupling the navigation source for the electronic CDI, which can be GPS1 or VLOC1, for example, depending on the external interface. Each press of this CDI nav source button selects the next available nav source, cycling through all available sources in a round-robin sequence. So there’s never any mistake as to which nav source you’re looking at, the currently coupled CDI nav source is displayed directly above the button. This is particularly critical when flying approaches and other precise procedures.

Three of the five keys along the lower right side of the EFI function as either single-action hot keys for frequently used commands or as menu keys when the E5’s menu has been activated. These hot key functions are accessible at any time, except when the main menu is active, and each hot key provides instant access to the assigned command.

Pilots new to primary EFIS displays should transition easily to the E5 because the primary attitude data is a familiar presentation. The attitude portion of the instrument has a conventional blue over brown background with a white horizon line dividing the two areas. At extreme pitch attitudes (above 30 degrees nose up or below 25 degrees nose down), red unusual attitude recovery chevrons come into view, pointing toward the horizon or ground as applicable. At extreme pitch attitudes, some sky (blue) or ground (brown) will always be displayed to help maintain situational awareness, even though the horizon line may be off-scale. Slip/skid is indicated by the lateral position of the white rectangle under the roll pointer. One rectangle width is equivalent to one ball width of a conventional inclinometer.

The E5 has a data bar that visually separates the upper and lower halves of the display. GPS groundspeed (GS) and barometric pressure setting are shown in the data bar and when any of these values are either invalid or not available, the field is dashed. You’ll need a compatible GPS navigator to display GPS groundspeed.

The lower half of the EFI is the navigation display, which has 360-degree and ARC compass rose displays. There’s also the numeric display of the current magnetic heading, the selected heading and selected course. When connected to a GPS, there’s an onscreen ground track marker. Unlike higher-end Aspen displays, the E5 doesn’t have a traditional electronic HSI, but instead a basic CDI below the compass rose. The glideslope indicator (VDI) is placed up on the attitude display, as is the localizer (LDI) display.

While we think the E5 is a good value at $4995, we also think there’s a narrow market for it given Aspen’s other displays that have a more substantial feature set. The E5 can’t display Aspen’s synthetic vision or the angle-of-attack data, and it requires the $1000 ACU for most autopilot interfaces. For the difference in price, Aspen will, however, have an upgrade path for the E5, which turns it into a TSO’d 1000-series display that can support higher-end features including synthetic vision, AoA and onscreen wind data to name a few.

As for installation effort, that’s tough to nail because every aircraft is unique, but Aspen told us that 30 hours (minimum) of shop labor is a safe bet for the typical E5 installation. Remember, the interface requires a compatible IFR GPS navigator, and more than one navigator requires the installation of the optional ACU. In our estimation, even basic E5 installations might come in north of $7000.

As we go to press, Aspen is close to delivering the next-generation replacement for the Evolution Pro PFD with the Evolution MAX line. The MAX uses the new display and processor technology (the same that’s used in the E5), plus it also includes the ACU for advanced autopilot interfaces as standard. Existing Aspen displays can be upgraded to the MAX, which could be worth it for owners of legacy Aspen displays. The MAX display upgrade comes with a fresh two-year warranty.

During our E5 bench evaluation, we also powered up a new MAX display for comparison with the legacy Evolution Pro. We’ll do a separate article on these systems when they’re available this spring, but we like what we saw. Like the E5, the new MAX is a huge improvement in display performance. Like the E5, the MAX PFD has a GPS-aided AHRS for pitot static system failures, an audio panel interface, a faster processor, onscreen font and window enlargement, plus the requirement for backup flight instruments is eliminated when a PFD is paired with a MAX MFD1000. Aspen already has upgrade pricing in place on its webpage.

No matter which Aspen you chose, you’ll need to consider a backup strategy. In the case of the entry-level E5, you might end up retaining the existing attitude indicator even though the STC doesn’t require one. That’s a drastic shift from previous Aspen upgrades, particularly ones that include multiple TSO’d screens like the one pictured in the Cirrus panel here. Even though there is plenty of reversionary capacity (the right display can function as a PFD if the main PFD in the center goes down), plus a standby remote battery that powers the display if the electrical system tanks, the installation still requires a backup attitude indicator. That’s not the case with the non-TSO’d EFD1000 E5.

Since the E5 was certified (via an AML-STC) using new ASTM standards, the typical installation doesn’t require a backup attitude indicator as required by old regulations. As we explained, the E5 does require standalone airspeed, altimeter and turn coordinator instruments. But the STC does allow removing the vacuum system. If that’s your goal, and you aren’t comfortable with the E5’s single attitude source, you’ll have to buy an electric (or electronic) backup AI. Yes, Garmin’s G5 EFIS display is a logical choice for backing up the E5, but Garmin’s STC only permits the G5 to be installed as the primary AI, or for backing up other Garmin displays, including the TXi PFD.

Since the E5 uses pitot and static pressure input as part of the AHRS attitude calculations, loss or corruption of the pitot or static pressure (perhaps an iced up pitot tube) can influence the accuracy of the displayed attitude data. That’s a bugaboo with other legacy Aspen displays, and a compromised pitot reference can result in the loss of all primary flight data-even attitude. That’s not the case with the E5 when it’s connected to a compatible IFR GPS navigator, including a Garmin GNS or GTN. That’s because the E5 can use GPS groundspeed instead of indicated airspeed as part of its overall AHRS solution.

In that case, the E5 will continue to display attitude and heading data and will display an “attitude degraded” message on the screen to prompt the pilot to turn on the pitot heat. When the system detects the pitot obstruction is clear, the degraded message goes away and the AHRS resets. Aspen users have waited years for this solution and it’s built into the E5 and the new MAX.

often than other traffic avoidance systems. The nüvi 2699LMT, with the supplied TA20 Traffic Antenna, uses the HD Radio system to receive updates. The traffic updates appear