G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

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pietromarx
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G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by pietromarx »

I did an update the other day for the latest 28 day cycle and ran into some interesting issues. The MFD refused the update, claiming that the installation system ID didn't match the cards. After redoing the download, the MFD then claimed only some of the databases could be used and started a process of "transferring" data from PFD to MFD with an estimated duration of around 7 hours. The SD cards were the originals from Garmin which came with the 2012 DA40.

Later that evening I looked at the card and there were bad sectors.

I replaced both (actually, all three, including the upper right slot used for checklists and data logging) with mid-range 16GB cards from Amazon. I installed all databases, including the new terrain and worldwide base map, on both cards as the PFD ignores the charts that the MFD uses.

All good. No biggie. Lesson of the day: if strange behavior manifests itself on your G1000 then probably worth a refresh on the SD cards. After all, a passing cosmic ray can always flip a useful bit, making the cards and the data on them the ultimate $0.02 part.


Peter
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ThomasD
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by ThomasD »

Pietro,

Loss of proper functionality of the SD cards is a concern; but there was a thread on here that you couldn't just copy the data as the new cards would not then be recognised? So what did you do to get the data onto the new cards?

Thanks,

Tom
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by CFIDave »

You're correct that you can't just copy data from an old SDCard to a new one. New cards made that way won't be read by the G1000.

However, there's no problem writing database files from your subscription website (e.g., fly.garmin.com) directly onto new SDCards and using those. So if you have a current subscription to Garmin/Jepp databases, you can easily make as many sets of cards as you want (all of which will work ONLY in your plane, since these databases are tied to your G1000 SystemID).
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pietromarx
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by pietromarx »

That's correct. The cards I put in were recreated with the Garmin updater. No fuss, no muss.
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by reinhardj »

There was a thread in 2015 dealing with the card issue. We evaluated the behaviour of Garmin and Jeppesen downloads/SD cards. Short summary:
a) Garmin data bases: Garmin data bases are locked to the G1000 system ID. After inserting a new blank card the file airframe_info.xml is written to the card, which contains the unique G1000 system ID and the SD card serial number. You can download the files from Garmin as often as you need, files are locked to the G1000 system ID, not SD card serial number during the download procedure.
b) Jeppesen data base: The Jeppesen database is locked to the SD card ID. When downloading a data base via JDM, the file is modified and contains the SD card serial number. Therefore it cannot be copied to a different card, as the SD card serial number will be different. Jeppesen data bases can only be copied through the JDM software.
I prefer the Garmin solution, as this allows to create your own backup cards.
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by CFIDave »

Reinhard: What you said may be true if you use JDM software, but I subscribe to a Garmin bundle that includes Jepp NavData along with multiple Garmin files (e.g., terrain, Safetaxi, obstacle, etc.). In that case the Jepp NavData is also tied to the G1000 System ID, so I can make as many backups as needed.
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Re: G1000 and Munged SD Cards, Updates, etc.

Post by reinhardj »

Dave, we presently have a Jeppesen PilotPack, which includes Garmin data bases. We initially chose Garmin bacause of the VFR ChartView approach charts. As this is meanwhile also available via Garmin, I am thinking of switching to a Garmin package, which may make live easier in terms of backup.
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