LXNAV S8, S8 Club, S80 and S80 Club Variometers with Navigation and optional AHRS

New S8 Club and S80 Club
The new S8 and S80 Club are lower cost, limited feature versions of the S8 and S80. The basic versions offer more features and a better display that the S7 and add simple waypoint navigation and final glide calculations. These are great prices for speed-to-fly variometers with built-in thermal assistant. The following features are extra cost, software enabled options. They can be purchased and enabled at any time.

• Airspace
• Tasks
• 4 Assignable Digital Inputs (Airbrakes, landing gear, etc)
• Profiles (multiple settings files - great for clubs and syndicates)
• AHRS (artificial horizon)

These options are enabled using a license key. No hardware upgrades are necessary. Adding all the options provides the full functionality of a standard (non-club) S8 or S80 - but the total price of all the options and the club varios is higher than the price of the standard S8 and S80. The S8 and S80 include all those features except AHRS - which is optional in all versions.

The S8 and S80 are very powerful speed-to-fly variometers with navigation and built-in AHRS (optional software enable). The S8 fits into a standard small 57mm instrument hole. The S80 fits into a standard 80 mm instrument hole. Other than the size of the display, the S8 and S80 are functionally identical - the screens even have the same number of pixels. They can display waypoints and airspace and can be used to navigate to waypoints and around tasks. They can display final glide information and shows turn areas on the moving map. They have an extremely powerful processor and use a MEMS inertial platform and pressure sensors. The built-in 320 x 240 pixel color displays are used to display parameters such as vario average, thermal average, distance to goal, altitude, battery level, speed-to-fly push/pull indicator, MacCready setting, etc. 

New S10D and S100D 2nd-Seat Repeater
The S10D and S100D are identical to the S8D and S80D - with the addition of a PDA port on the S10D and S100D. That makes it easy to connect an Oudie or other PDA or PNA to the 2nd-seat vario display. The S10D and S100D work with S8, S80, S10 and S100 variometers.

Look here for a LXNAV S8 Club, S8, S80 Club, and S80, Stand-Alone Vario Comparison 

LXNAV S8, S80, S10 and S100 Vario Overview Duration: 48:42 (minutes:seconds)

LXNAV S7 Variometer - 3 of 3 - Vario Sounds  (also applies to S3, S8, S80, S10, S100, V5, V9, V8, and V80) Duration: 6+ minutes

I am especially impressed with the way the vario 20 second average (red diamond), MacCready (blue triangle) and Thermal Average (green "T") are displayed on the vario scale - making it easy to compare the MacCready setting to the thermal average, 20 second vario average, and instantaneous vario reading (red pointer).  Another interesting feature is that a yellow arc is displayed around the inside of the variometer scale which indicates the maximum and minimum lift lift/sink rates over the last 20 seconds.  That will be useful while centering thermals and deciding when to leave a thermal.  Alternatively, the red diamond and yellow arc can be configured to display g-meter instantaneous and min and max readings. The g-meter can be reset manually and it automatically resets on take-off. A built-in logbook feature is also very nice.  It makes it easy to update your personal of sailplane logbook with dates (if a GPS is connected) and flight times. The S8 can provide 5V power for a PDA or PNA.

The Perfect Replacement for an ILEC SN10 or Cambridge 302/303 or L-NAV or S-NAV
The S10 and S100 are great replacements for the ILEC SN10 or Cambridge 302/303 or L-NAV or S-NAV flight computer. The S8 and S80 make the older products look obsolete and are much easier to connect to external products like an LXNAV Nano GPS flight recorder or PowerFLARM or Naviter Oudie. Alternatively, those same instruments can be neatly replaced with an LX8080 and V9 or V8 vario. The LX8080 and V9 or V8 vario do everything the S8 and S80 do, but can also display terrain data on the moving map.

AHRS
The LXNAV-AHRS (artificial horizon) is an extra cost software option (see pricing at right). It is enabled by purchasing an enable code for your particular S8 or S80. The AHRS sensor hardware is installed in every S8 and S80. The upgrade can be purchased from Cumulus Soaring, Inc. at the time you purchase the S8 or S80 or anytime afterward. The enable code is tied to the unit's serial number.

Flying Modes
Note: The vario ring around the outside of the screen is visible in all the flying modes. It is easy to rotate through the flying modes using the center button on the right side of the unit.

• Status Mode - GPS status, etc.
• FLARM Mode
• Thermal Assistant Mode
• Waypoint Navigation Mode - This screen displays waypoints and airspace (no terrain) and can be used to navigate to a waypoint. FLARM and other traffic is also displayed on this screen. Use the top and bottom push-buttons to cycle through the 3 screens in this mode: Map, Vario, AHRS (if enabled). The vario screen is the black screen shown at right which includes 4 data windows and many other small displays - such as GPS status, vario units, cruise/climb mode indicator, etc.
• Task Navigation Mode - This screen displays waypoints, tasks, and airspace (no terrain) and can be used to navigate around a task. FLARM and other traffic is also displayed on this screen. Use the top and bottom push-buttons to cycle through the 3 screens in this mode: Map, Vario, AHRS (if enabled). The vario screen is the black screen shown at right which includes 4 data windows and many other small displays - such as GPS status, vario units, cruise/climb mode indicator, etc.
• Setup Mode

Features

• Inertial platform 3 axis digital +/-8g accelerometer, 3 gyroscopes (for inertial vario, AHRS and wind calculation)
• Audible Thermal Assistant
• ARM Cortex-M4 processor running on 160MHz
• S8 Display: 2.5'' QVGA sunlight readable screen (320 x 240 pixels) with 1200 nits of brightness
• S80 Display: 3.5'' QVGA sunlight readable screen (320 x 240 pixels) with 1200 nits of brightness
• Audio equalizer
• Voice module provides voice alerts - such as: "Warning, traffic, 2'o clock, 3 kilometers, 200 meters below"
• G-meter with minimum and maximum display and reset feature
• Built-in AHRS - Optional extra cost option - A software enable key can be purchased to enable the AHRS display.
• Fits into a standard small 57 mm instrument hole
• micro SD memory card slot on the face of the unit for firmware updates, FlarmNet updates, and for loading waypoint and airspace files into the S80.
• Fast wind updates with optional external compass module
• Digital temperature compensated pressure sensors for altitude and airspeed
• 6 digital inputs
• 3 push buttons for adjusting settings
• 2 rotary control knobs
• Ambient light sensor (ALS)
• RS485 Bus
• CANbus
• Built-in voice module
• Power input 10-16V DC
• Consumption: 120 to 190 mA at 12V
• S8 Dimensions: 61mm x 61mm x 95mm (not including the connectors and knobs)
• S80 Display Dimensions: 81 x 81 x 45mm
• S80 Sensor Box: 65 x 45 x 85 mm
• S80 Overall Dimensions: 81x81x132mm (not including the connectors and knobs)
• S8 Weight: 330 g
• S80 Weight: 460 g
• S80D Weight: 290 g

Input & Output

• GPS port input/output on RS232 level (standard IGC 6 pin connector RJ11)
  • Connections (from left to right): 1: +12V, 4: Receive (RS-232), 5: Transmit (RS-232), 6: Ground
• PDA port input/output on RS232 or TTL level for PDA/PNA devices with 5V power supply (8 pin RJ45, 5V output max 2A)
  • Connections (from left to right): 1 & 2: Ground, 3: Transmit (RS-232), 4: Receive (RS-232), 5: Transmit (TTL), 6: Receive (TTL), 7 & 8: +5V
• External Speaker (included), 3 mm phono jack
• 1Mbit CANbus for connection to S8D repeater
• microSD memory card slot on face of S8 - for firmware upgrades and waypoint and airspace data transfers

S8 and S80 GPS cables:

• LXNAV-CC-NP-LX, S7 or S8 or S80 GPS port to NanoPower cable RJ45 port (RX/TX are crossed)
• LXNAV-S7-GPS-232, S7 or S8 or S80 to DB-9f connector
• LXNAV-S7-GPS-IGC, "Straight-through" 6-conductor RJ12 cable for use with "standard IGC" devices - such as the LX Navigation Colibri and Colibri II's LX-ColibriII-Pwr-Data adapter, or a FLARM with 6-pin RJ12 connector.
• LXNAV-S7-GPS-Nano, S7 or S8 or S80 GPS port to a Nano or Nano3 - through a USB to mini-USB cable. It includes a 12V to 5V power converter which is powered with 12V from the S7 or S8 or S80.
• LXNAV-S7-GPS-PF, S7 or S8 or S80 GPS port to RJ45 connector with "standard IGC" connections, for use with PowerFLARM Portable, K6 Mux (output port only), Volkslogger (version with RJ45 connector)
• Cable-PFLARM-Pwr-RJ45-S7-0p5 - Cable from S7 or S8 or S80 GPS port to RJ45 connector with "standard IGC" connections, for use with PowerFLARM Portable. 12V power leads are also provided for powering the PowerFLARM Portable with 12V. This cable does not pass 12V power from the S7 or S8 or S80 to the PowerFLARM Portable.
• LXNAV-S7-GPS-PFCore, S7 or S8 or S80 GPS port to DB-9m connector for connection to PowerFLARM Core, The S7 or S8 or S80 powers the PowerFLARM Core with 12V.
• Cable-PFLARM-Pwr-DB9m-S7-0p5, Cable for connecting a S7, S8 or S80's GPS port to a PowerFLARM Core's DB-9 port. 12V power leads are also provided for powering the PowerFLARM Core with 12V. This cable does not pass 12V power from the S7, S8 or S80 to the PowerFLARM Core.

S8 and S80 PDA Cables:

• LXNAV-CC-NP-Oudie2, S7 or S8 or S80 PDA port to Naviter Oudie or Oudie 2 or Oudie IGC. The S7 or S8 or S80 powers the Oudie with 12V.
• LXNAV-CC-NP-Kobo, for connecting an S7, S8, S80, S10 or S100 vario's PDA port to a Kobo e-reader display. The vario provides power to the Kobo.
• LXNAV-CC-NP-232, S7 or S8 or S80 PDA port to to DB-9f connector, Can be used to connect the S7 to a PC for firmware updates.
• LXNAV-CC-NP-IPAQ310, S7 or S8 or S80 PDA port to HP iPAQ 310 or 314 Travel Companion 
• LXNAV-CC-NP-38, S7 or S8 or S80 PDA port to iPAQ h2200, h3800, h3900, h5500, hx4700, hx2000, etc.
• LXNAV-CC-NP-LX, S7 or S8 or S80 PDA port to 6-conductor RJ12 connector, for use with LX Navigation MiniMap (RX/TX are crossed)
• Use an RJ-Coupler-RJ45-Rj45-Panel and Cumulus-Cable-RJ45-RJ45-0p5 to move the PDA connector out to a panel-mounted RJ45 connector. This is a perfect option for soaring clubs - allowing club members to easily connect their own PDA cables.

Included

• S8 or S80 variometer
• microSD memory card
• Printed manual (printed by Cumulus Soaring, Inc.)
• Wiring harness with 12V power connections, outside air temperature probe, digital inputs and RS-485 connector

Optional

• GPS Cable (select from several types - see note above)
• PDA Cable (select from several types - see note above)
• LXNAV-GPSMouse GPS Engine - connects directly to the vario's GPS port
  
  
• LXNAV BlueTooth Module
  
  
• LXNAV-AHRS-Enable
• Stick-mounted Remote Control
  

The S8 and S80 are designed to work with or without GPS input and with or without connection to a PDA.  That is nice for customers on a budget because you can buy the S8 or S80 now and add a GPS and/or PDA later when you can afford to.

S8 or S80 Alone When you use the S8 alone (without a GPS or PDA) it functions as a very nice speed-to-fly variometer with basic final glide calculations.  For final glides, you enter the distance to go and wind component, and the unit ticks down the distance using your airspeed and assuming you are flying directly to the destination. The g-meter and flight duration logbook work fine in this mode - except that the logbook cannot log the dates and times of the flights, only the durations	S8 or S80 with GPS or FLARM input There are several advantages when a GPS or FLARM is sending GPS data to the S8.  The logbook shows dates and times in addition to flight durations.  Also, the S8 records the take-off coordinates and can perform final glide calculations and provide navigational directions to the take-off site - perfect for use in a club glider.  The 4 large display numbers on the face of the S8 can be configured to display steering course and/or distance and/or differential final glide (height above or below glideslope) to the take-off site.  If a FLARM device is connected to the S8 it can display FLARM warnings (clock display) on the S8's display and display FLARM traffic on the moving map screen.	S8 or S80 with Oudie When connected to a Naviter Oudie the S8 receives GPS data from the Oudie and sends vario and airspeed and wind data from the S8 to the Oudie. The 4 large display numbers on the face of the S8 can be configured to display steering course and/or distance and/or differential final glide (height above or below glideslope) to the take-off site. The Oudie2 can record flight logs which are accepted by the OLC (Online Contest) but not by the IGC for badges and records. The Oudie IGC can record flight logs that are accepted by the OLC and IGC.	S8 or S80 with GPS or FLARM and PDA A complete flight computer system includes a GPS or FLARM, the S8 variometer, and a PDA running soaring flight software.  In this case the S8 receives GPS and FLARM data and adds airspeed, wind and variometer data and sends it on to the soaring flight software on the PDA.  Depending on the features of the soaring software you use, parameters like MacCready and Bugs can be exchanged between the S8 and the PDA.  Task declarations can be sent from the PDA through the S8 to the GPS flight recorder.  If you are using a logger that features flight log downloads over the serial port, you can download flight logs through the S8 to the PDA.

Simple system with LXNAV-GPSMouse and S8 or S80