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Setup for Legacy G1000 Suite or Individual PFD/MFD G1000 units
Setup for Legacy G1000 Suite or Individual PFD/MFD G1000 units

This article covers the setup process for the RealSimGear Legacy G1000 units (Gen1-Gen3)

Jarrod - RealSimGear avatar
Written by Jarrod - RealSimGear
Updated over a week ago

Overview

RealSimGear Legacy G1000 units consist of three generations of device: Gen 1, Gen 2 and now Gen 3.  Gen 1 units have 2xUSB ports each, Gen 2 and 3 units have 1xUSB port each. Please make note throughout the instructions as to which generation you have.

Package Inclusions

The G1000 Suite includes the following components.

  • x1 Primary Function Display (PFD)

  • x1 Multi-Function Display (MFD)

  • x1 Audio Panel

  • x1 PFD to Audio panel ribbon cable

  • x2 DC Power Packs

  • x2 HDMI right angle adapters

  • Gen 1 - x4 USB cables

  • Gen 2 - x2 USB cables

The PFD and MFD are essentially the same however they have each been loaded and pre-set with their own firmware so that they control the correct module in X-Plane. Note: To determine which unit you have, please refer to the shipping box, each box should be labelled as either a PFD or MFD.  Make note of which unit is which for instructions below. 

Mounting Instructions

If you are mounting the G1000 suite in your own panel, please see our panel cutout guide for details on the required panel cut out shapes. The PFD and MFD are mounted using x4 M3 self tapping screws, inserted from the rear of the panel.  You may substitute a #4 or #5 screw if you do not have M3 screws available.

If you purchased the optional G1000 Suite Desktop Stand the PFD, MFD and audio panel fit into the provided cut outs.

To assemble the stand, position the audio panel bracket between the two PFD/MFD brackets, then add the mounting screws after the PFD/MFD module is installed.

Next, install the Audio Panel. Remove the mounting brackets, insert into the Audio Panel cut out then replace the brackets.  Adjust the provided screws to tighten in place.

Connect the cables

First, connect the USB cables.
Gen 1 units - There are x2 USB cables for each of the PFD and MFD.
Gen 2 unites - There are x1 USB cables for each of the PFD and MFD.

Next, insert the HDMI angle adapter into each unit and then connect an HDMI (not supplied) cable between each unit to an acceptable connection on your computer.  When connecting to your computer, you can choose to use an available Displayport > HDMI cable, mini-DisplayPort > HDMI cable, USB-C > HDMI cable, straight HDMI cable, DVI > HDMI cable, or as necessary a DisplayPort > HDMI hub, or USB3 > HDMI adapter.

Connect the short ribbon cable between the audio panel and the PFD (not the MFD).  The access hole on the back side of the PFD can be a bit tight, its best to try to bend the ribbon cable 90 degrees at the connector to facilitate getting the connection to the PFD.

Finally, connect each unit to power using the provided 12v power packs.

Note: Photos below are showing Gen 1 units, Gen 2 and 3 units simply have a single USB plug.

Install the Plugin

Download and install the RealSimGear plugin for your flight simulation software. 

Windows

In Windows, open Display Settings and change the display setting for the smaller display to “Landscape / flipped”, set the resolution to whatever Windows says is recommended.

It is usually best to 'place' the additional displays below and to the center of your primary display. This makes it easy to adjust the G1000 screens to exactly fill the display however if you have multiple other displays, this positioning may need to be modified.

Mac
With the cables connected, open the Mac System Preferences.  Hold down the control and option(alt) keys and select "Displays" from the System Preference options.  This will open up the Display settings with the Rotation option visible (simply clicking on Displays does not do this).  You will see that each connected display will have a Display Setting box open.

On your main Mac screen, you should have something that shows all screens.

On the main screen, ensure the "Mirror Displays" is unchecked, and that the display arrangement matches how you physically have your RealSimGear devices arranged (the above image is for example only).

On each of the RealSimGear screens, in the Display Settings screen, select Rotation to be 180°.

** To make it easer to read, you can also select the "Gather Windows" button, which will position the Display Settings boxes for all screens onto your main screen.

Remove the Bezel Graphics

  • Note if you used the Windows Installer for X-Plane 11, you can skip the bezel replacement step.

To override the default G1000 PFD and MFD bezel graphics, download the following files (right click, save as) and place them into the following folder.

..\X-Plane 11\Resources\bitmaps\cockpit\EFIS\G1000

Position the screen and test

Start X-Plane and load the default Cessna 172SP G1000.  With the default 3D cockpit view selected, click on each of the PFD and MFD screens so that they ‘pops out’. Look for the small rectangle in the upper right and click this to make the window appear with the white bar at the top.

Now position the window so that it fully fills the G1000 screen.  If you position the G1000 display below your primary display, just drag it down so the only the white bar is visible in your primary display.  You may need to adjust the width/height of the popped out window slightly.

Try pressing the buttons on the G1000 and you should see the screen change.  If you don’t see anything changing, you can check that the G1000 is connected by checking the connection status window in "Plugins -> RealSimGear GNSx30 -> Connected Hardware". 

Your device should appear in this window, and the message/command items will change when you press the buttons or turn the knobs.

Note: For Gen 1 units, you should see 4 entries, 1-4 that control the PFD and MFD.  For Gen 2 units, you should see 2 entries, 1 & 3.

Not working or further questions? Please take a look at these additional trouble shooting steps.

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