Last Updated: April 26, 2024
Overview
There have been several versions of the G1000 hardware, this article covers the current Gen4 version. The Gen4 version has all ports on the back surface of the unit and does not have a ribbon cable connector. There is no difference between a PFD and MFD, they are universally known as an XFD and can be configured as a PFD or MFD later within the RealSimGear plugin.
If you have a previous version (Legacy), please refer to the article below for setup assistance.
Package Inclusions
The G1000 Suite includes the following components.
Two G1000XFD display units, each box containing the following:
One: RealSimGear G1000XFD
One: USB Type A to Type B cable
One: 12V 2.0 Amp DC Power Adapter with a 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel connector. (North America socket pattern)
Four: M3 x 8mm Mounting Screws
One: Quick Start Guide reference card.
One G1000 GMA Audio Panel
One: G1000 GMA Audio Panel
One: USB Type A to Type B cable
Two: GMA Mounting Brackets, pre-installed with mounting screws.
G1000 Suite Unboxing
Mounting Instructions
The RealSimGear G1000 XFD's and G1000 Suite can be mounted in a number of ways:
Using the RealSimGear G1000 Suite Desktop Stand (Sold Separately)
Mounting in a custom panel or enclosure. RealSimGear provides .DXF drawing files for use in creating custom panel faces. You can download those from our Panel Cutouts and Dimensions page.
The individual G1000XFD's can also be mounted to the top of a Honeycomb Alpha/Bravo flight control unit, or Logitech yoke. The hole pattern in the base of the XFD stand will align perfectly for this application.
Assembling the G1000 Suite into the Desktop Stand
Connecting the G1000 Suite to your PC
Connect the cables in the following order:
USB A to USB B: Connect the square Type B connector to the back of the G1000 XFD and GMA Audio Panel (if included) Plug the rectangular Type A connector to an available USB port on your PC or powered USB hub.
Note: Please do not plug the USB cables into an unpowered USB hub as this will cause connection issues between the device and the PC.
HDMI: You will need to supply two HDMI cables (not included with the G1000 XFD displays) to connect from the G1000XFD's to your PC's graphics card or RealSimGear USB3 to Dual HDMI Adapter.
If you are connecting directly to the graphics card, it is acceptable to use a good quality DisplayPort to HDMI cable.
12 Volt DC Power: Plug the barrel connector into the G1000 XFD unit, then plug the adapter into an available wall outlet.
For international customers: you can use an outlet adapter to adapt the North American plug style to your local plug style. Additionally you can also purchase a dedicated DC adapter to your plug style from a local electronics retailer.
Note: The text/button backlighting on the G1000 XFD is powered by the USB connection. If plugged into a powered external hub, or depending on the USB port you have plugged the cable into on your PC, the backlighting may remain on when you shut down your PC. This is normal behavior and it is acceptable to leave the backlighting on. You can unplug the USB connections for longevity.
Setting up the G1000 Suite for MSFS
Configuring the displays with Windows
In Windows Display Properties (accessible from the settings icon of Windows, or by right clicking on your Windows desktop) the G1000 XFD displays will need to be set up in Windows to the right of your main forward display. If you have multiple forward monitors (Three-view setup) place the G1000 displays to the right of those monitors.
Align your monitors to the top edge of your main display in Windows Display Properties.
Ensure that the G1000 displays are set to "Extend desktop to this display"
In the Display Settings Menu, under Scale and layout, make sure the options for each G1000 display (show in the image below) are set correctly:
Scale: 100%
Display Resolution: 1024 x 768
Display orientation: Landscape
Note: The RealSimGear G1000XFD display require a refresh rate of 60Hz. Windows will set this by default.
Install the RealSimGear Device Interface for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
If you have not done so already, you will need to download and install the Device Interface for Microsoft Flight Simulator. You can download the Device Interface from the button below. RealSimGear also recommends downloading the current command mapping file, this can also be downloaded from the button below and is just below the link for the Device Interface download.
Hide the Windows Taskbar
We do not want the taskbar (Windows bar that contains the start menu) to display on the G1000 displays. This can be easily turned off using the following procedure:
Right-click anywhere on the Taskbar from the main display.
Select "Taskbar settings"
From the Taskbar menu, select "Taskbar behaviors"
Uncheck "Show my taskbar on all displays"
With the above steps complete, we are now ready to configure the G1000 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
Assigning the PFD and MFD to the G1000 Screens.
We need to tell the Device Interface which of the G1000 screens is the PFD and which is the MFD so that each screen controls the correct G1000 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
This can be accomplished in the following steps:
Start Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Allow the simulator to load to the main menu. During this time the RealSimGear Device Interface will automatically start with the simulator.
Once we have loaded to the main menu of MSFS, bring the RealSimGear Device Interface window into focus by clicking on it.
Assign the role to the specific display according to your set-up by clicking the "Device Type" box next to the hardware name. The blue box indicates the current setting for the listed device.
PFD1: Left Seat Primary Flight Display
MFD: Multi Function Display
PFD2: Right Seat Primary Flight Display
Note: Pressing any of the buttons or rotating the knobs will show activity on that particular device in the Device Interface. You can use this method to determine which of your devices is the PFD or MFD.
You can only assign one PFD to an external screen in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, this is a limitation of the simulator.
Placing the G1000 Instruments on the RealSimGear G1000 Displays
Now that we have configured the G1000 displays, the last task is to place the G1000 Avionics from your aircraft of choice on to the RealSimGear G1000 XFD displays. This is known as "Popping out the displays". This can be accomplished in one of two ways:
Manual Pop Out Method:
Hold down the Alt-Gr (The ALT key to the right of the space bar) while hovering your mouse over the in-aircraft avionics, such as the PFD or MFD (your cursor will change to a magnifying glass with a "+" sign) and then LEFT click once. This will create a pop out window of the G1000 display.
You will notice that your G1000 pop outs have black borders on the left and right edges. We will want to remove them by adjusting the width of the pop out window.
Hover your mouse cursor over the left or right edge of the window, which ever side is easiest to see the border between the black bar, and the actual display. For the MFD image we are using in this demonstration we chose the right edge.
When your mouse cursor changes to a double arrow icon, left click and hold the mouse button.
Drag the edge of the window in small increments to reduce the width of the window. Every time you drag the window edge to reduce the width release the left mouse button. This will make the window smaller in width, while maintaining its height.
Continue to reduce the width until the black bar is a very small fraction of it's original width.
With the window resized, left-click and hold the white bar at the top of the pop out window, then drag the window into the center of the respective display (MFD in our example).
You will need to ensure that each pop out is displayed completely in the monitor you wish the pop out display should occupy. No part of the the pop out should be located outside the limits of the display. This is important for the final step. If it is outside the display limits the full screen operation will fail.
Your pop outs should look like the following image before setting the pop out to full screen:
To make a manual pop out full screen, simply move your mouse cursor to that particular display and left click once to bring that display into focus in Windows.
Next, press Alt Gr (Right ALT key, next to the spacebar) and Enter. This will tell Microsoft Flight Simulator to make that window full screen.
Do the above step for the remaining G1000 display to complete the manual pop out method.
Note: The manual pop out method is not the preferred method. This method can cause lost pop outs if you move your G1000 displays in Windows Display Properties. While this method will get you up and running the fastest the preferred method is using Automatic Pop Outs, described below.
Automatic Pop Out Method
If you find you are struggling to maintain the manual pop outs, have lost your pop outs because of a position change in Windows Display Properties, or you wish to simply automate the process, RealSimGear recommends the automatic method to get your G1000's populated.
This is done using a free, third-party program called: MSFS Pop Out Panel Manager.
RealSimGear has covered the installation, setup, and use of MSFS Pop Out Panel Manager in our dedicated article which is linked below:
For any additional questions or assistance, please contact us at the email link below: