The author undertook a significant and costly avionics overhaul of a 1982 Cessna 340A, aiming for maximum system redundancy, which involved dual Garmin GTN Xi navigators and G500 TXi EFIS with integrated engine information systems (EIS).
The upgrade required extensive modifications to the aircraft's instrument panel to accommodate new, larger displays and replaced all original engine instrumentation.
A major challenge was the installation of CiES digital fuel sensors, which, despite offering a superior four-tank display, proved exceptionally difficult and time-consuming due to inadequate installation instructions and materials provided by the manufacturer.
The article emphasizes the need for close owner-shop collaboration during EIS configuration due to numerous display options, and notes a limitation in the EIS strip's ability to show individual EGT data for each cylinder.
After deciding I wanted as much redundancy—immunity from any single failure—as possible, and designing the systems toward that goal (See “Belt, Suspenders, Rope” in September 2023.), it only remained to actually install and implement those systems. That required about three and a half months and cost about half what the plane had been worth.
Where? Why?
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