An Android tablet, including the Aviation Tablet and X7, can drive an autopilot with no cable to the tablet at all. A small Bluetooth-to-serial adapter sits at the autopilot end; iFly sends NMEA sentences to it over Bluetooth. The Parani SD1000 is the adapter we have tested most; the Bolutek adapter works the same way.

Six-minute overview

Quick Tip · Bluetooth NMEA Output · 5:39  ·  Open on YouTube

What you need

• iFly EFB on Android. Bluetooth serial output is not available on iOS or Windows.
• A Parani SD1000 (or Bolutek) Bluetooth-to-serial adapter with its USB power lead.
• The serial cable or wiring to your autopilot's RS-232 input, and the baud rate it expects (in its installation manual).

Step 1 · Set up the adapter

1. Connect the USB power lead to the adapter and switch it ON.
2. Plug the adapter into the serial connection on the autopilot (or other avionics).
3. Find the baud rate the autopilot requires: 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 and so on.
4. Set the white DIP switches on the adapter to that baud rate. The pattern chart is printed on the adapter; for example, the top three switches to the right is 9600.
5. With a paper clip or toothpick, press the recessed Pairing button in the top right. The Mode light flashes green in groups of three when the adapter is in pairing mode.

Step 2 · Pair the tablet

1. Open the tablet's Bluetooth settings. The adapter appears as SD1000v2.0-xxxxx.
2. Tap it to pair. If asked for a PIN, the default is 1234.

Step 3 · Point iFly at it

1. In iFly, go to Menu › Setup › NMEA Output › Bluetooth › Send to Bluetooth RS232 and select SD1000v2.0-xxxxx.
2. If Android asks, allow iFly EFB to connect to Nearby devices. Without that permission the pairing exists but no data flows.
3. Choose the sentences and baud rate your autopilot needs under Custom. The baud rate here must match the DIP switches on the adapter.
4. On the adapter, the Connect light turns green and the RS232 Tx/Rx light flashes red as data is sent.

Step 4 · Test on the ground

iFly only sends NMEA when it has a position. Go to Menu › Start Simulation Mode › Show Simulation Controls, load any flight plan, and add speed and a climb with the arrows. Then open Menu › About › Connected Devices: an NMEA Output Controller appears and its sentence count climbs. The autopilot should show a course.

Troubleshooting

• Adapter is paired but Connect light stays off: grant the Nearby devices permission (Settings › Apps › iFly EFB › Permissions), then reselect the adapter in NMEA Output.
• Connect light on, autopilot gets nothing: baud rate mismatch between the DIP switches, iFly and the autopilot, or TX/RX swapped at the autopilot end.
• Sentence count stays at zero: no position. Use Simulation Mode or wait for a GPS lock.
• Wired instead? The Aviation Tablet's docking station has a serial port. See Drive an autopilot from iFly. The X7 has no wired NMEA option; Bluetooth is the route.