All FLARM devices—Classic FLARM, PowerFLARM, and PowerFLARM RedBox with RJ45 connector—can be connected to the XCVario using standard cables. The cable shipped with the device includes a power supply option, allowing e.g. a classic FLARM device to be powered directly through this cable. This eliminates the need for additional wiring from the aircraft electrical system. FLARM devices with RJ12 or Sub-D connectors can also be connected using a RJ45 coupler or our S2 extender and plugging a RJ12 cable at the other end.
Once the FLARM is connected, NMEA data from the GPS and the barometric sensor (if available in the FLARM) are transmitted to XCSoar by default via the FLARM cable. Also tasks can be transferred to IGC-FLARM devices and FLARM settings can be configured directly. For details, please refer to the XCSoar documentation.
Recorded flights can also be downloaded from the FLARM. To do this, the FLARM must be configured in XCSoar as a separate device using the “FLARM” driver and enabled for download
(Config → NMEA Connections → FLARM → Activate).
During activation of the FLARM driver, other device drivers that use the same Bluetooth connection (such as OpenVario) must be deactivated
(Config → NMEA Connections → OpenVario → Deactivate).
Once activated, the flight download can be initiated in the FLARM device menu. First, a list of recorded flights is transferred; the desired flight can then be selected for download.
Downloading via the serial interface may take several minutes depending on flight duration, as the default baud rate of 19,200 limits the transfer speed to approximately 2 kB/s. Higher baud rates can be configured for faster downloads—see the chapter on RS232 serial baud rate configuration.
If XCSoar is connected via WiFi instead of Bluetooth, the FLARM can also be configured as a separate device using the “FLARM” driver. In this case, no switching of device drivers or entering the Vario setup menu is required. Flight downloads via WiFi are possible when a WiFi-capable device is connected through the FLARM port. During the download process, all other devices connected to the XCVario must be switched off.
Pur software version includes a sophisticated FLARM collision warning display, which graphically shows approaching traffic considering even bank angle of your glider. Depending on the alarm level, an acoustic warning signal is issued to draw attention to potential collision hazards.
