How To Send Engine Data From EI MVP-50

Integration Guide

These instructions are specific to the Electronics International (EI) MVP-50. Note that EI CGR-30 is also supported and the setup steps are very similar.

 

Preparation

Required components:

• Spider X (6000SX)
• Spidertracks Serial + Power accessory cable (2000PSL102)
• MVP-50
• DB9 female connector and back shell
• 2 (or more) core shielded aviation-grade data cable

 

Required Supports:

• Spider X firmware v7.1.1 or later
• Mobile device with Spidertracks application v5.8.5 or later
• Updated MVP-50 configuration file (from Spidertracks)

 

Electrical Interface

The Spidertracks Serial + Power accessory cable is required to be installed between the Spider X power cable and the Spider X. A custom cable is then required to connect the Spidertracks 9-pin D-sub connector (C) with the 25-pin D-sub connector on the back of the EI MVP-50 display. 

The MVP-50 25-pin D-sub connector wiring diagram is provided on Page 66 of the MVP-50P Installation Instructions, available online here. 

The purpose of the custom loom is to connect the MVP-50 Real-Time Data Output (RDTO) serial stream on Port 3 (25-Pin D-sub, pin 10) to the Spider X RS232 serial input (9-Pin D-Sub, pin 2).

A Ground connection is also required between the devices. 

Connector Description (ID)	9-Pin D-Sub (Connector D)	25-Pin D-Sub (Connector E)
Serial data to Spider X	Pin 2	Pin 10
Ground	Pin 5	Pin 14 or 15
Shield	D-Sub body	Pin 14 or 15
All other pins	Do not connect	Maintain original connections

 

Configuration

Once connected, the MVP-50 needs to be configured to stream the serial data out, and the Spider X needs to be configured to pass the serial data to the Cloud.

 

MVP-50 RDTO Output

The MVP-50 config files (all) need to be sent to Spidertracks, along with the MVP-50 serial number.

Spidertracks will collaborate with EI to apply the serial streaming config changes, then return an updated set of config files to be imported back onto the MVP-50. 

 

IMPORTANT: 

Each config is unique to each aircraft; modified configs must remain paired with each original aircraft. 

NOTES: 

• The Level 1 maintenance password is required to download and import the config.
• Only MVP-50 units with Serial Numbers 172xxx serial numbers and later are compatible with remote config for this feature. Earlier units will need to be shipped to EI for hardware modifications. As at March 2025, the cost of these modifications is included in the cost of enabling the RTDO module.

Spider X MVP-50 Serial Input

The Spider X supports uploading data from a number of serial peripherals into the Spidertracks cloud. 

To ensure correct processing and display, the Spider needs to be configured for the MVP-50 peripheral.

To configure the Spider X device;

Apply power to the Spider X

1. Open the App and Log in to Spidertracks.
2. Click More.
3. Go to Manage Spider.

4. Select Spider Connection and pair with your Spider X

5. Select Advanced Setup.

6. Select Device.

7. Select MVP-50.

The mobile diagnostics page will show a green connection icon if the MVP-50 is powered and streaming valid data to the Spider X.

Getting a green connection status in the Spidertracks mobile app (visible under Advanced Setup, and alternatively under More > Spider Status > Serial Integration) is a key step in confirming data is flowing from MVP-50 to the Spider X. 

For the data to then reach the Cloud platform, the Spider X needs to have cellular connectivity. The status and health of cellular connection is available under More > Spider Status > Connectivity.

To confirm data is received in the platform, ensure the following:

• The “Insights Plus” module has been enabled for your Spidertracks account/Organisation
• You are logged in to the Spidertracks web platform as a Member with Admin role

At this point, when viewing a track in Flight Explorer, the Chart data series option will include Temperature, Torque, RPM, etc, as options depending on what the MVP-50 is streaming.

NOTE: If the MVP-50 integration is not available in the Serial Device list, this can be either due to the mobile app not being the latest version or the Spider X firmware not being the latest version. 

To update the mobile app: Visit the App Store.

To update the Spider X firmware. Generally, this is automatic; however, it does require cellular connectivity, and sometimes requires the Spider to be rebooted a couple of times (if it’s not been used in a while). Alternatively, the firmware update can be forced using our online tool; please refer to the Spidertracks Knowledge Base for more details.

At any time, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.