PS Engineering, a manufacturer of aircraft audio panels and high-fidelity intercom systems, has introduced the new PMA8000BT, featuring Bluetooth capability. This audio control panel offers pilots with smart phones, like iPhone, BlackBerry, or Palm Pilot and others, to connect wirelessly with the audio panel. This capability allows the music in the Smartphone to stream into the audio panel for distribution to the aircraft occupants. In addition, it allows the pilot, and anybody on the intercom, to connect to the cellular telephone from the audio panel.
“We studied the utility of Bluetooth for a long time,” said company founder Mark Scheuer, “and offered it to the experimental market more than two years ago. It has been extremely well received, but we wanted to proceed carefully in the certificated world, to make the application as transparent and seamless as possible. We do not want to overcomplicate the audio panel.”
Operation of the Bluetooth link is as simple as using the Smartphone to discover the PMA8000BT and establish a link, he explains. From there, either place a call and press the TEL button, or begin streaming music. Four muting modes and music distribution capability allow the pilot and passengers to decide how the music is treated.
According to the Senior Design Engineer, Eduardo Lopez-Gil, “We designed this Bluetooth interface so that it would not have any effect on the basic audio panel, either electrically, or in the environmental qualifications. The audio panel remains robust and in complete compliance with the FAA TSO requirements.”
In addition to the new Bluetooth technologies, the PMA8000BT offers all the features of the PMA8000B, including six-place intercom with IntelliVox, dual-channel entertainment inputs through hardwire connections, fully featured audio panel functions with the new Monitor Mode, digital aircraft recorder and pilot selectable audio panel configurations.
The PMA8000BT will be shipping by end of second quarter.
For more information: PS-Engineering.com
