The B500 Variometer Speed Command is aimed to be a replacement of the normal vario and is both suited for competition flying, as well as for club use due to it's ease of use.
The unit is available in 57mm or 80mm sizes. An airspeed sensor is included in the B500 which enables calculation and display of advanced variometer functions.

The vario display and climb mode audio are the same as the B400 AV with the addition of red and green LEDs near the “zero� point of the variometer. When climbing the green LED is ON when the variometer is above the running 20 second value . In cruise the red and green LED’s indicate when the airmass is rising or sinking.

In cruise mode the vario becomes optionally TE vario, Netto or Relative netto. Two blue LED’s and two amber LED’s provide the speed command display and the “fly faster� and “fly slower� sounds are two alternating tones for “fly slower� and two very rapidly alternating tones for “fly faster�. There is a silent zone around the correct speed to fly and when the relative vario goes above the Macready setting the sound changes to the normal TE vario.

The B500 has a two channel audio and is supplied with left and right speakers. The audio sounds can be switched depending on various circumstances. When thermalling the sound is switched to one speaker when the circle should be opened in that direction. This is a feature that is under development.

Various B500 functions are customisable by connecting the unit to a PC, including the audio silent zone. Software updates are accomplished the same way.

B500 Glareshield Controller/Display (B500 GCD).
The GCD is a a small unit 30mm high by 80mm wide and only 30mm deep which is designed to mount under or in the lip of the instrument panel cover.

The controls are closer to the pilot and the display is very close to his line of sight, assisting with orientation and lookout. By separating it from the variometer the variometer pointer does not obscure its displays.
It is supplied with a 0.5m cable with plug which connects to the B500 variometer unit by plugging it in to a socket on the back of the instrument.
The B500 GCD has a push button top left and under it a rotary encoder with push button action and the rest of the area is occupied by a 122 x 32 graphics LCD with display area measuring 60.5 x 19 mm.

The B500 GCD receives GPS and air data from the B500 variometer unit/B500 GPS and in addition to the display of the average rates of climb the B500 is controlled by the GCD and the pilot can enter Macready, bugs contamination, ballast state, control B500 audio volume and balance and in addition a simple GPS navigation display with turnpoint database, wind and final glide computer can be shown.

This makes the instrument ideal for club gliders while the B500 also supplies RS 232 serial air and GPS data to any desired full function glide and navigation computer such as the Borgelt B2000 or any of the PDA type devices.

Total energy is by probe for the same reasons as with the B400 AV. TE probes provide by far the best and most reliable TE compensation. There is a B500 mode where the pilot can select static(uncompensated)vario or pitot/satic compensation for the motor glider case.
The B500 VE has an Outside Air Temperature probe and the temperature is displayed on the GCD.

GPS and Air data is supplied by the B500 to external computers and navigation devices by serial messages at 1 Hz.