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STRIKEFINDER - Tech Support
Installation Skin Map The STRIKE FINDER® unit can be used to skin map the aircraft. Here's how:
Diagnostic Skin Map
Troubleshooting STRIKE FINDER®
To
eliminate strobe noise see -
STRIKE
FINDER®
has three antennas inside its sensor.
Two are loop-type to receive bearing
signal data, and the third is a sense
antenna. The sense antenna is
omni-directional, and the phase of its
output signal is compared with that of
the loops to determine if the strike was
on one side of the aircraft or the
other. The basic principles are similar
to those used in Fixed-Loop Automatic
Direction Finder (ADF) for bearing
detection. Each antenna outputs a signal
which is sent to the display unit, where
it is digitized and processed for
plotting. The loop antenna signals are
defined as X and Y, and the sense signal
is defined as R STRIKE FINDER®
is basically detecting a radio signal
radiated from a vertical electrical
discharge (lightning strike), which may
be hundreds of miles away. When
diagnosing interference problems, it is
helpful to consider the fact that a
strike with a current of thousands of
amperes, hundreds of miles away, may
look the same (electrically) as a small
spark of minimal amperes a few feet from
the sensor. This could be produced by
something as simple as bad brushes on an
alternator, or a loose wire. Therefore,
the location and condition of other
electrical equipment and wiring,
relative to the sensor, will influence
the success of any STRIKE FINDER®
installation, in terms of electrical
interference.
XO, Xl, or X2 - Continuously Displayed X channel bandwidth, gain, or phase error. Fault may be in display, sensor, or cable. Check sensor cable/connector wiring for conductors XA and XB. Exchange display and sensor with known good components.
XO - Intermittently Displayed This
code will disappear and re-appear,
randomly, and may also disappear after
the CLEAR button is pressed. In order to locate and correct an interference problem, select Dealer Mode on the display, and clear the display. Watch the activity number in the lower left corner. This number is a count of the number of times STRIKE FINDER is triggered. The goal of interference investigation is to reduce the rate of triggering (in the absence of real storm activity) to one every 30 seconds, or longer, and to ensure that no dots are being plotted. If a cluster or line of dots is being plotted, switch off all other electrical equipment in the aircraft, and clear the display. If dots appear again in the same location, rotate the aircraft and again clear the display. If the dots appear at a new location, the interference source is external to the aircraft, and further testing may not be necessary. If the dots appear at the same location, no matter what the aircraft heading, then the source is on the airframe or is being generated by the STRIKE FINDER® system itself. Connect
the display to a separate battery, and
switch off the aircraft master switch.
If dots continue to appear at the same
location, the STRIKE FINDER®
is generating its own dots, and both
display and sensor must be returned for
repair. To assist in this procedure of identifying interference sources the Insight Audio Tester (P/N 2000-060) may be used.
YO, Yl, or Y2 -Continuously displayed Y
channel bandwidth, gain, or phase error.
Fault may be in display, sensor, or
cable. Check sensor cable / connector
wiring for conductors YA and YB.
YO - Intermittently displayed This
code will disappear and re-appear,
randomly.
P - Continuously displayed P
channel failure, or sense antenna fault.
P - Intermittently displayed This
code will disappear and re-appear,
randomly. When a real storm cell is
being plotted on the display, a mirror
image', or ambiguous storm cell will be
plotted, usually with fewer dots than
the real storm cell. In Dealer Mode, the
activity number will usually be
acceptably stable. Use the
Insight Audio Tester (P/N 2000-060) to
isolate the interference source, by
switching various electrical equipment
on, one at a time.
Z - Slow Flashing This
error code can result from loss of +8V
or -8V supply, or ground to the sensor.
Also, loss of the test pulse signal to
the sensor, or sensor malfunction will
produce this error code.
S - Continuous
Separation failure in test pulse
hardware.
B - Continuous
Non-volatile memory failure.
Other Symptoms
Mirror Imaging
Symptom:
Display plots a real storm cell at the
proper location, as well as a mirror
image', or ambiguous cell located
180-degrees away. Usually the mirror
image cell has fewer dots. This
condition may be accompanied by an
intermittent P error message.
STRIKE FINDER® Install Note
Composite Plane
Aircraft Noise.
Try this testing procedure to help indicate where the noise may be occurring. Testing should be done in a metal aircraft hangar with the door closed. Ensure that the area is electrically quiet.
1 - Pull all breakers in the aircraft. Turn only the Strike Finder® on and boot the unit into dealer mode by holding all four buttons in until the first sunburst is complete. The unit will sunburst 4 more times and 2 rings of dots will appear as well as a trigger counter. Press clear to remove the dots which are not needed. If the unit is triggering greater than 1 per 30 seconds and/or dots are being plotted and/or an error code appears, go to line 2. If not, go to line 5. 2 - Press clear to clear the display and ensure that ALL aircraft systems are off. If the unit is triggering greater than 1 per 30 seconds and/or dots are being plotted go to line 3. If not, goto line 5. If an error code appears continuously, go to line 9. 3 - Rotate the aircraft 90 degrees. If the unit is triggering and/or plotting dots at the same location relative to the aircraft heading, go to line 4. If the unit is triggering and/or plotting dots at a different location relative to aircraft heading, go to line 7. 4 - Connect the Strike Finder® to a separate battery external of the aircraft. Switch off the master avionics switch if not already. If the unit is triggering and/or plotting dots at the same location, go to line 8. If the unit is not triggering and plotting dots, go to line 5. 5 - Begin turning on the aircraft systems. Wait at least a minute between each system. If the unit begins to trigger, go to line 6. A correct installation is with all systems turned on and no triggering. No further testing is required. If the unit still gives an intermittent error code after all testing is complete, go to line 9. 6 - Inspect the interfering source for correct operation. Move the sensor or offending system to isolate the noise. Go to line 5 until all systems have been turned on. 7 - External noise is causing the triggering and/or plotting. Choose a quieter location and ensure no active storms are within 200nm. Go to line 1. 8 - The Strike Finder® may be generating its own dots and/or causing the triggering itself. Contact Insight for more information. 9 - The Strike Finder® may need repairs. Contact Insight for more information. This test will help to ensure a correct installation. The goal of the test is to reduce interference and reduce the triggering of the Strike Finder® to less than 1 per 30 seconds. The most common noise sources are strobes and beacons, DME/transponder, trim motors and servos.
Plotting of dots from 10:00 to 4:00 with an intermittent X0
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Our number is 905-871-0733.
TECH SUPPORT #2
Troubleshooting STRIKE FINDER®
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Electrostatic Charging In Flight by: Jay D. Cline, Dayton-Granger, Inc. It is widely known that electrostatic charging of aircraft in flight generates radio frequency noise which disrupts navigation and communications. Such charging results from several sources. For example: Flight through precipitation, electric cross fields and engine produced ionization. RF noise is also generated by streamer currents on the plastic frontal area of an aircraft during precipitation encounters and corona discharge between airframe members. This can affect almost all aircraft, from General Aviation through airline transport and military supersonic. At ground speeds of two to ten nautical miles per minute, loss of navigation or communication due to streaming, corona or arcing noise can be serious, especially while maneuvering near airports in instrument conditions.
Static Discharge Story In the early days of aviation, flying was done primarily during daylight by visual reference such as highways, railroad tracks and rivers. Communication was done by signal lights and wing waggling. As the reliability of aircraft improved, flying under all conditions became practical, creating demands for improved communications and navigation systems. However, during the early use of these systems, pilots quickly became aware of a form of severe radio interference which hampered the performance of the existing navigation and communication systems. Experience showed a correlation between RF noise and flight through rain, snow and clouds. Hence, pilots became very concerned because the conditions which caused the most "precipitation static" (P-Stat) occurred when navigation and communication needs were the greatest.
Aircraft Charging These effects occur as an airplane flies through freezing rain, ice crystals, dusts, sand and snow. Contact with these particles leaves a positive or negative charge on the air frame. As the aircraft charge builds a potential is reached where the charge leaks off the aircraft and antennas, generating broad band radio frequency noise. This interferes with ADF, HF, as well as VHF and VOR receivers. Cross-field currents are generated on aircraft flying in clear air beneath a charged cloud layer. The magnitude is a function of the potential of the cloud with reference to ground and the speed of the aircraft. Streamering This noise source is generated over dielectric surfaces such as radome's, fiberglass winglets and other fiberglass panels positioned on frontal impact areas of the aircraft. As particles strike, they deposit an electron on the dielectric surface. As more particles impact this isolated pool, the voltage increases until it reaches the flash over point. When the pool of charge flashes over the surface of the dielectric material, it generates broad band radio frequency noise. This phenomenon is also observed over metal surfaces painted with a high electric strength paint, or paint buffed to a high polish. In this case, charges accumulating on the paint generate streamers to a rivet head or screw fastener. Streamering can be solved by coating the non-conductive surface with high resistance paint. Such paint quietly bleeds the charged particles to the aircraft fuselage.
Corona Noise This occurs when the aircraft accumulates sufficient charge due to aircraft charging and/or cross fields to ionize air around wing tips, vertical or horizontal stabilizers and the other protrusions. Over 5,000,000 volts have been measured on General Aviation aircraft in flight. As current bleeds off trailing edges, it generates radio frequencies that sound like loud hissing in aircraft receivers. The charging also causes antennas to go into corona (bleeding off charge). When this happens the noise appears like a strong signal to the receiver. In some cases the automatic gain control circuit, sensing noise as a strong signal, desensitizes the receiver to the point where the receiver may go perfectly quiet. The Pilot assumes no one is calling, but in reality corona current has, for all practical purposes, shut down the receiver. When aircraft voltage lessens and antenna corona current stops, receiver AGC returns to normal and communications can continue. The pilot is seldom aware of what happened. When communications are reestablished, ATC may assume the pilot was not paying attention to his radio. Solutions to corona noise include antennas that are insulated from space and static discharges positioned where the aircraft is most likely to go into corona; wing tips, vertical and horizontal stabilizers are examples. Static discharges bleed of charge quietly. They lower aircraft voltage below a level where antennas go into corona.
Arcing Noise This interference is generated by an isolated piece of metal situated on an aircraft where, as the aircraft charges, it reaches a potential at which a spark jumps the gap from aircraft structure to isolated metal. The spark can produce broad band noise extending through 1,000 MHz. The cure is to locate the isolated metal and band it to the aircraft structure grounding strap. To locate this problem, the aircraft can be probed with an Electrostatic Test Set while monitoring aircraft receivers for arcing noise. When the noise area is identified, physical identification can isolate the piece of metal. These and other solutions can greatly lessen the effect of environmentally induced noise while in flight. During WWII it was necessary to have navigation and communication systems that were reliable in all weather conditions. To address the interference problem the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) sponsored a program to develop methods to reduce noise created by P-Stat. As a result of this program, Dayton-Granger invented and patented the first static dischargers.
Continued research and development in
the 1950's led a static discharger which
adopted a new concept that was far
superior in noise suppression than
anything else. This patented device,
designed the Granger Associated (later
to be a part of Dayton-Granger) was the
Nullified Discharger which is still the
industry standard today.
FACTORY SERVICE PROCEDURES Like most modern and sophisticated digital products, the STRIKE FINDER® is exceptionally reliable. After configuration during installation, STRIKE FINDER® requires no adjustment or routine maintenance. Most problems are traceable to wiring, connectors, and interference. The instrument is the least likely cause of trouble. When the diagnostic procedures described above indicate that the display and/or sensor require service, they must be returned to the factory. Please call INSIGHT AVIONICS before shipping. Ensure that a detailed description of the problem is included with the returned instrument. It is helpful to our technicians if you tape a business card or note to the STRIKE FINDER® so that you may be contacted to discuss the problem and solution. Once repaired, the unit will be returned to you 2nd day, with shipping prepaid if it is still under warranty. Note: Customer pays the difference for next day shipping. If the unit is no longer under warranty, customer pays full shipping charges. As a STRIKE FINDER® owner, if you have any concern about the operation of your instrument, discuss it first with your dealer. Insight Avionics Customer Service can be reached at any of the following numbers:
We welcome the opportunity to help you, answer questions, and ensure that you have problem-free equipment that you can use with confidence. Insight provides customer support at no cost, providing you own the equipment. The Customer Service Department is available to you Monday through-Friday, between 9-am and 5-pm EST. Be ready to provide the following:
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