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October 2010 MFD "Yellow Tab" Events

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AviJake View Drop Down
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    Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 8:36pm
On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, Avidyne received notice from a number of customers of an issue with the MFD where the Map, Trip, Nearest, Auxiliary and Engine page tabs became unusable.

Avidyne quickly launched into an investigation and determined the root cause for these observed MFD issues.    It was determined that the source of the problem was the SIGMET data stream on XM-equipped aircraft.   A similar event occurred earlier this year and a Service Information Letter (SIL) was published notifying the user community of the event, how it manifests itself on the MFDs and what the recommended pilot action is should the problem present itself in the airplane.   The SIL is identified as SIL 606-00004-001, XM SIGMET and AIRMET Products and dated 24 Jun 2010.  I've pasted a snippet from that SIL below for reference.

Avidyne has contacted the weather data provider and both parties are trying to ensure such an interruption in service does not occur again.  We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused and request any further observations of similar activity be sent our way.

I will include a link or path to the full SIL for reference on Thursday.

Steve Jacobson
VP Product Management
sjacobson@avidyne.com


SIL Extract:

Removal of Map due to improperly formatted SIGMET data
Avidyne has recently identified instances of improperly coded SIGMET data provided by the weather
supplier via XM. Avidyne has notified the weather supplier of the issue. However, this improperly coded SIGMET data can cause the part of the MFD to shut down. If this occurs the following tabs will be “yellow tabbed” and not accessible to the pilot: Map, Trip, Nrst, Aux and Engine.

Solution
Avidyne offers the following solutions to mitigate these issues:

No software update is available at this time. Avidyne does not expect that the incorrectly coded SIGMETS will be distributed by the XM weather provider. However, if this does occur and causes a “yellow tab” event, Avidyne recommends the following steps:
1. Power down the MFD or pull the MFD circuit breaker
2. Pull the XMD076 XM receiver circuit breaker
3. Power on the MFD

The data issue should be corrected quickly, so power can be restored to the XMD076 receiver after a few hours.
Please contact Avidyne Tech Support at 1-888-723-7592 if you experience a “yellow tab” event in order for Avidyne to obtain diagnostic information to prevent these occurrences in the future.

Effectivity
Avidyne EX500 P/N 700-00007-()
Avidyne EX600 P/N 700-00167-()
Avidyne EX5000 P/N 700-00004-(), 700-00030-()
With
Heads Up XMD076 P/N XMD076-01
Steve Jacobson
sjacobson@avidyne.com
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AviJake View Drop Down
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009
Location: Lincoln MA
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AviJake Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 8:50pm
Here is the full SIL:

< ="-" ="text/; =utf-8">< name="ProgId" ="Word.">< name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 11">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 11">
SIL Number:
To:
Owners, Operators, and Installers of EX500, EX600, and EX5000 MFDs installed with HeadsUp Technologies XMD076 XM Datalink Receiver
Subject:
XM SIGMET and AIRMET Products
Purpose:
This Service Information Letter (SIL) advises owners, operators, and installers of Avidyne EX500, EX600, and EX5000 MFDs installed with HeadsUp Technologies XMD076 XM Datalink Receiver of certain issues related to XM SIGMET and AIRMET products.
Revision:
Date:
Problem Description
 
Avidyne has recently identified three issues related to XM SIGMET and AIRMET weather products on EX500, EX600, and EX5000 MFDs.  These issues only occur when the MFD is connected to a HeadsUp XMD076 XM datalink receiver; they do not occur with the MLB700 WSI/Sirius receiver, the MLX770 Iridium Datalink transceiver, or the internal ORBCOM Narrowcast transceiver.
 
1) XMClient Terminated
 
When a large number of AIRMETs are distributed from the weather provider, the MFD may encounter a overrun which causes the XM weather processing portion of the MFD software to shut down.  The user is notified by a “XMClient Terminated” advisory (see Figure 1).  This indicates that the MFD is no longer processing XM weather data.
 
 
 
2)  Non-Convective SIGMETs not displayed
 
The Avidyne MFDs do not support non-convective SIGMETs graphically on the map when received from an XM receiver.  The table below indicates which SIGMETs are displayed and which ones are not supported.
 
 
 
 
Supported
Not Supported
Convective
Volcanic Ash
 
Icing (AIRMETs for Icing ARE supported)
 
Turbulence (AIRMETs for Turbulence ARE supported)
 
Dust Storms or Sandstorms
                                           
 
3) Removal of Map due to improperly formatted SIGMET data
 
Avidyne has recently identified instances of improperly coded SIGMET data provided by the weather supplier via XM.  Avidyne has notified the weather supplier of the issue.  However, this improperly coded SIGMET data can cause the part of the MFD to shut down.  If this occurs the following tabs will be “yellow tabbed” and not accessible to the pilot:  Map, Trip, Nrst, Aux and Engine (see Figure 2).
 
There are other issues that can lead to “yellow tabs” besides improperly formatted SIGMET data.  All other issues identified to date have been fixed in Release 4.1 for the EX500/EX600 and Release 8.1 for the EX5000.
 
 
Solution
 
Avidyne offers the following solutions to mitigate these issues:
 
1) XMClient Terminated
 
Release 4.1 for the EX500 and Release 8.1 for the EX5000 addresses this issue and prevents large numbers of AIRMETs from stopping the XM data processing.  The EX600 is not affected by this issue.  Avidyne always recommends updating to the current software version.  Contact Avidyne Sales at 1-800-AVIDYNE (1-800-284-3963) to upgrade to Release 4.1 or Release 8.1.  This is a free upgrade for customers with Release 4 or Release 8.
 
2)  Non-Convective SIGMETs not displayed
 
Non-Convective SIGMETS are not supported with the XMD076 XM Datalink Receivers and Avidyne MFDs at this time.
 
3) Removal of Map due to improperly formatted SIGMET data
 
No software update is available at this time.  Avidyne does not expect that the incorrectly coded SIGMETS will be distributed by the XM weather provider.  However, if this does occur and causes a “yellow tab” event, Avidyne recommends the following steps:
 
  1. Power down the MFD or pull the MFD circuit breaker
  2. Pull the XMD076 XM receiver circuit breaker
  3. Power on the MFD
 
The data issue should be corrected quickly, so power can be restored to the XMD076 receiver after a few hours. 
 
Please contact Avidyne Tech Support at 1-888-723-7592 if you experience a “yellow tab” event in order for Avidyne to obtain diagnostic information to prevent these occurrences in the future.
 
Effectivity
 
Avidyne EX500 P/N 700-00007-()
Avidyne EX600 P/N 700-00167-()
Avidyne EX5000 P/N 700-00004-(), 700-00030-()
 
With
 
Heads Up XMD076 P/N XMD076-01
 
Accomplishment Instructions:
 
No changes necessary at this time.
 
Warranty Information:
 
Not Applicable.
 
Contact Information:
 
Avidyne Technical Support
1-888-723-7592
 
Avidyne Corporation
55 Old Bedford Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
 
 
 
 
 

Steve Jacobson
sjacobson@avidyne.com
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