Operation Manual
FarSounder, Inc.
F31552 (Rev. 2.6.1)
Page 54 of 56
D. Troubleshooting
1. Overview
The development team at FarSounder has worked hard to create robust, reliable products. However, as with
any piece of complex marine equipment, there is always the chance of something unexpected happening.
FarSounder technicians and and engineers are always willing to work directly with our customers and
dealers to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
The first step in resolving any issues is understanding what is happening. Checking the following items is
often helpful in pinpointing the exact problem.
1. Did the issue suddenly appear or has it always been present?
2. Is the user interface software able to communicate with the sonar hardware?
3. What are the results of the Power Module LED diagnostics?
2. Power Module LED Descriptions
Current Power Modules are equipped with seven LED lights on the front faceplate (six LEDs on older
models). These lights show the status of the Power Module and Sonar, and are very useful when
troubleshooting the system. Here is a short description of what each LED signals:
•
Power
: Indicates that the Power Module has power.
•
Bank 1
: Indicates that one of the two large amplifier capacitors is charged.
•
Bank 2
: Indicates that the other of the two large amplifier capacitors is charged.
•
Ping
: Indicates that the transmit amplifier is generating an output ping.
•
CTRL A
and
CTRL B
: Indicate states of the Output Select lines coming from the Transducer Module
•
TX ON/OFF
: Indicates if the amplifier circuit for the sonar's transmitter is enabled of disabled. When
enabled, the LED is off. When disabled, the LED is RED. Note that units are shipped with the TX set
to OFF and must be set to ON during commissioning.
3. Power Module LED Diagnostics
The state of LEDs on the Power Module can often provide insight into any issues that may be occuring with
the sonar's electrical system. The following procedure can help diagnose some hardware issues.
1. Turn off the Power Module. Wait ~30 seconds for all LEDs to turn off.
2. Unplug the ethernet cable from back of the Power Module.
3. Turn on the Power Module. What do the LEDs show at power up?
4. Wait ~10 seconds (~90 seconds for FS-3DT) for the system to boot. What do the LEDs show after
booting?
The table below describes some of the LED indications. Please note that the "LED State" column contains
one circle indicator for each LED light. Possible values for each indicator are as follows:
•
: The light is off.
•
: The light is on.