L3 Communications MX-15i Manual

MX-15i Surveillance System
Operations & Maintenance Manual
TM00358 Rev. A
This document contains information proprietary to L-3 WESCAM.
Unauthorized reproduction or disclosure - in whole or in part - without the
prior written consent of L-3 WESCAM is strictly prohibited.

Document Usage. This document and all information herein contains Company Confidential information that is
Proprietary and trade secret property of Wescam Inc. This commercially sensitive information is being disclosed to
the recipient solely for the purpose specified and shall not be reproduced, disclosed or supplied, in whole or in part,
to any third party without the prior written consent of Wescam Inc.
Preserve this document's integrity:
• Do not reproduce any portions of it.
• Do not separate any pages from this cover.
• This document is issued to you alone. Do not transfer it to another person.
• Store this document in a locked cabinet. Do not leave it unattended.
Document’s Intended Use & Functionality Description. Features and functionality of the system are dependent
upon the turret’s payload, logic processors and the overall system configuration. Some documented functions may
not work in your configuration, as these may be optional features or unconfigured functions.
Copyright © 2007, Wescam Inc. All rights reserved.
MX, MX-Day/Night Spotter, Wescam and Wisard are registered trademarks of Wescam Inc. All other company names, product names, or
feature names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, performance and specifications within
this documentation are subject to change without notice. Product may not be exactly as depicted in diagrams or illustrations.
Reproduction of this documentation, or parts thereof, in any form, without the express prior permission of Wescam Inc. is strictly prohibited.

TM00358 Rev. A Document Revisions
L-3 WESCAM October 2007
All Rights Reserved i
Document Revisions
L-3 Wescam
649 North Service Road
Burlington, Ontario
L7P 5B9 Canada
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
N.A. Toll Free: 1.888.593.7226 or 1.888.5-WESCAM
Outside N.A. Long Distance: 1.905.633.4175
wescam.com
Rev # Description Release # Date
-Initial Release ECO1645 2007-07-13
ARevised per ECR#1715 ECO2464 2007-10-16

Document Revisions TM00358 Rev. A
October 2007 L-3 WESCAM
ii All Rights Reserved
This Page Intentionally Left Blank

TM00358 Rev. A Warnings & Cautions
L-3 WESCAM October 2007
All Rights Reserved iii
Warnings & Cautions
IMPORTANT. The following paragraphs list all warnings and cautions which appear in this manual. The warnings
and cautions are listed in the order in which they appear throughout the manual (which may cause some to be
repeated). Read all before warnings and cautions before commencing with any installation, troubleshooting,
maintenance or operation of the system.
•WARNINGS INDICATE POTENTIAL INJURY OR DEATH TO THE PERSONNEL.
• Cautions indicate potential damage to the equipment.
WARNING: TURRET IS A HEAVY ITEM. USE ONLY APPROVED EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR
UNPACKING AND LIFTING THE TURRET.
WARNING: SUPPLIED MOUNTING SCREWS FOR SERVICE STAND ONLY. DO NOT USE SERVICE STAND
MOUNTING SCREWS FOR INSTALLING THE TURRET INTO AN AIRCRAFT.
Caution: Do not over tighten mounting screws. There is no need to torque fasteners but do not exceed
100 in-lbs (11 Nm).
Caution: Never use reclaimed solvents or tissue paper, and only use cloths that conform to AMS 3819
standards.
Caution: Avoid contaminating solvent by applying solvent to new, clean cloths only.
Caution: Use CA 1000 only in application area or to protect worn nickel plating. The turret’s interface
plate and the aircraft’s mounting plate must provide a conductive path to electrically ground
out the turret.
WARNING: TURRET IS A HEAVY ITEM. USE ONLY APPROVED EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR
UNPACKING AND LIFTING THE TURRET.
WARNING: SUPPLIED MOUNTING SCREWS FOR SERVICE STAND ONLY. DO NOT USE SERVICE STAND
MOUNTING SCREWS FOR INSTALLING THE TURRET INTO AN AIRCRAFT.
WARNING: AIRWORTHINESS OF THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATING THE SYSTEM
ONTO THE AIRCRAFT IS THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY.
WARNING: DANGER ZONE. THE TURRET IS REMOTELY CONTROLLED AND CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS
MOVEMENT FROM DRIVE MOTORS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF FORCES THAT CAN INJURE
PERSONNEL.
WARNING: THORIUM FLUORIDE, WHEN CONSIDERED IN ITS FINAL FORM AS AN OPTICAL COATING
WITHIN THE INFRARED LENS, PRESENTS NO HAZARD TO PERSONNEL IN THE NORMAL
USE, MAINTENANCE, TRANSPORTATION OR STORAGE OF THE SURVEILLANCE
SUBSYSTEM. HOWEVER, SHOULD THE INFRARED LENS BECOME DAMAGED OR BROKEN,
THE MATERIAL MUST BE HANDLED AND WASTE DISPOSED OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH
STATE AND/OR FEDERAL REGULATIONS. IN THE EVENT OF A BROKEN OR DAMAGED
INFRARED TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY, THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES MUST BE FOLLOWED:
• WEAR EYE PROTECTION, A FILTER MASK TO COVER THE MOUTH & NOSE AND
GLOVES WHEN HANDLING BROKEN GLASS.
• PICK UP ALL PIECES OF BROKEN GLASS AND PLACE IN A DOUBLE PLASTIC BAG

Warnings & Cautions TM00358 Rev. A
October 2007 L-3 WESCAM
iv All Rights Reserved
AND SEAL.
• WIPE UP SUSPECTED CONTAMINATED AREAS WITH RYMPLECLOTH OR LENS
TISSUE MOISTENED WITH ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL.
• PLACE CLEANUP MATERIALS IN A DOUBLE PLASTIC BAG AND SEAL.
• WASH HANDS IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLEANUP IS COMPLETE.
• DISPOSE OF MATERIALS AS LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE PER LOCAL BIO-
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING OFFICE DIRECTIVES.
WARNING: TURRET IS A HEAVY ITEM. USE ONLY APPROVED EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR
UNPACKING AND LIFTING THE TURRET.
WARNING: DANGER ZONE. THE TURRET IS REMOTELY CONTROLLED AND CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS
MOVEMENT FROM DRIVE MOTORS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF FORCES THAT CAN INJURE
PERSONNEL.
Caution: Chips or cracks in turret windows are not air safe. If detected, contact an L3 Wescam Customer
Service representative.
Caution: Do not power wash the turret.
Caution: Never wipe a dry window with a dry cloth. Embedded debris will scratch the surface.
Caution: Never use tissues or paper towels. Such products contain abrasives.
Caution: Never allow wet windows to air dry as the surface will stain permanently. Do not start this
procedure unless you have sufficient time to follow all steps or while you are completing other
maintenance tasks.
Caution: Do not scrape bonded particles that cannot be removed with compressed air. Soak the
particles and allow them to loosen.
WARNING: ALTHOUGH INERT, THE NITROGEN GAS YOU WILL BE HANDLING IS COMPRESSED AND
THEREFORE SHOULD BE TREATED WITH THE CARE ANY COMPRESSED GAS REQUIRES.
REVIEW ALL MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS) TO ENSURE SAFE HANDLING.
Caution: Turret’s purge valve damages easily. Hang and isolate the supply hose to make sure the purge
valve does not bear the weight of the air hose and chuck. The purge valve could break off if the
hose is moved or kicked accidentally.
Caution: When purging, the nitrogen feed pressure should never exceed 0.35 kg/cm² (5 psi). Otherwise,
you risk damaging internal valves and other sensitive parts.
WARNING: DANGER ZONE. THE TURRET IS REMOTELY CONTROLLED AND CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS
MOVEMENT FROM DRIVE MOTORS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF FORCES THAT CAN INJURE
PERSONNEL.
WARNING: DANGER ZONE. THE TURRET IS REMOTELY CONTROLLED AND CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS
MOVEMENT FROM DRIVE MOTORS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF FORCES THAT CAN INJURE
PERSONNEL.
WARNING: READ DESICCANT MATERIAL MSDS. REVIEW THE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS)
SECTIONS FOR MATERIAL HANDLING, REACTIVITY AND MATERIAL DISPOSAL BEFORE
REPLACING ANY DESICCANT MATERIAL.

TM00358 Rev. A Warnings & Cautions
L-3 WESCAM October 2007
All Rights Reserved v
WARNING: AVOID DESICCANT MATERIAL CONTACT WITH SKIN, INGESTION OR INHALATION OF DUST.
WHEN FIRST EXPOSED TO WATER, THE DESICCANT MATERIAL BECOMES VERY HOT.
Caution: Make sure no water enters the desiccant enclosure during desiccant exchange.
Caution: Remove the breather valve while it is facing upwards so desiccant material does not spill out.
Caution: Do not over fill or pack the desiccant material. Room must be left for the filler port to seat
properly.
Caution: Store and pack the turret by following the procedures defined in Chapter 4 of this manual.
When shipping items, it is the customer's responsibility to correctly pack and obtain insurance.
L-3 Wescam is not liable for any damage that occurs during shipment.
Caution: Use anti-static, Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), pink bubble wrap only. For all self pack LRUs,
use safe ESD bubble wrap to protect electrical components during shipment.

Warnings & Cautions TM00358 Rev. A
October 2007 L-3 WESCAM
vi All Rights Reserved
This Page Intentionally Left Blank

TM00358 Rev. A Table of Contents
L-3 WESCAM October 2007
All Rights Reserved vii
Table of Contents
Document Revisions............................................................................................................................i
Warnings & Cautions.........................................................................................................................iii
Table of Contents..............................................................................................................................vii
List of Figures.....................................................................................................................................xi
List of Tables....................................................................................................................................xiii
Chapter 1 - System Overview
1.1 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION...............................................................................................2
1.1.1 Power......................................................................................................................3
1.1.2 Communications .....................................................................................................4
1.1.3 Video Switch Matrix.................................................................................................4
1.2 SYSTEM LRU COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS...............................................................6
Chapter 2 - Operational Information
2.1 HAND CONTROLLER CONTROLS ..................................................................................10
2.1.1 Hand Controller – Primary Switch Controls...........................................................10
2.1.2 Hand Controller – Secondary Button Controls......................................................14
2.1.3 Slew Transducer & Turret Steering.......................................................................16
2.2 VIDEO STATUS OVERLAYS ............................................................................................18
2.2.1 Tracking & Orientation Graphics...........................................................................18
2.2.2 Messaging Graphics .............................................................................................20
2.2.3 Target and Aircraft Status Graphics......................................................................21
2.2.4 North Indicator.......................................................................................................23
2.2.5 System and Sensor Status Graphics....................................................................24
2.3 USER MENU NAVIGATION ..............................................................................................27
2.3.1 Menu Components................................................................................................27
2.4 SYSTEM STATUS MENU..................................................................................................30
2.5 GIMBAL MENU..................................................................................................................32
2.6 EOW MENU.......................................................................................................................33
2.7 IR MENU............................................................................................................................35
2.8 EON MENU........................................................................................................................37
2.9 VIDEO I/O MENU...............................................................................................................39
2.10 OPERATOR GIMBAL MENU.............................................................................................40
2.11 OPERATOR PAYLOAD MENU .........................................................................................42
2.12 MISSION MENU ................................................................................................................44
2.13 OVERLAY MENUS............................................................................................................46
2.14 PROFILES MENU..............................................................................................................48
2.15 RECOMMENDED OPERATOR MISSION TASKS............................................................50

Table of Contents TM00358 Rev. A
October 2007 L-3 WESCAM
viii All Rights Reserved
Chapter 3 - Technical Description
3.1 TURRET ............................................................................................................................54
3.1.1 Lid .........................................................................................................................54
3.1.2 Yoke......................................................................................................................55
3.1.3 Gimbal...................................................................................................................56
3.2 PAYLOAD SENSORS .......................................................................................................57
3.2.1 EOW Sensor.........................................................................................................57
3.2.2 IR Sensor..............................................................................................................58
3.2.3 EON - MX-Day/Night Spotter™ Sensor................................................................60
3.3 TURRET ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION....................................................................63
3.3.1 Stow Position ........................................................................................................63
3.3.2 Turret Desiccant Assembly...................................................................................63
3.4 SOFTWARE FEATURES ..................................................................................................65
3.4.1 Interpretation of Operator Control.........................................................................65
3.4.2 Functions Related to Target Geographic Location................................................65
Chapter 4 - Installation Instructions
4.1 TURRET SHIPPING CASES & STORAGE.......................................................................70
4.2 TURRET SERVICE STAND INSTALLATION....................................................................72
4.3 TURRET AIRCRAFT INSTALLATION...............................................................................75
4.3.1 Step 1 — Corrosion Inspection.............................................................................76
4.3.2 Step 2 — Surface Preparation and Jointing Compound Application.....................77
4.3.3 Step 3 — Installation and Mechanical Fastening..................................................78
4.4 TURRET REMOVAL..........................................................................................................80
4.4.1 Special Handling Instructions for Damaged Turrets..............................................81
4.4.2 Removing the Turret from the Aircraft...................................................................82
4.5 HAND CONTROLLER INSTALLATION.............................................................................83
Chapter 5 - Failure Diagnosis
5.1 BUILT-IN TESTS ...............................................................................................................86
5.1.1 Software BIT Status..............................................................................................86
5.1.2 Alarms Page BIT Details.......................................................................................87
5.2 BIT ERROR CODES..........................................................................................................89
5.2.1 Generic BIT Codes 1.x..........................................................................................89
5.2.2 Gimbal BIT Codes 4.x...........................................................................................90
5.2.3 EOW BIT Codes 5.x..............................................................................................91
5.2.4 IR BIT Codes 6.x...................................................................................................92
5.2.5 EON BIT Codes 7.x ..............................................................................................94
5.2.6 Master Control BIT Codes 8.x...............................................................................95
5.2.7 GPS BIT Codes 20.x.............................................................................................96
5.3 LRU FAULT DIAGNOSIS ..................................................................................................97