
Field Service Procedure – Replacement ICU PCB Kit, 4012
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Document No
136831 Rev A
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9. RateSensorMonitoring:
RatesensoroutputscanalsobemonitoredusingtheDISP_WscreenofDacRemPorfromthegraphsscreenofthe4012
GUItoverifyanydeviationsunderstaticconditions.Thetracesshouldremainconsistent;anydriftingorspikesarean
indicationthesensorsvoltageoutputischangingandthesensorisdefective(providednoforcesarebeingexertedonthe
system).
10. AzimuthTargeting:
Shouldtheantennahaveissuestargetinginazimuth,suchasnotaccuratelyfindingthesatelliteorrepeatedlyfindingthe
satelliteindifferentazimuthpositions,thenit’simportanttodiagnoseifthesystemismispointinginazimuthorrelative.
Relativefeedbackfromtheazimuthencodercanbeverifiedbyinitializingthesystem,verifyingitcalibratesitself
correctly,andthendrivingthepedestalclockwisein90degreeincrementsovera360degreerotation.Notethatthe
systempointscorrectlyrelativetothevesselandthatnoazimuthreferenceerrorisflaggedbytheICU.Amechanical
problemsuchasthebeltslippingonthesprocketcouldalsocausethiskindoferror.
Ifthesystemkeepsfindingthesatelliteatdifferentazimuthpositionsbutatthesamerelative,thentheencoderis
functioningcorrectlyandtheazimuthratesensoriscalculatingthemovementincorrectlycausingtheantennato
mispoint.
11. Drift:
Ifaratesensoris“drifting”itsnominalvoltageoutputhaschangedfromthecorrect2.5VDC.Thiswillcauseerrorinthe
axiscontrolloopandcausetheantennatomove.Itismorecommontoseethisdriftintheazimuthaxisasthecrosslevel
andelevationaxisbothhavealongtermreference,providedbythetiltsensor.However,shouldtheratesensorsdriftbe
largeenough,itcanover‐compensatethetiltsensorandthesystemwilldriveintooneofthecrosslevelorelevationend
stops.
Toverifyifthesystemisdriftinginazimuth,turntrackingoffandmonitortherelativeposition.Understaticconditions,
whenthevesselsheadingisunchanged,therelativecountshouldremainstationary.Iftherelativevaluebeginsto
changefromitscurrentposition,theazimuthratesensorisdrifting,introducingerrorintotheaxiscontrolloop.
IftheratesensorsarecheckedasOK,ashipsgyrocaninducedrift.ThiswillintroducelooperrorintotheICUcontrolloop
andcausetheantennatodrift.Ifit’ssuspectedtheheadingiscausingtheantennatodriftthesystemcanbesetto
satellitereferencemodetouncouplethegyrocompassfromthecontrolloop.
*Note:IftheICUandgyrocompassaredisplayingthesameheadingreadingthisisn’tanindicationthattheheading
valueiscorrect,onlythattheICUisreadingtheinformationcorrectly.