PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-564
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 564
NOVEMBER 1999
PS 564
45
NOV 99
PS 564
44
NOV 99
When you’re through working on the
cards, first turn on the VIC power sup-
ply and then the +/– 5V power switch.
When you
disconnect
cables from
the IFTE, cap
them and put
them in
their storage
bag. That
protects them
from dirt and
feet.
Be Cool
All that electronic equipment needs
plenty of cool air to operate properly.
Monthly, clean the filters from all four
of the circuit card bays with soapy wa-
ter. Rinse them with clean water and
blow them dry with low-pressure air.
Troubleshooting
A good circuit card tip when you
troubleshoot is to type:
scmboot sds -d2 -t4
.
That gives you the status of the VIC
circuit cards. Any card that shows a –1
in the ACT column is not working.
Often, just reseating a circuit card will
put it back in business and save you
more troubleshooting time.
If they’re still lit, the VIC’s power sup-
ply relay is not working and power is
still going to the circuit cards.
Solution: Turn off the VIC power
supply. That stops power to the cards,
but holds the remote process codes.
Turn off VIC power supply
LED indicators still on?
If you change or check a circuit card,
make sure the power is really off to
prevent card damage. After you flick
off the +\–5V power switch on the VIC,
check the LED indicators on the cards.
Cap cables
and bag
them
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can
KO circuit cards. When handling cards,
always ground yourself with an ESD
grounding strap connected to the re-
ceptacle on the auxiliary interface
panel. Even with the strap on, keep
your fingers off the card’s components.
Hold the card by its edges. Never lay
down a circuit card on a bare surface.
Put it in an anti-static bag or lay it on
an ESD-safe mat.
As part of your before-operations
PMCS, run the environmental control
unit (ECU) for 15 minutes and check
its sight glass. If it’s milky or yellow,
tell your air conditioning repairman.
That ECU won’t keep you cool in the
field.
Carefully follow the ECU startup and
shutdown procedures in TM 9-4120-
389-14. Be especially careful at shut-
down to turn off the ECU ON/OFF
switch and then the ECU circuit breaker
before turning off the IFTE’s power
distribution circuit breaker. Otherwise,
the ECU’s controller will burn out next
time the ECU’s turned on.
That Hurts
Before you run the IFTE’s automatic
test equipment surveys, make sure the
handle for the gold dot receiver is down
as far as it will go. That shuts off volt-
age between the interconnection de-
vice (ICD) and the test station. Other-
wise, voltage can knock out virtual in-
terface chassis (VIC) circuit cards or
the VIC power supply or damage the
ICD. They’re all expensive.
Clean filters monthly
Wear ESD strap when handling cards
Put cards on ESD-safe mat
Gold dot receiver handle all the way down?
THERE ARE
NO
IFS
,
ANDS
, OR
BUTS
WHEN IT COMES TO A
SENSITIVE SYSTEM
LIKE THE
INTEGRATED FAMILY of
TEST EQUIPMENT
(IFTE).
IF YOU
EXPECT IT TO
TEST RIGHT
, YOU'VE
GOT TO
TREAT
IT RIGHT
.
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