4 Days of no movement
22 Jan 2016Jim Beaumont
Life got of to a bad start the following day and left me stranded on the outpost for 4 days. A lack of an outfitters or shipyard here proved to be a major hinderance.I woke that morning, ready to continue my efforts of helping the Com Wp by buying some cargo to shift out. Fortunately it was of the non-perishable variety. After lifting off from the pad, I boosted out to FSD range, and hit the button .... and nothing! Tried again, and nothing. No sound of the drive charging, no repsonse from the computer to tell me it was charging, just plain nothing. Crap. So I returned to the outpost and headed down into the hanger. I asked around if there was anyone with some technical knowledge of FSD's, but found I was to be alone, noone had any insight into these things.
And so my 4 days of discovering the basic rudiments of FSD technology began.
The big clue was in the fact that even the computer wasn't acknowledging the request to spool up the FSD, so I assumed there was nothing wrong with the drive itself, but with the signalling to start it. I began trying to work out the cabling to take the signalling from the Jump button to the computer. That all seems to be connected and secure, so I started checking the cabling at the FSD itself. There was nothing loose that i could see.
I was in need of some test equipments so headed off to see the outpost Maintenance Engineers. They would surely be able to help me. I spoke with the Chief Engineer, and he offered me one of his lads to and some kit to help out. But he offered no guarantee's to a fix. I was grateful all the same. Two minds are better than one when probing in the dark.
The young lad, Thomo, injected a signal from Jump button, and it was recieved at the other end of the computer interface.
'Looks good boss' Thomo offered.
'Okay lets go and check down at the FSD end, se if it is reaching the charger unit.'
Again this test proved to be good.
'So its reaching the charger unit, but nothing is happening. And the computer is still not acknowledging the button press.'
Thomo was silent, but with a quizical look on his face.
'I wonder, maybe there is a SRS?'
'Say again?' I was clueless as to what he was talking about.
'A SRS, Safety Return Signal. We have the on station on numerous systems, like the airlocks. It is a confirmation signal to say everything is ok to proceed. If that Jump button is depressed, I'm assuming certain parameters have to be met before it will start charging the FSD. If those aren't met, then it won't charge.'
'Well I've got nothing better to offer so where do we start?'
'Hopefully your vessel has some BITE' asks Thomo
'3 Multicannons give it some bite Thomo!'
'Built In Test Equipment boss. I can see the other bite for myself' he says laughing.
'Clueless on that front too I'm afraid'
So we got into the cockpit and fired up the controls, and Thomo went in search of a panel offering BITE. Nothing. No onboard schematics either which was his next idea.
The rest of the day was spent searching the outpost, hoping to find anything that might gives us ideas to what we are looking for.
Day two was a little better. We managed to find some old schematic for a Sidewinder, and a basic diagram of the FSD and how it interconnected with various other sub systems. We took the basic premice that the Asp would be the same, and started to find our way around. The Chief was happy for Thomo stick with me for a few more days if needed, a good learning process for the lad and a help to the Chief by offering him some technical experience. Winners all around. And I think Thomo was relishing in it, being in among the ships inner workings instead of plumbing some electronic self flushing lav.
We discovered that on depressing the Jump button, that not only did a signal go to the FSD, but the same signal was split to the fuel module, the hardpoints module, the nav computer, fuel scoop module controller, and the landing gear module controller. All of these returned a signal in some variety back the the Main Assembly Computer, quicky processed to activate a command signal back to the FSD charger to give it the final go ahead to start. All in the quickest of time. So all of these would have to be checked, both the outgoing and return signals. First they would all have to be found. And that was day two. Finding all these.
Day three, myself and Thomo worked a long day checking each module and controller for the reciept and dispatch of the required signals. I was pretty convinced that the outgoing signals were good, as those individual modules appeared to be functioning properly. Eventually we found that on the hardpoints module, the SRS was a different signal to the retracted signal that is returned when retraction is activated. And when we tested ran the check by pressing the Jump button, the SRS signal wasn't received at the computer. A quick check and it was certainly present on the pin exiting the module. We traced the short cable to an optic converter, from where it went to the computer in the cockpit. All the lights on the converter at the module were green, so we took that as a good thing. However at the cockpit end, there was a definite red on another converter behind a panel. We had no idea if that was the right one at first, but the optic cable had an identifier on it, and we confirmed it as the same as at the module. Thomo shone a torch down the cable, and I saw the light at my end in the cockpit. So we figured the optic converter was at fault. We pulled the card out, and found a component burnt through. A resistor all black and scarred.
So it was back to Thomo's office and a flick through a database to see if he had the required component in stores. No. He spoke with his Chief and got some ordered, and they would be shipped over this evening with other supplies they had on order. So that was day three.
Day four was a quick job, replace the component and test the systems again in the hanger, and this time the computer sprang in to life, telling me the FSD was charging, only it wasn't as it was still disconnected. We fixed it all back up, and I took Thomo to the canteen and bought him a big lunch as part of a thank you.
And then went and spoke to the Chief Engineer, thanking him for loaning me Thomo and praised him, and promised him some good liquor when I returned from my trip to deliver those goods I purchased the other day.
Now it's time to make up for lost time. lets get going.