Cambridge 302 problem: "Could not get FAT.(A)" while trying to download flight logs

[Jason Armistead]

Hi

Our 302 unit with V2.50 firmware in it will not transfer Flight Logs
after
bombing out mid-way on a previous transfer.

I am using a Windows 2000 PC with Utility V2.55, which has previously
downloaded logs without any trouble.

Now, when I click on the button to start the transfer, it does not
display
any logs to choose from. Instead, there is an error dialog box, which
says "300_Utility_PC255" on the title bar, and says "Could not get
FAT.(A)"
and an "OK" button

I have tried restarting the PC Utility software to no avail. I also
tried
switching off the 302 and then recycling the battery power to it.
Still, it
doesn't work.

I can use the other buttons on the PC Utility main menu to transfer
the 302's
Glider ID and Polar and Instrument Settings OK, so it *IS*
communicating. It
also seems to be working correctly as a vario, etc, though it hasn't
been
flown since that time (perhaps when it starts to write a new log it'll
clear
the old one).

Can anyone please advise what course of action I should take, or some
remedial
steps I should try.

I *DO NOT* want to lose the flight logs (there are 107 of them in
there, per
my efforts BEFORE it bombed)

Perhaps this issue is fixed by later firmware ? The CAI web site only
shows the release notes for the very latest V2.63 firmware. Is there
a set of
cumulative firmware change logs kept somewhere ? That's very useful
if a user
needs to "skip" a few versions.

Does upgrading the firmware cause the logs to be cleared ? (I don't
want
this to happen if at all possible)

I look forward to help from anyone out there that may be able to
assist with this problem

Thanks in advance

Jason

[John Galloway]

Jason

Reloading the firmware doesn't delete my 302 logs (or
settings).

A new flight will only clear the oldest logs progressively
if the memory is full.

There isn't a record of revision chnages that I know
of but all the revision changes recently must be software
bug issues as there are no noticeable function changes.

I'm not particularly computer knowledgable and I don't
know what your problem is but I do know that the first
thing I would try would be to download the newest firmware
for the 302 and also the utility programme and try
again. Next step would be to download to a PDA or
another PC and after that to contact Cambridge.

John Galloway

At 04:48 11 July 2003, Jason Armistead wrote:
>Hi
>
>Our 302 unit with V2.50 firmware in it will not transfer
>Flight Logs
>after
>bombing out mid-way on a previous transfer.
>
>I am using a Windows 2000 PC with Utility V2.55, which
>has previously
>downloaded logs without any trouble.
>
>Now, when I click on the button to start the transfer,
>it does not
>display
>any logs to choose from. Instead, there is an error
>dialog box, which
>says '300_Utility_PC255' on the title bar, and says
> 'Could not get
>FAT.(A)'
>and an 'OK' button
>
>I have tried restarting the PC Utility software to
>no avail. I also
>tried
>switching off the 302 and then recycling the battery
>power to it.
>Still, it
>doesn't work.
>
>I can use the other buttons on the PC Utility main
>menu to transfer
>the 302's
>Glider ID and Polar and Instrument Settings OK, so
>it *IS*
>communicating. It
>also seems to be working correctly as a vario, etc,
>though it hasn't
>been
>flown since that time (perhaps when it starts to write
>a new log it'll
>clear
>the old one).
>
>Can anyone please advise what course of action I should
>take, or some
>remedial
>steps I should try.
>
>I *DO NOT* want to lose the flight logs (there are
>107 of them in
>there, per
>my efforts BEFORE it bombed)
>
>Perhaps this issue is fixed by later firmware ? The
>CAI web site only
>shows the release notes for the very latest V2.63 firmware.
> Is there
>a set of
>cumulative firmware change logs kept somewhere ? That's
>very useful
>if a user
>needs to 'skip' a few versions.
>
>Does upgrading the firmware cause the logs to be cleared
>? (I don't
>want
>this to happen if at all possible)
>
>I look forward to help from anyone out there that may
>be able to
>assist with this problem
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Jason
>

[Andy Durbin]

I upgraded my 302 firmware before going to Hobbs. It appeared to
delete all logs.

Suggest you try a different utility version, or a PDA transfer, before
you change the firmware. When you have recovered the logs then
upgrade the firmware.

Cambridge has been doing a poor job of advising customers what has
changed in each firmware version. I have asked for change information
but have not received any. I upgraded to fix a ballast transfer
problem and found I introduced a new problem with the slow alarm
interfering with the vario. (that was fixed by setting the slow alarm
threshold to a very low value)

They have been responsive to specific questions so I suggest you try
to contact them.

Andy (GY)


(Jason Armistead) wrote in message >...
> Hi
>
> Our 302 unit with V2.50 firmware in it will not transfer Flight Logs
> after
> bombing out mid-way on a previous transfer.
>
> I am using a Windows 2000 PC with Utility V2.55, which has previously
> downloaded logs without any trouble.
>
> Now, when I click on the button to start the transfer, it does not
> display
> any logs to choose from. Instead, there is an error dialog box, which
> says "300_Utility_PC255" on the title bar, and says "Could not get
> FAT.(A)"
> and an "OK" button
>
> I have tried restarting the PC Utility software to no avail. I also
> tried
> switching off the 302 and then recycling the battery power to it.
> Still, it
> doesn't work.
>
> I can use the other buttons on the PC Utility main menu to transfer
> the 302's
> Glider ID and Polar and Instrument Settings OK, so it *IS*
> communicating. It
> also seems to be working correctly as a vario, etc, though it hasn't
> been
> flown since that time (perhaps when it starts to write a new log it'll
> clear
> the old one).
>
> Can anyone please advise what course of action I should take, or some
> remedial
> steps I should try.
>
> I *DO NOT* want to lose the flight logs (there are 107 of them in
> there, per
> my efforts BEFORE it bombed)
>
> Perhaps this issue is fixed by later firmware ? The CAI web site only
> shows the release notes for the very latest V2.63 firmware. Is there
> a set of
> cumulative firmware change logs kept somewhere ? That's very useful
> if a user
> needs to "skip" a few versions.
>
> Does upgrading the firmware cause the logs to be cleared ? (I don't
> want
> this to happen if at all possible)
>
> I look forward to help from anyone out there that may be able to
> assist with this problem
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Jason

[Mark Zivley]

Andy,

When you say that the slow alarm was interfering with the vario, do you
mean that it tended to make the vario sound intermittent? If so, that
IS the slow alarm. The slow alarm is not a siren as you might think,
but it simply interrupts the vario audio so one might easily think that
they have a problem with their vario audio until they find out it's a
"feature not a bug".

Same thing happened to me by the way.

Mark

Andy Durbin wrote:
> I upgraded my 302 firmware before going to Hobbs. It appeared to
> delete all logs.
>
> Suggest you try a different utility version, or a PDA transfer, before
> you change the firmware. When you have recovered the logs then
> upgrade the firmware.
>
> Cambridge has been doing a poor job of advising customers what has
> changed in each firmware version. I have asked for change information
> but have not received any. I upgraded to fix a ballast transfer
> problem and found I introduced a new problem with the slow alarm
> interfering with the vario. (that was fixed by setting the slow alarm
> threshold to a very low value)
>
> They have been responsive to specific questions so I suggest you try
> to contact them.
>
> Andy (GY)
>
>
> (Jason Armistead) wrote in message >...
>
>>Hi
>>
>>Our 302 unit with V2.50 firmware in it will not transfer Flight Logs
>>after
>>bombing out mid-way on a previous transfer.
>>
>>I am using a Windows 2000 PC with Utility V2.55, which has previously
>>downloaded logs without any trouble.
>>
>>Now, when I click on the button to start the transfer, it does not
>>display
>>any logs to choose from. Instead, there is an error dialog box, which
>>says "300_Utility_PC255" on the title bar, and says "Could not get
>>FAT.(A)"
>>and an "OK" button
>>
>>I have tried restarting the PC Utility software to no avail. I also
>>tried
>>switching off the 302 and then recycling the battery power to it.
>>Still, it
>>doesn't work.
>>
>>I can use the other buttons on the PC Utility main menu to transfer
>>the 302's
>>Glider ID and Polar and Instrument Settings OK, so it *IS*
>>communicating. It
>>also seems to be working correctly as a vario, etc, though it hasn't
>>been
>>flown since that time (perhaps when it starts to write a new log it'll
>>clear
>>the old one).
>>
>>Can anyone please advise what course of action I should take, or some
>>remedial
>>steps I should try.
>>
>>I *DO NOT* want to lose the flight logs (there are 107 of them in
>>there, per
>>my efforts BEFORE it bombed)
>>
>>Perhaps this issue is fixed by later firmware ? The CAI web site only
>>shows the release notes for the very latest V2.63 firmware. Is there
>>a set of
>>cumulative firmware change logs kept somewhere ? That's very useful
>>if a user
>>needs to "skip" a few versions.
>>
>>Does upgrading the firmware cause the logs to be cleared ? (I don't
>>want
>>this to happen if at all possible)
>>
>>I look forward to help from anyone out there that may be able to
>>assist with this problem
>>
>>Thanks in advance
>>
>>Jason
>

[Andy Durbin]

When thermalling at 60-65kts the vario tone was modulated by what I
can only describe as a cavalry charge bugle call. Yes, this is
probably the slow alarm but it should not have been sounding as the
slow alarm speed was set to 40kts.

It took me most of the practice day flight to figure out what was
going on. I don't know if the the problem is fixed in the current
firmware. At that time I was one version out of date.


Andy (GY)



Mark Zivley > wrote in message >...
> Andy,
>
> When you say that the slow alarm was interfering with the vario, do you
> mean that it tended to make the vario sound intermittent? If so, that
> IS the slow alarm. The slow alarm is not a siren as you might think,
> but it simply interrupts the vario audio so one might easily think that
> they have a problem with their vario audio until they find out it's a
> "feature not a bug".
>
> Same thing happened to me by the way.
>
> Mark
>

[Tom Serkowski]

I use the slow alarm in my '26E. For an alarm at around 46 knots
indicated,
I had to set the trigger pojnt to 40 or so - though it tends to vary
by a couple knots from day to day. It does seem to be connected to
the G meter, as the tone comes on at a higher speed if I'm pulling
more G.

The tone is kind of modulated as you describe, but it's still easy to
to 'read' the vario strength.

I've played with the display in screen 10 of the 302 to compare what
it thinks my IAS is vs the mechanical airspeed. It's within a couple
knots at 65-90, but below 65 it reads slower than the mechanical.
They're tee-d to the same pitot, so without adding a 3rd ASI, I really
don't know which is correct. I find that the ship thermals best just
a bit under 50 KIAS, and much below 46 is nearly impossible to
maintain control. This is why the slow alarm is set there.

-Tom

(Andy Durbin) wrote in message >...
> When thermalling at 60-65kts the vario tone was modulated by what I
> can only describe as a cavalry charge bugle call. Yes, this is
> probably the slow alarm but it should not have been sounding as the
> slow alarm speed was set to 40kts.