Spider 8 User Manual
Spider 8 User Manual
Spider 8 User Manual
0 - 26 September 2017
Applicable for both internal and external antenna variants of the Spider 8
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Table of Contents
Record of Revision and Approvals 3
Appends: 3
1. Installation 4
1.1. Overview 4
1.2. Positioning the Spider 4
1.3. External antenna 5
1.4. Power 6
1.5. Keypad 6
1.6. General Purpose Input Output 6
2. Initialisation 14
2.1. Start Up 14
2.2. GPS Signal 14
2.3. Iridium Connectivity 14
3. Operation 15
3.1. System Attributes 15
3.2. Watch Button 16
3.3. Radius Button 16
3.4. Mark Button 16
3.5. SOS Function 16
3.6. Adjusting the LED Brightness 17
3.7. Spidertxt 2.0 17
4. Troubleshooting 18
4.1. Discontinuous Tracks 18
4.2. Lost GPS 18
4.3. Lost Iridium Connectivity 18
Appendix 19
(A)Spider 8 Minor Modification Summary Report 19
(A)1.Description 19
(A)2.Modification Approval Basis 19
(A)3.Configuration Control Data 19
(A)4.Post Installation Testing 19
(A)5.Operation and Limitations 19
(A)6.Weight and Balance 20
(A)7.Electrical Load 20
(A)8.Continuing Airworthiness 20
(B)Spider 8 Structure Test Procedure 21
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(B)1.Test Definition 21
(B)2.Special Tools and Equipment 21
(B)3.Test Conditions 21
(B)4.Applied Loads 21
(B)5.Test Procedure 21
(B)6.Pass/Fail Criteria 22
(B)7.Test Record 22
(C)Spider 8 Electromagnetic Compatibility Test Procedure 23
(C)1.Test Definition 23
(C)2.Special Tools and Equipment 23
(C)3.Test Conditions 23
(C)4.Test Procedure 24
(C)5.Pass/Fail Criteria 24
(C)6.Test Record 26
(D)Wiring Diagram - Power Lead 31
(E) Datasheet for Iridium/GPS S67-1575-109 32
(F) RTCA DO-160 Test Reports 33
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Pages
Rev. DD/MM/YY Description Released by Approved by
Affected
Appends:
1. Installation
1.1. Overview
While Spiders in the most part are operated as portable electronic devices, there are a
number of settings where an operator may wish to obtain a field approval, engineering
order, or modification approved by your local airworthiness regulator.
This can be a confusing and complex process. Given simplicity and excellence are two of
Spidertracks’ cornerstone principals we have put a significant effort into providing all the
aeronautical data required to obtain these approvals. This includes the RTCA DO-160 test
data, modification templates (created by an FAA Delegated Engineering representative)
with simple effective test matrixes and drawings so that your local installer can seamlessly
apply for any additional certification.
The high level document is enclosed at Annex D and all of the supporting documents and
information is freely available on our support website or, if you need more help please call
our helpful support team on +64 9 222 0016.
With over 5,000 Spider units in service and almost 6,000,000 flight hours tracked, we are
confident we can help you through the often confusing and complex topic of aeronautical
certification.
In order to function nominally, the Spider is required to receive GPS signal and then transmit
that information, along with other flight data, to the Iridium satellite network. The GPS
antenna is able to receive GPS information at any angle as long as it is not obstructed by
metallic material, such as the centre windshield pillar, however, the Iridium antenna must
have an unobstructed, horizon-horizon view of the sky in all directions to function nominally
(Figure1). Obstructions consist of any metallic or carbon composite object, but also
electrically heated windshield filaments that act as an RF shield whether they are turned on
5
or not (Faraday Cage effect). The Spider is able to transmit through glass, fibre glass, or
plastic. Please see installation examples on our support website. When unobstructed, the
position accuracy is approximately 100 feet vertically and 30 feet horizontally.
NB: The Spider won’t function properly with integrated antenna in an aircraft with
electrically heated windshields, please stop and contact [email protected].
The Spider is not subject to Specific Absorption Rate testing, however, it is recommended to
have separation of at least 200mm between the device and a person.
Secure the Spider to the airframe using the bracket supplied. Please allow 12 hours for the
VHB tape to cure.
• a radiation pattern that is hemispherical (i.e. it points to the sky in all directions);
The Spider is a low power transmitting device (mW range). Minimising losses between the
device and the antenna should be considered in the installation process. There should be
not more than 2dB of losses between the two components, including insertions. Antenna
cable should be RG-178 or similar. In the case where a cable of significant length is
required, it may be necessary to use a higher grade.
1.4. Power
Power supply must be stable in the range of 10 V - 32 V DC and capable of delivering at
least 1.5 A peak current. The Spider is supplied with a 2m auxiliary power lead and can be
connected directly to an auxiliary power outlet. The power lead is fuse protected within the
cigarette lighter adapter plug.
As auxiliary power sockets wear they can become loose and disrupt the power supply to
the Spider, which in turn can lead to unreliable performance (see 4.1). In more permanent
installations it is recommended to hard-wire the lead to the avionics bus. This is generally
considered a minor modification when conducted by a LAME or certified technician
(Appendix D).
NB: If removing the auxiliary plug to hard-wire into the aircraft’s power, the Spider must be
protected by a 3A in line fuse.
1.5. Keypad
The remote keypad provides I/O functionality and should be mounted somewhere practical
in the cockpit but within reach of the pilot(s). The keypad is on a 2m lead and connects to
the Spider’s Mini USB port.
Figure 2. Components supplied with GPIO: Bulgin connector, 10 x pins, and cable
Figure. 3. GPIO pins as looking from the front face of the Spider
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1 Red Non-isolated +3.3 The +3.3VDC rail is intended to power such things as input
VDC voltage sensors
signal It is currently limited to 100mA to protect the Spider in the event
that this output is shorted
3 Grey Non-isolated input The basic protection consists of current limiting resistors and
1 with basic TVS diodes
protection There is provision for adjusting the default Low-Pass frequency
of 106kHz
4 Yellow Non-isolated input Maximum voltage is +3.3 VDC
2 or analogue
input
5 Orange Isolated output The isolated outputs share a common ground connection. This is
ground separated from the Spider Ground
6 Blue Isolated output 1 The isolated output has an open collector configuration. The
specification must be strictly followed.
7 Brown Isolated output 2 An open collector output allows the 3rd party to pull the voltage
up to a large range of voltages and the Spider will drive this
voltage low to activate the output.
IMPORTANT
• Maximum voltage is +80 VDC
• Maximum current must be kept < 30 mA
• This is done by selecting an appropriate resistor
value
• Failure to limit the current and/or voltage will
result in permanent damage to that particular output port
8 Purple Isolated input The isolated inputs share a common ground connection. This is
ground separated from the Spider Ground
9 White Isolated input 1 Voltage input range of +3.3 VDC ~ +12VDC (Absolute Max +15
VDC) without 620 ohm resistor.
10 Green Isolated input 2 Voltage input range of +9 VDC ~ +32VDC with 620 ohm resistor.
IMPORTANT
• Failure to limit the current and/or voltage will
result in permanent damage to that particular input port
The Isolated GPIO input is quite different to the Non-isolated GPIO input:
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• To detect a situation where it is either ground or no ground, we should use a Non-isolated
GPIO input
• In a situation where we need to detect a signal, either a voltage or a ground, we should use
an Isolated GPIO input.
• We should always make use of the Isolated GPIO input common ground pin when we want
to use an Isolated GPIO input
• The voltage or ground must be recognised by the Spider GPIO interface for it to work
The following are suggested installations based on the above case numbers and associated input
signals.
2 Pin 9 or Pin 10
3 Pin 9 or Pin 10
8 Pin 3 or Pin 4
A NO (normally open) relay is
used in this case.
Case 1:
10
Case 2:
Case 3:
Case 4:
Case 5:
11
Case 6:
Case 7:
Case 8:
12
An administrator of your account can configure the GPIO at any time from the
go.spidertracks.com website. They need to login to the organisation settings of the organisation
the Spider is registered.
Under GPIO Settings select an aircraft to configure. Note, the aircraft must have a Spider 8
assigned to it. If this is not already configured it can be done from the Aircraft Settings page.
Select Event Logging Enabled to yes and save to turn the GPIO on. Once saved you will be able
to select the Event Groups and whether it is rising edge or falling edge triggered. You don’t need
to configure all four pins. The following event groups are currently available:
• Engine On / Off
• Pump On / Off
Once you save the configuration a message will be sent to the Spider to update the firmware. The
Spider must connect to the Iridium Satellite Network in order to receive this update. We
recommend 10 minutes of connection in order to process all updates.
If you require a different event description to the ones listed above, please contact
[email protected].
1.6.4. Testing
To check the information you are receiving is correct, go to the History page within your account.
Select the checkbox beside the ‘test flight’ and click on the download button in the bottom bar.
The event description will show within the CSV file. The event is not currently displayed on the
maps within the Flying or History pages.
2. Initialisation
Figure 5 provides a visual reference for content discussed within Sections 2 and 3 of this
document.
2.1. Start Up
When the Spider is first powered the LEDs will cycle through a start-up sequence (that
indicates firmware version) and should then display a solid Power LED indicator only.
Under normal operating conditions the time taken from startup through GPS lock and
connection with the Iridium network should be less than 2 minutes.
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3. Operation
Tracking, communication and other flight data transmitted via the Spider can be viewed on
the Spidertracks website and mobile application, however, this will first need to be
configured at go.spidertracks.com. For setting up your account, please refer to the User
Guide for the Spidertracks website.
Reporting parameters are configured within the website and not on the Spider itself. When
such parameters are initialised, or changed, the Spidertracks system queues a
configuration message for delivery to the Spider. The Spider will be updated the next time it
is powered up. Configuration updates can be made in real time while the aircraft is in flight.
When powered and in full view of the sky, the Spider will begin to send position reports
consistent with how it has been configured without any interaction required by the pilot. The
purpose of the keypad is to provide visual indication on the state of the Spider as well as
additional functionality, but is not required for the Spider to report aircraft position.
Spidertracks provides both passive and active tracking capabilities (referred to as normal
and watch modes respectively).
Under normal tracking conditions, the Spider will report positional information and flight
events in real time, however, if the aircraft were to encounter an emergency situation in
flight, ground personnel would not be alerted to this unless there was a conscious SOS
button pressed by the crew.
In watch mode, the Spidertracks system is actively monitoring the status of the flight. If
communication with the aircraft is lost for a period of ten minutes, a tier one alert will be
pushed through to the emergency management framework.
Watch mode can be activated either manually or automatically (by speed trigger). In either
case, the watch button must be pressed to disable the watch system - there is no auto-off.
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The Spidertracks system comes with a two tiered emergency management framework,
which are aligned with the ICAO definitions of uncertainty and alert. Recipients of these alert
notifications are fully customisable within the Organisational Settings of the website.
1. To manually activate/deactivate the watch system at any stage of flight when operating
in normal reporting mode; or,
2. To turn the Watch system off when operating under automated watch mode. Note that
the aircraft must be below the configured speed threshold in order to disable the watch
system when operating in automated watch mode.
The watch button will toggle on/off - do not press and hold the button. When disabling the
system the LED indicator will begin to flash once toggled. The Spider has now sent a watch-
off message. Until the message has been sent successfully, the LED will continue to flash. It
is normal operation for this to take up to 60 seconds. While this is in process the aircraft
must remain in full view of the sky. If the Spider is powered off before transmitting the watch-
off message, a tier one alert will be raised.
Configuration of macro messages, recipients and delivery mechanism are configured within
the Organisational Settings of the website.
NB: The SOS state can not be disabled any other way than to power-cycle the Spider.
For more information on Spidertxt 2.0 please refer to STL Manual Spidertxt.pdf or contact
Spidertracks support.
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4. Troubleshooting
4.1. Discontinuous Tracks
Intermittent power supply issues are often the cause of this and are easily recognisable by:
• Multiple short tracks which constitute what should have been a single track between
point A and B
• An excessive number of 0 minute tracks
• Missing tracks (last track terminates at point C, next track originates at point D)
• Last point in track is at a high altitude and/or airspeed
• In the case where a Spider is operating in watch mode, an undesirable outcome of
erratic power cycling may be a tier one alert being fired
Generic Causality:
The Spider uses temporary memory to store a maximum of 10 points, therefore even if the
Spider is struggling to send position points, it can still add points to the queue as long as
there is a GPS lock. Once the Satellite connection is re-established, the Satellite LED on the
Spider will turn back on and the Signal LED on the keypad will turn green.
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Appendix
(A)Spider 8 Minor Modification Summary Report
(A)1.Description
The subject modification consists of the installation of a Spider 8 real-time aircraft tracking
device.
Refer to Spider Tracks Limited, Spider 8 Instruction Manual for operational instructions.
Basic flight manual limitations remain applicable.
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(A)7.Electrical Load
(A)8.Continuing Airworthiness
The purpose of these test procedures is to demonstrate structural integrity for the installation
of the Spider 8.
A calibrated digital or analogue fish hook type scale (e.g. Transducer Techniques HFG-110)
is required to conduct the structural testing.
(B)3.Test Conditions
The Spider 8 must be installed prior to starting the structural testing. Allow for adequate time
for the adhesive to fully bond to the installation location.
(B)4.Applied Loads
Conservative ultimate load factors for structural testing purposes are provided for FAR 23
(normal, acrobatic and utility category airplanes) and FAR 27 (normal rotorcraft)
installations. For additional information, refer to the acceptable data source, FAA
AC43.13-2B, Chapter 1, Paragraphs 103 through 105.
(B)5.Test Procedure
The following procedures detail the methodology for the structural test.
1. Record the serial number of the Spider 8 being used in the test and complete the test
record information.
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2. Apply the minimum loads listed in Chapter 3.4 to the centre of the Spider 8 in
accordance with AC 43.13-2B, Para 105. Record the actual applied loads:
Forward
Downward
Upward
Side
(B)6.Pass/Fail Criteria
When no damage or permanent deformation occurs after 7 seconds of applied static load in
all directions, the Spider 8 installation is acceptable. Should permanent deformation occur
after 3 seconds, reinforcements are required (e.g. doubler installation) to the affected
structure and repeat test.
(B)7.Test Record
Date of Test
Spider 8 S/N
Location of Test
A/C Registration
LAME conducting
testing:
The following equipment may be required depending on aircraft installed equipment and
availability of navigation aids and ATC radar in the area where testing is conducted.
(C)3.Test Conditions
All aircraft systems under test must be functional prior to starting the EMC test. Any reduced
functionality of the system(s) should be noted. All testing shall be conducted in day VFR
conditions with a clear view of the sky to ensure that a GPS fix can be obtained for starting
the Iridium transmission.
a. All engines running with all generators online (for part of the test);
b. All electrical busses powered; and
c. All avionics/electrical systems and installed equipment powered and active.
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(C)4.Test Procedure
The following procedures detail the methodology for the EMC test.
1. Identify all aircraft systems under testing from the test matrix table and strike out
those that are not applicable to the respective aircraft used in the test.
2. Record the serial number of the Spider 8 being used in the test and complete the test
record information.
3. Power up the Spider 8. The left LED on the keypad of the Spider will glow green and
the right LED will turn amber when it has a GPS fix.
4. Achieve a Bluetooth connection with the Spider 8 and an appropriate device (e.g.
Apple iPhone).
5. Operate each aircraft system under test in all the modes of operation, while
monitoring the system for interference. If there is no interference observed, insert a
check mark in the “passed” column. If interference is observed, describe the
interference in the respective observation column and contact Spider Tracks Limited
for further assistance.
6. Multiple systems may be monitored in tandem to expedite the test whenever
possible.
7. Systems should be tested on the ground unless the aircraft system/equipment can
only be tested in flight.
8. If there are avionics/electrical systems on the aircraft that are not listed, add them at
the end of the table.
9. Ensure there is no interference to aircraft systems from the use of the Spider 8.
10. When test is complete, note any comments or differences in the test procedures
“Comments” section remembering to sign and date the appropriate areas at the end
of this document.
(C)5.Pass/Fail Criteria
(C)6.Test Record
Date of Test
Spider 8 S/N
Location of Test
A/C Registration
Aircraft System
Test Instructions Passed Observations
Under Test
Open squelch. Tune to 118, 120,
124, 128, 132, 136MHz. Listen for ☐
VHF 1
n o i s e . Ve r i f y t r a n s m i t a n d
reception.
Open squelch. Tune to 118, 120,
124, 128, 132, 136MHz. Listen for ☐
VHF 2
n o i s e . Ve r i f y t r a n s m i t a n d
reception.
Aircraft System
Test Instructions Passed Observations
Under Test
Tune in to local stations and/or
ILS 1 use ramp tester. Verify GS / LOC ☐
display and station audio ident.
Tune in to local stations and/or
ILS 2 use ramp tester. Verify GS / LOC ☐
display and station audio ident.
Aircraft System
Test Instructions Passed Observations
Under Test
HSI/DG 1 Monitor for erratic indications. ☐
EXTERNAL ☐
Verify normal operation.
LIGHTS
CIRCUIT ☐
Monitor for erroneous indications.
BREAKERS
Aircraft System
Test Instructions Passed Observations
Under Test
Perform a system function test.
ADC 2 Verify correct display of airspeed, ☐
altitude, TAT, TAS.
HEATER / ECS Operate in all modes. ☐
PITOT STATIC ☐
Confirm correct operation.
HEAT
EMERGENCY ☐
Monitor for inadvertent activation.
LIGHTS
PARTICLE ☐
Monitor for erroneous indications.
SEPERATOR
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Aircraft System
Test Instructions Passed Observations
Under Test
Verify for normal operation and ☐
CYCLIC TRIM
monitor for inadvertent activation.
Verify for normal operation and ☐
ENGINE TRIM
monitor for inadvertent activation.
Comments:
Indicate any deviations from the test procedure, or observations regarding the test results: