SOLVED: PAW WiFi failure

[RobertPBham]

Hi there,

The last couple of flights I’ve experienced the PAW stop sending data to my mobile (iPhone and SkyDemon) - originally I thought this was because I’d changed from FLARM to PilotAware data connection but today we were doing circuits (upon landing), the PAW stopped sending data to the phone - as we were swapping pilots, I checked the WIFI on my iPhone and it was not detecting the PAW WIFI - I completely repowered the PAW and everything came back to life. However on the flight to Gloucester (full IMC flight), I lost connection about 15 minutes in. Changed to location services on SkyDemon and all was fine. Obviously couldn’t troubleshoot as in cloud!

Any thoughts or any logs I can view? As my PAW has been so reliable, I’m not sure what’s going on! Hopefully it’s not terminal!!

Thanks
Rob

[Shortwing]

Plus 1.

I’ve been having this problem of late, I found the temperature to be a factor.

[RobertPBham]

Interesting! I updated the kernel and software back in June/July and didn’t know whether this has introduced any issues.

We had the cockpit heat on as it wasn’t the warmest up there!

[RobertPBham]

After reading the forum and spotting a post about the WIFI dongle melting and failing, I decided to have a look at mine and it certainly didn't look healthy (see attached images). The side that is melted is the side next to the ADSB antenna connection - that does get very warm!

My PAW unit was purchased directly from PAW so all components came supplied.

So, my questions are:

1) Where do I get a replacement WIFI dongle from - I'm quite happy to pay a bit extra if it stops the above problem.
2) Is it worth running a 10cm USB extension cable from the WIFI USB port to prevent this issue

and not so important
3) I couldn't find anywhere to pull the system logs from PAW - I removed the memory card and plugged in to my computer, but it could only read the boot and recovery partitions - there were another two partitions we no access from Windows. Is it possible to get the system logs if I wanted to investigate the issue further.

Thanks
Rob

[exfirepro]

Hi Robert/SW,

Try unplugging the SDR dongle and run the unit without it and see if you get connectivity back, then log in to the Home Screen. You should see a full set of green lights except for the ADSB one - because you have no SDR. The PAW should run in this configuration (without 1090 reception) without dropping out if the WiFi dongle is still OK which will show if the real culprit is the WiFi or the SDR.

Also, what software versions are you both running? and....  Are you using the ‘FLARM’ or ‘PilotAware’ connectivity option?

System logs are available via the ‘Tracks’ tab. You can sync them onto a memory stick providing your system software is version 20160820 or later. Tracks are then readable on a PC using notepad or wordpad, though they might not mean much to you. Lee can usually analyse them fairly quickly if there is an issue though. Note that some info requires you to preset the relevant data selections (at the bottom of the Configure Screen) prior to flight for the data to be added to the track log. The other useful source is to monitor the ‘Logging’ tab and take screengrabs if things go wrong (though not in flight unless you are P2).

Regards

Peter

[RobertPBham]

Hi Peter,

After reading your note about the ADSB (SDR) dongle, I decided to have a look at that one - that is quite 'deformed' as well (see attached pictures).

I'm running the latest version of PAW - Model B Pi 2, kernal=4.4.34-v7+ and PAW version 20170721.

I've checked the Configure page and none of the Log interface messages are selected. Which would be the correct ones to have turned on to troubleshoot a problem like this?

As it appears that I may have a faulty SDR and WIFI dongle (due to heat), what are the best replacements to get - I saw the 3rd party hardware items available but the WIFI dongle was sold out on the Ebay link and I haven't checked the SDR dongle yet.

I would like to replace both as anything that has melted or been heat stressed cannot be good!

Is there any benefit from fitting USB extension cables to take the heat away from the PAW unit or will the heat just travel back down the cable? My main concern is that the dongles appear to be fairly cheap and easy to replace - I'm worried about long term damage to the PAW unit itself!

With regards to my issue, the PAW unit seems to function okay on the ground for extended amounts of time but in the air (as per yesterdays example), we managed to do 30 minutes of circuits before it stopped functioning and then another 20 minute flight before it stopped. On the ground, it's impossible to replicate cockpit temperatures - my PAW sites in a case holder that I place on the 'dash' of the plane on the passenger side.

Thanks for all your help
Rob

[RobertPBham]

And this is my case configuration - I would think the heat has enough space to dissipate, but I could be wrong.

[Ian Melville]

Those ADSB dongles can get very hot, and would not be surprised if it has killed your WiFi dongle. I have all mine in the USB ports without extensions and not suffered the same fate. I would suggest replacing the WiFi dongle and putting it below the GPS, keeping the ADSB to the far right as you look at the sockets. It may also be worth trying a different ADSB dongle, as some seem to run hotter that others.

I thought there were some links to recommended parts somewhere, will try and find it.

[RobertPBham]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply.

I managed to find the link to the parts, but all of the ebay items are either out of stock or the listing has ended.

Can anyone let me know the precise name of the components I need (as I don't trust the wording on some of the descriptions on Ebay - had an issue like that before!). I can then order from Ebay or Amazon - wherever has the bits.

Thanks for all your help
Rob

[RobertPBham]

So after looking around it appears that the WiFi adapter is readily available in the UK, but the ADSB dongle isn’t - shipping from China with delivery between December and January. There goes my EC for a few months!

[Mig29fuk]

Robert
I have a spare. Would you like to borrow it or replace it later on receipt of yours? Can send it.
Gerry

[Giver]

just checked on ebay and there are a few available from the UK,
put in a search for availability uk only,
i couldn't post a link sorry,

[Giver]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-DVB-T-RTL-SDR-Realtek-RTL2832U-R820T-Stick-Receiver-Dongle-MCX-Input-M9E4/112609227675?epid=1187312433&hash=item1a3808739b:g:UboAAOSwI59Z6HoP
should be a link

[DaveStyles]

Hi Robert,

I've just had this bought to my attention, I've sent you a PM as well.
Drop me a line at

PilotAwareHardware@gmail.com

Mark it for my attention, and we'll get replacements out to you under warranty.

kind regards

David Styles.

[RobertPBham]

First off, I would like to thank all of the people who have assisted or offered to lend me parts etc. That's what makes this community great and I hope I can return this kind assistance in the future!

After David's post, I think I have this resolved and soon will have new parts to fit. I can't wait to get my PAW back up and running as it has become an invaluable aid - especially with the IMC flying I do!

Once I've got everything up and running again, I will add an update to this post to confirm this resolved my issues - hopefully it will help others in the future. It might even be an opportunity to add a 'service' section to the manual for things people should check every six months or so - I have easy access to mine and never would have thought it was the dongles melting!

Thanks
Rob