Recently moved my Sbs back into the loft,conected to a usb extension cable,now i have no aircraft showing,and unable to access the loft due to a bad knee! I have run the sbs link tester,and i presume the cable is fine? If so,i just need to move it to a suitable location.The sbs is approx 17years old.
Where's the antenna? And where's the PC running BaseStation?
The Link tester only confirms that BaseStation can access the SBS-1. No aircraft can (usually) mean a bad antenna connection.
The antenna is also in the loft (the original that came with the sbs).And the PC is more or less directly in the room below it.I'm also thinking it could be a USB port issue?,i do have at times various other things conected,but not with basestation running.
The Link Tester succesfully connected BaseStation to the SBS-1. If it were a USB issue, it would have failed.
When you run BaseStation, what shows on the bottom of the screen? Does it show "Connected to SBS-1"?
It says not connected.
Thanks. Not sure why the Link tester worked?
If you have another USB port on the pC, try using that one.
Then open Device Manager and see what shows against "Universal Serial Bus Controllers"?
This might be complete nonsense, if so, feel free to ignore. But, if the Link Tester confirms the USB connection between BaseStation and the SBS-1 is good, might it be that BaseStation has been configured to look for a network connection and not USB? I realise the early SBS-1's didn't have an ethernet port, so could only connect over USB, but if the software is looking for a network connection, that might explain the "not connected" message.
Might be worth a check in BaseStation ... Settings>>Data source and confirm USB is selected.
Tim
Quote from: Triple7 on August 03, 2024, 05:25:32 PMThis might be complete nonsense, if so, feel free to ignore. But, if the Link Tester confirms the USB connection between BaseStation and the SBS-1 is good, might it be that BaseStation has be configured to look for a network connection and not USB? I realise the early SBS-1's didn't have an ethernet port, so could only connect over USB, but if the software is looking for a network connection, that might explain the "not connected" message.
Might be worth a check in BaseStation ... Settings>>Data source and confirm USB is selected.
Tim
Thanks Tim, valid point and one to check. I assumed nothing had changed so hadn't gone that route.
Quote from: Magic440 on August 03, 2024, 01:02:05 PMThe antenna is also in the loft (the original that came with the sbs).And the PC is more or less directly in the room below it.I'm also thinking it could be a USB port issue?,i do have at times various other things conected,but not with basestation running.
How is the SBS-1 powered ?
Through USB or dedicated wall plug power supply ?
There are USB extension cables, and USB extension cables. I'd try another one.
Morning guys.
So,no change with trying different USB ports.
Upon opening Device Manager, USB Controllers shows-(image attached).
Settings-Data source,USB is ticked.
SBS1 is powered via USB.
Regards.
There are many, useful suggestions being posted but this may not get resolved until you're able to access the SBS-1 again.
Lot's of physical things to check - USB cables, antenna connections, power supply, lights on the SBS-1 etc.
Good morning All
This may be of interest and maybe help,
USB Standard Length
Both the USB connector type and the length of the USB harness have an impact. USB 1.0 has negligible speeds and only extends up to 9.8 feet. USB 2.0, on the other hand, has a maximum cable length of 16.4 feet. Also, the successor to USB 3.0 limits the cable length to 9.8 feet.6 Jan 2024
Regards
Steve Coulson
Good morning,
Magic 440 are you located in the south east of England, Kent, Surry or Sussex if so i am happy to come and do the loft work for you.
First thing would be to bring it back down and get it to work and then start the cable checking up into the loft.
Let me know if you are local and we can sort out a time and date.
Regards
Steve Coulson
Thanks for the very kind offer Steve,but I'm the other side of Derby,so not local I'm afraid. Hopefully,all being well,will be able to get in to the loft at the end of the month.
Just had a neighbour take a look for me.
With Basestation not running,it shows 2 red and 3 blue, and exactly the same with it running,tried different usb ports but no joy.He then unplugged the extension cable,and put it in the laptop,same thing.
I the gave him another cable to try from the Basestation 'box' and still nothing.
Thanks for the update.
Did you check the BaseStation Settings?
Settings -> Data Source -> Use USB
Yes Mike,use USB is ticked.
Quote from: Magic440 on August 05, 2024, 06:50:06 PMYes Mike,use USB is ticked.
Thanks for confirming.
All I can suggest is you ask the neighbour to help you set it back to how it was when it was last running OK? Then see what gives?
The power and blue lights suggest the SBS-1 is receiving data.
It was running fine for a day or two in the loft Mike,so maybe a problem with the laptop? Although,i have also tried it on my PC,but just the same.
Maybe try a fresh install?
So the current loft installation was working OK and then all aircraft disappeared from BaseStation?
Has there been a Windows Update since it was last working?
In you BaseStaion folder do you have an exe file named "CDM" something?
Yes Mike thats correct.No windows update that i can remember,and i have CDM20814 in the Basestation folder.
Double click on the CDM exe file. It should reinstall the USB drivers.
Had the pop up window saying drivers installed.Still not connecting.
Just been speaking to a mate,and going to try his box at the weekend,
if we can't resolve the issue.
Sorry to be a pain!
Thanks for all the recomendations up to now.
Thanks for trying that.
Is it an SBS-1? Not and SBS-1e or SBS-1eR?
It could be a hardware issue and trying a different SBS-1 is a good test. Let us know how you get on?
SBS-1 Mike,purchased in 2007.
For troubleshooting purpose, try powering your SBS-1 with a dedicated power supply.
The SBS-1 should have also a green LED on, indicating it is successfully connected to the Basestation.
Quick update. No green lights using dedicated power supply that my mate bought with him. Connected his box to my aerial and extension cable and all was good. Tried my box again,same set up but with his laptop,and no connection.
Off to work now,until this evening.
Regards.
Well, at this point it seems either something inside the SBS-1 died or something is wrong with the USB connector or perhaps the firmware got corrupted.
My SBS-1 (5V Version) has a FT2232C USB chip installed. This chip provided two USB channels. Channel A and Channel B. Channel A is exclusively used when a firmware update is done. Channel B is exclusively used for data transmission to BaseStation.
So to troubleshoot this USB problem further, I would try to do a firmware update and if this also fails with indication that there is no USB connection, I would then conclude the USB chip died or has a clock problem or an internal power supply problem.
I had my SBS-1 opened once and found a capacitor was not soldered properly and fell off it's solder pads and was floating around on the board. Luckily it did not short anything.
If you come to the point where you need to open the SBS-1 for inspection, have a close look at the solder joints around the regulator chips and especially around the USB chip. Look at the soldering at the 6.000 MHz crystal next to the USB chip as well.
KCT_99,thanks for the info,all sounds scary to me lol. I took the box many years ago to a local shop that demonstrated the SBS-1 and also sold AOL? scanners. He did the firmware update for me. Sadly the shop is no longer.
No worries, a firmware update is easy to do.
Firstly, you need to know if you have the 12V or 5V Version of the SBS-1 as this dictates what uploader software tool you must use.
You can download the firmware and the software uploader tool here.
http://www.kinetic.co.uk/basestationdownloads1.php
Here is a short video how to do the firmware update.
https://youtu.be/EYQFRai6lmk?si=EeFAG3ru_zc3tfEs
If the firmware uploader software tool can not do the firmware update and gives an error, you know that your SBS-1 unit needs repair. Possibly the USB chip could be dead, or some support circuit around it has a problem.
In this case, check out this guy who can help you with repair. He does mainly Laptop repair but he can do repair on other delicate equipment as well.
https://youtu.be/yBonoOKFsTQ?si=AJ-uIWE-cHKcvpec
Maybe silly but did you set the little switch to face the external power socket?
If it was powered trough the USB cable it's notch was at the USB socket and plugging in an external power supply doesn't work unless the switch is moved too.
Yes,moved the little switch. Will try the firmware suggestion later.
Just a couple of things to mention.
1. All the Kinetic downloads are available on this forum in the Software (https://radarspotting.com/forum/index.php?action=tportal;sa=download;dl=cat7) area. I've no idea who's managing the kinetic.co.uk website as Kinetic Avionics Products isn't actively producing or supporting these products.
2. I've recently become aware of early model SBS-1s suffering hardware failure. But 20 years isn't a bad life span for electronic products.
3. Repairs will be expensive, unless one can do it oneself. A more cost-effective option is a suitable SDR connected to a Raspberry Pi and existing antenna. This can be used to run Basestation as before.
I think that will be the way forward for me Mike.
Is it easy to set up? Lol
Quote from: Magic440 on August 08, 2024, 12:27:04 PMIs it easy to set up? Lol
I think it is.
This link (https://uk.flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/build/) explains what you need, You can source the hardware from other suppliers.
If you install PiAware (as a total SD card image) you share the data with FlightAware and get a free Enterprise account in exchange. Then a few more tweaks to feed BaseStation.
You don't have to go the PiAware route. There's a similar solution for FlightRadar24 or a vanilla install that feeds no one.
I'm not that bothered about feeding anyone,as I wouldn't be able to run it 24/7,sometimes I don't run it for a few weeks.
I would like to use the Basestation set up though, with the Operator and Country flags etc.
I take it there is no plug and play option?
You don't have to run anything 24x7. Plus, 99% of people using an SDR/RPi combo run it 24x7 and forget about it.
You can still use BaseStation as and when you choose,
The plug and play options I'm aware of (and use) are the FlightAware/FR24 SD card images which include the Linux operating system.
Maybe someone here can offer a Plug and Play option that doesn't include data feeds?
Oh,I see. I was under the impression that the set would be powered via usb,like the SBS1.Would make it difficult,as no sockets in the loft.
The Raspberry Pi needs power via a dedicated DC adapter.
The SDR connects to the antenna via SMA (Can use a BNC to SMA adapter) and the Raspberry Pi via USB. I've not tested an SDR/RPi usng a USB extension cable.
Big thanks for all the replies folks.
Sadly,i think that is it for me and virtual radar,apart from the usual online sites.