ChristiaanJ
9th Oct 2008, 20:41
"Qantas probe laptop link after 300 foot plunge...
Passenger laptop computers are now being investigated as a possible cause of the Qantas mid-air emergency off Western Australia on Tuesday.""In July, a passenger clicking on a wireless mouse mid-flight was blamed for causing a Qantas jet to be thrown off course, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's monthly report."
While shrugging my shoulders about the EMI sea serpent popping up again, I suddenly DID realise that as an 'ancient' I'm no longer conversant with how todays fly-by-wire elevator commands get from the blunt end to the stubby end.
In my days (and that dates me) it was 1800 Hz three-wire synchro, and the EMI was from the 400 Hz, not from 800 MHz :rolleyes:
I suppose we're now talking multiple digital data buses? If so where and how are the data put on the bus and where are they taken off?
What baffles me is that a laptop or other RFI-producing device in the cabin could even be thought to
a) interfere with a shielded bus,
b) introduce enough similar interference on all four buses (I presume there are four) for it to be interpreted as a valid command.
Interference with radio aids by electronic devices has been observed often enough for it to be more than anecdotal, but that's not my question.
Elevator commands from a laptop?
CJ
Passenger laptop computers are now being investigated as a possible cause of the Qantas mid-air emergency off Western Australia on Tuesday.""In July, a passenger clicking on a wireless mouse mid-flight was blamed for causing a Qantas jet to be thrown off course, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's monthly report."
While shrugging my shoulders about the EMI sea serpent popping up again, I suddenly DID realise that as an 'ancient' I'm no longer conversant with how todays fly-by-wire elevator commands get from the blunt end to the stubby end.
In my days (and that dates me) it was 1800 Hz three-wire synchro, and the EMI was from the 400 Hz, not from 800 MHz :rolleyes:
I suppose we're now talking multiple digital data buses? If so where and how are the data put on the bus and where are they taken off?
What baffles me is that a laptop or other RFI-producing device in the cabin could even be thought to
a) interfere with a shielded bus,
b) introduce enough similar interference on all four buses (I presume there are four) for it to be interpreted as a valid command.
Interference with radio aids by electronic devices has been observed often enough for it to be more than anecdotal, but that's not my question.
Elevator commands from a laptop?
CJ