320 MCDU "blank"

[Richardatnos]

I'm a new "bus-driver" and be here for a very short period!
Yesterday it happened to me that the MCDU suddenly "out" (without any display) when I create a new waypoint! After approx. 10 sec it "gets back". I tried the other MCDU, the same happened. In the A/C STATUS page, it read "-3WPT -1RTE"

If there is anyone could explain, many thanks!:confused:

[Watchdog]

Rich,
a blank MCDU, usually only ever one at a time, will happen once in a while. Some models of the MCDU are more susceptible than others. Normally it will recover as you say, and occassionally you will need to do a CB reset. In either case, nothing to be too concerned about. (Check FCOM 4 - Degraded Ops) for more info.

I've not seen the "3WPT -1RTE" message but you'd expect to see that in the Pilot Stored Waypoints and Routes pages telling you that you have 3 WPTS and 1 RTE stored respectively. If entering a WPT causes the blank MCDU, there may be something amiss in the database or the WPT you are trying to store.

Hope this is useful :ok:

[guclu]

As watchdog says it just happens time to time. If it doesn't recover you should try to turn the brightness knob of the mcdu all the way to dim (turn it off) wait for 10-20 seconds and open it again. It usually recovers. If not try the circuit braker.

[Richardatnos]

yes, at that time we tried the CBs, including the FMGC1+2, MCDU1+2, and had no effect. The message in A/C STATUS page
"-3WPTS -1RTE" I mean is that when I created a waypoint that not exist in database, it read "-1WPTS -1RTE" and as I created again, it read "-2WPT -1RTE"

When I came back the base airport of my company, the mechs cover the database, same malfunction happened, what they could do was shut down the APU, cut the BAT, then everything was ok!

[Slasher]

....what they could do was shut down the APU, cut the BAT, then everything was ok!

Its obviousley a reboot like whats needed on Windows XP. Since Scarebus and Microshaft both bild plastic puter machines it should be easey to figure out. :=

PS Mate of mine applyed recentley for a A320 job (unrated) and copped this in the sim:

TRI: "GOLDEN RULE OF SCAREBUS - ALLWAYS ALLWAYS ALLWAYS FOLLA ECAM ACTION!! DONT THINK, JUST DO IT!"

[....fuel leak....]

Mate: [XFEED VALVE.....OPEN]

TRI: "What the hellareya doin?"

Mate: "Im blindly follawin the ecam action like ya sed"

TRI: "Dont folla the bloodey ecam or youll kill us!"

Mate: "Yeh I know that. I can see it on that fuel piccey thingey. Left tanks pissin fuel like theres no tomorra"

TRI: "THINK MAN THINK!

Mate: "You told me not to think just do it"

.....[SIM FREEZE].....

TRI: "Look just pull the QRH and Vol 3 its all writen there!"

Mate: "Seems a bit stupid pullin books when this u-beaut ecams supposta iliminate the need for it"

TRI: "Its French! Its meant to be stupid and nonsencical!"

Mate: "Um, this is bull****. Can I go back to me trustey Boeing now?"

TRI: "Yeh piss orf. Youll live longer!"

[Carnage Matey!]

Hmmm. The - 1 WPT seems to ring a bell. I'm sure I had a double MCDU lock up in similar circumstances a few years back. Everytime we tried to input a PBD the whole thing would freeze up on us. IIRC the engineers scratched their heads for a bit, decided it was a corrupt nav database upload and re-uploaded it. Couldn't repeat the fault then.

[Dixons Cider]

Heh heh good one slasher, funniest thing is its true!!

[406pilot]

hi there fellows,

for what its worth i fly this one particular b-737 and the pdcs screen only goes blank for a few minutes(approximately the time it takes for me to pick up the qrh and look up the cb location...only to find that the cb is not popped)...and then boom its back on again without doing anything at all talked to most technicians calling themselves engineers and they reckon i am the only f/o who has reported this defect so far.....so i thoght i was on my own but seems the bug has hit the bus drivers aswell...

keep it up there fellows,

no more 406pilot