Vigil2+, Ctrl Err 9 after HALO.

[AlanS 1]

My Vigil2+ is getting Ctrl Err 9.

It has about 130-ish jumps on it. The one extra factor is the last jump before this error was a HALO from about 30,000 feet, and was exposed to low temperatures (-30 degrees for about an hour).

I will be in contact with Vigil about this, but I'm interested in hearing if anyone else has run into this issue?

[mjosparky 3]

http://www.vigil.aero/wp-content/uploads/Vigil-2-Xtreme-users-manual-US-v-2-x.0.3.3.pdf

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[AlanS 1]

Thanks. Got the same link from a Facebook friend. (I'm still away from home where my manual is).

The is the relevant part:

Quote

If the «Ctrl Err» message appears due to a failure in the electronic circuits, you must send
the Vigil®2
+Xtreme back to your dealer or to the factory for a complete checkup, before the next jump.
DO NOT try to restart the Vigil®2
+Xtreme again.

I visited the dealer I bought the container from to remove and send back that unit.

The manual only talks about "Ctrl Err" in general, but I'm curious and want to know what code 9 is.

[IJskonijn 38]

Just speculating, but it could be a battery-related error. The manual states: "The battery pack is designed to operate within a temperature range from -13°F to +158°F (-25°C to +70°C)."

If the external temperature around your rig was -30°C for an hour, the internal temperature of the unit may have reached a temperature below -25°C.

[AlanS 1]

IJskonijn

Just speculating, but it could be a battery-related error. The manual states: "The battery pack is designed to operate within a temperature range from -13°F to +158°F (-25°C to +70°C)."

If the external temperature around your rig was -30°C for an hour, the internal temperature of the unit may have reached a temperature below -25°C.

That is a great thought. I was jumping with a set of cameras and was worried about those batteries, so I put a heat pack inside my camera rig to keep those batteries warm.

In the case of the AAD, i think the battery is in the main unit which was on my back between the main and reserve parachute. My back acts as a heater and the parachutes are insulations, so it might be difficult to get the temperature of that battery low even given though the outdoor temperatures were very low. (I'm very interested in real data on the temp of that battery though so would like find a way to record it during my next HALO jump)


I've heard a preliminary conclusion (which I doubt I can share publicly) but if true , the problem is limited to the specific model of AAD I was jumping (Vigil 2+) and it is only an issue doing a HALO jump at very high altitudes. (most civilian HALOs are lower that what we jumped from)

Unless someone is planning on doing a HALO jump in the next week, it might be best wait until that preliminary result is confirmed to say something.


But if anyone IS going to do a HALO jump in the next few weeks. Please PM me.

[piisfish 135]

AlanS

The one extra factor is the last jump before this error was a HALO from about 30,000 feet, and was exposed to low temperatures (-30 degrees for about an hour).

this is very long and very cold

May I ask where was that and what kind of aircraft ?

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[IJskonijn 38]

AlanS

In the case of the AAD, i think the battery is in the main unit which was on my back between the main and reserve parachute. My back acts as a heater and the parachutes are insulations, so it might be difficult to get the temperature of that battery low even given though the outdoor temperatures were very low. (I'm very interested in real data on the temp of that battery though so would like find a way to record it during my next HALO jump)

Correct, it would take quite some time for the unit to cool that much. And my interpretation of the manual is that they guarantee correct operation of the unit down to -25°C. But not guaranteeing that it works below is very different from guaranteeing that it does not work below. There's usually a significant safety margin in the design of electrical components like these.

You could put a small thermocouple sensor in there to record the temperature during the next jump. I'm not a rigger, so talk with someone who is about the best way to do so without messing up anything vital.