|  SupraVue Collimated Display | CRT refurbishment | Relocation Support | Instrument Repair | Motion tool box | SupraPan Projector Upgrade | Q4 MRP |  SupraVue WIDE Upgrade | Mirror re-skins and Mirror Washing |

SupraPan™ - WIDE Projector Upgrade

Due to the escalating cost of refurbishment of existing Supralux tubes together with the increasing difficulty of supporting these obsolete CRT’s from a single support office in the USA (with attendant increase in shipping costs and turn round times) Q4 Services has developed an alternative to the SupraLux CRT. The proposed upgrade resolves the aforementioned concerns whilst providing a significant reduction in cost of ownership for the modified assemblies.

current customers  include:

Finnair,

Northwest Airlines,

British Airways,

Varig,

Oxford Avaiation academy (GCat)

Kalitta Airlines

British Midland.

 

Using the latest nine-inch, commercially available Panasonic cathode ray tube (CRT) along with associated Glycol cooling coupling is used as an integral part of this upgrade. This upgraded assembly is combined with a custom design lens to focus the image on the WIDE back projection screen and minimize the requirement to alter the projector base-plate position. The selected lens has "twist" barrel adjustment for both static and dynamic optical focus. Additional attention to the mechanical coupling has been incorporated with respect to the relationship of the lens and the CRT face. The coupling employs a high tolerance machined interface negating further adjustment controls of the lens (typically Scheimpflug calibrations).

In line with the design objective, utilization of the existing drive electronics and mechanics are achieved. This is accomplished by retaining the rear tube housing along with the scan coil, focus coil and Gimbal assembly.

By retaining as much of the existing CRT assembly as possible, including deflection and focus coils, gimbal assembly and utilization of the existing drive electronics and mechanics, Q4 is able to provide the end user with a seamless upgrade path and significantly reduces risk and cost.

This approach allows Q4 Services to offer a solution that addresses the major supportability issue of the CRT’s without adding further costs and complexity issues by modifying the deflection amplifiers which may render these items unsupportable by either Rank Brimar or TT & S OEMs.

Maintenance Considerations      This design philosophy behind the upgrade to the 9 inch Panasonic tube does not change any of the electrical/electronic calibration procedures as outlined in the original Operating and Maintenance Manual. This applies to the deflection, video and power supplies, of the projector, and no deviation from the Image Generator calibration is necessary, therefore the IG Operations and maintenance manuals should also be strictly adhered to.

Further considerations with respect to visibility calibration and Runway Visual Range (RVR) and related weather adjustments are again not required and are well within the allowed JAA tolerances.

As part of the tube update program, to add further enhancement to the displayed picture, the blue and green tube positions were transposed from the original design.

Due to the fact that the majority of the brightness is derived from the green tube (70%) it follows, and field experience shows, this tube will require change out prior to the red and blue. Therefore with the green tube being in the uppermost position, the light rays with respect to the optical system and finally the pilot’s eye will be more ‘on axis’ providing greater brightness for the same drive. Thus resulting in a clearer better-defined scene, longer CRT life and offers better access for maintenance personnel when required.

This lens has the advantages of both “twist type” controls for both static and dynamic focus adjustments (see figure 5). When replacing tubes, the projector will remain in its current position and any focal length can now be adjusted for optimum optical performance, utilizing the lens individual adjustments for each tube. Rather than moving the entire projector and trying to optimize the red green blue tube for best average case as with the original tube.  Overall focus is greatly improved.  

The wiring harness in the projector is configured in a “triad” format; therefore all connections remain as is.

Further benefits with this modification are realized with respect to the soft edge blanking between adjacent pictures. This tube has less brightness variation across the field of view, and with the green tube in the same position in each projector, the light is more on the same axis, resulting in a superior edge blend, giving the appearance of more uniform and less objectionable joins. 

Replacement CRT Costs

The SupraPan upgrade will for the first time free the simulator users from the sole source pricing policy that has been a major concern for a number of years. It is evident that the cost of subsequent overhauls with the modified assemblies will be significantly cheaper than provided currently by the OEM.

CRT Life

The Panasonic CRT is currently fitted to many hundreds of projectors used within the commercial simulation market world side. This CRT has become the standard for all modern display systems delivered by all the major projection system suppliers and regularly has CRT life exceeding 15,000 hours or two years of commercial simulation operation.

Copyright 2007. Q4 Services LLC, 1410 N. Goldenrod, Suite 1, Orlando, FL. 32807.