The SYSTEM LED is a “go / no-go” indicator intended to provide a simple system health rubric prior to deploying a Spotter. A red SYSTEM LED indicates potential damage to the Spotter system, or potential issues that should be rectified before deployment. However, Spotter is a complex system and not all deployments have the same “go / no-go” requirements. We have also refined the behavior of the SYSTEM LED over firmware iterations, so specific causes will depend on what version of firmware your Spotter is running.
There are a variety of conditions which could potentially lead a Spotter to turn its System LED red. Some of these issues might make you consider whether to pause deployment, while others may be less of a cause for concern. Please see below for guidance regarding:
<aside> ⚠️ Note: If your system LED is red and your ERR.log file contains errors not described in this table, contact [email protected], and include your ERR.log file.
</aside>
| Cause | Example Error Codes | Firmware versions | Delay deployment? | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Mooring is disabled due to low battery | [ERR] [INFO] BridgeErrorState changed from NA to LOW_BATT |
all | Consider | Spotter will disable Smart Mooring when the battery is low to protect the system from brownouts. It will indicate this condition by showing a red SYSTEM LED. Charge Spotter, or consider if your deployment environment is sufficiently sunny that your Spotter will quickly recover battery on its own once deployed. |
| Charging system is in safety mode due to heat | [ERR] [INFO] ChargerErrorState changed from NA to THERMAL_FAULT |
< 2.11.0 | No | To protect battery health, Spotter will disable charging when the battery temperature exceeds ~40ºC. This is an expected state when testing Spotter in warm conditions out of water, or during deployments at peak sun in hot deployments. This error state has been demoted to a warning in recent firmware versions. |
| Cellular modem memory is full | [ERR] [INFO] CellularErrorState changed from NA to CELL_MEMORY_FULL |
< 2.14.0 | Consider | The Spotter cannot connect to the cellular network at the site where it is being operated. |
If there is not expected to be cellular coverage at the deployment site, contact Support to disable the cellular modem.
Otherwise, power-cycle the Spotter to clear the cellular modem queue and re-attempt cellular connection.
This condition will reset itself currently every 24 hours, if the Spotter is left running uninterrupted. |
| Error initializing visibility LED | [ERR] [INFO] VisibilityLEDErrorState changed from NA to ERR | < 2.6.1 | Consider | A firmware edge case can case a false report of Visibility LED failure in versions < 2.6.1. Visually check if the visibility LED blinks when Spotter first boots in RUN mode and flashes as expected while on. If it does not blink, contact Support if visibility LED is critical to your deployment. Consider upgrading to the current available firmware release. |
| SD card initialization issue | [ERR] [INFO] SdInitErrorState changed from NA to CARD_MISSING
[ERR] [INFO] SdInitErrorState changed from NA to FULL | all | Consider | A variety of SD card errors will be detected and cause the SYSTEM LED to turn Red. Consider whether SD card is required for your deployment. Note - it is possible for Sofar support to assist in disabling SD card errors from causing a Red LED.
• Ensure card is formatted using the FAT32 filesystem.
• For each deployment, use a freshly-formatted card.
• Ensure card is 16 GB when using legacy Spotter.
• Ensure card is fully inserted and latched in slot (Note - the SD card cover may cause an unlatched card to maintain partial contact). |
| Barometer or SST sensor initialization failure | [ERR] [INFO] SSTErrorState changed from NA to INIT_ERR
[ERR] [INFO] BaroErrorState changed from NA to INIT_ERR | all | Consider | As the barometer and SST sensors are directly exposed to the elements, they are the electronic components which are most susceptible to damage in Spotter - particularly the barometer, which will be damaged if Spotter is continuously submerged over timescales of days/weeks. Ensure the barometer and SST sensor connectors are fully seated in the bottom of the electronics enclosure, and consider if these sensors are critical to your deployment.
Note - it is possible for Sofar support to assist in disabling SST and barometer errors from causing a Red LED.
If the error codes are INIT_ERR or READ_ERR, Spotter is not receiving data from the sensor.
If the error codes are INVALID_CAL or NO_CAL, Spotter is receiving data from the sensors, but the sensor IDs do not match the calibration data. This is most likely a result of swapping electronics enclosures between Spotters. |
| Cause | Firmware versions | Delay deployment? | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Mooring bridge detects no sensors | 1.11.x | Yes | Check Smart Mooring cables and sensor nodes |
| Sea surface temperature sensor initialization error | most/all | Consider | Check SST sensor cable assembly for signs of wear or corrosion. If SST data is not crucial to your deployment, contact Support to help bypass the sensor initialization. |
| SD card is full or mis-formatted | most/all | Consider | If you require the SD card for your deployment, check the following to ensure it is working properly: |
| • Ensure card is formatted using the FAT32 filesystem. | |||
| • For each deployment, use a freshly-formatted card. | |||
| • Ensure card is 16 GB when using legacy Spotter. | |||
| Smart Mooring bridge initialization error | most/all | Yes | Contact Support. |
All error transitions are timestamped and reported in the SD card log files named like *ERR.log. For a more detailed guide of Spotter’s SD card logging system, see: Spotter 3 SD Card Data Guide
Note that the most recent *ERR.log file will be the file with the highest numerical index, and that this index increments on every reboot, when Spotter acquires its first GPS fix, or when an individual log file exceeds 100MB. To simplify a Red SYSTEM LED diagnosis, we recommend: