The SYSTEM LED on top of your Spotter is a “go / no-go” indicator intended to signal the Spotter’s system health prior to deployment (see pages 14-15 of the Spotter User Guide). A red SYSTEM LED indicates a problem with or potential damage to the Spotter system that should generally be rectified before deployment, but not all conditions leading to a red SYSTEM LED require you to delay deployment.
In this guide, you will learn how to self-diagnose the problem using the contents of the onboard SD card, and get information on the causes of a red SYSTEM LED, their impact on deployment, and recommended steps for remediation.
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If you have a current-generation Spotter (Spotters with Spotter IDs starting with 3, e.g., SPOT-30973C), you can use the contents of the onboard SD card to help identify the cause of the red SYSTEM LED:
ERR.log file.All error state changes are timestamped and logged to the SD card with the file naming format <log_session_id>_ERR.log (e.g., 0001_ERR.log). The most recent ERR.log file will be the file with the highest numerical index. This index increments when a Spotter acquires its first GPS fix after being rebooted and when an individual log file exceeds 100 MB.
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More on the Spotter’s SD card logging system: Spotter 3 SD Card Data Guide
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The SYSTEM LED’s behavior is tied to the firmware version your Spotter is running. See Spotter Firmware Updates for more information on checking and updating the firmware on your Spotter.
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Spotters with Spotter IDs starting with 3, e.g., SPOT-30973C
| Example error codes | Cause | Firmware versions | Delay deployment? | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
[ERR] [INFO] BridgeErrorState changed from N/A to LOW_BATT |
Smart Mooring is disabled due to low battery | all | Consider if Spotter is expected to recover battery at the deployment site. | 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 your Spotter and consider whether the deployment environment is sunny enough for your Spotter to quickly recover battery on its own once deployed. |
[ERR] [INFO] ChargerErrorState changed from N/A to THERMAL_FAULT |
Charging system is in safety mode due to heat | < 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 deployment at peak sun in hot deployment areas. |
This error state has been demoted to a warning in recent firmware versions. | No action required. |
| [ERR] [INFO] CellularErrorState changed from N/A to CELL_MEMORY_FULL | Cellular modem memory is full | < 2.14.0 | Consider if cellular coverage is expected at the deployment site. | The Spotter cannot connect to a cellular network at the site where it is being operated. | If there is not expected to be cellular coverage at the deployment site, contact Sofar Support and have them 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 every 24 hours if the Spotter is left running uninterrupted. |
| [ERR] [INFO] VisibilityLEDErrorState changed from N/A to ERR | Error initializing Visibility LED (amber strobe light) | < 2.6.1 | Consider if the Visibility LED is critical to the deployment. | A firmware edge case can cause a false report of Visibility LED failure in versions < 2.6.1. | Visually check if the Visibility LED blinks when the Spotter first boots up in RUN mode and flashes as expected while turned on. If it does not flash, contact Sofar Support if the Visibility LED is critical to your deployment.
Also, consider updating to the current release. See Spotter Firmware Updates for instructions. | | `[ERR] [INFO] SdInitErrorState changed from N/A to CARD_MISSING
[ERR] [INFO] SdInitErrorState changed from N/A to FULL` | SD card initialization issue | all | Consider whether the SD card is required for the deployment. | A variety of SD card errors will be detected and cause the SYSTEM LED to turn red. | Ensure that a blank, FAT32-formatted SD card is fully inserted and latched into the SD card slot for each deployment. Note: The SD card cover may cause an unlatched card to maintain partial contact.
Note: Sofar Support can assist in disabling SD card errors from causing a red SYSTEM LED. | | `[ERR] [INFO] SSTErrorState changed from N/A to INIT_ERR
[ERR] [INFO] SSTErrorState changed from N/A to READ_ERR
[ERR] [INFO] SSTErrorState changed from N/A to INVALID_CAL
[ERR] [INFO] SSTErrorState changed from N/A to NO_CAL` | Sea surface temperature (SST) sensor failure | all | Consider if the SST sensors are critical to the deployment. | As the SST sensors are directly exposed to the elements, they are among the Spotter electronic components which are most susceptible to damage.
INIT_ERR or READ_ERR error codes indicate that the Spotter is not receiving data from the sensor.
INVALID_CAL or NO_CAL errors codes indicate that the 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. | Ensure that the SST sensor connector is fully seated in the bottom of the electronics enclosure.
Note: Sofar Support can assist in disabling SST errors from causing a red SYSTEM LED.
| | `[ERR] [INFO] BaroErrorState changed from N/A to INIT_ERR
[ERR] [INFO] BaroErrorState changed from N/A to READ_ERR
[ERR] [INFO] BaroErrorState changed from N/A to INVALID_CAL
[ERR] [INFO] BaroErrorState changed from N/A to NO_CAL` | Barometer sensor failure | all | Consider if the barometer is critical to the deployment. | As the barometer is directly exposed to the elements, it is among the Spotter electronic components which are most susceptible to damage.
The barometer will be damaged if the Spotter is continuously submerged over timescales of days/weeks.
INIT_ERR or READ_ERR error codes indicate that the Spotter is not receiving data from the barometer.
INVALID_CAL or NO_CAL errors codes indicate that the Spotter is receiving data from the barometer, but the sensor IDs do not match the calibration data. This is most likely a result of swapping electronics enclosures between Spotters. | Ensure the barometer connector is fully seated in the bottom of the electronics enclosure.
Note: Sofar Support can assist in disabling barometer errors from causing a red SYSTEM LED.
|
| [ERR] [INFO] HtuErrorState changed from N/A to READ_ERR | Error reading HTU chip | all | No | The SYSTEM LED will go red whenever the HTU chip cannot be read. | No action required. |
Spotters with 4-digit Spotter IDs, e.g., SPOT-1220
| Cause | Firmware versions | Delay deployment? | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Mooring bridge detects no sensors | 1.11.x | Yes | Check the Smart Mooring cables and sensor nodes for signs of wear and corrosion (see ‣). |
| Sea surface temperature (SST) sensor initialization error | most/all | Consider if the SST sensors are critical to the deployment. | Check SST sensor cable assembly for signs of wear or corrosion. |
If the SST data is not crucial to your deployment, contact Sofar Support for help bypassing the sensor initialization. | | SD card is full or mis-formatted | most/all | Consider whether the SD card is required for the deployment. | Ensure that a blank, FAT32-formatted 16 GB SD card is fully inserted and latched into the SD card slot for each deployment. Note: The SD card cover may cause an unlatched card to maintain partial contact.
If the SD card is not crucial to your deployment, contact Sofar Support for help in disabling SD card errors from causing a red SYSTEM LED. | | Smart Mooring bridge initialization error | most/all | Yes | Contact Sofar Support. |
If your ERR.log file contains errors not described in the above tables and/or you cannot get to the root of your red SYSTEM LED, please contact us. Before you do, we recommend performing these steps: