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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    24

    Autochart Live data... intermittent loss

    Helix 8 G4N, dedicated mapping unit with its own zero line card. The ACL has worked flawlessly for two years, now it is acting up. It will sometimes display my previously mapped areas, but things like zooming or turning ACL on can cause my previously mapped areas to disappear. I've turned the unit off and on and this sometimes causes the old map data to show up, but it will disappear again without warning. Sometimes it comes back on its own but it will only be in patchy sections.

    I haven't updated recently so I don't think that's the problem.

    Any suggestions?

    WV

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2022
    Location
    Novato, CA
    Posts
    173
    #2
    Part of this is guesswork based on my own experience with Helixes and as a software developer… How many *.acd files do you have on your card? Are you remapping the same areas again and again? Autochart Live maps are generated in real-time on the unit, and as is typical practice, the map is broken into multiple tiles for data management and optimization. I’ve seen the map disappear and recreated when scrolling around, and I’ve seen it disappear on occasion until I zoomed out and back in again. If nothing else changed with the actual unit, the number of recordings on your card might have increased to the point where it’s getting harder to evaluate all data in real time and reliably display it.

    The only official way to manage the data is Autochart Pro, which you might not want to invest in (and take time to learn). That software would also allow you to bake out static Lakemaster maps that the control head can easily display without interruptions.

    Without this, I would start by cutting & pasting a bunch of the *.acd files from the card (you can always copy them back afterwards) and see if that improves the situation. Less data means a less busy CPU on your Helix (and less memory required etc.) If you’re doing it blindly, data (and thus parts of your maps) will be missing, so I wouldn’t do it before a trip. But at home it’s a great test to circle in on the problem.