Chitchat From the inside - Circle Line Mystery

[Brightkid]

Need a hint? Patch over to the spare signal cable, or change the signaling cables.

Degrading cables are known to be susceptible to leakage capacitance which can cause intermittent problems, yet highly difficult to detect or pinpoint. You touch any part of the network conmected to it, the capacitance discharged without you even knowing its there. And it recharge again at the leak point, again causing intermittent problems.

Seen such intermittent issues before, solved them before. A lowly but experienced technician can solve such problems. Million-dollar ministers/CEO and experts cannot.

 

[scroobal]

They have done the free replacement buses rides when it first started.

If there is intermittent delays, the least is that they put out free connecting bus service to ease the choke. Or free travel on circle line during this period of time.

I am sure such a gesture will soothe dis satisfaction n buy time to solve the problem.

Oppo parties are U reading this ? Can u not raise this up ?

 

[scroobal]

It seems they tested the lines a few times, reverted to previous software etc all no go. They seem to have every man and his dog on this issue including external experts.

Need a hint? Patch over to the spare signal cable, or change the signaling cables.

Degrading cables are known to be susceptible to leakage capacitance which can cause intermittent problems, yet highly difficult to detect or pinpoint. You touch any part of the network conmected to it, the capacitance discharged without you even knowing its there. And it recharge again at the leak point, again causing intermittent problems.

Seen such intermittent issues before, solved them before. A lowly but experienced technician can solve such problems. Million-dollar ministers/CEO and experts cannot.

 

[red amoeba]

Latest 6th day - The external interference is still the suspected cause. Last night they they switched off internet broadband access to the public in 4 stations and they are going to do it by stages to isolate. They do not think its their equipment. The sense is that they are no nearer to the problem since day 1 and it does not look good. Hopefully the interference can be isolated.

ps. One of GLC contractors who was convicted for hacking into Sports Hub to sabotage due to a fall out is looming in the minds of some and a similar incident has not been ruled out.

It's a joke. You can already use mobile phones on planes but not on MRT ?

 

[Brightkid]

It seems they tested the lines a few times, reverted to previous software etc all no go. They seem to have every man and his dog on this issue including external experts.

Those intermittent cases I had handed and due to leakage capacitances, you cannot test the lines. As said, once you touch it, even by simple action of connecting test equipment to it, the capacitance discharge and the line will be cleared and operate as normal. You can't see it or feel it at all and it discharge at an instance!

Electronics are all grounded at nearest point hence no such issues. But signaling lines, as in power transmission lines, are long cables over a distance as in the MRT tunnels, thereby introduces leakage capacitance if the cable sheath are not of specs, or degraded over the years.

It took us a couple of weeks to figured that out and changed the lines for cases I had encountered. Thereafter no more intermittent faults. The first case we literary bang our heads on walls after weeks of troubleshooting, trying to figure what cause the intermittent problems.

Those who are experienced in transmission will understand what that means.

 

[Brightkid]

It's a joke. You can already use mobile phones on planes but not on MRT ?

It's not a joke. All wireless systems, from 2G, 3G, 4G, walkie talkie, and what-have-you radio signals, are all combined and fed onto a wide-bandwidth cable called Leaky Cable in lay man's term, to spread out, aka 'leak' the signal throughout the length of the tunnels without the need to use antennae. Yes a single cable carrying all these different networks' signal. Is really highly tuned and complicated cable. Just google and you can read about it, it
if anyone care.

Mobile signals from base stations cannot penetrate into underground MRT tunnels as compared to airwaves in planes (on above ground, that is).

But I do not think the signal issue, which sits on a separate cable if i not wrong as it serve the trains, is not caused by this Leaky Cable, which is a highly specialized cable.

 

[halsey02]

All the explanation......it all comes down to the number one problem..." ai chi, ai pi...ai tua niap nee"....

 

[kiwibird7]

All the explanation......it all comes down to the number one problem..." ai chi, ai pi...ai tua niap nee"....

BUT KBW, LTA CEO and SMRT CEO salaries are NOT CHEAP but astronomical yet the SMRT system problems are NOT SOLVED! Also how come all the engineers from world's best education system and top ranking NUS etc don't know how to solve the problem also? Are NUS engineers only better at driving taxis?

 

[Bigfuck]

KBW is not an engineer. He has a inter-government approved stamp on a paper that says engineering.
Do you believe an African with in a country where the most updated book is 1975 can be a high flying graduate from Havard on a government scholarhsip?

 

[scroobal]

Latest 7th Day - no closer to the problem since day 1. They think the stray signal is from one of these possibilities - lab testing equipment in One-North - NUS, plus all the polis, ship near the Pasir Panjang Port, unauthorised ham operator or newly installed equipment. As reported in the press - IDA already in the press. Not reported in the Press - Mindef and MHA involved.

 

[Wunderfool]

BUT KBW, LTA CEO and SMRT CEO salaries are NOT CHEAP but astronomical yet the SMRT system problems are NOT SOLVED! Also how come all the engineers from world's best education system and top ranking NUS etc don't know how to solve the problem also? Are NUS engineers only better at driving taxis?

There are only 2 types of Engineers that can fix the SMRT problems. The German and the Japanese engineers.

All others are just shadows of their engineering prowess.

 

[Satyr]

Latest 7th Day - no closer to the problem since day 1. They think the stray signal is from one of these possibilities - lab testing equipment in One-North - NUS, plus all the polis, ship near the Pasir Panjang Port, unauthorised ham operator or newly installed equipment. As reported in the press - IDA already in the press. Not reported in the Press - Mindef and MHA involved.

Wow, they have to shut down transmissions one by one to isolate ? So to ask another question ? How can our systems be so fragile. MRTs always pass through areas with high density radiowaves. This does not happen in other cities ? Interesting. It will be ironic if they find out that its is Mindef and MHA transmissions causing havoc.

 

[scroobal]

This is an interesting test of our capabilities both local and foreigners now working and living in Singapore. It also shows that we are struggling to handle something that could be a defence threat - sabotage of key infrastructure similar to the attack the South Korea faced. It may also explain why we disconnected the public service form the internet.

Scary when you realise that we are in day 7 and we still have not isolated the problem.

There are only 2 types of Engineers that can fix the SMRT problems. The German and the Japanese engineers.

All others are just shadows of their engineering prowess.

 

[zhihau]

Scary when you realise that we are in day 7 and we still have not isolated the problem.

There's this joke for IT staffs:"kindly switch everything off and switch it on again"

 

[halsey02]

BUT KBW, LTA CEO and SMRT CEO salaries are NOT CHEAP but astronomical yet the SMRT system problems are NOT SOLVED! Also how come all the engineers from world's best education system and top ranking NUS etc don't know how to solve the problem also? Are NUS engineers only better at driving taxis?

That is why the equation is unbalanced....Cow$8 & all the cronies ain't cheap....cut their salaries by 80%...the savings can be passed on to maintain the hardware & the software of running any transportation companies or systems...now the top is paid handsomely...those running on a daily basis are ran on a 'ai chi, ai pi, ai tua niap nee' .... so God help us!....not the 'coconuts' ones..

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

I know ZERO about electrical engineering but I think Brightkid seems to have quite a sound idea of what could be wrong. Are our FT engineers even investigating this or have they even thought about this capacitance leakage possibility?

 

[scroobal]

Don't laugh bro, thats exactly what they did I think day 3. They had did a software upgrade a short while before these incidents. So they went to the old software and reset everything. No luck.

There's this joke for IT staffs:"kindly switch everything off and switch it on again"

 

[scroobal]

Bro, they got everyone involved including DSO. This is pretty serious.

Wow, they have to shut down transmissions one by one to isolate ? So to ask another question ? How can our systems be so fragile. MRTs always pass through areas with high density radiowaves. This does not happen in other cities ? Interesting. It will be ironic if they find out that its is Mindef and MHA transmissions causing havoc.

 

[winnipegjets]

Bro, they got everyone involved including DSO. This is pretty serious.

DSO good ah?

 

[johnny333]

It's not a joke. All wireless systems, from 2G, 3G, 4G, walkie talkie, and what-have-you radio signals, are all combined and fed onto a wide-bandwidth cable called Leaky Cable in lay man's term, to spread out, aka 'leak' the signal throughout the length of the tunnels without the need to use antennae. Yes a single cable carrying all these different networks' signal. Is really highly tuned and complicated cable. Just google and you can read about it, it
if anyone care.

Mobile signals from base stations cannot penetrate into underground MRT tunnels as compared to airwaves in planes (on above ground, that is).

But I do not think the signal issue, which sits on a separate cable if i not wrong as it serve the trains, is not caused by this Leaky Cable, which is a highly specialized cable.

If a system is so sensitive to interference how come they didn't put better shielding

Why is Spore the only MRT system having this problem & not the other MRT systems in other countries?