Starfleet Engineering has made several improvements to the Class 7 warp engines deployed to Defiant class starships, resolving software issues that could cause warp field collapse. While the improvements are intended to resolve issues specific to Defiant Class starships, some affected parts are common to all starships fitted with Class 7 or later warp engines.
As of this communique, all listed fixes are currently deployed in newly manufactured warp engines and all spare parts are being fulfilled with their latest revision.
Root Causes and Counter Measures
| Root Cause | Counter Measures Developed |
|---|---|
| The ship’s software can misinterpret feedback from the condenser coils and create false reactor faults |
Updated software uses a more sophisticated method of determining true reactor faults.
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| Electrical discharge within the condenser coils itself can produce reactor faults. |
The condenser coils are redesigned to eliminate the internal arcing.
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| Vibration from the input manifold can cause other internal components to degrade over time. | The input manifold bracket is redesigned to provide better vibration absorption and isolation.
|
| Several physical aspects of the warp core assembly required improvement to provide better warp field robustness. | The warp core is redesigned to increase overall uptime and robustness.
|
Condenser Coil Improvement
The Condensor Coil and Charge Electrode in the Class 7 warp engine are enhanced with a rounded design. This decreases the chance of reactor faults and increases overall uptime performance.
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| Figure 1: Updated Condenser Coil | Figure 2: Updated Charge Electrode |
Part numbers for warp drive components have not changed. Order the same part numbers as previously used to receive the upgraded spares.
| Part# | Description |
|---|---|
| 123546 | Class 7 Warp Core |
| 234567 | Class 7 Warp Core with Cheese |
| 345678 | Class 7 Warp Core, Green Edition |
| 456789 | Class 7 Warp Core, Biodiesel Edition |
| 567891 | Class 7 Warp Core with LaForgeness |
Minimum Software Versions
Fixes to address the War Core Robustness are included in the following currently available general software releases:
v484 Software Release for Defiant Class Starships
Relevant software change:
- DEFMOL-3833: Reactor Fault threshold is calculated by averaging method
You will no longer need to calibrate the reactor and the calibration option is removed from the menu. Note that Class 6 and older engines all still use the old method and will still require calibration at this time.
Software Update 404755.CU.r08SP3 for Intrepid Class Starships
Relevant software change:
- Reactor Fault Threshold Improvements
You will no longer need to calibrate the reactor and the calibration option is removed from the menu.
Input Manifold
The Input Manifold included in the Spare Input Manifold Kit (PN SP2315468) and Double Headed Input Manifold Kit (PN 2154785) now includes resilient mounting in the form of rubber grommets that reduce the magnitude of vibration by a factor of 3 – 4 times. The Input Manifold Bracket is available now as a stand alone spare part under PN SP54125478 for upgrading existing installations.
Figure 3: Updated Input Manifold Bracket with grommets.
Condenser Coils
It was determined that Condenser Coil reliability is sometimes compromised by internal arcing, which leads to reactor faults. Revision AE improves the internal construction by means of better high voltage slotting, improved conformal coating, and tighter design specifications to limit inadvertent changes in design.
Follow Best Practices
These improvements are upgrades, are not mandatory, and are not warrantied replacements. You should still complete your normal troubleshooting steps before replacing any parts.
Charles C Westphal 