Part-66 Module 5 study plan
Part-66 Module 5 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Typical Electronic/Digital Aircraft Systems & Basic Computer Structure and Microprocessors
Label the major LRUs of a typical digital avionics architecture (FMS, autopilot/flight director, EFIS symbol generator, ADC, IRU/AHRS, display units) and list the data each one exchanges
Trace the signal path from an air-data or inertial sensor through to a displayed parameter, naming every processing stage on the way
Distinguish the roles of CPU, ALU, control unit, registers, ROM, RAM, cache and the address/data/control buses inside a microprocessor
Explain the fetch-decode-execute cycle, then describe how interrupts and the main addressing modes (direct, indirect, indexed) change what the CPU does
Draw a block diagram of a typical electronic/digital aircraft system showing LRU-to-LRU data flow and the bus type used on each link
Your checkpoint
One-page hand-drawn block diagram of a digital avionics architecture with every LRU, bus and data type annotated, plus 30 self-written recall questions answered closed-book.
Electronic Displays & Numbering Systems and Data Conversion
Convert values freely between binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal and BCD without a calculator
Convert numbers between sign-magnitude, ones-complement and twos-complement form, and perform binary addition and subtraction in twos complement, checking each answer in decimal
Describe the operating principles of CRT, LCD (TN, IPS), LED and OLED displays and compare them on brightness, contrast, viewing angle, power and service life
Explain passive-matrix versus active-matrix (TFT) addressing and state why active matrix is used in cockpit displays
Identify the display technologies used in EFIS and EICAS/ECAM units and state the typical indications of a degrading display
Your checkpoint
A 40-question self-test on number systems and displays scored at 85% or better, plus a five-row comparison table of display technologies with at least six parameters per row.
Data Buses & Logic Circuits
Draw an ARINC 429 word bit-by-bit and describe the function of label, SDI, data field, SSM and parity
Calculate ARINC 429 word timing and bit rate for high- and low-speed operation, and identify the direction of transmission on a single-source bus
Compare ARINC 429, ARINC 629, MIL-STD-1553B and CAN on topology, bit rate, directionality and typical aircraft application
Construct truth tables for AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR and XOR gates and derive a Boolean expression from any given truth table
Minimise Boolean expressions with Karnaugh maps and re-implement the result using only NAND or only NOR gates
Analyse SR, D and J-K flip-flops, counters and shift registers by drawing timing diagrams from a given input waveform
Your checkpoint
Worked solutions to 25 logic problems (10 truth-table-to-circuit, 10 Karnaugh minimisations, 5 sequential timing diagrams) plus a fully labelled ARINC 429 word diagram.
Electronic Instrument Systems & Fibre Optics
Explain the purpose and operation of EFIS, EICAS/ECAM, FMS, autopilot/flight director, ADC, AHRS/IRU, radio altimeter, GPWS and TCAS
Describe how each system's sensor data is conditioned, digitised and presented, and state its typical failure or degradation indications
Explain total internal reflection and calculate critical angle, numerical aperture and acceptance angle for a given fibre
Compare step-index, graded-index and single-mode fibre on core diameter, bandwidth, attenuation and aircraft use
Describe fibre-optic connectors, splices, LED versus laser sources and PIN photodiode detectors, and list the handling and contamination precautions
Your checkpoint
A closed-book half-length mock of 30 questions on Domains 1 and 8 scored at 75% or better, with a written correction note for every wrong answer.
Electrostatic Sensitive Devices and Software Management Control & Integrated Circuits
Identify ESD-sensitive device classes and describe the human body, machine and charged-device damage models
Describe a protected ESD workstation and list the checks (wrist strap test, bench and floor grounding, packaging, labelling, ionisation) performed before handling a line-replaceable module
Explain software management control: configuration control, part-number and version control, loadable software handling and documentation traceability
Distinguish ESD, over-voltage, thermal and handling damage in integrated circuits and state the typical failure signature of each
Describe IC packaging, levels of integration from SSI to VLSI, and the difference between linear and digital ICs, then outline board-level fault-finding on an IC-populated card
Your checkpoint
A shop-floor ESD handling procedure written as a single one-page checklist, plus a 20-question quiz on Domains 10 and 6 scored at 80% or better.
Multiplexing & Electromagnetic Environment
Explain time-division and frequency-division multiplexing and state why multiplexing is used on aircraft
Draw a multiplexed aircraft data system at block level, marking the multiplex and de-multiplex points and where decoding occurs
Identify EMI sources (lightning, HIRF, RF transmitters, motors, static discharge, switching regulators) and classify each coupling path as conducted or radiated
Explain the purpose of shielding, bonding, grounding, twisted pairs and filtering in aircraft wiring, and describe a typical bonding resistance check
Describe how EMI manifests in a digital system and state the precautions to take when working near high-intensity radiated fields or transmitting antennas
Your checkpoint
A labelled diagram of a multiplexed data system showing mux/de-mux points, plus a two-column table of 10 EMI sources against their mitigations, recalled at 100% without notes.
Basic Computer Structure and Microprocessors & Data Buses
Re-work weak topics flagged by the week-4 mock until each one is answered correctly three times in a row
Trace a parameter from an ARINC 429 label through the receiver, decoder and display driver, explaining each conversion
Explain memory hierarchy, stack operation and interrupt handling inside a flight management computer and relate them to the fetch-decode-execute cycle
Produce timing and data-flow diagrams for a 1553B or ARINC 629 exchange and compare them with a simple ARINC 429 transfer
Complete a full-length timed mock under exam conditions
Your checkpoint
One full-length timed mock across all domains, scored at 80% or better, with a remediation list of no more than five remaining weak topics.
Typical Electronic/Digital Aircraft Systems & Electronic Displays
Answer scenario questions on EFIS/EICAS display failure, FMS degradation and sensor disagreement by naming the system, the likely fault and the reference to check
Consolidate all twelve domains into a single memory sheet of key numbers, standards and definitions
Re-drill every item on the week-7 remediation list until each is answered correctly twice in a row
Sit a second full-length timed mock and compare the domain-by-domain score against week 7
Your checkpoint
A second full-length mock scored at 85% or better, plus a one-page fact-and-formula sheet written entirely from memory.
Milestones
Week 2: Number systems and display self-test completed closed-book at 85% or better, with hex/binary/BCD conversions done without a calculator.
Week 4: Domains 12, 5, 9, 2, 3, 4, 1 and 8 each covered once; half-length mock on Domains 1 and 8 scored at 75% or better and all four week deliverables filed.
Week 6: All twelve domains have been studied at least once; ESD checklist written and the multiplexing/EMI recall table reproduced at 100% without notes.
Week 7: First full-length timed mock completed under exam conditions at 80% or better, with a remediation list of five topics or fewer.
Week 8: Second full-length mock at 85% or better with no single domain below 70%, and the memory sheet reproduced from scratch.