The ECAM Control Panel and OEB Reminder

The ECP (ECAM control panel, on the centre pedestal) is the keyboard through which you talk to ECAM — page, clear, call STATUS, cancel a spurious alert, test the takeoff configuration. This article covers what each key does, and a life-saving design: several key buttons still work even when the whole ECP is dead (their contacts are wired directly to the FWC and DMC). It also covers an easily-overlooked function — the OEB reminder — by which the aircraft tells you in real time "do not follow the ECAM, go to the QRH" when a procedure has been superseded by an operational bulletin.

1. The keyboard and two brightness knobs

The ECP lets the crew do three kinds of thing: manage E/WD warning display (CLR/RCL/T.O CONFIG/EMER CANC), manage SD status display (STS), and manually select system pages (13 system-page keys + ALL). It also gives the EIS two knobs. Per AMM 31-56-00:

"Furthermore, the ECAM control panel provides the EIS with two potentiometers for EWD and SD brightness adjustment."

The upper knob governs the E/WD, the lower the SD; turned fully off it switches the screen off (the entry point for the "switching a screen off triggers reconfiguration" action of the reconfiguration article — turn off the E/WD and the lower screen takes it over). A system-page key stays lit self-maintained (4 cycles); a second press, or selecting another page, extinguishes it.

2. Five keys survive an ECP failure — direct-wired to FWC/DMC

This is the ECP's most important design, at the life-saving level. Per FCOM DSC-31-30:

"Note: If the ECAM control panel fails, the CLR, RCL, STS, EMER CANC, and ALL pushbuttons remain operative, because their contacts are directly wired to the flight warning and display management computers."

Memorise the five: CLR / RCL / STS / EMER CANC / ALL — each has a contact bypassing the ECP CPU, wired directly to the FWC or DMC, so with the whole ECP dead you can still clear warnings, call STATUS, cancel a spurious alert, and page. Why exactly these five? They are the most indispensable failure-handling functions (turn warnings, view status, cancel a spurious, page through). The 13 system-page keys are not on the list — with a dead ECP you cannot call a single system page, but you page to it with the ALL key. Per FCOM DSC-31-30:

"If the ECAM control panel fails, the flight crew can use this [ALL] pushbutton to page through the system pages until the flight crew comes to the one they want to look at."

This is why ALL is on the survival list: with a dead ECP, ALL is the only way to reach a system page.

3. CLR and RCL — one advances, one recalls

CLR was seen in the SD sequence: with a warning on the E/WD or a status on the SD the CLR light flashes; each CLR press advances the display one step. It affects the displays and the MASTER lights, but not the E/WD right-zone special lines. RCL is its reverse — bringing back what was cleared or inhibited. Per FCOM DSC-31-30:

"(3) RCL pushbutton - When pressed, the E/WD displays all alerts previously cleared via the CLR pb that are still active. - When pressed for more than 3 s, the E/WD displays: • All alerts previously cleared via the CLR pb that are still active • All alerts previously cancelled via the EMER CANC pb. Note: This action on the RCL pb also suppresses the flight phase inhibition function until the next flight phase..."

Distinguish RCL's two stages: a short press recalls only what CLR cleared; a long press (> 3 s) also recalls what EMER CANC cancelled, and temporarily lifts the flight-phase inhibition. So if you suspect an alert is being held by takeoff inhibition, long-press RCL to bring them all out. With nothing to recall, the E/WD shows "NORMAL" for 3 s.

4. EMER CANC — a scalpel for spurious alerts, not a plug for the ears

EMER CANC (guarded, against inadvertent operation) treats warnings and cautions differently. Per FCOM DSC-31-30:

"(7) EMER CANC pb — Warnings: • Cancels (stops) an aural warning for as long as the failure condition continues. • Extinguishes the MASTER WARNINGS lights. • Does not affect the ECAM message display. — Cautions: • Cancels any current caution (single chime, MASTER CAUT, ECAM message) for the rest of the flight."

As memory: on a level-3 red warning it only silences the aural and un-lights MASTER WARN, not the red text; on a level-2 amber caution it cancels the whole thing (sound, light, text) for the rest of the flight. Recovery: RCL > 3 s recalls what it cancelled; additionally, cancelled alerts reappear automatically in flight phase 1 or 2 after at least two IR alignments (guarding against inadvertently deleting a takeoff alert on the ground). The most important discipline. Per FCOM DSC-31-30:

"Note: The EMER CANC pb should only be used to suppress spurious MASTER CAUTIONS. It is recommended to press the EMER CANC pb for at least 1 s..."

EMER CANC is a scalpel, for alerts confirmed spurious, not for making a real failure disappear — confirm the alert is spurious before using it (developed in the operation article). Pressed, it also sends a discrete to the GPWC and TCAS (to silence their audio).

5. STS and ALL

STS (status): press to call the SD STATUS page, the STS light on while the SD shows it; with no status it shows "NORMAL" for 3 s. In single-display mode STS must be held to show (up to 3 minutes). ALL: held, the SD shows all system pages at 3-second intervals (releasing stops on the current page) — normally for a quick review, and with a dead ECP the only way to find a page (§2).

6. T.O CONFIG and T.O MEMO — a one-press pre-departure self-check

The E/WD article covered T.O CONFIG's E/WD appearance; here are the items and types. Three types. Per AMM 31-56-00:

"(1) Type 1 CONFIG warning list: SLATS/FLAPS/RUD TRIM/PITCH TRIM NOT IN T.O CONFIG, L/R SIDESTICK FAULT (by takeover), SPD BRK NOT RETRACTED. The type 1 configuration warnings... are not cancelable. (2) Type 2: PARK BRK ON. The status of parking brake is cancelable. (3) Type 3: BRAKES HOT, DOOR(s) open. The status of brakes and doors is cancelable."

The typing logic: the flight-control items (type 1) are never cancellable — slats/flaps/trims wrong must never be taken to takeoff; the parking brake (type 2) and brakes-hot/doors (type 3) are cancellable "awareness" states. The T.O MEMO triggers. Per AMM 31-56-00:

"- automatic mode: The T.O memo is automatically displayed in flight phase 2 two minutes after second engine start. - manual mode: The T.O memo is manually called by pushing the T.O CONFIG key... only in flight phase 2 or 9. The memo is de-activated automatically by the transition from flight phase 2 to phase 3 or if a warning appears."

In the correct configuration the T.O MEMO shows a green steady T.O CONFIG NORMAL; and even if you do not test, at the phase 2→3 transition any type-1/2/3 item not in normal configuration triggers its CONFIG warning (the "find it on the runway" backstop of the E/WD article).

7. The ECAM SWITCHING panel, light commands and OEB

The ECAM SWITCHING panel (to the left of the SD, ≠ the ECP) has two selectors covered in the reconfiguration article: the DMC selector (AUTO/1/2/3) re-sources the ECAM DMC, the ECAM/ND XFR (NORM/CAPT/F/O) transfers an ECAM image to an ND. Which ECP key should be lit is commanded by DMC 3 (DMC 1/2 if DMC 3 fails). Finally the OEB reminder — a real-time prompt when an operational bulletin has rewritten an ECAM procedure. Per AMM 31-51-00:

"When a warning and/or a status is affected by an OEB, a message is displayed to remind the crew that an OEB exists and that they must refer to the QRH... On the EWD: - REFER TO QRH/OEB PROC - (Cyan)... In this case, the warning is incorrect or incomplete. All the procedure lines are cleared and replaced by: - REFER TO QRH/OEB PROC -."

The OEB reminder means the ECAM procedure for a failure has been superseded / rewritten by an operational bulletin, and the aircraft is telling you in real time "do not do the ECAM action lines, go to the QRH" — so a cyan "REFER TO QRH/OEBPROC" in place of the E/WD action lines means this ECAM procedure is not to be trusted now; the QRH is authoritative. The reminder has three forms (procedure only / procedure + status / status only), all pointing to the QRH. The function requires maintenance activation.

Self-test

[!note]- Q1. Which five keys work with a failed ECP, and why those five? How do you reach a system page then? CLR / RCL / STS / EMER CANC / ALL — the most indispensable handling functions, direct-wired to FWC/DMC. Reach a system page by paging with ALL.

[!note]- Q2. What do a short and a long RCL press recall, and what else does the long press lift? Short recalls what CLR cleared; long (> 3 s) also recalls what EMER CANC cancelled and lifts the flight-phase inhibition.

[!note]- Q3. On a level-3 warning what does EMER CANC cancel and not cancel? What only is it for? It cancels the aural and MASTER WARN, not the red text. It is only for suppressing spurious cautions.

[!note]- Q4. The three T.O CONFIG types — which are cancellable, and why is type 1 not? Type 1 flight-control (not cancellable), type 2 parking brake (cancellable), type 3 brakes-hot/doors (cancellable). Type 1 is never cancellable — wrong slats/flaps/trim must not go to takeoff.

[!note]- Q5. What does a cyan "REFER TO QRH/OEBPROC" on the E/WD mean? The ECAM procedure has been superseded by an operational bulletin; do not follow the ECAM action lines — the QRH is authoritative.

Key takeaways

References

• FCOM DSC-31-30 — ECP keys, five-key direct-wire survival, RCL two stages, EMER CANC, STS/ALL, brightness knobs.
• FCOM DSC-31-27 — OEB reminder forms.
• AMM 31-56-00 — ECP structure, two brightness potentiometers, T.O CONFIG three types, T.O MEMO auto/manual.
• AMM 31-51-00 — EMER CANC reset conditions, OEB reminder E/WD/SD presentation.

Independent study material, not an Airbus publication and not endorsed by the manufacturer. Always defer to the current operator FCOM, FCTM, and QRH for operational use.