Troubleshooting
the CASE IV System
Part 4
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to: Troubleshooting Main (Contents)
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Hardware
Patient
Cue Device: Is not operating correctly
Possible
Cause 1: Device is not plugged in.
What
to do: Check that the device is plugged into the Main
Unit. Recheck the device.
Possible
Cause 2: Only the number 1 appears.
What
to do: If this is occurring during a one-time-period 4,
2, 1 Stepping Algorithm test, during the demonstration mode
of the two-time-period Forced Choice test, or during the vibration
calibration verification procedure, then this is normal. Only
the 1 appears during this test. Check the unit with a Two-Time-Period
Forced Choice test and verify that both the 1 and 2 are displayed.
Patient
Response Device: Is not operating correctly
Possible
Cause 1: Patient is pressing buttons too quickly or not deeply
enough before the light goes out.
What
to do: Reinstruct the patient on how to answer. The patient
must wait until the numbers 1 and/or 2 (depending on the test)
go out before responding.
Possible
Cause 2: Device is not plugged in.
What
to do: Check that the device is plugged into the Main
Unit. Recheck the device.
Possible
Cause 3: Buttons appear to have opposite effect.
What
to do: Excessive static electricity may be responsible
for this problem. Reduce the amount of static electricity
in the room by removing carpet and/or utilizing other anti-static
measures.
Printer:
Is not operating correctly
Possible
Cause 1: DIP switch settings on the printer are incorrect.
What
to do: If the printer was furnished by WR Medical Electronics
Co., it was sent preconfigured and ready to run. Therefore,
it was known to be operating correctly when it left the factory.
Most likely, a change to the configuration of the printer
was made by someone since the last time the printer was used.
Query the site staff and contact the party responsible for
your printer maintenance.
Possible
Cause 2: The printer driver selected in the CASE IV System software
is incorrect.
What
to do: If the printer was furnished by WR Medical Electronics
Co., it was sent preconfigured and ready to run. Therefore,
it was known to be operating correctly when it left the factory.
Most likely, a change to the configuration of the printer
was made by someone since the last time the printer was used.
Query the site staff and contact the party responsible for
your printer maintenance.
Possible
Cause 3: The parallel cable is not correctly installed, is not
fully inserted into the correct sockets, or is defective.
What
to do: Check that the cable is fully attached to the printer
and the Host Computer. If necessary, replace the cable with
one that you know is working.
Printer:
Graphs are not printing out
Possible
Cause 1: The Host Computer is out of memory.
What
to do: View the contents of the autoexec.bat and config.sys
files in the root directory of the Host Computer. Remove any
additional TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs that
may be loading and taking up conventional memory.
Possible
Cause 2: You selected a color printer from the set-up menu.
What
to do: You may not have enough memory to print color graphs.
Use the CASE IV set-up program found in the CASE4 directory
of the Host Computer and select a black and white version
of your printer. See the "C4SETUP: Modifying the System
Configuration" section in the appendix of the Software
User's Guide.
Monitor:
Doesn't turn on or picture is defective
Possible
Cause 1: Monitor was damaged in shipping.
What
to do: Determine what shipping company transported the
goods. Contact the party responsible for the freight charges
to evaluate the feasibility of filing a damage claim with
the shipper.
Possible
Cause 2: The monitor cable is not properly plugged into the
back of the Host Computer.
What
to do: Fully insert the monitor cable into the back of
the Host Computer and secure it with the screws on the connector.
A
part of the CASE IV System doesn't work
Possible
Cause: A plug for a cable or cord is not fully inserted, or
is inserted in the wrong way.
What
to do: Often plugs are not fully inserted when setting
up unit, causing the connection to become loose. The printer's
power plug (in the back of the printer) and the headphones
plug are most often not inserted fully.
On-Screen
Error Messages
Error
Message: "ABT failure"
Possible
Cause: The Thermal Stimulator does not warm up to 30° Celsius.
What
to do: See the "Thermal Stimulator: Out of Calibration"
section. If unable to resolve this problem contact your help
desk for repair instructions.
Error
Message: "Communication error with controller"
Possible
Cause: The serial connection between the Host Computer and the
Main Unit has become disconnected.
What
to do: Check the connection on the back of the Host Computer
and the Main Unit. Make sure both screws on the connectors
are tightened firmly. If running the CASE IV software, exit
to DOS and cycle the power switch on the Main Unit (in other
words, turn the Main Unit off, wait 15 seconds, and turn it
back on). Restart the CASE IV software.
Error
Message: "Prom version is -1…"
Possible
Cause 1: The serial connection between the Host Computer and
the Main Unit has become disconnected.
What
to do: Check the connection on the back of the Host Computer
and the Main Unit. Make sure both screws on the connectors
are tightened firmly. If running the CASE IV software exit
to DOS and cycle the power switch on the Main Unit. Restart
the CASE IV software.
Possible
Cause 2: The serial cable used to connect the Host Computer
with the Main Unit is damaged, defective, or of the wrong type.
What
to do: If this problem persists, it is advisable to try
a different serial cable, one that you know works, or a new
cable. Make sure to tighten the connection on both the Host
Computer and the Main Unit firmly. There may be many types
of serial cables. The correct type is designated as a "straight
through" serial cable, not a "null modem type."
Make sure you have the right one.
Possible
Cause 3: Wrong serial port is being used.
What
to do: Which Host Computer serial port is being used,
Com1 or Com2? If the Host Computer is configured to use Com1
and the cable is plugged into Com2, there will be no connection
between the Host Computer and the Main Unit. Move the cable
to the correct serial port on the Host Computer.
Possible
Cause 4: The Main Unit is not turned on
What
to do: Verify the Main Unit is turned on by checking the
green power LED on the front panel.
Possible
Cause 5: You may have installed a newer version of software.
What
to do: The software and the firmware in the Main Unit
must be the same version. Contact your help desk for instructions.
Error
Message: "Error LPT1… abort, retry, fail?"
Possible
Cause 1: Printer is not turned on, is offline, is out of paper,
or is not connected properly.
What
to do: Verify that the printer is turned on and is online.
Verify that the cable used to connect the Host Computer and
the printer is connected. Consult the operator's manuals for
these devices for the correct connections.
Possible
Cause 2: Printer is not configured correctly.
What
to do: Some printers have DIP switches. To correctly configure
them to work with various computers, consult the printer manual
for the correct settings.
Error
Message: "Hardware limit failure"
Possible
Cause: A malfunction occurred in the Thermal Stimulator circuitry.
What
to do: See the "Thermal Stimulator: Out of Calibration"
section for procedures.
Error
Message: "Too many nulls …"
Possible
Cause: The patient did not understand the instructions during
a 4, 2, 1 Stepping Algorithm test.
What
to do: This is a normal occurrence for the 4, 2, 1 Stepping
Algorithm. It means that the patient answered "Yes"
to null stimuli two (or more) times when there were null stimuli
given in the same test. The patient does not understand the
instructions or he/she is attempting to fool the test. Reinstruct
the patient and try again.
Error
Message: Any other error message
Possible
Cause: Undetermined.
What
to do: You may need to cycle (turn off and then back on)
the entire system to reestablish the communications between
the Host Computer and Main Unit. Use the power strip on/off
switch, if available, and allow up to 15 seconds before turning
the power back on.
Testing
Procedure/General
The
system appears to "hang" during the time stimuli are
given in a CDT, WDT, or VDT test
Possible
Cause 1: The patient answered during the time the numbers appear
on the Patient Cue.
What
to do: The patient must wait until the numbers on the
Patient Cue disappear before answering.
Possible
Cause 2: The patient did not press the response button firmly
enough.
What
to do: The patient should be asked to answer again, this
time pressing the button firmly.
Vibration
test results are not what were expected
Possible
Cause 1: The Vibration Stimulator's stylus is not placed correctly,
causing a lower than expected threshold: 1) It is resting on
the nail bed; 2) it is not on the midline of the digit; 3) or
it is on the knuckle.
What
to do: Check the positioning of the Vibration Stimulator.
Possible
Cause 2: The other digits are picking up vibrations from the
floor or table.
What
to do: Make sure to use a vibration isolation platform
and medical putty. Both the limb to be tested and the Vibration
Stimulator should be on platform.
Thermal
test results are not what were expected
Possible
Cause 1: The "black dot label" (emissivity sticker),
which is used during calibration verification, was left on ceramic
face of Thermal Stimulator. This would cause the threshold to
be higher.
What
to do: Remove the dot before testing patients.
Possible
Cause 2: The Thermal Stimulator is not snugly strapped onto
skin. If the stimulator is loose, the threshold will be elevated.
What
to do: Tighten the Thermal Stimulator's strap.
Possible
Cause 3: The Thermal Stimulator is snug, but over a crown in
the skin, causing a lack of contact with the full area of the
stimulator. Under these conditions, the threshold will be elevated.
What
to do: Move the Thermal Stimulator's to a slightly different
area on the patient's limb.
The
percentile seems wrong for this patient
Possible
Cause: The patient data was entered incorrectly.
What
to do: Check the patient's height and weight. In addition,
this data must be entered with decimal points, not commas
(for example, 56.7, not 56,7). Also, you must use numeric
digits, not letters (for example, 0 - zero, not O - the letter
O).
Possible
injury to a patient
Possible
Cause: To be determined.
What
to do: Remove any CASE IV System components from the patient.
Assess the extent of the patient's injuries, and have the
patient examined and treated, if necessary, by a medical professional.
Record all of the information leading up to the event, including
observations of the equipment and the patient. If an error
message appears on the monitor, record the exact message or
print out the message using the PRNT SCRN ("print screen")
button on the keyboard. Immediately inform your facility,
your sponsor (if you are part of a study), and WR Medical
Electronics Co.
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