Bacou-Dalloz Biosystems PosiChek3 User manual

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Troubleshooting Guide
PosiChek3
BA Test Bench
651 South Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
[phone] [phone]
Fax [phone]
Part number 13-271 Version 1.0
08MARCH2004

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The PosiChek3Computerized SCBA Test Bench has been
designed to evaluate the performance of Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus and other types of respiratory protective
equipment. In order to ensure that performance evaluations
are conducted and recorded properly, it is essential that the
instructions in this manual be read, fully understood, and
followed.
PosiChek3Troubleshooting Guide
Part Number 13-271
Version 1.0
Copyright 2004
by
Biosystems LLC, A Bacou-DallozTM Company
651 South Main Street
Middletown, Connecticut 06457
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
[phone]
All rights reserved.
No page or part of this operation manual may be reproduced in any form
without written permission of the copyright owner shown above.
All rights reserved to correct typographical errors.

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Table of Contents
1. Overview ............................................................................................ 4
2. User and data problems ................................................................... 4
2.1 Unable to remember password...................................................................4
2.2 Unable to access ..........................................................................................4
2.2.1 Test menu is “grayed out” .............................................................................................4
2.2.2 User or apparatus info is “grayed out” ...........................................................................4
2.2.3 Print menu is “grayed out” in View Apparatus screen.....................................................5
2.3 Unable to find serial number in Select Apparatus for Testing Screen ....5
3. Transducer problems ....................................................................... 5
3.1 Message: Calibration due............................................................................5
3.2 Message: Transducers out of range...........................................................6
3.3 Message: Raw count variation is out of range ..........................................8
3.4 EP Transducer is not indicated on Software or Test ................................8
4. Communication problems................................................................ 9
4.1 Resolving basic communications issues ..................................................9
4.2 Unable to establish communication between the PC and the PosiChek 9
4.2.1 Unable to Complete Initialization.................................................................................10
4.2.2 Verifying PosiChek operation without a computer........................................................ 11
4.3 Computer loses communication with PosiChek .....................................12
4.3.1 Verifying loss of communication..................................................................................12
4.3.2 Resuming communications.........................................................................................13
5. Printer problems ............................................................................. 13
5.1 Message: Printer not responding .............................................................13
5.2 Printer passthru settings...........................................................................14
5.2.1 PC – PosiChek – Printer. ...........................................................................................14
5.2.2 Independent PC – printer connections. .......................................................................14
5.2.3 Message: Printer is Busy ............................................................................................15
5.3 Message: Printer not installed (Run Time Error 484) ..............................16
5.4 Printout appears garbled...........................................................................16
5.5 Unable to print from other applications while printer is connected to
PosiChek..............................................................................................................16
5.6 All fields are blank in printed test report..................................................17
6. Specific test problems.................................................................... 17
6.1 Unable to pass facepiece leak test ...........................................................17
6.1.1 Leaks in the system .................................................................................................... 17
6.1.2 The computer has lost communication with the PosiChek. .......................................... 17
6.2 Pressure is too low to continue testing ...................................................18
6.3 Last test date is not being updated ..........................................................18
6.4 Unable to save test results to a floppy disk.............................................18
6.5 Unable to pass Maximum Rate Breathing Test........................................18
6.5.1 Facepiece pressure too low ........................................................................................ 18
6.5.2 Facepiece pressure too high.......................................................................................19
6.5.3 Medium pressure is failing .......................................................................................... 19
6.5.4 Spikes in Breathing Graph .......................................................................................... 19
6.5.4 Incorrect Manifold Size ...............................................................................................20

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7. Software problems.......................................................................... 21
7.1 Message: “FLASH program may be old or faulty” ..................................21
7.2 Message: “Disk I/O Error During Read (Run-time error 3040)”..............21
7.3 Message: “Database is Read-Only”.......................................................... 22
7.3.1 Opening a database in read-only mode.......................................................................22
7.4 Message: Cannot Open File (Run-time error 3051) .................................23
7.5 Symptom: Software can only be run by an administrator ......................23
8. Specific Instructions....................................................................... 25
8.1 Disabling the Background Printer Monitor ..............................................25
8.2 Entering Dates ............................................................................................26
8.3 Entering Numbers ......................................................................................26
9. Contacting Biosystems .................................................................. 27
9.1 Returning the PosiChek to Biosystems ...................................................27
9.2 Calibration details ......................................................................................28
9.3 Calibration requirements...........................................................................28
9.4 Screen Shots ..............................................................................................28
9.5 PosiChek Warranty Details........................................................................29

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1. Overview
This manual is designed to help users
who are experiencing problems with the
PosiChek software and hardware.
This manual assumes a basic
knowledge of BA, PC and PosiChek
operations. Please consult the
PosiChek reference manual for detailed
directions on basic procedures.
Note: If you are having a problem
connecting your BA to the PosiChek,
you probably need special adapters
that are available through the BA
manufacturer.
If you are unable to solve the problem
through the use of this manual, please
call the Biosystems Service Department
at [phone] or [phone].
Please use a telephone that is located
near the PosiChek and the PC.
2. User and data problems
2.1 Unable to remember
password
If you are unable to remember your
password, there are two other ways to
log into the system.
At first launch of the software, the
system contains a single active user, the
setup technician, whose password is
“setup”. This is discussed at length in
section 2.7 of the PosiChek Reference
Manual. Logging in with the password
“setup” will normally give the user full
system rights, so the user will be able to
access and modify user and apparatus
data as needed. The “setup technician”
may also be able to create new users.
If the setup technician has been
removed from the user list, or if the
setup technician’s system rights have
been modified, and you are unable to
log on with another valid password,
please contact the Biosystems Service
Department at [phone] for help.
The Service Technician may be able to
suggest another password to log you on
to the system.
2.2 Unable to access
When a menu item is “grayed out”, it is
inaccessible. Menu items may be
“grayed out” for a number of reasons.
2.2.1 Test menu is “grayed out”
If the all of the test functions on the
menu except the Cylinder Test are
grayed out, you are probably running
PosiChek software “offline”. Initialize
the PosiChek as discussed in section
3.1.1 of the PosiChek Reference
Manual to conduct tests.
The test menu will also be “grayed out”
if the database that is currently open is
configured as “read-only”. In this case,
change the configuration of the
database so that is can accept test
results, then re-attempt testing.
Note: The Sample32.mdb database
that is included with the PosiChek3
software is “read only”. Test menu
options will be “grayed out” in the
Sample32.mdb database.
2.2.2 User or apparatus info is
“grayed out”
If you are logged into the system and
are unable to modify the user list,
apparatus list or test results, then you
probably do not have adequate system
rights for the Posichek software.
PosiChek system rights are discussed in
detail in section 5.2.1 of the PosiChek
Reference Manual. It may be necessary
for the system administrator, or
someone with a higher level of system
rights, to log into the system and change
your system access settings.'

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Some apparatus menu items will be
“grayed out” if the database that is
currently open is set to “read-only. In
this case, change the configuration of
the database so that is can accept test
results, then re-attempt testing.
Apparatus information will always be
“grayed out” in OEM versions of the
PosiChek software. All apparatus
information in OEM software versions is
pre-programmed to meet the
manufacturer’s specifications. In the
unlikely event that you need to make
modifications to apparatus information in
OEM software versions, contact the BA
manufacturer.
2.2.3 Print menu is “grayed out”
in View Apparatus screen
Whenever a database is opened, the
software asks if you would like to view
the apparatus that are due for testing. If
you click Yes, the apparatus due for
testing will be shown, but the Print Menu
will be grayed out.
To print only the list of apparatus that
are due for testing, click on the “Done”
button. When the software returns to
the main screen, select “View
Apparatus”. Then click on the “Actions”
button (lower left) and select “Show
Only apparatus…”. From ”Show Only…
” select “Due Before”. The software will
prompt you for the date. Enter today’s
date and click OK. The list of apparatus
due for testing within one month will
then be shown. To print the list, click on
the “Actions” button followed by “Print”.
2.3 Unable to find serial
number in Select
Apparatus for Testing
Screen
If a serial number cannot be located,
perform the following steps:
1. Click cancel and check for alternate
spellings of the model name and re-
execute the search. To locate the
apparatus, the spelling of the model
name entered for the search must
exactly match the spelling of the
model name in the apparatus types
database.
2. Use the View / Apparatus menu
choice to access the entire
apparatus list. Once the serial
number is located, you will be able to
view the apparatus type (model) as it
appears in the database for the
apparatus. If the apparatus type
(model) is misspelled, correct the
apparatus type (model) information
as discussed in section 6.2.10 of the
PosiChek Reference Manual.
3. Transducer problems
3.1 Message: Calibration due
The PosiChek remembers the
calibration due date of each of the
internal transducers and will display the
“Calibration Due” message when
appropriate.
In order to ensure accurate test results,
the PosiChek’s internal transducer
assembly must be calibrated annually.
Since calibration requires specialized
test equipment, the procedure is
typically done at the factory.
PosiCheks located in North America
must be returned to the Biosystems
Factory in Middletown, CT, USA
annually for calibration. Contact
Biosystems for a Return
Authorization Number (RA#) prior to
returning the PosiChek.
[phone] or [phone]
The PosiChek software is designed to
automatically inform you of the

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calibration status of the internal
transducer assembly.
Testing done with a
PosiChek that is overdue for
calibration may provide inaccurate
test results.
If more than a year has gone by since
the last calibration, the software will
display a message for each transducer
that is due for calibration. Under normal
circumstances, all transducers will be
due for calibration on the same date.
The following message will be shown at
software start-up if the PosiChek
recognizes that transducers are due for
calibration.
Press “OK” to acknowledge the warning
and turn off the calibration due
message. The PosiChek will operate
normally once the warning message is
acknowledged. The calibration due
message will be shown whenever the
PosiChek is turned on or initialized until
the test bench is successfully calibrated.
Note: The calibration status of the
transducer assembly is automatically
logged by the PosiChek software
during tests. Any data acquired from
tests that are performed after the
calibration due reminder has been
acknowledged will indicate the
overdue status of the transducers.
3.2 Message: Transducers out
of range
The “Transducers out of range”
message can indicate a number of
problems. Perform the following
instructions in order to rule out the
simpler and more likely causes before
performing more complex procedures.
1. Remove the facepiece and all
manifolds from the PosiChek. Then
try to initialize the PosiChek again.
See Section 3.1.1 of the PosiChek
Reference Manual for the
initialization procedure. If this fails to
correct the problem, proceed to step
2.
2. When the software prompts you
stating that a transducer count is out
of range, click no each time the
message appears in order to
determine which transducers are out
of range. If only the Low Pressure
and Activation Pressure transducers
are out of range, it may indicate that
the tube that connects the head to
the bellows is crimped. Remove the
head and check the tube. Then
carefully replace the head and
reinitialize the PosiChek. See
Section 3.1.1 of the PosiChek
Reference Manual for the
initialization procedure. If this fails to
correct the problem, proceed to step
3.
3. From the main menu bar select
Setup / Transducers / Diagnostics
and verify that all transducers are
reading close to zero and moving
slightly.
↓

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If any of the transducers reads a
number that is not close to zero, click
OK, and then choose the menu item
Setup / Transducers / Zero
Calibration to zero the transducers.
Make sure that the facepiece has
been removed from the PosiChek
test head prior to zeroing the
transducers.
↓
↓
Note: A transducer stability test will
automatically be performed following
the transducer zero calibration.
Once the zero calibration has been
completed, click OK and return to the
diagnostics screen.
If each of the transducers now reads
a number that is close to zero, click
OK and return to testing. If the
problem persists, continue to step 4.
4. From the Setup / Transducers /
Diagnostics screen, click on the
Actions button followed by “Show
Details” to view the raw counts of
each transducer.

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If the raw count of any transducer is
0 or 4095, this may indicate that data
from the transducer is not being
transmitted to the circuit board of the
PosiChek. A reading of 4095 may
also indicate that the pressure on the
transducer is above the maximum
allowable pressure. To rule out data
transmission problems due to bad
connections, first disconnect the
PosiChek from the power source,
PC and printer. Then remove the
left side panel and gently push each
electrical connector into its socket.
Once this is done, reassemble the
PosiChek. Then reconnect it to the
electrical socket and the PC, reboot
the program and check the
transducer counts again. If the
problem persists, continue to step 5.
If realigning the electrical
connections results in a change in
the transducer counts in the
Diagnostics screen, click OK, and
then zero calibrate the transducers
as discussed above in step 3.
5. If the transducer counts remain at 0
or 4095, it may indicate a physical
wiring problem. Contact Biosystems
for further instructions.
3.3 Message: Raw count
variation is out of range
If the message “Raw count variation is
out of range” is displayed during
initialization or during a zero calibration,
it is an indication that the PosiChek has
failed the transducer stability test. The
transducer stability test can fail for a
number of reasons including minor
changes in pressure on the transducers.
1. Remove the facepiece, manifolds
and anything else attached to the
PosiChek or the test head. Then
reinitialize the PosiChek (see section
3.1.1 of the PosiChek Reference
Manual). If the message reappears,
proceed to step 2.
2. From the main menu choose Setup /
Transducers / Zero Calibration to
make sure the transducers are
zeroed correctly. If the error
message returns, perform the zero
calibration a second time. If the
message is displayed a third time,
there may be a hardware issue
involved. Call Biosystems for
details.
3.4 EP Transducer is not
indicated on Software or
Test
The Enhanced Precision logo is only
displayed when all of the following
conditions are met:
1. The PosiChek is equipped with an
Enhanced Precision transducer.
2. The EP transducer has been
calibrated within the previous year by
Biosystems with the appropriate
calibration instruments.
PosiCheks located in North America
must be returned to the Biosystems
Factory in Middletown, CT, USA
annually for calibration. Contact