Troubleshooting
Disclaimer
There are no user-serviceable or replaceable parts inside of any piece of Apparel, the Antenna or the In-Cab Display, and opening or attemping to open any component or apparel will void the product warranty.
Attaching un-approved devices or fixtures to any SCAN~LINK component or apparel is likely to negatively affect performance, and may void any warranty.
APPLICATION NOTE: Busy Sites and Noisy RF Environments
If there are many pieces of Scan~Link equipment on-site, and/or strong signals from other equipment in the 2.4GHz band (such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-Way Radios),the SCAN~LINK Armour system may exhibit behavior that can be mistaken for physical or electrical malfunction. Symptoms of a noisy RF environment include:
- Inability to detect devices with RapidPair
- Inability to successfully download log files
- Communication problems between Antenna and In-Cab Display
- Symptoms coming and going based on the number of pieces of equipment operating in an area
While most sites won’t have more than three or four pieces of Scan~Link-equipped equipment operating in relatively close
proximity, some sites may have upwards of a dozen.
In these circumstances, ensure you shift the operating channels of eachmachine’s Antenna and In-Cab Display to scatter them across all 15 available 2.4GHz channels.In cases where you know which
channels the interference is on, you can simply avoid those channels entirely. Scan~Link products leave the manufacturer set to
channel 14 for easy configuration and set-up – but with many pieces of equipment working closely with one another, this channel
will become over crowded.
We recommend dividing up the fleet’s channels such that no more than three or four pieces ofequipment across the site are using the same channel, and preferably only one or two working together in close range. These
changes require a RapidPair.
If you can’t find the devices with RapidPair due to this problem, move the equipment away from other machines and sources of
interference, or take the system off of the machine and change channels in an isolated environment.
Step One: Basic Troubleshooting Steps
Ensure both Antenna and In-Cab Display are not physically damaged in any way, and receiving power (12-24V). Keep an eyeon the cable, connectors and cable glands for cuts, sharp bends or other physical damage.
- The tri-color light on the In-Cab Display should be green if the system is functioning properly:
- The system is ready to detect when the display looks like this:
- Perform a walk-up test by wearing one or more pieces of SCAN~LINK Apparel and walking in to the detection zone of the Antenna -
- If an external alarm is equipped, it should sound.
- The In-Cab Display should flash all of it’s red lights and beep:
- Both external alarm and In-Cab Display should continue to beep for three seconds after you have left the detection zone.
- If any of these steps fail, consult the appropriate section below.
- If those steps fail, please contact SCAN~LINK for further assistance or possible return, where necessary.
In-Cab Display Error Code Legend
In-Cab Display Lights |
Audible |
Meaning |
|
None |
The system is off (unpowered). |
|
None |
The In-Cab Display and Antenna units are functioning properly. |
|
None |
'Ready State': The In-Cab Display and Antenna units are functioning properly. Reverse Input is active. |
|
Beeping at 3Hz |
The In-Cab Display and Antenna units are functioning properly. Reverse Input is active. SCAN~LINK Apparel or Tags detected. |
In-Cab Display Lights |
Audible |
Meaning |
Corrective Action(Requires RapidPair in most cases) |
|
None |
In-Cab Display Hardware Error |
- Return the Antenna and In-Cab Display units for repair.
|
|
Beeping at 0.5Hz if 'Buzz on Communications Error' is enabled via RapidPair |
Wireless Communications Error |
- Check that power is within specification to the In-Cab Display and Antenna units.
- Check that your RapidPair dongle is compatible with both Antenna and In-Cab Display units (see Product Briefings).
- Check the Antenna and In-Cab Display pairing with RapidPair
- See the section 'In-Cab Display has only a Flashing Yellow Light' below for further insight.
|
|
Throughput Detection Error, Reverse Input is active. |
- Check the 'Diagnostics' tab under the Node Properties of the Antenna with RapidPair.
- Confirm that 'Threshold' = 20 and 'Universal ID' = 0000000000000000 (16 zeroes).
- Try increasing the 'Detect Power', found in this same tab, to a maximum of 15dBm.
- If the error persists, return the In-Cab Display and Antenna units for repair.
|
|
Throughput Detection Error |
|
Antenna Start-up Parameter Setup Error |
- Power cycle both the Antenna and In-Cab Display unit.
- Ensure that the Antenna unit and In-Cab Display unit are compatible (see Product Briefings) with each other and your RapidPair dongle.
- Using RapidPair, un-pair the Antenna from the In-Cab Display.
- Power cycle both units again.
- Re-pair the Antenna to the In-Cab Display unit.
- Power cycle both units once more.
- If the error persists, return the In-Cab Display and Antenna units for repair.
|
|
Tag Detection Power Level Setting Error |
|
Antenna Detection Error (Reader Response Error) |
|
Antenna Temperature Range Error |
|
Antenna Soft Reset Error |
|
Antenna Communications Protocol Error |
|
In-Cab Display Communications Protocol Error |
Apparel Isn't Being Detected
- Ensure that the In-Cab Display is in the ‘Ready’ state: If the yellow LED is not lit, your Reverse Trigger is not active. Please see ‘The In-Cab Display Won’t Go In to the ‘Ready’ State’ above.
- Ensure that the Antenna is unobstructed in front and all sides and that your apparel has clear line-of-sight to the entire face of the antenna during the test.
- Ensure that the Apparel is dry and relatively clean. Sufficient moisture can block the radio signal from the Antenna.
- Ensure the Antenna is oriented properly (with the cables leaving the bottom).
- If you have a Tag Health Tester, use it to verify that all of the tags are functioning in the apparel.
- If a Tag Health Tester isn’t available, attempt the walk-up test with a different piece of apparel to isolate the apparel.
- If you have a RapidPair, ensure that the power level setting of the Antenna is sufficient. We recommend the output power should not be set below 18dBm.
Marker Tag Isn't Being Detected
- Unlike apparel, there is only a single RFID tag inside a Marker Tag. This means that a Marker Tag is even more sensitive to orientation than Apparel, though their hard exterior makes them more resistant to damage.
- Inspect the tag for damage.
- Ensure that the Antenna is oriented properly, and that the tags are installed horizontally.
- Ensure that the marker tag is clear of obstructions on all sides.
External Alarm Isn't Sounding
- The external alarm is a passive device, and should function if the rest of the system is.
- Make sure that the system is in the ‘Ready’ state:
- Ensure the Alarm is properly connected, and has no physical damage to the wiring harness.
- Try a known-good Alarm on the same system to rule out a bad cable or connector from the Antenna.
Inconsistent Detection Range
- There are three root causes to this problem:
- Interference from other sources in the 900MHz band
- Obstructions or reflections from nearby metal surfaces
- Power output too low
- The Antenna is aimed poorly or oriented incorrectly
- Ensure that the Antenna is ‘free and clear’ of any metal surrounding it on any side. In some applications, this is difficult; try and separate the sides of the antenna at least 34cm (14 inches) from metal surfaces where possible.
- The Antenna must be installed with the cables exiting downwards.
- The Antenna does not cast a perfect ‘cone’ of detection – the shape is more akin to a balloon, straight out the front of the unit. Keep this in mind when aiming.
- If the Antenna is higher than 8’ above ground, consider aiming the antenna downward and increasing the power about 2dB with RapidPair. This has been proven to give a more rigidly defined detection zone, especially on excavators where the zone must be tight to the machine.
- RFID does not create a solid ‘wall’ that instantly detects when it’s walked through – there is an exponential fade in power as you get further away from the Antenna, so there is always a ‘range’ (at default settings, this is approximately 28-24’ straight out) in which you will be detected. The closer you are to the Antenna, the more likely you are to be detected.
- If you are aiming for 15 feet under all environmental conditions, adjust the power settings with RapidPair such that detection occurs in controlled conditions at approximately 18 feet, so that under the worst conditions, detection will still occur at 15.
In-Cab Display has only a Flashing Yellow Light
- This means that the In-Cab Display can’t communicate with the Antenna. This means one of three things:
- The units are not paired together
- The units cannot ‘talk’ to one another because they’re out of range, or there’s interference
- The Antenna is unpowered.
-
Ensure the Antenna is powered. If there is an external alarm equipped, it will alarm independently of the in-cab display ifyou put a piece of Scan~Link Apparel in front of it.
-
Try moving the In-Cab Display closer to the Antenna temporarily to see if this fixes the problem. Large metal obstructionsbetween Antenna and In-Cab Display can weaken or reflect the signal. This will also help the connection cut through any
interference that may be on site.
- If this does not remedy the problem,any further steps will need to be performed with a RapidPair.
-
With your RapidPair, attempt to scan for the devices on the appropriate channel (by default, 14). This may take two or threeattempts. If the Antenna or Indicator don’t show up, or if the wrong Antennae and Indicators show up, it is likely there are
too many Scan~Link systems running in the same area, or the RF environment is too noisy. Please see the ‘Busy Sites and
Noisy RF Environments’ section to remedy this.
- If the Antenna and In-Cab Display are not paired, pair them now. This should remedy the problem. Ensure you have the right MAC addresses – visible on the side of the Antenna and the bottom of the In-Cab Display.
-
If the Antenna does not show up in RapidPair and you didn’t have an External Alarm to test that the Antenna is receivingpower, it’s likely that the Antenna is unpowered.
- If all else fails, remove the Antenna and Indicator from the machine and perform these tests in an isolated environment.
In-Cab Display is Flashing an Error Code (Example: )
In-Cab Display Won't Display 'Ready' State (Example: )
- If your system is Ignition Triggered (on at all times when the machine is running), ensure that the orange lead coming from the Antenna power harness is tied together with the Red (+12-24V) wire.
- If your system is Reverse Triggered (only detecting when the system is in reverse), ensure that the orange lead gets +12-24V when the machine is in reverse.
- It is possible to configure the system to take the Reverse Input from the In-Cab Display via RapidPair, but this requires special configuration. If you’ve done this, verify the configuration with RapidPair, and then perform the same two steps above but for the In-Cab Display.
- Check for physical damage to the system’s cabling and connectors.