Troubleshooting Promethean

Interactive BoardsDan Durkee, MCSE, MCT, CNA, CPQ-CUSS, ACE, STS AltirisExecutive VP\General ManagerConnecting Point Computer Center303 South Third StreetBismarck, ND 58504p 701.258.6689 f 701.258.0768

Disclaimer

• This information is intended for IT staff or Promethean certified installers. If you are a classroom teacher you are welcome to use this guide, however be advised that you need to contact your school IT staff or IT support company before making any changes to your operating system unless you have experience or are comfortable doing so.

Warranty

• 3 year parts only warranty – If the Promethean system was not installed by certified Promethean Installer, you have a three year parts only warranty.

• 5 year parts only warranty – If the Promethean system was installed by a certified promethean installer, you have a five year parts only warranty.

• 30 day workmanship warranty – Connecting Point Computer Center has a thirty day workmanship warranty. If your board was installed during the summer, this 30 day workmanship warranty becomes effective on the first day of school.

Issue

USB Connectivity Issues

Pen Not Functioning

Try to Calibrate Pen

• Put pen near flame in corner of the board to go into calibration mode

• Right click on icon in system tray and select calibrate

USB Connectivity Issues

Pen Not Functioning• Red X means not connected to the board

• Fireboy means you are connected and ready to use the board

• KISS – Keep it simple, do you have power and is the USB cable plugged in?

• Verify Connection Type – USB?

Update Drivers

• Make sure drivers are up to date

• Current Driver is at www.prometheanplanet.com

• Current Promethean Driver is 5.4.6

Update Software

• Make sure Activinspire is up to date

• Current version of Activinspire is at www.prometheanplanet.com

• Current Activinspire is 1.3.15321

PC System Tray or Mac Control Panel

Check to Make You can See the Board – Pen Mode

Power Cycle Board and PC

• Unplug USB from PC, reboot PC• Power cycle the board:

▫ To power cycle AB178 Board or standard 78” and 87” boards (all grey board) unplug power adapter and then plug the power adapter into the wall. The board should reboot and you will hear 3 tones and see the

flame change color▫ To power cycle newer 300 series board (board with dark

colored speakers on the side) simply unplug the USB cable as the board is powered via USB. The board should reboot and you will hear 3 tones and see the

flame change color

• After PC reboots and user is logged in then plug in USB cable from the board

Check Device Manager

• Look for splat – if splat then fix driver or reload driver

• Make sure you have a human interface device

Swap Cables

• Get rid of all USB Extension Cables

▫ As of March 12, 2010, Promethean 300 series board only support USB Superboosters for extension cables.

▫ Cables to Go – silver USB extension cables are no longer supported

• Plug in a new Promethean USB cable

Swap Computers

• Take the existing PC and temporarily swap it with a PC that is working with the board in a different room

Can you Isolate Issue to Board?

• Replace Power supply to board on AB178, Standard 78” and Standard 87” boards

• Replace board electronics – swap from a new board or contact Promethean

Quick reference – DO NOT SKIP

• Verify connection type (USB) • Check all connections• Check that driver and software is installed

and up to date • Verify whether the driver sees the board • Cycle power to board • Cycle USB connection • Check Device manager, update if necessary • Swap cabling, ensuring direct connection • Test against known good computer • Swap electronics

Issue

Changing your Activinspire Studio

to Activinspire Primary

Basic Steps

• Start Activinspire.• The Dashboard will appear automatically. • Click on Configure. • Click on the check box stating “Launch next time

using Primary look and feel.”• Close and restart Activinspire and it will look

like Primary.• To go back to Studio, follow steps 1-4 but in step

4 you would uncheck “Launch next time using Primary look and feel.”

Issue

Spiking of Pen

Irratic Pen Behavior

Basic Steps – Do Not Skip

• Update Driver

• Update Software

• Power Cycle Board

• Get rid of USB extensions

Can you Isolate Issue to Room?

• Turn of lights in room

• Unplug all devices in room except PC, Projector and the board

Can you Isolate Issue to Board?

• Replace Power supply to board on AB178, Standard 78” and Standard 87” boards

• Replace board electronics – swap from a new board or contact Promethean

Current Drivers and Stuff

Current as of 4/8/2010

• ActivInspire Software Latest version is V1.3• ActivStudio/ Primary Software: Windows: V3.7.19

▫ Snow Leopard Supported▫ Mac V3.6.117

• Board Firmware▫ Promethean 78” AC2 boards (grey – no speakers) V3.76 ▫ Promethean 87” AC2 boards (grey – no speakers) V3.77▫ Prometehan 78” AC2 boards (With Dual Pen Feature) V3.98▫ Promethean 78” 300 Pro series (black w/ speakers)V 8.04b

• ActivDriver▫ Activ Driver V5.4.6 (Mac/PC)▫ Previous version: V5.1.27 Stable (Mac/PC)▫ Windows 7 supported

• ActivExpressions 5.1.2.7

Projector Care

Projector Bulb Care

Vibration

• Heat and vibrations are the enemy of any projector bulb. If this projector has a filter, check to see if it is plugged. Also, if you turn it to an energy/bulb saving mode, it will be a bit dimmer, but should give you a longer bulb life

• Is the image steady when it is projected, or does it jump a bit? A few of our classrooms have a large air handler above it on the roof, and you can see it in the projected image, as a small vibration in the image.

• Vibrations during operation shorten bulb life.

Three Suggestions Increase Bulb Life

• Use the lowest brightness setting possible, set the projector to long bulb life instead of high brightness.

• Check/clean the filter often. Check once a week initially, and increase time between checks until it gets to the point you see dust on the filter, then clean at that interval. Don't wait until it is fully caked over.

• Turning the projector on/off repeatedly throughout the day is usually harder on the bulb than leaving it on. If the projector will be unused for 30 minutes or more, turn it off. If less than 30 minutes, leave it on. You try heating from 80 degrees to 2000 degrees several times a day and see how you feel :)▫ Many people ask why #3 is important. Most projectors have a voltage ramp that starts the

bulb up and increases it to full brightness. That voltage ramp is calibrated for room temperature, and doesn't change. So if you start a bulb up hot, the voltage ramp acts as if the bulb is cold and hits the bulb with the wrong voltages at the wrong times, shortening the life.

▫ Some sources say to wait at least an hour before restriking a bulb, but that usually isn't feasible. Most projector lamps take at least 15 minutes to reach stable operating temperature, and at least 15 minutes after power-down to reach stable storage temperature, regardless of the fan cycle on the projector. So the most vulnerable time for the bulb is 15 minutes after power-up and 15 minutes after power-down.

Promethean 300+ Series

Audio Issues

Basic Connections

• If you have the 5.1.2.7 driver installed, you should simply need to connect the USB cable from the board to the computer, and reboot. Upon restarting, the computer should then recognize the Promethean USB Audio device, and the sound will play through your ActivBoard speakers instead of your computer.

• If you are not receiving any sound at this point, you may need to configure your operating system‟s settings to output the audio from your ActivBoard300 Pro (or ActivBoard 300 with audio upgrade) speakers. To do this, follow the instructions:

Macs• Click on „Apple‟ -> System

Preferences -> Sound:• In the „Sound‟ window, click on

the „Output‟ tab, and ensure „Promethean USB Audio is selected:

• Close the „Sounds‟ window. • Your sound output should now

be from your ActivBoardspeakers.

PCs• Click on Start -> Control Panel ->

Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices -> Sounds and Audio Devices: (For Vista, click on Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound)

• In the „Audio‟ tab, ensure the „Sound Playback‟ device is set to Promethean USB Audio, and click on „Ok‟: This ensures that any sound played on your computer will be outputted via the speakers on your ActivBoard.

Thank You