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Environmental
Interference
Providing
you are writing
properly, there are three potential causes of data capture
problems, all having to do with signal interference. In some instances, a
long length of serial cable or a serial cable with low impedance
characteristics allow signal interference. A laptop's AC power supply can "leak" thereby causing interference,
and a "noisy" environment can effect eBeam's
capture and communication capabilities.
The symptoms of interference
are erratic data capture, "broken" up
data, no data capture, and in some instances
an inability to communicate with the hardware
at all.
Serial
Cable
First, check the serial cable.
Make sure the connections are secure.
Second,
the
maximum serial cable length tested and supported is 50 feet.
If you have installed additional serial cables to extend
the length of the eBeam serial cable and are experiencing
problems, disconnect the additional cable(s) and test eBeam
using only the serial cable shipped with the product.
If eBeam works correctly, the cable may be too long, defective
or unshielded thereby letting "noise" "leak"
in. Try a different cable.
Laptop
If the serial cable is not causing the problem and if
you are using a laptop, determine if the laptop is causing the interference. This
can be accomplished by unplugging the laptop from the AC
adapter and running it off battery. Once the laptop is unplugged
from the AC adapter, draw on the whiteboard to which eBeam
is attached.
If
the drawing appears in the eBeam application, the problem
is the PC's AC adapter. Sometimes using an external monitor
on your laptop will ground the PC sufficiently that the
problem will be resolved. If this does not work, however,
you will need to contact your laptop manufacturer for a
new AC adapter.
Environment
If you are not using a laptop, or if the erratic
data capture still exists, the environment may be the cause.
The
eBeam hardware uses ultrasound and infrared technology to
track the position of the sleeves and eraser. If you use
eBeam in an environment that has an unusual level of infrared
noise, your hardware may not function correctly. Move the
eBeam hardware to another location and draw again.
If
the drawing appears in the eBeam application, the problem
is in the environment.
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