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Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz — Nov. 20, 2018

Nov. 20, 2018
How to solve problems with Human Device Interfaces on operator consoles

Over the past few months, operators have been complaining about the Human Device Interfaces (HDIs) on their operator consoles. The problems include screen freeze-ups, slow data refresh, and ghost images on the screen. A few of the consoles completely crash once or twice a week and must be rebooted.

Because these consoles are from various manufacturers, the operations superintendent says the cause must be dirty power. That fact also implies you can’t just contact one manufacturer for a solution. And even if you did, that fact also implies that such an approach is unlikely to provide the solution.

An electrician used a portable power analyzer at a few consoles and found no unusual power conditions and no serious anomalies. What should you look at?

The portable power analyzer was a break-through instrument when it was first released, and it is still a “must have” for maintenance. But taking snapshot samples instead of collecting power data over time can miss transient events. So, leave an analyzer connected to a console’s supply until a problem happens.

Contacting each manufacturer is part of the answer. For each system, ensure you have the latest hardware drivers. Drivers routinely fall behind OS updates. Also, check the video hardware; each of those symptoms points to video memory over-run.  If the video is running from the motherboard or the video card is only 1GB, upgrade to a 4GB card.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

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