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<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Troubleshooting Concept2 PM Connection |
  
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<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Troubleshooting Concept2 PM Connection |
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Equipment checks
If the PM connection indicator at the bottom left of the black PM twin frame is red, do the following equipment checks:
| • | Independent PM operation - Unplug your PM from your PC. Make sure the PM does not have flat batteries and works appropriately by itself when not connected to your PC. |
| • | USB connection - Check the PM-to-PC USB cable is correctly connected and intact. Ensure the USB connector is inserted in the PM the right way around so the beveled corners match on the plug and the socket. |
| • | USB hubs - If your PM is connected to your PC via a USB hub, try connecting the PM directly into a USB port on your PC instead of via the hub. |
| • | PM firmware version - Check which PM version you have. From the PM Main Menu press Other options / Utilities / Product ID. Then check the Concept2 website at www.concept2.com for the latest PM firmware and upgrade if there is a later version. |
| • | PM reset - Insert a pen into the recess (PM5, PM4) or a paper clip into the small hole (PM3) at the rear of the PM to reset it. Note this is a very important step. For more info please check the instructions in your PM user manual. |
| • | RowPro version - Check which RowPro version you have. Look at the Build number under the moving line on the Splash Screen that shows every time you start RowPro. Then check the Digital Rowing website at www.digitalrowing.com/software for the latest RowPro software and upgrade if there is a later version. |
Communication checks
Next do the following communication checks:
| • | Windows - Disconnect your PM from your PC USB port and restart your PC. When Windows is fully ready, make sure you can hear system sounds (i.e. your volume is not on mute) and connect your PM to your PC via USB. Wait to hear the USB doh-dah sound. If you hear this sound, start RowPro and look for the green PM connection indicator on the bottom left of the PM twin frame. |
| • | OSX - Disconnect your PM from your Mac USB port and restart your Mac. When the Mac is fully ready, open Finder, connect your PM to your Mac via USB, and confirm the the PM is listed in the Devices section of the sidebar at the left of Finder. If you see your PM listed there, start RowPro and look for the green PM connection indicator on the bottom left of the PM twin frame. |
| • | Concept2 Utility - If you do not hear the USB doh-dah sound in Windows, or do not see the PM listed in Finder | Devices in OSX, or the RowPro PM connection indicator is red, close RowPro and open the Concept2 Utility. If there is a red X over the PM icon in the Concept2 Utility, please contact rowing@concept2.com for assistance. |
| • | RowPro - If there is not a red X over the PM icon in the Concept2 Utility, and the PM connection indicator is still red in RowPro, please contact assist@digitalrowing.com. |
Equipment checks
If the PM connection indicator at the bottom left of the black PM twin frame is red, do the following equipment checks:
| • | Independent PM operation - Unplug your PM from your PC. Make sure the PM does not have flat batteries and works appropriately by itself when not connected to your PC. |
| • | Serial connection - At the PM end, check the Serial cable is connected into the upper socket. At the PC end, check the Serial cable is fitted with the supplied 9-pin D-type adaptor, and the adaptor is plugged into the 9-pin D-type serial connector on your PC. Make sure the small serial socket on the cable is not inserted directly into the modem socket of the PC, because it simply will not work there and may damage the PC. |
| • | USB-Serial converter - Most modern PCs are no longer equipped with a Serial Port. In this case it is possible to connect your PM2+ to your PC via a USB-Serial converter from a computer parts store. These plug into a USB port on your PC and present a Serial Port connector to the PM2+ cable. They come complete with software drivers, and usually configure themselves on installation to use COM 5 or above, which means you will need to change the COM Port setting in RowPro, as described in the bullet point above. Take particular care when purchasing a USB-Serial adaptor because many don't work reliably with the PM2+. Digital Rowing and Concept2 recommend the Keyspan USA19xx series. For more information see www.keyspan.com/products/usa19hs/homepage.spml. |
| • | RowPro version - Check which RowPro version you have. Look at the Build number under the moving line on the Splash Screen that shows every time you start RowPro. Then check the Digital Rowing website at www.digitalrowing.com/download for the latest RowPro software and upgrade if there is a later version. |
Communication checks
Next do the following communication checks:
| • | Serial Port - Check the correct COM port is selected in RowPro on the Control Center / System Settings page, and change it if necessary. The default is COM 1. It's not always easy to determine the COM port number that the PM2+ is connected to, so take care. A good place to start is by checking the Windows Device Manager to establish which COM ports you have on your PC and whether they are operating correctly. Then you can try each of the valid COM port numbers in RowPro until the PM2+ Connection Icon goes green. Wait up to 5 seconds on each COM port number to allow RowPro to establish a working connection and make the PM Connection Indicator green. |
| • | Other serial devices - Serial devices like PDAs with Microsoft Activesync may 'capture' the Serial Port and block the PC-to-PM2+ connection. If you have any issues that make you suspect the integrity of the PC-to-PM2+ connection, make sure any other devices that may use the serial port (e.g. PDAs or external modems) are suspended or disabled. A common problem is that Microsoft Activesync is using the COM port and stopping RowPro from using it. In Microsoft ActiveSync you can remedy this by de-selecting the 'Allow serial cable or infrared connection to this COM port' checkbox in the Connection Settings dialog box. If you are using the COM port to connect to your PDA, you'll need to select this checkbox again to run ActiveSync. If you want to continue using the same COM port for both ActiveSync and RowPro, you'll need to change this checkbox back and forth every time. |
| • | RowPro - If the PM connection indicator is still red in RowPro, please contact assist@digitalrowing.com. |
Electrical interference
There is a known issue with PM2+ monitors where RowPro can't save stroke information because one or more strokes has corrupt data, or where a session finishes prematurely for no apparent reason.
This is caused by RowPro receiving bad data from the PM2+ due to Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) picked up on the serial cable connecting the PM2+ to your RowPro PC as follows:
If you do get a Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) problem, your PC power supply will be the most likely source. This is because a) PCs use a power supply technology that by its nature generates RFI, b) you naturally have your PC close by when you're exercising, and c) you naturally have some RFI pickup aerials near your PC in the form of cables.
If you have an RFI problem, your heart rate monitor (HRM) cable and/or PM2+ serial cable will be the most likely pickup. This is because these cables are unshielded and can therefore act as pickup aerials. If you have a PM5, PM4 or PM3 it's not likely to pick up RFI because the USB cable is better shielded.
Solving electrical interference
There are several simple things you can do to eliminate RFI problems:
Move the source further away. If you're using a notebook PC with an external power adaptor box, locate the power adaptor box as far away from the PC and the HRM / USB / Serial cables as possible. The best way to do this is to stretch out the DC power cable between the power adaptor box and the PC so the power adaptor box is as far away as possible. That may be all you need to do.
Shield the pickup cables and keep them away from the source. Regardless what type of PC you're using, route the HRM / USB / Serial cables as far away as possible from the PC power supply. Also, use the metal frame of the Indoor Rower as a shield by taping any surplus length of unshielded cables to the metal frame of the Indoor Rower on the side away from the PC.