Portapres                                       Emergency Numbers
Photoplethysmograph                        Erick Janssen
Rigiscan                                           Tom Albright (computer)
Lab Computer                                   Lori Carnes (front desk)

General Information on the Portapres

NEVER start the Portapres unless the cuffs are wrapped around the fingers.
Don’t remove cuffs from fingers before stopping Portapres.  Ask subject to verify that cuffs are no
     longer inflating
Don’t bend cuffs outwards to a flat shape.

Trouble Shooting the Portapres

Signal very weak
1.  Wait at least 20 seconds for the signal to appear normally
2.  Stop portapres and check to make sure cuffs are on
     middle phalanx of fingers with the red dots on either side and restart portapres
3.  Subject may have cold hands.  Ask them to warm their hands for one minute.
4.  Move the cuff actually measuring (inflating) to the thumb
5.  Still not working?  Find Erick Janssen.  If he's not available, you may choose to
     run without the portapres running, but leave it on their arm to maintain similar
     testing conditions within subjects

No signal
1. Wait at least 20 seconds after pressing "Start" for the signal to appear, it does not appear immendiately
2.  Check to see that both the portapres unit LED screen and the laptop screen are active
3.  Press start once on the laptop (pressing "start" on the laptop and then "start/stop" on
     the portapres will turn the machine on then back off.  You need only press one or the other
4.  Check to see that the laptop senses the portapres connection by displaying "Ready" at
     the top of the laptop measurement screen
5.  Restart portapres.  Remember to perform height nulling

Signal Suddenly Drops Off
1.  The signal will drop off for approximately 15 seconds before building back up if the cuffs are set to switch
     during the condition
2.  Generally the cuffs will switch after 30 minutes.  If the signal drops off more frequently than that, please
     bring it to Nikky or Erick's attention

  I can't get out of the screen for checking available memory
1.  Once the memory available has flashed on the portapres unit, you must hit start/stop to
     return to ready mode
2.  If you are unsure if you are in the memory mode and do not want to risk starting the
     measurement with no one in them and damaging the cuffs, wait until the subject arrives and check the
     memory quickly before height nulling.  The memory rarely fills but we need to check it each time.

General Information on the Photoplethysmograph

  Only use tampons numbered and in a bag or already dry on the wall in the lab
  Tampon needs 45 minutes to warm up
  The placement device usually changes position during cleaning, you must recheck its position
      before every session
  When soaking in Cidex, get the tampon submerced so only the plug is left out of the solution
  When hanging to dry or winding to put it in a bag, be careful not to contaminate any part of the cord

Trouble Shooting the Photoplethysmograph

  Light in probe is weak/absent
      1.  The new probes no longer have a visible light
      2.  The light will not increase with intensity as it warms up, so immediately find another
           probe to plug in
      3.  Set aside the problem probe and leave a note for Erick or Nikky to check the light

  I see imperfections in the probe
      1.  There may be air bubbles or strings that look like small cracks inside the probe
      2.  These are only problematic if they appear over the light or over the sensor
      3.  If the imperfections are over the light or sensor find another probe to plug in
      4.  Set aside the problem probe and leave a note for Erick or Nikky

  Signal is weak/small
      1.  Check each of the 4 available settings on the biopac system to see if you can find a signal
      2.  Request the subject turn the probe slightly to the right and see if the signal improves
      3.  After requesting the subject remove the probe, enter the room and recheck the position of the
           placement device (with GLOVES ON!)
      4.  If placement device seems incorrect, fix it and ask the subject to reinsert it
      5.  If placement device was correct, retrieve another probe.  It will have time during the habituation
           phase to warm up a little
      6.  Set aside the problem probe and leave a note for Erick or Nikky

General Information on the Lab Computer

  Pay attention to the backup instructions on the wall
  Do not load ANYTHING on the computer without the express consent of Tom Albright, systems analyst

Trouble Shooting the Lab Computer

  The computer has started booting up over and over in Safe Mode
      1.  This has been a problem before.  Immediately contact Tom Albright and continue rebooting
      2.  The computer tends to fix itself after many reboots, which you may need to do if Tom is unavailable,
           but it is time consuming for you and the subject

  The computer is making whirring noises
      1.  This occurs during the periodic Latour updates and should not prohibit you from running anything you
           normally would on the computer
      2.  If it is interfering with computer functioning either (1) wait for the backup to complete if you have time
           (2) turn off the backup and alert Tom of the problem afterwards