Common Issues

Here you will find descriptions of issues commonly encountered during typical scan operations and general guides on how to resolve them. For more specialized troubleshooting guides, go to the Troubleshooting section of the Main Page and click on the topic that best suits the equipment you need help with.

Console

Adding/Deleting Sequences During a Scan

• To stop a sequence that has started: Click the button with the red square on it at the bottom of the screen.
• To start a stopped sequence from the beginning: The sequence you stopped will now be greyed out on the list, as if it had completed and the program is ready to continue on. Right-click the sequence you just stopped and click "Rerun from here", assuming the scan you stopped was the one that had just started and you intend to run the rest of the card from there. If you are trying to redo a sequence that you stopped several series ago, copy it down by clicking on it and dragging it down to when you would like it to be run.
• To delete an upcoming sequence: Right-click the scan and click "Delete". This will remove it from the card you are currently running, but will not delete it from the exam card as it was designed and intended to be run. As such, if you are pressed for time and need to make a real-time decision to skip sequences, be assured that you can delete them from the currently-running program and the entire original card will still appear the next time you start the study.

Closing a Patient

• Click the "Patient" tab at the top left of the screen and choose "Close Patient". You will need to do this if, for example, you realize the patient has been registered incorrectly and you need to redo it, or you need to end the scan.
• If you are trying to do this while paused between sequences, you may find that the "Close Patient" option is greyed out and you cannot click on it. Start the next sequence and stop it again immediately--the "Close Patient" option should now be available to you. This occurs because the software automatically prepares the next sequence after it finishes the current one, so you cannot close out when the scanner is already primed to continue. Allowing the primed sequence to begin and stopping it tells the system that the user wants the procedure stopped and it is now okay to close out the registered patient.

Editing Registration Info

Editing Registration Info After Scan

• Here is a screen shot from the CCN Operations Manual, which can be found on the desktop of the iMac computer next to the scanning console and the BruinLearn Safety and Training Course

Checking Network Status

In-Progress

Peripherals Setup

iMac Won't Accept Password

• Make sure you have the correct password (message CCN admins if you can't remember).
• Restart the computer. Sometimes the iMac will give you a "Welcome" message as though it's logging in, then kick you out anyway with an "incorrect password" warning. Rebooting seems to resolve this.

Task Fails to Trigger

• Exit your task (and ideally its entire host program) completely.
• Unplug the trigger cable.
• If there have been any shenanigans with the button box, re-configure those settings in the controller box now.
• Plug the trigger cable back in and start your task again.
• This restart routine is usually sufficient to fix trigger problems because most of them arise from the task program not communicating with the task computer correctly. Matlab in particular can be finicky about this--for example, unplugging and re-plugging the trigger USB while Matlab is running will cause unreliable behaviors that often affect downstream functionality (such as the scan triggers and button box responses). If you are using the eyetracker, multiple calibration/validation attempts have also been observed to cause problems with task triggers.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

• When the USB labeled trigger/button box is plugged into a machine, the 'USB' light on the button box interface should be static; when not plugged into anything, it will flash.
• If you notice that the 'USB' light on the button box is flashing while the USB is plugged into your machine, test the USB on a different machine (like the iMac). Oftentimes the USB port may not be recognizing that there is an input being plugged in, and the machine may need to be restarted.

Screen(s) Fails to Display Task

• Make sure that the correct input option is selected on the AV box.
  • Look at the front panel of the black box on the control room desk. Check that the light to the RIGHT of the input you want (DisplayPort, HDMI, etc.) is lit orange. If not, simply press the correct button.
• Try another cable. If you usually use DisplayPort, you can try HDMI, or vice versa.
• Try an(other) adapter. There are several in the box by the window (please return whatever you use to the box when you're done).
• If you usually duplicate displays, try extending. Certain laptops and/or programs are susceptible to crashing in mirror mode specifically.
• Reset the AV box. At the leftmost edge of the front panel of the box, there is a power button. Press it once to turn off, then again to turn back on.