FAQ

There is water leaking from the rear grey pipe, why is this happening?

This could be a few issues.  Firstly, if the water is too high before you install the samples into the device the water level will rise when you displace water with the samples and trays. This displaced water will rise above the overflow tube, and it will be routed to the grey pipe at the rear of the machine. If you need to precondition the water before testing, you may need to lower the water height in the system configuration.  Navigate to the configuration menu Press the configuration menu Passcode 2222 Use the right arrow to navigate to water level Change the full water level to a lower number. You may need do trial and error to get this value correct. Note: This height cannot be lower than the heating or fill value. If you find you need a lower full value, you’ll need to adjust the heating and fill values to about 5mm lower than full.  Press the exit key to save this value.  Secondly, there may be an issue with the inlet value not completely closing and overfilling the sample tanks. This will require a service call to InstroTek. 

If I replace a part on my SmarTracker, do I need to recalibrate?

Motherboard computer  No, unless the backup of configuration and calibrations was not performed.  LVDTs Yes, the new LVDTs will need to be calibrated to the system  RTD temperature probe Yes, the new RTD will need to be calibrated to the system.  Motor controller or motor No, these do not influence the calibration.  Resistive heaters No, these do not influence the calibration.  Wheels Yes, these can change the wheel weight and will need to be recalibrated.  PID temperature controller No, however, it is a good practice to test the system and verify the temperature is correct.  Heater relays No, these have no effect on the calibration. 

I would like to network my SmarTracker so that I may use the “Network Storage Feature,” how do I accomplish this?

You will need the following hardware: Client PC; 16g or 32g SD Card formatted to FAT32 Network Switch; The Netgear GS305 has shown to be a good option Two Cat5 cables Length will vary depending on your physical set up and location of the SmarTracker and Client PC. Connect the first CAT5 Cables to the rear of the SmarTracker; Connect the second CAT5 cable to the Client PC; If your Client PC is part of a Network, you will need to setup a time to call InstroTek Tech Support and your IT department as this connection will need to be worked through with your Networking policies. If your Client PC is a stand-alone unit: On the SmarTracker: Navigate to the Control Panel The last icon to the right Navigate to the Network Screen Click the box next to DHCP (typically, displays “Enabled”) Choose “Disabled” Set the following IPs in the next boxes: 172.168.1.3 255.255.255.0 172.168.1.1 You can leave the tick boxes blank On your PC (you may need IT help with some of this): You need to change your ethernet adaptor IPv4 settings to the following: Note: Leave the DNS boxes blank Click OK You will need to turn on the SMB1 feature in Windows 10 Control Panel Programs and Features Turn Windows Features On or Off Find “SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support” Check all the boxes. Click Ok You will need to Restart your Computer. You will need to use the Command Prompt for the next step In the Windows Search Bar Type “cmd” When Command Prompt displays in the search area, right click and choose Run as Admin You will use the Command Prompt to create a Registry Key finalizing the connection to the SmarTracker When the Command Prompt loads type: “REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters /v SMB1 /t REG_DWORD /d 1” Press Enter You should see “The operation completed successfully.” If you see anything else, please call InstroTek to troubleshoot. You will need to restart your PC.

I’m concerned my computer is having issues, can I back up the calibrations, so I don’t lose them?

Yes, navigate to the control panel Insert a 32g or smaller USB formatted to fat32 Navigate to the software menu Password is 5555 Choose backup from the menu Choose pen drive Click the play button Click the check box Store this USB in a safe place Contact InstroTek for a replacement mother board and ask them to upload your current configuration to your new board if you find that your motherboard is the cause of your issues.

My SmarTracker keeps having a saving to USB issue. How can I fix this?

This could be a few things. Let’s start with trying to replace the USB (some USBs do go bad and need to be replaced). Ideally, you want to have a 32g or less USB formatted to fat32 for these systems. Contact InstroTek if you’d like to order one ready to go. Ok, you’ve replaced the USB and you still have issues. If you find that you do not need the .log file for your reports, you can turn this off and that will stop the computer from reading and writing to the USB during the test. This also lowers the file size by a factor of 11. Navigate to the device configuration System configuration Passcode is 2222 Navigate to the last page and choose none from the top drop-down button. This will turn off the log file and only give you a text report. If the unit is still having saving issues, your USB port could have gone bad, contact InstroTek for help with replacing the motherboard.

What type of USB should I use to save data?

Any USB that is 32g or smaller formatted to FAT32, but standard FAT may work as well. Larger USBs may not mount correctly in the file system and can create corrupt data files.