Geometrics SmartSeis Maintenance Manual - User Manual

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SmartSeis

Maintenance Manual

Geometrics, Inc.

2190 Fortune Drive

San Jose, CA 95131

Tel: (408) 954-0522 • Fax: (408) 954-0902

Email: sales@mail.geometrics.com

Internet: www.geometrics.com

SmartSeis

Maintenance Manual

1.0 SmartSeis

Troubleshooting ........................................................................................3

1.1 External power...........................................................................................................3
1.2 External equipment.....................................................................................................3
1.3 Triggering...................................................................................................................4
1.4 Internal system...........................................................................................................5

1.4.1 Software...........................................................................................................5
1.4.2 Hardware .........................................................................................................6

2.0 SmartSeis

Maintenance and Repair .........................................................................9

2.1 Internal seismograph access........................................................................................9
2.2 Replacing an acquisition board..................................................................................10

2.2.1 Acquistion board jumper settings. ....................................................................11

2.3 Replacing the OMNI board......................................................................................12

2.3.1 OMNI board jumper settings. .........................................................................15

2.4 Replacing the floppy drive ........................................................................................16
2.5 Replacing the hard drive ...........................................................................................17
2.6 Replacing the front LCD panel..................................................................................17

SmartSeis

Maintenance Manual

1.0 SmartSeis

Troubleshooting

When a functional problem with the SmartSeis

seismograph occurs, there are several steps

towards isolating its cause. One should start with the easiest checks and, depending on the
results, proceed to more complicated tests and evaluations of the seismograph system set-up.
This section discusses the most common problems, such as with the power connection or
supply, external cabling, triggering, or internal hardware and software, encountered during
typical seismic surveys. The common symptoms (shown in bold) associated with each problem
are noted and troubleshooting procedures are described. Some solutions may call for
replacement of hardware, which are subsequently referred to in the pertinent parts of

Section

2.0, SmartSeis

Maintenance and Repair

It is good practice to print out the contents of the README.DOC and other files before you
experience problems with your system. Since the operations and maintenance manuals are not
updated as frequently as the system software, the latest information is included on the support
and system disk. (Use the automatic programs in the batch files, named as #.BAT, by keying in
the number of the batch file program you would like to run at the DOS prompt, then press
ENTER).

1.1 External power

The most common problem is

power failure

, normally a discharged battery. The front panel

has a series of lights, which constantly display the battery voltage. The lights are not dependent
on the internal power supply (see

Section 1.4, Internal system, Power supply

) or computer,

so they will function even in case of an equipment fault. Monitor the battery voltage during field
operations. When the voltage drops below 10 Volts, little operating time is left and every effort
should be made to complete the survey in an orderly manner. Become familiar with the pattern
that the lights follow, so that you can anticipate battery discharge.

With the clip-type power cable, a vehicle battery can be used to operate the system. If the

connection

polarity is reversed

, the SmartSeis

will not be damaged but the system will not

operate. A battery will deteriorate in storage unless it is charged regularly. If charged regularly,
the battery pack should retain its capacity for years. A failing battery will show a voltage lower
than the specified rating after only a short operating time, have decreased operating life, and will
charge up in increasingly less time.

1.2 External equipment

Other common problems are with external equipment, including the power, trigger, geophone
cables, and the geophones. For example, cable connections may be bad, cable wiring may be
damaged, or a geophone may be broken or unplanted.

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Maintenance Manual

During initial set-up, check the cable connectors for debris (dirt, dust) on, or damage to, the
connecting surfaces, and firmly connect them to the seismograph. If the seismograph displays a

dead or noisy trace(s)

, there is likely a problem with the associated geophone or spread

cable. First, swap the spread cable connectors that plug into the seismograph and see if the
problem moves to a different channel. If the problem moves with the cable, the cable and/or
geophone are suspect.

Next check the geophone condition, its connection with the spread cable, and whether it is
planted in the ground. Also, try substituting a different geophone. After these tests, if the cable
is suspect, try reversing it or swapping it out.

If the problem persists on a single channel and does not move with the cables or geophones, it
could indicate that there is problem with the associated acquisition board. See

Section 2.2,

Replacing an acquisition board

An entire

set of 12 dead or noisy traces

may also be attributed to cable condition or a bad

board, as well as close cable proximity to a noise source. Check the externally connected
cables as described above. If the cables are not suspect, remove the seismograph chassis from
the yellow housing (see

Section 2.1, Internal seismograph access

) and check the cable

connections, starting with the panel connector(s), leading to the acquisition board(s).

You can try swapping the connections to the acquisition boards if you have a 24-channel
system. If the problem is still on the same set of channels, then it is likely that the acquisition
board is bad. Replace it if a spare is available, referring to

Section 2.2, Replacing an

acquisition board

If noise is the problem, shift the cabling to see if that changes the nature of the noise. If there is
a change, this would indicate an external noise source too near the cabling.

1.3 Triggering

The seismograph can be triggered by contact closure, contact opening, or signal input, such as
from a geophone. The input signal level should never exceed 5 volts.

If the system

fails to trigger

, test whether the hammer switch is broken by triggering it

connected directly to the seismograph, without the extension cable. To trigger, tap the end of
the brass cylinder on a table or hard object. The seismograph should trigger each time and not
false trigger prior to tapping of the cylinder. If there is no trigger, swap out the suspected
switch with a new one and retest it to confirm that it functions. If you are using another device
to trigger the seismograph, test it similarly for proper operation.

If the system still fails to trigger, check if the seismograph trigger circuitry is operational. Set the
trigger sensitivity to the midpoint at 50. Next, trigger the seismograph using the MANUAL
TRIGGER function in the OTHER menu.

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Maintenance Manual

Whether the seismograph will trigger can also be tested by shorting pins A and B of the trigger
connector on the seismograph with a small piece of wire

(such as a paper clip). Short pins “A”

and “B” together, this should result in triggering of the seismograph. Test this several times. The
triggering should be reliable and consistent if the seismograph is working correctly. The unit
should not trigger except when the pins have been connected. You may also measure the
voltage across the pins of the trigger connector; it should be approximately +5 Volts.

If the above tests fail, there may be an internal problem with the trigger connection to the OMNI
board. Remove the seismograph chassis from the yellow housing (see

Section 2.1 Internal

seismograph access

) and check the connection between the OMNI board Connector J10 (see

Section 2.3, Replacing the OMNI board

) and the trigger connector. Also, examine the wires

from the trigger connector to Connector J10. If everything looks normal but the problem
persists, try replacing the OMNI board (see

Section 2.3,

Replacing the OMNI

board)

False triggers

may occur if the trigger sensitivity is set incorrectly. Try setting it to a less

sensitive position (lower number). Also, if the trigger source is noisy, providing continuous
trigger signals, the system may not boot properly. False triggering can be worsened as trigger
extension cable is distributed. If false triggering persists, it may be necessary to add external
attenuation or isolation to correct the problem.

1.4 Internal system

1.4.1 Software

Since the SmartSeis

is a normal PC-compatible system running the Disk Operating System

(DOS), it will go through the normal DOS boot procedure. You should hear the characteristic
sounds of the hard drive spinning when the system is booting. If not, check the power. If there
are audible signs that the system is booting, but you see

no boot-related messages

on the

screen (the display is blank), make sure the display is functioning properly (see

Section 1.4.2,

Hardware, Display

Once the system is up and running, if the

software freezes

and will not respond to the controls,

try switching the power off, then on again. Use the same remedy if the system

automatically

exits the seismic program

and shows the DOS prompt (such as A:\ or C:\SMARTSEI).

Incorrect software settings for your type of seismic survey may also cause problems while
running the software. One resource for more information on your desired settings and how to
parameterize the seismograph can be found in the

SmartSeis

Exploration Seismograph

Operation Manual

On rare occasions, corruption of the system software on the hard disk may occur. Symptoms
include a

blank display or a screen message instead of seismic traces

after the power-up

sequence. If this happens, first check that the display is functional (see

Section 1.4.2,

Hardware, Display

). If the display checks, and you have conducted all other relevant tests

with no success, try and re-load the system software from the disk supplied with the system.

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Maintenance Manual

To reload the software, under DOS, press 999, and then ENTER after the prompt is displayed.
Again, reloading the software should be a last corrective action.

1.4.2 Hardware

Display

If the

display is blank

after booting

, test the power supply to the LCD. Press the silver

buttons at the top of either side of the SmartSeis

and lift open the top display panel. There is a

row of three light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the right underside of the panel. If any of them are
not lit there is a problem with the panel power supply.

If the LEDs are lit, proceed to test the condition of the front LCD panel. Power down the
seismograph, plug in an external monitor, and turn the power back on. If the display appears
normally on the monitor, it is likely that the LCD panel is faulty (see

Section 2.6, Replacing the

front LCD panel

). Note that the external monitor is only driven when its presence is detected

powering up

the seismograph.

If you observe a

dark display

, try adjusting the screen contrast with the two arrow keys. If the

display variably becomes dark, it may be because the screen is overheating. Typically, this
occurs if the display is facing the sun and is corrected when moved away and allowed to cool.

Storage devices

Most problems with the floppy and hard drives will be indicated by error messages upon the
system’s self-check during boot-up. Consult the file

ERROR.LOG

in the

C:\SMARTSEI

directory to view the errors and identify the associated board if applicable.

A bad hard drive is usually indicated by the message “

HDD failure

” or something similar, and

may be caused by a bad hard drive or a bad OMNI board. Replace the OMNI board first, as
this is easiest (see

Section 2.3, Replacing the OMNI board

). If problems persist, you may

want to try to diagnose or fix the hard drive problems with commonly available software such as
Norton Utilities; however, you may ultimately need to replace the hard drive (see

Section 2.5,

Replacing the hard drive

). Once the hard drive is replaced, the DOS and the system software

will need to be re-installed from the back-up floppy disks.

floppy drive error

will be indicated by the message “

FDD failure.

” This error is typically

caused by a bad floppy drive or a bad OMNI board. If the problem persists and if you have a
spare floppy drive, you can try to connect it without removing the existing one. Disconnect the
ribbon and power cables from the existing drive and plug them into the spare. Make sure the
new drive does not short itself against any conductive material.

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Maintenance Manual

Memory

Random software errors and crashes

may be caused by bad memory SIMMs (Figure 1).

There is a memory test that occurs on power-up that reports to DOS how much memory is
actually present in the system. It will not detect memory errors. A typical SmartSeis

will have

4 Mb of memory, and in rare cases, 8 Mb. If the incorrect amount of memory is reported,
there is a problem. We recommend that a factory-trained Geometrics technician conduct any
additional troubleshooting and memory replacement. If you do replace the memory, do not
exceed 8 Mb as address conflicts will occur.

Alternatively, an over-heated system can cause random crashes and errors. Check that the main
system fan is operating properly (Figure 1).

Power supply

If the external power checks out, it may be that there is a problem with the internal power
supply. There are five LEDs located on the power supply board (Figure 1) to monitor the
output voltages. All these lights should be lit with the same brightness if the power supply is
working properly and supplying the system components with a consistent 12 V. Each LED
indicates that a specific power module on the power supply board is working.

Also check the LEDs of the system components to confirm that they are receiving power from
the power supply board. These include the three LEDs on the back of the display assembly
(Figures 5 and 6), two LEDs on each acquisition board and the OMNI board (Figures 2 and
4), and the power cable connectors (Figure 1).

System configuration

The CMOS settings define the system configuration. Common errors messages that indicate
that there are CMOS-related problems are “

Keyboard not found

,” “

CMOS error

” or similar,

and “

BIOS checksum error

.” The errors are usually caused by fluctuation or loss of internal

system power from the backup Lithium battery while the seismograph is off.

The key panel of the SmartSeis does not emulate an actual keyboard, and thus, keyboard
detect is not set up as the CMOS default, causing the “Keyboard not found” error. You may
set CMOS to ignore keyboard errors upon start-up by entering the Setup.

1. Connect an external keyboard to the seismograph. Power-up.

2. During boot-up, look for the message that gives the option to enter the Standard

CMOS Setup by pressing the delete or F2 key (key varies with system).

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Maintenance Manual

3. Once in the Setup menu, for the Halt on field, select to “All, But Keyboard.” Press the

ESC key and exit with saving.

For the “CMOS error” and “BIOS checksum error,” follow steps 1 and 2 and proceed to step
number 4 below.

4. Once in the Setup menu, immediately exit, making sure to save during exit. This will

reset the checksum and should correct the error.

If the errors persist, redo step numbers 1 and 2 and proceed to step number 5 below.

5. Once in the setup menu, verify that the current parameters are correct by comparing

them with the original settings documented on the paperwork sent with the system.

6. Reset the parameters that are different than the original settings. Exit with saving.

If the changes that cause the errors occur again, this is an indication that there is a problem with
the motherboard or with the Lithium backup battery. If changes specifically occur in the LCD
portion of the BIOS setup, the LCD may not be operational. Test this by attaching an external
VGA compatible monitor to the video port on the back of the instrument and repeat the above
instructions.

Figure 1. The motherboard (upright) and power board (base).

ISA edge connectors

Motherboard power cable

CPU

Fan

External battery input
power connector

Memory SIMMs

Memory cache

Connectors for
motherboard,
hard and floppy
drives, and
printer power
cables

Power board LEDs

Acquisition board(s)
power connector

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Maintenance Manual

2.0 SmartSeis

Maintenance and Repair

If you are comfortable working with a personal computer performing circuit board or disk drive
installation, then you should be qualified to perform simple repairs on the SmartSeis

Alternatively, a local computer service center may be able to assist you in an emergency.

The SmartSeis

is comprised of specialized components for seismic data acquisition and typical

computer parts. You will recognize many of the elements since they have been previously
mentioned in the discussion on troubleshooting.

The system’s specialized seismograph components are the multi-purpose OMNI board and one
or two acquisition boards, for 12- and 24-channel systems, respectively. The OMNI board
contains the IDE hard drive controller, LCD and VGA video controller, floppy drive controller,
key panel circuitry, and trigger circuitry. The acquisition boards perform the actual signal
amplification and digitization of incoming signal. There is also a power supply board that
provides the multiple DC voltages required by the system.

The standard computer system parts consist of selected components used in the manufacture of
standard personal computers. These include the 80386SX or 80486SX CPU boards with
memory, the 3.5-inch disk drive, and an IDE hard drive.

Generally, circuit board problems should be solved with full replacement of the board(s). The
boards are of a dense, surface-mount construction, and they themselves do not contain parts
that can be serviced in the field. Repair of the boards not only requires specialized training and
familiarity with the details of the circuitry and system, but also special tools for working on
surface-mount products. Do not try and repair the boards.

In addition to the boards, the hard and floppy drives, liquid crystal display panel, printer, and
keypad are also normally repaired by replacement. We recommend that you keep a standard
spares kit with replacement parts on-hand to prevent significant down time during surveys.

2.1 Internal seismograph access

The internal components of the SmartSeis

are accessible by removing the instrument from its

outer plastic case. Prior to removal, make sure that your work area is clean. If possible, work
at an anti-static work station. To remove the seismograph metal chassis from its plastic outer
case, undo the screws in the flange between the chassis and the case. Lift the chassis out of the
case by pulling it up with your hands positioned under the top edge of the opening to the floppy
drive (drive door must be opened) and the base of the geophone connector.

Touch the chassis prior to touching any of the seismograph components to discharge static
build-up. All board and other part removals and installations should be conducted with the
power off and disconnected. Once a board is removed, it should be handled only by the edges.
Store boards and other parts in anti-static bubble wrap in an anti-static bag, or similar
protective packing material.

SmartSeis

Maintenance Manual

The system can be powered-up and operated outside the plastic case. In general, we suggest
that you turn the unit on and confirm that the seismograph functions properly after a repair and
before reinstalling the seismograph in its case.

2.2 Replacing an acquisition board

The SmartSeis

acquisition boards are located beneath the OMNI board (Figure 3), numbered

in order, from 1 to N, starting with the lowest number. The channels that correspond to each
board increase in sets of 12. For example, the board in the top-most slot will be board number
1 and contain channels 1 through 12. For a 24-channel seismograph, the board in the next slot
will be board 2 and contain channels 13 through 24. If a board is missing or has failed in a way
that it is invisible to the software, it will not be numbered.

To remove an acquisition board:

1. Confirm that the power is off and the power cable disconnected from the seismograph.

2. Remove the four Philips screws and the retaining bracket holding the acquisition board in

place.

3. Disconnect the power distribution cable from connector J2, the 10-pin ribbon cable

located on the left and topsides of the board (Figure 2).

4. Disconnect the geophone ribbon cable, the 26-pin ribbon cable located on the left side

of the board (Figure 1). Spread the connector locking levers open to facilitate sliding the
connector past the chassis.

5. Carefully and gently ease the board loose from its backplane slot, slide it out of the

slotted card guide that is integrated into the right-hand-side of the chassis (Figure 1) with
even pressure on both sides; continue to remove the board.

A board installation is the reverse of a removal. Before installing a new board, you must check
that the jumpers are properly set (see

Section 2.2.1, Acquisition board jumper settings

When reconnecting the ribbon cables, be very careful so that you do not bend the connector
pins or nearby capacitors. Also, each replaced board needs to be fully seated into its
backplane slot, reslotted into the card guide, and squarely aligned with the chassis and the other
boards.

As mentioned above, we suggest that you turn the seismograph on and confirm that it is
functioning properly after the repair and before reinstalling the seismograph in its case. If the
board is receiving power, the LEDs will be lit.

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Maintenance Manual

Geophone input connector J1

Power connector J2

LK14

LK15

LK23

LK22

LK5

Figure 2. Diagram of an acquisition board (top view). J-numbered ports connect to ribbon
cables terminated with appropriate connectors and LK-numbered jumper pins are connected
with jumpers. See

Section 2.2.1, Acquisition board jumper settings

, for board-specific

settings.

2.2.1 Acquisition board jumper settings

A jumper is a connector that, when placed over two jumper pins, provides continuity. Jumpers
are used to make each acquisition board specific to input from a particular set of 12 channels.
Depending on whether it is a 12- or 24-channel SmartSeis

(S12 or S24), the jumper

installation will vary. Table 1 outlines the jumper settings specific to either case. Spare boards
are shipped configured as a channel 1 to 12 board unless otherwise specified.

Prior to installation of a new board, verify that the settings for jumpers LK5 and LK9-LK23 on
the new board match the board being removed and that they match the settings specified in
Table 1. Setting jumper pin pair LK5 activates the master oscillator and should only be set for
the lowest number board.

Table 1. Acquisition board jumper pin pair assignments.

Model

Board no.

Channels

Jumper assignments

S12

1-12

LK5, LK15, LK23

S24

13-24

LK14, LK22

ISA edge

LEDs

BACK

FRONT

This corner

slides into card

guide slot

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Maintenance Manual

The interrupt jumper on each board, including the OMNI board, is identically installed so that
there will be no system conflicts. This jumper setting normally does not need to be changed, but
the information is provided here for troubleshooting purposes. The interrupt jumper is set as
follows:

• acquisition boards LK1 and the OMNI board JP3(IRQ10), or

• acquisition boards LK2 and the OMNI board JP4(IRQ11), or

• acquisition boards LK3 and the OMNI board JP5(IRQ12), or

• acquisition boards LK4 and the OMNI board JP6(IRQ15).

2.3 Replacing the OMNI board

The OMNI board, always the top-most board, serves many purposes, and thus, has many
cable connections (Figure 3). While most of the connectors are keyed and sized to prevent
wrong connections, we suggest that you make a careful drawing of the cable connections
specific to your seismograph prior to board removal.

There is one pair of connectors that are the same size, and if the connectors are swapped, the
seismograph will be damaged upon power-up. The two connectors that must not be confused
are of the IDE hard drive cable and the front LCD panel cable. These cable connections have a
few distinctions that assist in making the proper connections. The IDE hard drive cable plugs
directly to the hard drive, while the LCD panel cable passes through a cable slot and is typically
longer in length to reach its port on the board. The number of the OMNI board port that the
hard drive should connect to is named J6, while the LCD panel port is named J2 (Table 2).
You might want to label each of the cable connectors with the names of their corresponding
ports to prevent the connectors from getting swapped.

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Figure 3. Cables and connections on an OMNI board and relative position of the IDE hard
drive and top acquisition board.

Table 2. OMNI board connector numbers and corresponding cable connections.

OMNI board

connector no.

Cable connection

External monitor

Front LCD panel

Serial port

Parallel port

Floppy drive

IDE hard drive

Power distribution board

Speaker port on motherboard

Not used

J10

Trigger

To remove an OMNI board:

1. Confirm that the power is off and the cable disconnected from the seismograph.

2. Remove the four Philips screws and the retaining bracket holding the OMNI board in

place.

Front LCD panel cable (J2)

Parallel port cable (J4)
Serial port cable (J3)

IDE hard drive cable (J6)

Floppy drive cable (J5)

IDE hard
drive and

mounting

nuts

Power cable (J7)

External monitor cable (J1)

Speaker port cable (J8)

Acquisition

board

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3. Disconnect the power distribution cable from connector J7, the 10-pin ribbon cable

located on the left and top side of the board (Figure 4).

4. Disconnect the ribbon cables from the OMNI board noting their locations as discussed

above.

5. Carefully and gently ease the OMNI board loose from its backplane slot; slide it out of

the slotted card guide that is integrated into the right-hand-side of the chassis (Figure 4)
with even pressure on both sides; continue to remove the board.

A board installation is the reverse of a removal. Before installing a new board, you must check
that the jumpers are properly set (see

Section 2.3.1, OMNI board jumper settings

). When

reconnecting the ribbon cables, be very careful so that you do not bend the connector pins or
nearby parts. Also, each replaced board needs to be fully seated into its backplane slot,
reslotted into the bracket, and squarely aligned with the chassis and the other boards.

As mentioned above, we suggest that you turn the seismograph on and confirm that it is
functioning properly after the repair and before reinstalling the seismograph in its case. To
confirm that the OMNI board is performing, check the functionality of all the associated
components listed in Table 2.

Figure 4. Diagram of an OMNI board (top view).

J-numbered ports connect to ribbon cables

terminated with appropriate connectors (Table 2) and the JP-numbered jumper pins are
connected with jumpers, see

Section 2.3.1, OMNI board jumper settings

, for board-specific

settings. The S1 switches set the VGA panel configuration.

JP3

JP6

JP7

JP10

J10

JP2

JP13

JP12

JP1

Trigger Cable

JP11

ISA edge connectors

LEDs

This corner

slides into card

guide slot

BACK

FRONT

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Maintenance Manual

2.3.1 OMNI board jumper settings

As previously mentioned, a jumper is a connector that, when placed over two jumper pins,
provides continuity. On the OMNI board, jumpers are used to set various functions on the
board. The OMNI board jumpers range from JP1 to JP13. Tables 3, 4, and 5 outline the
jumpers and IRQs (computer interrupt settings) associated with each function and the
appropriate settings. Table 6 outlines the setting for switch S1.

Table 3. Jumper numbers and corresponding IRQ numbers used by the seismograph trigger.
Jumper JP4 and IRQ 11 is the normal selection.

Jumper no.

IRQ no.

JP3

IRQ 10

JP4

IRQ 11

JP5

IRQ 12

JP6

IRQ 15

All of the acquisition boards in the system must be set to the same IRQ as the OMNI board.
This IRQ must not conflict with any other IRQ used by the system.

Table 4. Jumper numbers and corresponding IRQ numbers used by the seismograph keypad.
Jumper JP7 and IRQ 10 is the normal selection.

Jumper no.

IRQ no.

JP7

IRQ 10

JP8

IRQ 11

JP9

IRQ 12

JP10

IRQ 15

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Table 5. Other jumper numbers and corresponding IRQ numbers for various seismograph
functions.

Jumper no.

Function

Position

JP1

VGA Bios enable

Installed

JP2

IDE IOCHRDY

Not installed

JP11

Trigger cable shield

Not installed

JP12

IDE drive enable

Installed

JP13

Floppy drive enable

Installed

Table 6. The individual settings for switch S1; they must be set to 00111110, where 0 means
OFF.

Switch no.

Position

2.4 Replacing the floppy drive

The floppy drive is a component that is normally not serviced because the cost of repair
exceeds its purchase price; problems are fixed by substitution. If you do not have a spares kit,
you may be able to purchase a replacement floppy drive locally.

Press the silver buttons on either side of the SmartSeis

and open up the top display panel.

You will see the printer and the floppy drive (Figure 5).

To remove the floppy drive, first confirm that the power is off and the power cable is
disconnected from the seismograph. Disconnect the ribbon cable with the pull tab and the
power (4 wires) cable from the drive. Unscrew the mounting nut (6-sided) that bolts to the
chassis and slide the floppy drive toward the printer, engaging the keyed slots underneath the
drive, then lift. To install the replacement drive, reverse these steps.

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Maintenance Manual

Figure 5. View under the front LCD panel. Floppy drive is located on the left and the printer on
the right.

2.5 Replacing the hard drive

The IDE hard drive is another component that is normally not serviced because the cost of
repair exceeds its purchase price; problems are fixed by substitution. If you do not have a
spares kit, you may be able to purchase a replacement hard drive locally.

To remove the hard drive, you will need to partially remove the floppy drive. To access the
floppy drive, press the silver buttons on either side of the SmartSeis

and open up the top

display panel. You will see the printer and the floppy drive (Figure 5); underneath the floppy
drive on the other side of the chassis wall formed by the flange is the IDE hard drive.

First confirm that the power is off and the power cable is disconnected from the seismograph.
Refer to

Section 2.4, Replacing the floppy drive

, in order to slide the floppy drive from its

keyed slots that the hard drive bracket will be cleared. Next, remove the two hard drive
mounting nuts (6-sided, Figure 3). The drive and bracket can then be slid toward you out of its
position and removed. Disconnect the ribbon and power cables.

Installation of the replacement drive is the reverse of removal. As mentioned above, we suggest
that you turn the seismograph on and confirm that it is functioning properly after the repair and
before reinstalling the seismograph in its case. Once the hard drive is replaced, DOS and the
system software will need to be re-installed from the back-up floppy disks.

2.6 Replacing the front LCD panel

The front LCD panel is accessed by pressing the silver buttons on either side of the SmartSeis

and opening up the top panel (Figure 5). Turn the seismograph on its backside so that the front

Floppy drive mounting nut

Front LCD panel

LED window

SmartSeis

Maintenance Manual

panel lies flat on the work surface. Unscrew the 8 Philips screws and lift off the back panel to
expose the LCD panel and adapter board (Figure 6). Lift out the LCD panel and adapter
board and disconnect the associated cables. Installation of a new LCD panel is the reverse of
removal.

Figure 6. The front LCD panel with the back panel removed. Three LEDs correspond to the
following voltages: -24 V, +12 V, +5 V, from top to hinged panel edge.

LEDs

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