Troubleshooting

[Iowatech]

I've recently noticed that a lot of times, we post technical replies directly for problems rather than taking a bit of time to learn more about the situation.
To that end, I now try to ask some questions about a problem before posting technical advice.
Am I just a nit-picking nitwit? If so, sorry about that.

[sandmanmac]

Am I just a nit-picking nitwit? If so, sorry about that.

You most certainly are NOT, and btw, you have a real knack of making me laugh with the last sentence of the majority of your posts, and I thank you for that!
I would just add that my pet peeve for many posters is when they post things like:
"I have 'X' machine doing this.......thoughts???" (you know who you are)
They get several solutions, and then respond by saying that they've 'tried all that'.
How about providing as much info as possible about the problem and what you've done to resolve it in the first place? And save all of us a lot of time!!

[slimslob]

I have noticed that many techs either do not like and/or do no want to take the time needed to do trouble shooting. We recently toke over an 8ui*/account that was dissatisfied with the previous servicing dealer. I went out to inspect a MP C2550 that they had in a field office, about 445 miles from town. The machine was not feeding from tray 1. The previous dealer's tech had been there the previous day and noticed that the feed roller was apparently not turning but did not take the time to determine why, he ordered a feed motor. I pulled the tray out and used output test to determine that the motor did turn, but as soon as I put little pressure against the coupling, it stopped turning even though I could still hear the motor turning. The problem was a bad spring clutch.

[Eric1968]

I've recently noticed that a lot of times, we post technical replies directly for problems rather than taking a bit of time to learn more about the situation.
To that end, I now try to ask some questions about a problem before posting technical advice.
Am I just a nit-picking nitwit? If so, sorry about that.

You're absolutely not! It's just that a lot of posters don't provide enough information. They just write that the machine throws a Service Call and ask what can be done about it, or my machine jams at the Registration Roller. Sometimes I don't even reply when I see such a post.

Maybe there should be a line in the forum rules how to describe the problem (what's the display telling, did you check the jam history, what did you do so far, etc).

[Tonerbomb]

troubleshooting is a developed skill and an ART that few techs ever really develop to the fullest!! when their comped by # of calls run and closed and fewest # of parts used they will never really get it................

[slimslob]

Maybe there should be a line in the forum rules how to describe the problem (what's the display telling, did you check the jam history, what did you do so far, etc).

Maybe a read me file that they have to agree to when they start a thread for the first time. But then again, that might cause more of them to hijack old threads from the graveyard.

[Eric1968]

We also have to remember that we (in Europe, US, Canada, Australia) have unlimited access to all recources anytime, anywhere. In Africa, Middle East etc. things aren't like that. Sometimes I think to myself : "You shouldn't have posted that", because the other tech has no access to manuals, firmware, etc, and his boss tells him to just fix the problem.

[JR2ALTA]

We also have to remember that we (in Europe, US, Canada, Australia) have unlimited access to all recources anytime, anywhere. In Africa, Middle East etc. things aren't like that. Sometimes I think to myself : "You shouldn't have posted that", because the other tech has no access to manuals, firmware, etc, and his boss tells him to just fix the problem.

I started a post expressing these thoughts last year. I got my share of blowback because I wasn't very eloquent. But I agree, our tech brothers throughout the world find this forum as a God send. They are dealing with old equipment, limited resources and poor English skills. But they are working day in and day out, we want peace in that part of the world, we need more men working and not causing problems.

[blackcat4866]

I've recently noticed that a lot of times, we post technical replies directly for problems rather than taking a bit of time to learn more about the situation.
To that end, I now try to ask some questions about a problem before posting technical advice.
Am I just a nit-picking nitwit? If so, sorry about that.

I think I know what you're getting at Iowatech. I prefer to nudge the thread in the right direction with the right questions, rather than with blunt answers. It helps to get the poster thinking, and start the troubleshooting process themselves. I like to think of myself as more like a roadmap than a dictionary. I don't necessarily know answers, but how to get to them. =^..^=

[Brian8506]

A lot of good points here but let's add to the list the techs that post a problem before they've even gone to the machine. Even if it's a code you haven't heard of, google is a good place to start but at least give it a try. More often than not, it's simpler than one would think, thus the phrase "kiss". (Keep it simple, stupid)

[Iowatech]

We also have to remember that we (in Europe, US, Canada, Australia) have unlimited access to all recources anytime, anywhere. In Africa, Middle East etc. things aren't like that. Sometimes I think to myself : "You shouldn't have posted that", because the other tech has no access to manuals, firmware, etc, and his boss tells him to just fix the problem.

That's a good point.
Also, sometimes in places like that their primary language is very different that ours, and the concepts we know to be the default can be hard for them to understand. I ask questions of them to have a better idea if I actually understand what is going on.

[Zackuth]

A lot of good points here but let's add to the list the techs that post a problem before they've even gone to the machine.

I'm guilty of this one. On cases where there is an importance that the machine be running when I leave and it's an unusual issue and the machine is quite a distance away and may not have internet access to look up or post questions and not having time to wait for tech support to pick up my call I'll ask for suggestions on where to look and what to look for before I leave. It's not often I do this, but I'd rather have ideas then standing scratching my head.

[KapeKopyTek]

I'm guilty of this one. On cases where there is an importance that the machine be running when I leave and it's an unusual issue and the machine is quite a distance away and may not have internet access to look up or post questions and not having time to wait for tech support to pick up my call I'll ask for suggestions on where to look and what to look for before I leave. It's not often I do this, but I'd rather have ideas then standing scratching my head. I have marginal troubleshooting skills myself, but I use this forum (the search function works rather well) OFTEN for guidance, and I recommend it to other techs in my company. A standard format for seeking help might go something like this:

1. Nature of the problem (specifics if you please - SC codes, jams as reported in the SMC, history of continuing problem, symptoms, machine environment, etc.).

2. Detailed description of troubleshooting/corrective action thus far, any changes in symptoms, etc.

Granted, those with a language barrier might not be as detailed as we'd like to see, but certainly the rest of us could be. Seems like common sense to me.......

My 2 cents.

[prntrfxr]

New technicians take a while to learn the ins and outs of troubleshooting. Sometimes they rely on more experienced techs to just "give me the answer". They will find out that in the long run relying on experienced techs will only get you so far. What if they (experienced techs) are not available or they (newbies) dont have good connection to the internet where they are?

1. Learn to troubleshoot (write down the list of questions to answer if you have to)

Questions: What is it doing/not doing? What are the normal steps the machine does to get to this point? Does it happen only when printing or only when copying? Does it happen only when printing from a particular program, from the network, from a particular software application?

2. If you need an experienced tech, make sure you have at least tried to test it, and be detailed with the answers to the above questions. List what has been tried versus what has not been tried. Be thorough. (When changing out boards, you often have to wait for firmware to be communicated between other boards and the one you have to replace. If you rush it, it will not work. Be patient.)

3. LISTEN to what the experienced tech says. I can't tell you how many times I had a newbie ask me what could be the problem and then, without trying the advice, completely disregard/reject it.

[fixthecopier]

New technicians take a while to learn the ins and outs of troubleshooting. Sometimes they rely on more experienced techs to just "give me the answer". They will find out that in the long run relying on experienced techs will only get you so far. What if they (experienced techs) are not available or they (newbies) dont have good connection to the internet where they are?

1. Learn to troubleshoot (write down the list of questions to answer if you have to)

Questions: What is it doing/not doing? What are the normal steps the machine does to get to this point? Does it happen only when printing or only when copying? Does it happen only when printing from a particular program, from the network, from a particular software application?

2. If you need an experienced tech, make sure you have at least tried to test it, and be detailed with the answers to the above questions. List what has been tried versus what has not been tried. Be thorough. (When changing out boards, you often have to wait for firmware to be communicated between other boards and the one you have to replace. If you rush it, it will not work. Be patient.)

3. LISTEN to what the experienced tech says. I can't tell you how many times I had a newbie ask me what could be the problem and then, without trying the advice, completely disregard/reject it.








Haven't seen you post in a while, nice to know you are still hanging out. You hit on one of my pet peeves. Getting ask about a problem by someone who barley knows anything, then watching them go ask someone else, because your answer seemed too hard, and involved actual work. After a few years in this business, you either have it, or you are just a parts changer. When I was at Xerox training a few weeks ago, and it came time to be tested by putting bugs in the machine, I solved most of mine by doing what i would do for a Konica. Then I would have to go back and show the instructor how I would solve it using the Xerox steps. On my final machine, the instructor only gave me one bug to fix. I was standing in the hall with a Xerox tech waiting to be called in for another, and the instructor opened the door and said "I am through with you. I am sure you understand this, you can go."