Troubleshooting Eagle X-Ray Machines

What To Do If It Won't Turn On

First, we will check the Mains Switch. It’s ON so that’s not our issue. We can hear the A/C running, so we are confident the machine has power. Next, we will check the UPS and computer power.

Open the front door to reveal the UPS and computer. The UPS is off—press the power button to turn it back on. If the key switch is on, we should see the computer turn on. If the computer does not turn on, we will hit the PC power switch manually. The PC and UPS may malfunction like this if the power is turned off improperly—such as repeatedly toggling the key switch during power up or power down. Otherwise, this may be caused when the UPS battery or PC CMOS battery is discharged.

To review—if the X-ray is not turning on: Check the mains power Check the UPS Check the PC If this does not resolve the issue, further troubleshooting of the electrical system will be necessary.

What To Do If It Won't Normalize

Now our x-ray is on but failing to normalize. Most frequently, this is caused by an object blocking the beam. This could be a product guide that has slipped, a jammed product, or poor cleaning round the x-ray windows. The first line of troubleshooting will just be checking inside the tunnel.

We stop the machine, unlock, and unlatch the tunnel door. Be Careful: This is heavy. Search for any obstructions between the X-ray window on top and the x-ray window under the belt. Remember to check under the belt and inside the conveyor.

If that does not solve the problem, there is a way to visualize the x-ray signal and see any normalization failures—the Linescope in Simultask. Change to User Level ‘member of QS.’ Select ‘Machine,’ and select ‘Linescope.’

The linescope has several features that let us diagnose issues related to x-ray detection, like a normalization failure. We can toggle x-rays on and off, toggle a grid that matches the boards on the detector, and normalize without starting the belt. Here we can select ‘normalize’ and see where the x-ray is failing to normalize, indicated by a blue bar below the linescope. This can be helpful when deciding where to look for an obstruction or determining if a detector is failing. Sometimes, the collimation is just out of alignment—which we see here. Typically, the linescope should be a nearly symmetrical low arc.

To adjust collimation, bypass the front door interlock. This is an electrical safety interlock—the radiation is contained by the lead shroud and collimator. Locate the wingnuts on the collimator. There is one in the front and one in the back. It will be helpful to have someone making small adjustments to the wingnuts while someone else watches the screen to monitor the changes. The goal is to get the highest, most symmetrical signal to appear on the scope. When finished, remove the bypass key and relock the front door.

There are important functions in the linescope that should not be adjusted without the help of a technician—namely the gain setting. If you would like help diagnosing x-ray problems, sending a picture of the linescope with x-rays on and the grid visible to a technician is very helpful.

A little deeper in the linescope is Tube Analysis. In here you can turn on the x-ray and start a capture to watch the output of the x-ray tube. This line should be mostly smooth. Any large peaks or valleys can indicate an issue with the X-ray tube or controller. A Technician may direct you to take a video of this screen.

Returning to the machine menu, we are going to enter the Peripheral Diagnostics Menu. There are many functions here which will mostly be done under the direction of a technician diagnosing issues related to the IO Board. Selecting ‘Update’ and ‘Transmission Test Pattern’ will update the status of the IOB and LIF boards. A picture of this screen is helpful to your technician.

If you switch to the reject tab, you can manually toggle the reject signals on and off to test your devices. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Back on the menu, we can address a problem that does not always have clear symptoms. If your machine is missing products, the linescope only shows one board, or you’re getting strange errors, the INI may be corrupted. This is most often caused by the machine dropping power while inspecting. There is an easy fix if your backups are up to date. Select ‘System’ and ‘Exit Simultask.’ Now we are on the Simultask Desktop. Here we can check which INI was booting and select a different one. By clicking on the icon once and selecting ‘auto-start,’ that INI will start at machine start-up. Also note this ‘Log Out’ button at the bottom right. This will take you to the windows interface should an Eagle Technician direct you to do so. Now we will double-click the INI we would like to boot and Simultask will start. If your machine is frequently corrupting INIs, let a technician know so the issue can be identified, and your backups can be updated.