Troubleshooting a Damaged A202 or A404 Device

The leading cause of amplifier damage is ESD (electrostatic discharge) events. Due to their nature, these can produce a variety of problems from noisy signal, non-functioning impedance, and device failure. If EEGer can not locate the amplifier, a red NONE will be visible in the bottom-right of the Wave Screen. Additionally, a 'Connect Error 1' message will display in the bottom-left of the Wave Screen.

To begin troubleshooting, we will make sure the device is configured and connected properly.

1. Navigate to Options>EEGer Configuration Options and locate 6 Source of EEG/Peripheral Data - ensure this is set to the correct amplifier. For an A202, this should read A202. For an A404, this should read
   

2. Once the correct amplifier is selected, select Close preferences window at the bottom of the menu to return to EEGer’s main screen.

3. Ensure the amplifier is connected to the computer - it may be necessary to move the amplifier’s cable to another USB port on the computer.

4. Attempt to run a live session with the amplifier once it is properly configured.

If the software is still reporting a red NONE in the bottom-right of the Wave Screen, we will check to see if the computer can identify the amplifier.

1. With the amplifier connected to the computer, right-click the Start button on the taskbar - by default, this is in the lower-left of the screen and should look like four squares.
   
2. From the menu that appears, click on Device Manager - this should open up a new window displaying information about the computer.
   
3. Under the section for Universal Serial Bus controllers we should see something similar to the screenshot below. In this screenshot, an A4 is connected to the computer.
4. To help identify the amplifier, we can disconnect it from the computer. This should cause it to be removed from the list of devices. When we connect the amplifier again, it should reappear on the list of devices. If it is not showing up with the proper name, it may show up as UNKNOWN DEVICE, and possibly appearing under another category besides Universal Serial Bus controllers.
5. When we disconnect the amplifier from the computer, we should also hear the computer play a disconnection sound. When we connect the amplifier to the computer again, we should hear a connection sound play twice.
6. If we do not hear these sounds, do not see the amplifier on the list of devices, or it is appearing as an UNKNOWN DEVICE, that would indicate that the amplifier is likely damaged and in need of repair, or that there is a driver issue.