Troubleshooting
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At Pioneer Petrotech Services Inc. we want to make sure that all of our customers and their employees are confident when making troubleshooting decisions for a test. The following are the most frequently asked questions by operators. If you have any other questions that you do not see below please contact us so that we may update the list and give all our customers the assurance of a successful test.
Hardware problems
Symptom Possible problem Solution
LED does not flash after the battery is installed Battery was not installed correctly.

Unplug the battery and plug it back in again.

Not enough power.

Change the battery.

LED on battery is not working. Check LED.
Gauge or interface box is defective. Return the gauge or interface box to the manufacturer.
PPS25 software doesn't detect the gauge; or

The gauge was detected, but it stopped communicating
Gauge is not properly connected to the computer. Make sure the gauge is connected according to the instructions. Refer to section 2.3 of the software manual for more information.
Low battery voltage. Gauge requires 3.2 volts to communicate, change the battery pack. If you use a lithium battery pack, the voltage might not reflect correct battery status (this is the behaviour of lithium batteries). Try to use another battery pack.
Interface box is defective. Use another interface box.
COM port is locked. Reboot computer and restart the software.
COM port number is too high. Make sure the gauge is connected to ports COM1 to COM10.
Data recorded to memory is noisy Low voltage to the transducer. Check the battery voltage.
Data is out of the gauge specification   Use the Diagnostics function to check if the gauge is sending the correct data, verify with the calibration records.
Software problems
Data page
Symptom Possible problem Solution
The ‘Download’ button is disabled Communication with the gauge was not established Follow the troubleshooting tips in the hardware section above to make sure the gauge is connected properly.
All buttons except ‘Read File’ or ‘Download’ buttons are disabled No active data file is loaded. Download data file from the gauge or read data from the file.
‘Selection start’, ‘Selection end’, ‘Add gradient’ and ‘Add event’ buttons are disabled No active data file is loaded. Download data file from the gauge or read data from the file.
No point is clicked in the graph. Click on the graph to select a data point.
‘Delete from the beginning to the selected point' and ‘Delete from the selected point to the end' radio buttons in the Filter dialog are disabled No point is clicked in the graph. Close Filter dialog, click on the graph to select a data point and then open the Filter dialog again.
‘Delete selection’ radio button in the Filter dialog is disabled No selection is defined in the graph. Close Filter dialog, define the selection (refer to section 4.7 of the software manual for more information) and then open the Filter dialog again.
Program page
Symptom Possible problem Solution
The ‘Get Program From Tool’ and ‘Program Tool’ buttons are disabled Communication with the gauge was not established Follow the troubleshooting tips in the hardware section above to make sure the gauge is connected properly.
The ‘Save To File’ and ‘Print’ buttons is disabled No program is active. Define at least one program or read program from the file.
If you have any questions that aren't answered here, feel free to contact us.
Smart Gauges & Simple Software
Pioneer Petrotech Services Inc. Head Office: #1, 1431 40 Ave NE, Calgary AB CANADA T2E 8N6
Phone: (403) 282-7669 Fax: (403) 282-0509 Toll Free in NA: 1-888-PP-GAUGE (774-2843)