Smart Board + Squiggly writing = annoying teachers

[woreilly]

I have a school which has a 3 year old Smart Board that will not write in a straight line. No matter how steady your hand is, the line always comes out squiggly as if you have been meticulously zig-zagging across the page. I have updated the software to 11.4 (the highest the school can go to without having to go through the subscription cr*p) and oriented with 20 points and still it comes out squiggly. I told the school to get in touch with the company who installed it and when they came round, they promptly told the school the software needed updating. Call me skeptical but I feel like this is a fob off because they are trying to get the school to buy a new board.

Are firmware updates to the board included with Smart 11.4? or is updating the firmware a separate process? If it is separate, how on earth am I supposed to update it as I cannot find anything obvious!

 

 

Slightly Scratch the above. I have found how to update the firmware. If an upgrade is either not available or doesn't fix it. I'd welcome any suggestions as to what else I can try! Or am I going to have to face the inevitable and get them to buy a new board?

Edited December 17, 2014 by woreilly

[snagrat]

Are the screws under the pen tray too tight? Try loosening them

[NewFormz]

This can sometime be caused by something interfeering with the boards. Have a look at this guide it might help. I know we had to put some wood behind a couple of our boards to stop it from happening.

 

http://knowledgebase.force.com/servlet/fileField?id=0BEU00000008QTt

[Educare_AV]

I've had this when the screws in the bottom have either been too tight or in some old prefab buildings the plasterboard has been steel lined.

 

Is this case the bottom screws need to be insulated with some electricians tape or the controller board has failed.

[cdgill241183]

I had the opposite of this where all lines would appear straight. The USB cable run was over the 5 meter limit causing a intermittent issue

[woreilly]

This can sometime be caused by something interfeering with the boards. Have a look at this guide it might help. I know we had to put some wood behind a couple of our boards to stop it from happening.

 

http://knowledgebase.force.com/servlet/fileField?id=0BEU00000008QTt

 

Are the screws under the pen tray too tight? Try loosening them

 

I started by trying to remove the screws altogether and it suddenly was going in a straight line (not 100% perfect but a vast improvement). I then put the screws back in a bit tighter and the squiggly was worse than before. I have now given it a go of loosening then checking then loosening some more and now i'd say the teachers who use it will be far happier with their board. Not perfect, but IMO it proves the guys who came out to check it were very much wrong!! (I did the firmware update check and it was fully up to date!!)

[Educare_AV]

I started by trying to remove the screws altogether and it suddenly was going in a straight line (not 100% perfect but a vast improvement). I then put the screws back in a bit tighter and the squiggly was worse than before. I have now given it a go of loosening then checking then loosening some more and now i'd say the teachers who use it will be far happier with their board. Not perfect, but IMO it proves the guys who came out to check it were very much wrong!! (I did the firmware update check and it was fully up to date!!)

 

Try wrapping the screws in electricians tape, its worked a treat at a couple of our schools.

[woreilly]

Try wrapping the screws in electricians tape, its worked a treat at a couple of our schools.

 

I'll try that after Christmas if they're still complaining. I'm only at the school for 3 hours each week

[Techykev]

Insulating the bottom mounting screws will sort it, I was a Smartboard warranty field engineer 6 yrs ago and this issue came up frequently. For the last 4 years or so Smart has been shipping small plastic "top hat" type washers to be fitted to the lower mountings when the board is installed.

 

I never did get any credit for suggesting this fix to Smart!!!!!!!!