AlphaJoker

This may sound strange, but with some of our installs, we have found that if it is not the generally accepted fixes (for flashing red) such as a bad power brick, firmware, or cabling - then the disconnect/reconnect issue has turned out to be either 1)the video splitter is incompatible (if you are using one), or 2) The video card driver. We have had instances wherein the actual video card driver was causing this issue. These problems were on Dell systems with the factory installed video. The other issue, with the video splitter, (odd as it seens) actually caused the board to constantly disconnect, then reconnect - over and over again; there was no flashing red in this case though. Just remember that when the problem isn't solved by the regular means - it's possible that something 'irregular' is causing it. We've installed over 2500 boards in the last 4 months - so we've almost come across everything. That said, I'm sure we've not seen it all - and something new will arise before long. AJ

2007 was a good year. I seem to have been responding to old threads too, but some of them have insufficient responses. I am Promethean Certified, but do apologize. We have an installation manual that was actually put together by Promethean, Atlanta Georgia (USA) to help field installers who hadn't seen a REV2 unit. Our company even went as far as to create an installation training video for the older REV1 units. As far as the older REV1 unit with the single leg being mounted above the floor - I agree that the better solution would be a fixed unit with a ceiling mounted projector. In the case of limited ceiling height, I would recommend that the projector be placed on a rolling cart while still employing the fixed mounted board on the wall. I look forward to talking with you more and comparing the differences between the US released hardware and the UK released versions. By the way; we too have installed several thousand of the new REV2 units since their release and subsequent revision upgrades. Now most of our spare time is spent repairing them..... AJ

Butuz, here's a snippet of information for you on USB design (along with inherent flaws): The maximum length of a standard USB cable is ~ 5.0 meters. The primary reason for this limit is the maximum allowed round-trip delay of about 1500 ns. If a USB device does not answer to host commands within the allowed time, the host considers the command to be lost. When adding up the USB device response time, delays from using the maximum number of hubs, and delays from the connecting cables, the maximum acceptable delay per cable turns out to be 26 ns.[13] The USB 2.0 specification requires cable delay to be less than 5.2 ns per meter (which is close to the maximum achievable speed for standard copper cable)."Propagation Delay". This allows for a 5 meter cable. Basically, this states that the device on the end of the USB cable will only wait about 15ns for an answer, and if it recieves none your computer sees that the device has been disconnected. With the Promethean boards that this happens to, you'll hear the electronics beep over and over again. If you want more info on USB, simply visit http://www.usb.org.

There's a more effective way to extend the length of the USB cable without degrading the performance. Also, by lengthening the USB cable, even with signal boosters, you can experience loss of signal between the board and the host PC. Several companies make USB/RJ45 adapter kits. They cost about 3 - 5 US dollars in bulk. You connect the USB cable from the board to the adapter, then run your ethernet cable whereever you need it; across the room etc... Then you connect the other half of the adapter to the RJ45 on the ethernet cable, and plug the male USB end into the PC. Viola. We use them all the time on wall mount installations - in about 300 installations we've had only two fail.

I don't know if you're still searching for an answer, but can you tell me what revision Activboard you have? It is the older REV1 on a single leg, or a REV2 on two silver legs? We've found that occasionally, with a REV2 unit, the cables are put onto the Wall Box PCB in reverse. This causes problems, namely it's been known to burn out the electronics on the board itself. Of course, this only refers to the newer units. (2008 models) If it's simply a REV1 unit with the USB cable running directly from the board to the computer, then the first logical place to look is the board electronics. It's covered under warranty - but expensive if not.

LOL

Although a little late to chime in, I also agree with this. Installation of the AB+2 Rev2 unit requires that the extrusions (legs) be on the ground. The weights that are currently supplied are attached to cables that are longer than the extrusions, and would hang freely out of the bottom. This not only creates a non-asthetic appearance, but could create a dangerous situation. If you don't understand what I mean, feel free to ask. When in doubt - look at the install instructions....even though they've changed repeatedly with the change from REV2 revision 01 - 04, they are still in line with how the product was created to be installed.