MODULE 14

ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

Overview 14-3
Objective 14-3
Purpose 14-3
Instructions 14-3
Connecting the Laptop Hardware 14-4
Connections 14-4
Cable 14-4
Setting Hyper Terminal 14-5
Basic Setup 14-5
Setting Reflection Options 14-6
Basic Setup 14-6
Function Keys Setup 14-7
Using the Sequoia Terminal 14-8
Viewing the Boot Sequence 14-8
Logging On at MSM User Level 14-9
Accessing MSM Service Level 14-10
Running Diagnostics 14-11
Viewing Logs 14-11
Saving Data 14-12
Capturing Text 14-12
Sending E-mail to Acuson Help Desk 14-12
Deleting Historical Text 14-12
Worksheet: Field Laptop 14-13
Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

REVISION HISTORY

QRC P/N-REVISION INITIATOR APPROVAL DATE CHANGE

S. Williams July 1999 Incorporate reviewer comments

A3210 P/N 59182 Rev. 1 J. Madarasz S. Williams Dec. 2000 Initial Release

Module 14-2 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Overview

OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVE To connect and set-up the standard field laptop.
To log into the Sequoia system and run diagnostics.

PURPOSE Troubleshooting a Sequoia system which fails to boot to imaging

and which wont allow the Acuson Help Desk to invoke diagnostics
is a difficult situation. When the field laptop is connected a back
door into the system is opened. The laptop can verify the boot
sequence, control processes, or run diagnostics. When nothing is
seen on the monitor, the laptop is an invaluable troubleshooting aid.
Use the laptop to run diagnostics to view logs if:
The system fails to boot.
There is no display on the monitor.
To grab a log or data for investigation.

INSTRUCTIONS 1 Read this module and note the kind of cable needed and the
communications protocol.
2 Connect the laptop to the Sequoia system and call up the HYPER
TERMINAL program.
3 Set the communications protocol so that it matches the one listed in
the following pages of this module.
4 Connect with the system and press <RETURN> on the laptop to
establish communications. The UNIX prompt should be on the
Hyper Terminal window.

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Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

CONNECTING THE LAPTOP HARDWARE

CONNECTIONS A serial port is provided on the PIC board. It is accessed by opening
the rear door of the Sequoia system and connecting a RS-232 serial
cable to connector Serial/0 RS-232. This connector is a standard 25
pin D connector. Figure 14-1 illustrates connecting a laptop to the
Sequoia system.
Sequoia uses a two-wire connection. That is, only pins 2 and 3 are
used for signals. Pin 7 is used for ground. Handshaking is software
controlled.

Connect 9 Pin
D Connector 25 Pin
to Serial D Connector
Port on
your
Laptop

Connect to
Serial/0 RS232
on the PIC

Null-Modem Serial Cable

Part Number 51031

Figure 14-1 Connecting a Laptop to a Sequoia System

CABLE The laptop and the Sequoia system are both DTE (Data Terminal
Equipment). Therefore, a Null Modem Adapter, or a specially
wired DTE - DTE serial cable, is required.
This cable is now available from Service Materials as P/N 51031.

Module 14-4 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Setting Hyper Terminal

SETTING HYPER TERMINAL

BASIC SETUP
To setup the laptop
1 Connect the laptop to the Serial/0 RS-232 on the PIC board.
2 Launch the HYPER TERMINAL program on the laptop. This program
is located in the Accessories Folder.
3 The first time this program is used, it needs to be set up to work
with the Sequoia system. Select SETTINGS from the
Communications menu. See Figure 14-2.
4 Select the following settings:
Connection: Direct to COM1
Bits per second: 19200
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: None
5 Save the settings in order to preserve them for future use. Select
SAVE from the File menu. Assign a file name and directory and
click OK.
The laptop is now ready to access remote diagnostics.

Figure 14-2 Hyper Terminal Setup

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Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

SETTING REFLECTION OPTIONS

BASIC SETUP
To setup the laptop
1 Connect the laptop to Serial/0 RS-232 on the PIC board.
2 Launch the REFLECTION program on the laptop. This program is
located in the Program Folder.
3 The first time this program is used, it needs to be set up to work
with the Sequoia system. Select COMMUNICATIONS from the
Settings menu. See Figure 14-3.
4 Select the following settings:
Connection: Serial Port: COM1
Bits per second: 19200
Parity: 8/None
Emulator: VT102
Host Character: PC English
PC Character Set: Windows
5 Save the settings for future use. Select SAVE from the File menu.
Assign a file name and directory and click OK.
6 The laptop is now ready to access remote diagnostics.

Figure 14-3 Reflection Setup

Module 14-6 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Setting Reflection Options

FUNCTION KEYS Customize the Reflection program to use the function keys to access
SETUP Sequoia diagnostics.

To customize Reflection
1 Launch the file made during Basic Setup.
2 Select FUNCTION KEYS from the Terminal setup menu.
3 Program 8 Function Keys (F1 - F8) with prompts. See Figure 14-4.
4 Any of the keys can be named and assigned a command.
Example: When Sequoia system asks for a user name,
normally type rcsg. Assign a function key this task by typing
<rcsg> in the Command section of the function key.
5 After programming the function keys, click Apply then OK.
6 Select SAVE from the File menu.

Figure 14-4 Customizing Function Keys for Reflection

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Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

USING THE SEQUOIA TERMINAL

VIEWING THE BOOT Troubleshooting a Sequoia system which fails to boot to imaging
SEQUENCE and locks out the Acuson Help Desk so that diagnostics cannot be
invoked, can be a difficult situation. However, verify the boot
sequence by connecting the laptop to the serial port on the Sequoia
system. This can be done without entering a login or password.
To view the boot sequence
1 Connect the laptop to the Serial/0 RS-232 on the PIC board.
2 Launch the HYPER TERMINAL program on the laptop.
3 Restart the Sequoia system.
4 Observe the boot sequence in the Hyper Terminal window. See
Figure 14-5.
5 Consult the Acuson Help Desk as required.

Reading Alternate Boot Keys.

bss_start: 0x1000, bss_end: 0x1008
PUT Loader Version 1.0, Built Jun 14 1996, 13:44:04.
bss_start: 0xd328, bss_end: 0xd8b0
PUT Version 1.09, Built Apr 17 1997, 08:20:22.
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.
21.22.23.24.
25.26.27.28.29.30.
PUT: Passed
SSP
SSP Mon Revision: 1.52
SSP Monitor Date: 06/02/97
Initializing SCSI Controller.
Booting OS from hard disk.
Wed Oct 15 08:14:24 PST 1997

Figure 14-5 Typical Boot Sequence on a Laptop

Module 14-8 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Using the Sequoia Terminal

LOGGING ON AT
MSM USER LEVEL
To access the MSM Tools at the user level:
1 Connect the laptop to the Serial/0 RS-232 on the PIC board.
2 Launch the HYPER TERMINAL program on the laptop.
3 Restart the Sequoia system.
4 Wait for the boot sequence to complete.
5 Type in the login at the user prompt. If the prompt is not seen, press
<CR> a couple of times.
6 Enter the password to access the User level of MSM Diagnostics.
See Figure 14-6.
Refer to the MSM Users Guide for more detailed information.

Figure 14-6 MSM Tools (User level)

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Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

ACCESSING MSM
SERVICE LEVEL
To access the MSM Tools at the service level:
1 At the User level of the MSM Tools, select the ADMINISTRATION
menu.
2 At the ADMINISTRATION menu, select SERVICE ACCESS.
3 Enter the ACCESS CODE.
4 Enter the DAILY PASSWORD. The Service level of the
ADMINISTRATION menu appears. See Figure 14-7.
Refer to the MSM Users Guide for more detailed information.

Figure 14-7 MSM Tools (Service level)

Module 14-10 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Running Diagnostics

RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS
VIEWING LOGS
To locate logs:
1 Access the Service Maintenance Tools menu by entering the access
code and password.
2 Use the trackball to highlight and click on the VIEW LOGS
icon. The available system logs appear.
3 Use the trackball to highlight and click on the specific log to view.
The system operating software retrieves and displays the log.
The Service Instructor will demonstrate how to access and initiate
individual board tests suites, specific individual PCB tests, and
looping PCB tests.
In addition, the Service Instructor will demonstrate how to access
and interpret the Hardware Diagnostic Detail and Summary logs.

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Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

SAVING DATA
CAPTURING TEXT The data displayed on the Sequoia terminal can be saved in text
format on the laptop. Ensure that the entire session is saved, not
part of the data.

NOTE: Always use L for LIST when viewing logs in MSM Tools, since S for
START will capture data page by page.

To save a Hyper Terminal session to a file:

1 Select CAPTURE TEXT from the Transfer menu.
2 Type a name that describes the file the text will be saved in.
If no name is assigned to the file, Hyper Terminal will assign a
name automatically, e.g., CAPTURE.TXT. See Figure 14-8.
3 Press START.

Figure 14-8 Text Capture window

SENDING E-MAIL TO The preferred way to send the captured file to the Acuson Help
ACUSON HELP DESK Desk is via e-mail. Attach the captured file to the e-mail message
and send it to the appropriate Acuson Help Desk.

DELETING It is very important to delete any historical text on the Sequoia

HISTORICAL TEXT terminal before capturing the latest data. Failure to do so may result
in the capture of a large amount of data which may not be relevant
to the problem.

Module 14-12 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1

Acuson Confidential Worksheet: Field Laptop

WORKSHEET: FIELD LAPTOP

LAB OBJECTIVE NOTES SIGN OFF

HYPER Students are provided with a Sequoia

TERMINAL system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Setup Hyper Terminal.

REFLECTION Students are provided with a Sequoia

system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Setup Reflection.

BOOT Students are provided with a Sequoia

SEQUENCE system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
View boot sequence.

SERVICE Students are provided with a Sequoia

LEVEL system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Log on to Service level.

DIAGNOSTICS Students are provided with a Sequoia

system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Run diagnostics

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 Module 14 - Advanced Diagnostic Tools Acuson Confidential

LAB OBJECTIVE NOTES SIGN OFF

LOGS Students are provided with a Sequoia

system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
View logs.

CAPTURE Students are provided with a Sequoia

TEXT system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Capture text.

DELETE TEXT Students are provided with a Sequoia

system and a field laptop with the
required cable.
Connect the laptop to Serial Port 0 of the
Sequoia system. Use the provided login,
password, access code and daily
password.
Delete text.

Module 14-14 Sequoia Service Training Manual P/N 59182 Rev. 1