Problem with my S9? Or just the aliens???

[gertrude]

I've had a couple of nights where part of the data looks really strange -- as if the machine has turned itself off or isn't working right. It's just a string of fragments. This was from about a week ago and thanks to Pugsy's good instructions I've just done my first screen shot and pasted it. I've never have OAs like this when the apap is working properly, but don't know if they are just an artifact. The first one is 102 and the second off-scale event is 65. Normal for me is a few a night ranging from 10 to 12.

At 6:14, I woke up with a rush of air and turned the machine off and on to stop it. That seems to have reset things to normal operation. You can see that the pressure dropped back to my minimum of 5 and it looks as if I may not have gone back to sleep for half an hour. Then I got up for the day at 6:50.

Note that the second shot isn't lined up under the first one. (couldn't figure out how to get it all in one shot) I included the second one to show that the leaks weren't extraordinary when everything went haywire at about 5:25 am.

Has anyone every seen anything like this? Should I be trying to get my machine replaced? Or just relax.





The Sleepyhead data mostly shows a big gap of time with no signal instead of the fragments that show up on ResScan. It does have that first OA labeled 102. Could that really have been a 102 second apnea?!!!



Something similar happened maybe a month ago, but for a shorter period of time and I don't think there were big OAs associated with it. I also had a night with an unexplained gap where it looked as if I had turned the machine off and on. Except I hadn't. When I do that, the pressure goes back to minimum (5). This time it jumped up a notch to 9 during the gap.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[greg-g]

My first guess and that's all it is would be to try reformatting the SD card, or try another card.
The memory cards are the same as ones used in most cameras. Any SD or SDHC card with a capacity of greater than 1 Gb should work.
All the compliance data is stored in the machine and will be copied to a new card. The high resolution data will be lost, but you already have what there is stored on your computer.

[gertrude]

Greg-g: So you think this may be a problem with the card not recording things properly from the machine? Unfortunately, the detailed data is already gone from the S9 for this night, but maybe a new card will eliminate the problem. Doesn't explain those awful OAs, however . . . .

Thanks for your thoughts. Gives me something to try.

[sol]

Do you use smartstart

[gertrude]

No. That is not turned on to my knowledge.

[avi123]

It looks to me as a loose electrical contact somewhere. Could be the connector from the transformer (the "brick") to the machine. Could also be b/c the SD card is not pushed all the way in.

[brucifer]

Is your S9 on a surge protector or uninterruptable power supply (UPS)? The anomaly is only for about a 40-minute period, so perhaps a power fluctuation from the power company could have caused the weird data signature. The good thing is that your machine seems to be working fine after that period, so it's probably not damaged.

I've lost sensitive electronic equipment in power outages and when power generators cause the lights to dim, so I use UPS devices on most of my equipment now. That being said, I need to get a UPS for my new S9. Anyway, I hope the solution to the problem is something simple and easy to resolve.

[greg-g]

In two years I've had one night with data loss, and that was over a year ago.
I'm suggesting the memory card as its simple and they do cause some problems that's normally solved by reformatting the card.
The other possibility on the keep it simple idea is to disconnect the power for a few minutes to allow the machine to do a complete reboot. This should be the first action with almost all computer controlled equipment which today is almost everything.
Please let us know how you go.

[gertrude]

These are great suggestions. I've been knowing that I need to get a surge protector power strip for the machine and, brucifer, you've spurred me to do it. We seem to have the electrical system of a 3rd world country here. Greg-g, I'll try to unplug/replug routine -- making sure everything is secure as Avi suggested. And greg-g, how does one reformat the data card? Could I just get a new one and put it in the machine, or is there something else I should do?

Thanks for all the help. I'll try to rule out these causes before I get worried about a more fundamental machine malfunction. But since the problems have been so intermittant, it will be hard to know if the problem is solved. Guess this will be a matter of wait and see if the data goes wierd again. I'm still hoping all those scary, severe OAs were data problems and not real events.

[Lizistired]

I have had that happen once or twice during storms with power outages.
Sleepyhead has a setting that I believe by default is set to "ignore short sessions". The data is there, it just isn't displaying it.

[greg-g]

The best way I can think on how to describe how to format the data card is to search Windows Help for Format and read the instructions on how to Format a Floppy Drive, the procedure is exactly the same. Use the default format of Fat 32.
Caution, please make sure its the SD card your formatting. Formatting deletes all data on the formatted drive.
You can get a new card from any place that sells cameras, phones, office equipment, maybe even the corner store. They are very common and cheap. You only require a 1 Gb SD card, but any larger size SD or SDHC card will be OK.
A surge protector is always good insurance for any electronic device. One with a filter included is even better.

[gertrude]

The best way I can think on how to describe how to format the data card is to search Windows Help for Format and read the instructions on how to Format a Floppy Drive, the procedure is exactly the same. Use the default format of Fat 32.
Caution, please make sure its the SD card your formatting. Formatting deletes all data on the formatted drive.
You can get a new card from any place that sells cameras, phones, office equipment, maybe even the corner store. They are very common and cheap. You only require a 1 Gb SD card, but any larger size SD or SDHC card will be OK.
A surge protector is always good insurance for any electronic device. One with a filter included is even better.

Hmm . . . think I'll try the simple stuff first. I like data, but I'm a technology dummy. But I'll hold these instructions in case the gremlins return.

I have had that happen once or twice during storms with power outages.
Sleepyhead has a setting that I believe by default is set to "ignore short sessions". The data is there, it just isn't displaying it.

The problem with this theory is that -- while we've had lots of power outages lately -- it didn't go out that night. But maybe minor fluctuations that don't affect the clocks could mess up the S9? Also doesn't explain why turning it off and back on straigtened things out. But perhaps this is all consistent with a loose connection. I'm beginning to understand why Pugsy invokes aliens!

[archangle]

You didn't by any chance take the card out of the machine shortly after turning it off, did you?

It's been suggested that the machine may need a minute or so to write the data out to the card after being turned off. I don't have any real proof or experimental data on this.

[chunkyfrog]

Definitely aiens, definitely.
Leave them milk and cookies; and pray they are appeased.

[gertrude]

You didn't by any chance take the card out of the machine shortly after turning it off, did you?

It's been suggested that the machine may need a minute or so to write the data out to the card after being turned off. I don't have any real proof or experimental data on this.

Don't think so! But I'll be careful about that in the future since it sounds like part of the routine to appease the aliens -- see below.

Definitely aiens, definitely.
Leave them milk and cookies; and pray they are appeased.

I thought milk and cookies only worked for Santa Claus!