Troubleshooting guide

the USB cable well away from any other cables that could conceivably be carrying or transmitting

interference;

• At least as an experiment, try disconnecting the console completely from the mains and running the

console on batteries only – the wireless console should run for 6-9 months on batteries alone and the

cabled one for 3-4 months. (This test will help rule out interference that is being injected into the

console via the AC mains. If this successfully cures the dropout problem then it may be worth

considering buying a small PC UPS and plugging the VP2/Vue adapter into that – these units usually

have excellent interference suppression.);

Further suggestions

• Choose the best quality USB cable you can find/afford and choose a length no longer than necessary

– the shorter the better. Try to avoid passing the USB connection through any intermediate USB hub,

especially if it’s an unpowered one;

• Ferrite cores are an excellent means of minimising interference pickup by the USB cable itself. You

can buy individual cores through which to wind the cable or to clamp over it (one at each end is best)

or USB cables can be bought with prefitted ferrite cores, which often look simply like cylindrical bulges

near each end of the cable. Sometimes this measure alone – ie fitting a good short new USB cable

with a ferrite core at each end is sufficient to cure the dropout problem;

• Try wrapping the complete plug and socket connection between the USB pigtail lead from the logger

and the main USB cable with metal foil (eg cooking foil). It has been suggested that this physical

connection is not as well screened as it could be and hence provides an easy entry point for

interference. Wrapping the joint in foil provides extra screening and is a quick and simple fix to try;