supernova. problems

[keithbrown]

Hi, I just got my 2377 and bought a second hand supernova from about 2000 vintage for £300. No cal certificate but assumed it would be o.k. to ge me up and running. Having messed about with it around the home to get a feel for it's operation before I get it cal'd and I start touting for local business it seemed to be a great machine for all my needs and with a barcode scanner had plenty of scope for expansion. However there seem to be a few niggles creeping in- first the screen locked up and I had to switch on and off to reset. Then on later testing the machine told me hat the supply had a floating earth (it didn't) but eventually settled down. On other occasions it has told me that perfectly good iec leads are l/n reversed and that the machine displayed internal relay error codes and said it was overheated after just 3 tests, only to settle down after a few minutes to test normally. It has also given lowish insulation freadings on iec leads only to retest later at much higher insulation resistance figures. Basically what do more experienced forum members feel is the problem have I bought a pup or could it be economically refurbished. My gut feeling is that it is a software problem or perhaps a knackered backup battery causing software glitches - is there a softwarevupgrade available. Thoughts. gratefully received or should I cut my losses and buy a brand new unit like one of the primetest range.

[Alan Freeman]

Keith

The latest firmware is 28t. This detail is displayed when you boot up the machine.

If you are on a previous release, it might be worth registering on the Seaward site and upgrading.

Before you trash the supernova, I would spend the money and get it dalibrated - they can confirm if it is good just by that.

Alan

[LeeTurtle]

Hi Keith

Also try Acutest for repair and calibration as they offer a fixed price (around £250ish i think) 01782 563030.
Personally, I would of asked for it to be calibrated before purchase (sometimes highlights these issues) but that’s the down side of buying second-hand (and it being 12 years old).
When/if you can afford it buy new at least its calibrated and guaranteed
Good luck with the new business.

[keithbrown]

Thanks for the replies , much appreciated. I do feel a bit annoyed with myself as I should have got one with a cal but wanted to get up and running so rushed in. With a repair at £300 inc Vat it is marginal whether to do that as I could be chucking good money after bad, or should I put that cash towards a new machine such as a Primetest 250 or 350. It has got to be essential that you can have an instrument that you can trust and I'm just not getting that with my Supernova. You suggest I try the cheap option of a battery change and a firmware upgrade but other than that my instinct is to retire the machine if that doesn't fix it. So having said that how do I change the battery in it as I tried to open it up by undoing the 4 large screws but couldn't get the front panel to shift and didn't want to break it ( even more than it already is!) There don't appear to be any circuit diagrams or maintenance instructions available anywhere so advice gratefully received.

Keith Brown

[Jim Wallace]

Keith

It is always advisable to keep the firmware up to date but from the symptoms you describe it sounds more like a hardware problem i.e. a fault with the instrument itself as you are experiencing intermittent problems. Firmware tends to work in a consitent manner i.e. it always works properly or it always displays a problem.
The on-board battery is used to power the real time clock and wont be responsible for the various problems you describe.

[Jim Wallace]

Hi Led

The forum was created to allow users to communicate with each other, to offer help and advice and to have general discussions on all things PAT. We have many experienced users such as yourself who regularly contribute help and advise in the spirit in which the forum was conceived. We try and contribute as often as possible but the reality is that this is not always possible.

We do offer free of charge telephone support for more urgent matters.

In this particular case I did read the original post some tme ago and other users had already offered good sound advice and there seemed little point in duplicating what had already been said.

Can I ask who/how you asked regarding the sale of instruments on ebay and whether this is an official reseller? I this was through direct contact with Seaward I am disappointed that we did not offer a response.

I believe that some of our official distributors have ebay accounts or ebay shops but we don't have and official ebay partner.

Regards
Jim