Troubleshoot: to discover and eliminate problems or malfunctions in (software, mechanical equipment, etc.). To trace the problem to correct.
Image: Adobe Express
The one example I have fresh in my mind is dealing with a Robotics program using alphabet magnets (the kind that do best on refrigerators) and the iVision Software having its offset recalculate the position of the magnet and not getting its target. The instructor had gone through the list of troubleshooting for the Robot malfunction, first checking the settings. Then, watching the robot approach the target. Finding the taught location and then determining that it was the actual magnet on the alphabet letter that needed to be in a certain direction.
Watching any technical troubleshooting, requires hands-on learning and understanding the process of setup. Was there a missing step? Is there an update in the software? Is there a physical error - wrapped cords, stressed joints, wrong calibration, etc. Then, evaluating it from the machine perspective. How is this programmed and what is the machine interpreting it as?
Troubleshooting on the job
Something I have learned on the job with troubleshooting is be there. Any call that is made for an error, be there. Nobody on the shift encountered the problem before? Be there for the solution and follow the problem until it is solved. Watching it become solved is ideal, but perhaps not always possible, depending on the resources available. Some mechanical errors can only be solved when the manufacturer becomes involved, a license holder, or very experienced tech.
Most places where troubleshooting is a skillset, happens often, it is in your job description - they may have a 10-7 list (or error list, malfunction list). Always know this before your shift and diagnose it yourself. Have your name on the machine logs, go through your own troubleshooting skillset (even if you know it may not be useful) and encounter the problem in your own experience. Most technicians that open that machine to diagnose will prove to their employer that they were there, diagnosed the problem, and sometimes even log their upboot or working condition to know that they have learned from the error and can add it to their troubleshoot criteria.
The things that you can do as its tech, in any error, does depend on your clearance, password, or security integrity for qualified persons to handle the situation as well. Not everything could be in the tech domain, and may reside in auditing, accounting, or software installation defaults. There are multiple facets that affect machine and the maintenance of its operable functioning.
Best Troubleshoot Discovery?
The most I have seen involved strong hands and contorting the hardware to fit again. Wear and tear of machines used daily have a tendency to overheat, become warped, and have clips or locks that become loose. Having the perfect fit is having the tools to provide its optimal user experience by doing common sense practical solutions. I know one thing to never do - is underestimate the ground wires and the static charge that can build while working on machines with power sources. I must refrain from duct tape solutions and remember I am a professional and want my work to look professional when I am done. If it cannot be fixed, let it go, and let another tech attempt (then watch them solve it!).
Most times, just knowing how to reset the machine works good too. It might be more common today than it was a decade ago. The people learning Linux using ping, finding the machine IP Address and manipulating data commands (even temporarily) can be a consistent problem. They ping the machine daily, if not hourly, knowing that they may have access to any number of open data and able to record whatever data from it are a risk to the company. How to protect these servers, networks, and individual machines when the connection to secure it is at risk? Many machines have IP Addresses, its very important to have a separate team that can secure these addresses and maintain its security for the integrity of the business itself.
Mileage Reports
When its the company profile to build machine repetoire and preventative maintenance techniques or mileage logs of operation time. Machines do have expiration dates, as well as software for them, and now license reportings to maintain. So, its going to need a tech to maintain logs and be able to read history of the machine to know what they are looking for when evaluating the mileage reports to know what the machine may need at that time of error. These are usually a lead technician profile of listing damage reports or expectations of how a machine may behave. They breathe and have a lifetime - so its best to diagnose as soon as possible and push back the expiration as much as possible! Know what they are. Ask what the lifetime is.
.png)
.png)
