OMR - Problems & Errors

• Usage Problems
• Controls and Switches
• Display Messages

Usage Problems

• Sheets not accepted

There may be many reasons why sheets are not accepted by the OMR machine. If the forms are crumpled in any way you may get an error message and you may need to fill in that particular form again. There are a few blank T/F and ABCDE MCQ forms at the Helpdesk.

• Unidentified sheet

If a MCQ form/sheet is fed in upside down or back to front then this error will be displayed on the PC.

• Length error

If the old true/false forms are processed, the OMR program will no longer recognise them and will display this message. It is imperative that the correct forms are collected from the Examinations Office for each exam.

Controls and switches

The CD 800 has only one user control, a general purpose push button mounted to the left of the display. This button serves a number of functions which can be summarised by saying that if the CD8000 is not doing what you want it to press the button. More specifically if the pick arm is lowered then pressing the push button will raise it, if the pick arm is already raised then pressing the push button will lower it. Pressing the push button while a sheet is being read will stop the CD800 from feeding the next sheet.

Display Error Messages

Mounted on the front of the CD810 is a two line 16 character LCD display.

• The top line of this display is used to display general status information sent from the host computer.
• The bottom line is used to display information about the paper transport.

List of Information/Error messages

• Auto baud/parity: The reader is waiting to receive data from the host computer in order to determine the correct baud rate and parity to use.
• Bad sheet lost: The reader detects that a sheet that the host computer intended to eject to the bad stacker has been removed from the reader prior to being ejected.
• Double lost: The reader detects that double sheets being purged have been removed from the reader before they can be ejected.
• Double feed: The reader detects that two or more sheets have been fed together. The offending sheets will be in the turnover. (This message will not be displayed until any previously read sheets have been ejected.) The offending sheets must be ejected (purged) by pressing the stop/start button, they should not be removed manually. The sheets have not been read and must be returned to the input hopper. Since there may be two, three, or even more sheets to be purged it is advisable to empty the good stacker before pressing the stop/start button. Alternatively, insert a 'marker' sheet in the good stacker to separate the purged sheets from the good sheets.
• DRS SER800 1.11: Displayed for three seconds when starting the software module SRR800. The version number displayed (1.11) may be different.
• DRS DIA800 2.17: Displayed for three seconds when starting the software module DIA800. The version number displayed (2.17) may be different.
• DRS OPR800 2.35: Displayed for three seconds when starting the software module OPR800. The version number displayed (2.35) may be different.
• DRS SOS 6.50: Displayed for three seconds when starting module SOS. The version number displayed (6.50) may be different.
• ERROR ERROR: Displayed by SOS when an invalid +V or +H instructions is loaded.
• Feed Error: The reader has detected that the sheet being fed has jammed before, or in the read heads. The sheet has not been read.
• Good sheet lost: The reader detects that a sheet that the host computer intended to eject to the good stacker has been removed from the reader prior to being ejected.
• Hopper empty: Tthe reader has not sheets in the input hopper.
• Off-line: The reader is made "unavailable" to the host computer by pressing the stop/start button. Pressing the stop/start button when "Off-line" is displayed will make the reader On-line (i.e. "available" to the host computer)
• On-line: The reader has sheets in the input hopper, neither output stacker is full and the reader is awaiting commands from the host computer.
• Pick Error: The reader has tried to pick the next sheet from the input hopper but is unable to do so.
• Purging: The reader is purging (i.e. slowly ejecting) sheets to the good stacker as a result of a double feed or an operator requested purge.
• Release to purge: Displayed after the push button has been held pressed for two seconds. When the push button is released all sheets within the reader will be ejected slowly to the good stacker.
• Sheet not sorted: Displayed when the sheet being purged has been held pressed for two seconds.
  • When the push button is released all sheets within the reader will be ejected slowly to the good stacker.
• Sheet(s) not read: Displayed when the sheet(s) being purged have not been read. This message is normally displayed when purging double sheets.
• Sorter error (B): Displayed when the reader has attempted to sort a sheet into the bad stacker (the right hand stacker) but failed.
  • The most probable reason being that the sheet has backed up into the sheet turnover rather than into the bad stacker.
• Stacker full (G): Displayed when the reader detects that the bad stacker is full or the last sheet has failed to stack properly.
  • The good stacker must be emptied, or the sheets arranged more neatly.
• Stacker full (B): Displayed when the reader detects that the bad stacker (the right hand stacker) is full or the last sheer has failed to stack
  properly.
  • The good stacker must be emptied, or the sheets arranged more
    neatly.
• Testing...: Displayed for several seconds when the CD400/800 is first
  switched on and indicates that the reader is testing the reliability of the
  image memory.
• This sheet bad: Displayed when the sheet being purged has been read and had it not been purged the reader would have ejected it to the bad stacker.
• This sheet good: Displayed when the sheet being purged has been read and had it not been purged the reader would have ejected it to the good stacker.