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Seminar Room Equipment Troubleshooting Guide

PROBLEM: Projector does not power on

POSSIBLE CAUSE #1: You may not be standing in the right location to control the projector with the remote.

  • SOLUTION:
    • Projector 2, the projector in the center, should be turned on and off while standing to the right of the podium.
    • Projector 1, the projector to the presenter's right, should be turned on and off while standing in front of the door to the storage closet (Room 101B)
    • Projector 3, the projector to the presenter's left, should be turned on and off while standing near the bottom of the ramp by the windows.

POSSIBLE CAUSE #2: The room may be too bright (for the signal from the remote to be detected).

  • SOLUTION: The projectors respond best to the remote in a dimly lit room. Lower the shades and dim the lights if the projectors are not turning on for you. Also, the lamp in the projector needs to warm up in order for the projector to start projecting. Be sure to wait 10-20 seconds for the projector to turn on and warm up.
    (NOTE: If you look closely at the bottom of the projector, you will notice 2 small lights, one green, one amber. When the projector powers on, the amber light turns off and the green light stays on.)

POSSIBLE CAUSE #3: The batteries in the remote may need to be replaced.

  • SOLUTION: Aim the remote at a wall or the floor and press the Laser button to verify that the remote has power. If the laser is dim or not visible replace the batteries in the remote. Contact iTech Services or the Front Office Staff for batteries.

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PROBLEM: Computer image not displayed on projector (Projector displays "NO INPUT" message)

POSSIBLE CAUSE #1: The video cable is connected to the wrong video port on the podium or is not securely connected to the video port on the podium or the computer.

  • SOLUTION: Reconnect the video cable to the podium and the computer. Verify that the video cable is securely connected to the video port on the podium corresponding to the desired projector.

POSSIBLE CAUSE #2: The projector is not powered on.

  • SOLUTION: Verify that the projector is powered on. See the solutions in the "Projector does not power on" section above.

POSSIBLE CAUSE #3: The computer is not properly configured to send the video signal to the projector.

  • SOLUTION (for MLML's MacBook Pro):
    • Mac OS X: Configure the video settings using the Displays preference pane in System Preferences.
      1. Open System Preferences. Click on the Apple menu and select the System Preferences Menu option
      2. Click on the "Displays" preference pane.
      3. Click the "Detect Displays" button on the "Display" tab.
        (If the projector is not detected, check the connections at both ends of the video cable.)
    • Windows: Manually configure the video settings to send the video signal to the projector:
      • Clone the computer display on the projector using the "ATI Catalyst Control Center" display properties panel:
        1. Right-click on the desktop and select the "ATI Catalyst Control Center" menu option.
          (NOTE: Be sure that you are using the Advanced configuration mode. To change from the Basic configuration mode to the Advanced configuration mode, simply click the "Advanced..." button on the lower-left corner of the ATI CCC.)
        2. Under Graphics Settings, select Displays Manager.
        3. Right-click on the display labeled 2 (projector) and enable the display.
        4. Click on the display labeled "Desktop 2" and select "Clone Desktop 1 with monitor".
        5. Click Yes to confirm the configuration change, then click OK again to close the ATI CCC.
      • Extend the desktop onto the projector (for Presenter View):
        (NOTE: In order to use PowerPoint's Presenter View (aka. Presenter Tools), you must configure the video settings and display arrangement to use the "Extended Desktop" or "Dual View" setting rather than the "Clone" or Mirror" setting.)
        1. Right-click on the desktop, select ATI Catalyst Control Center.
          (NOTE: Be sure to use the Advanced configuration mode.)
        2. Under Graphics Settings, select Displays Manager.
        3. Once the secondary display (projector) has been enabled, click on the display labeled "Desktop 2" and select "Extend main onto monitor".
        4. Click Yes to confirm the configuration change, then click OK to close the ATI CCC.
  • SOLUTION (for user's personal computers):
    • Mac OS X: Open System Preferences, click Displays, then click the "Detect Displays" button.
      (HINT: Check the "Show displays in menu bar" check box to add a shortcut to the Displays preferences settings to the menu bar.)
    • Windows: Manually configure the video settings on your laptop to send the video signal to the projector:
      • Clone the computer display on the projector: Configure using 3rd party display properties panel:
        1. Right-click on your desktop, select the advanced configuration utility for your computer's video adapter if present. If the a link to the utility does not appear in the context menu, follow the steps below to open the configuration utility.
          1. Right-click on your desktop, select Properties, click on the Settings tab.
          2. Click the Advanced button, then click on the configuration tab for your video adapter (usually the upper-right tab).
          3. Select the appropriate configuration panel.
        2. Select the display mode:
          • Select "Clone" or "Mirror" to display the same image on your computer and the projector.
          • Select "Extended Desktop" or "Dualview" to extend your desktop to the projector.
          (NOTE: Use this setting if you use the "Presenter View/Tools" in PowerPoint.)
        3. Configure the Primary and Secondary displays so the presentation displays as desired.
          (NOTE: You may need to change the resolution on the projector and/or your computer in order for the image to display properly.)

POSSIBLE CAUSE #4: The projector is set to an incorrect video mode.

  • SOLUTION: The video mode on the projector should be set to RGB2.
    Press the RGB button on the remote to cycle through the video modes on the projector until "RGB2" appears in the upper-right corner of the projected image.

POSSIBLE CAUSE #5: The computer is not detecting the projector (and therefore, is not sending video signal).

  • SOLUTION: If your computer does not detect or send video signal to the projector after you have configured your video settings, try the following procedure:
    1. Leave the projector powered on.
    2. Disconnect the video cable from your computer.
    3. Shut down your computer.
    4. Connect the video cable to your computer.
    5. Power on your computer.

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PROBLEM: No sound/audio

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The audio/video system is not turned on.

  • SOLUTION: Only MLML iTech personnel have access to the audio/video system in the Seminar Room. If you require audio for your presentation, please contact MLML iTech Services.
    (If possible, please request assistance with audio setup 24 to 48 hours prior to your presentation.):

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PROBLEM: No VHS video

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The audio/video system is not turned on.

  • SOLUTION: Only MLML iTech personnel have access to the audio/video system in the seminar room. If you need to play a VHS video for your presentation, please contact MLML iTech Services.
    (If possible, please request assistance 24 to 48 hours prior to your presentation.):

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PROBLEM: Empty desktop appears on projector (no icons, menu, task bar, dock, etc.)

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The video configuration is set up to extend the desktop onto the projector. (rather than mirrored/cloned)

  • SOLUTION: Change the video configuration from "extended desktop" to "clone" view. Follow the procedure for changing between "clone" and "extended desktop" view outlined in the "Computer image not displayed on projector" section above.

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PROBLEM: Menu displays in the middle of a presentation

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Menu button was accidentally pressed.
(Usually happens when using the laser pointer on the remote. Laser pointers are available for checkout from the Library Staff Office.)

  • SOLUTION: Stand in the proper location to control the projector, aim the remote at the projector, and carefully press the Cancel button to exit out of the menu.