PM3 does not recognize LogCard

[veroderberg]

Hi,
I recently bought online 2 LogCards to use on my Model D erg with PM3. I successfully updated the firmware version to 105, but the PM3 does not recognize the LogCard. Inserting a LoCGard does not turn on the monitor, and when my PM3 is plugged on my computer, Concept2 Utility acknowledge the PM3, but not the card. The card is properly inserted (arrow up, blue side facing me).
How can I fix this problem?
Thanks in advance,
Veronique

[Citroen]

Have you tried the cards in another PM3 or PM4?

One thing you can do is dismantle the PM3 and ensure that the contacts on the main board haven't been flattened too much by card insertions and removals. You should be able to ease them out so that the contact with the card is maintained.

I had a card fail but that's a rare event (C2UK replaced it for free). I don't have a rower but I do have an OmniKey 3121 reader at home so I've always got a good backup *.LCB and I've kept the *.CSV files since 2006.

[veroderberg]

Thanks for your reply.
I don't have a membership to a gym anymore, so I don't know how I will test it on another machine, but I will figure something out.
I don't think it's a card fail since both cards didn't work. And I think the guy I bought the machine from never used a LogCard with it.
And I don't feel safe to dismantle the monitor. I worry that I won't be able to put it back together... Maybe I will check with C2 to see if I can send it to them for a checkup. But then I would not be able to row for a while.
Anyways, if anybody else has another suggestion, it's very welcome...

[Citroen]

And I don't feel safe to dismantle the monitor. I worry that I won't be able to put it back together...

Four screws, ten minutes.

C2UK would charge you £85 to service your monitor. C2USA and other worldwide dealers are likely to have a similar scale of charges plus there's the return shipping and the time without a monitor.

[Carl Watts]

This is a common fault on older versions of the PM3 using the V105 firmware.

About 10% of them with other faults I see no longer recognise the card.

There is a switch that closes when you insert the card, I have had one of these not closing but it's rare.

This is not a problem I have been able to fix and as it is a non critical failure compared to say the unit not picking up the tach signal, I have not chased a solution.

[veroderberg]

Hi,
I tried to open the PM3 and I did not see anything wrong inside (not that I know much about electronics...).
But when I put it back together, I realized that the PM3 was reading the card when I was squeezing the upper left corner. So I will try to find a more permanent solution to keep it tight, since I obviously need both hands to row!
Veronique

[Citroen]

But when I put it back together, I realized that the PM3 was reading the card when I was squeezing the upper left corner. So I will try to find a more permanent solution to keep it tight, since I obviously need both hands to row!
Veronique

That's precisely the intermittent contact problem I was trying to describe. I suspect the contacts for the card have been slightly flattened against the circuit board. The solution is not repairing damaged electronics, it's more electro-mechanical - getting the connectors to stay in contact with the card.

Once you get it working there shouldn't be any need to keep extracting/re-inserting the card, you can leave it in.

You may be able to jerry-rig a fix by making the card thicker, possibly with something a strip of gaffer tape stuck on the back of it.