Troubleshooting
Fix it yourself, in a few minutes
Step-by-step fixes for the audiometers, booths, and spirometers Foster sells and services. These are safe steps you can run on your own — anything that means opening the case, internal service, or could affect calibration means stopping and calling Foster instead of guessing.
Connection & Setup
Calibration
Intoxilyzer Calibration Check Fails or Reads 0.000 With No Error Code
Why a breath tester fails its calibration check without showing an E-code, what a 0.000 result on the standard really means, and the stored-value mistake that guarantees a fail.
Daily Calibration Fails With No-Response (NR) Errors
Why the response switch must be unplugged from the simulator for a daily calibration check, what NR and MR mean, and the order to troubleshoot them in before you request a loaner.
How the Spirometer's Daily Calibration and 3-Liter Syringe Check Works
What the daily 3-liter syringe calibration on a spirometer actually checks, what a failure usually means, and when it points to service rather than a field fix.
Replacing Your Booth Sound Level Meter
What the BAS-200slm actually does, what the '00000' error means, and the step people miss after swapping in a new unit.
Software Says Calibration Is Due and Won't Let You Test
How to tell a genuine overdue calibration apart from a software state problem, and what to do about each — without working around a real due date.
Air Blank Won't Return to 0.000
What DOT procedure requires when an air blank reads above 0.000, why it can invalidate a confirmation test, and what an air blank that never clears usually means.
Hardware
Intoxilyzer Won't Turn On, Won't Stay On, or Won't Hold the Date
Why a breath tester goes dead, the difference between the AA batteries and the internal backup battery, and the one storage habit that quietly kills both.
Intoxilyzer E1 Through E7 Error Codes Explained
What each E-code on an Intoxilyzer 240 or 240D actually means, why E3 almost always points at the fuel cell, and which ones stop you from testing at all.
Keyboard or Printer Stopped Responding on an Intoxilyzer 240
A keyboard or printer that has stopped responding is usually an unpaired Bluetooth connection, not a failed part. Here are the manufacturer's reconnection steps for each keyboard type.
One Frequency Reads High, or an Earpiece Cuts Out
Why one frequency or one ear often drifts or crackles before the rest of the unit does, and how to isolate cord, cushion, or connector before calling us.
Static, Humming, or Voice Instructions the Subject Can't Hear
How to tell a Windows audio-routing problem from interference on the instruction audio path, and what to do about each.
Response Button Not Registering During a Test
What to check when the subject's response button won't register presses, the handheld controller won't stay on, or you're getting static when cords move.
Breath Test Printer Prints Faint, Blank, or Garbled Output
How to troubleshoot faint, blank, or garbled printouts on an Intoxilyzer thermal printer, plus the PC-side print error some report software throws.
Software
Moving Benson Software to a New PC
What to back up, install, and check before your IT team retires the old computer, so you don't lose data or reference calibration values.
Test Results Not Transferring to the EMR, or Tests Running Slowly
Why hearing or spirometry results stop landing in your EMR, why tests can run very slowly during this, and how to check the database interface and COM port settings.
USB Security Key Not Recognized (Error 949 and Similar)
Why the software won't launch when it can't see the USB license key, and how to check the key, the drivers, and the port before calling us.
Benson Software Won't Launch, or Errors After a Windows Update
Why the audiometer software throws a hot key error, won't open, or crashes after a Windows update — and the order to check things in.
Data & Records
Moving Benson Data Between Computers: Restore Failures and Field Sync
Why a restore times out or says access is denied on a new PC, why the SQL Server service looks missing, and how to get field-laptop tests back onto the main computer without overwriting anything.
Backing Up and Restoring Benson Test Data
How to back up your Benson database, what the backup actually contains, and how to restore it before or after an upgrade or PC move.
Spirometry Test Flags \"Not Repeatable\" Even Though Every Maneuver Passed
Why individual spirometry maneuvers can each grade acceptable while the overall test still fails repeatability, and how to fix it.
Exporting and Importing Test Data (CSV, EHR Interfaces)
How to fix the common snags in exporting, importing, and merging Benson test data — and what actually gates EHR-interface options in the software.
Reference
Which Interpretation Method and Predicted Values to Use for Spirometry
Which reference value set applies to occupational spirometry testing, where to set it, and why changing it isn't a setting to touch casually.
Does My Equipment Need Annual Calibration?
Which items in your hearing testing setup need annual calibration, what the daily check does and doesn't cover, and why a dosimeter is different.
What the Audiogram Status Codes Mean (NT, NR, MR, SE, CR, RN, PT)
A plain-language reference for the seven audiogram status codes, what usually causes each one, and whether it's a subject issue or an equipment issue.
Breath Test Instrument Supplies: What You Can Replace Yourself
Which Intoxilyzer parts and supplies are customer-replaceable — printer paper, mouthpieces, dry gas standard, keyboards — versus what requires the unit to come in.
Deciding Whether to Repair or Replace an Aging Breath Tester
How to think through repairing versus replacing an older evidential breath tester, including parts availability, what a failed fuel cell or sampling board means, and what to document for your DOT program.
Still stuck?
Call 513.891.0868 or email foster@fosterinstruments.com.