If you are experiencing issues on site with your AQMesh pod, please carry out the following checks shown below before returning the pod or requesting a site visit from a site technician. After carrying out the checks, re-connect the power source and try to regain comms. If the below checks do not resolve your issue, please get in touch with us here – support.airmonitors@acoem.com or call us on 01684 857530 and we will advise on the next steps.
General On-Site Checks
Check the external appearance of the pod, looking for any obvious issues (damages, vandalism, missing parts etc).
Check the hardware for and LED lights. These can be found underneath the sunshield.
Open the rectangular base plate & ensure all gas sensors are intact with no signs of corrosion on the motherboard.
If corrosion is present, clean the pcb using a small amount of IPA cleaner and a clean cotton bud to gently rub away the corrosion. If the corrosion persists, please contact us.
While in the rectangular base plate, check the SIM card and the holder it sits in for damage. Remove the SIM card, clean the metal chip on the back and before reinserting it into the SIM card holder, check the small 6 pins that make contact with the metal chip on the SIM card and ensure they are all sitting up as expected.
If any of the pins are sitting too low, prise it up slightly so that the SIM card can make good contact with the metal pins.
Power Check - Solar Panel Pods
1) Check solar panel positioning by ensuring the panel is facing South.
If the position is incorrect, reposition the panel to be South facing
2) Check the surrounding area of AQMesh installation location, make sure the solar panel is free from obstruction and it is deployed in direct sunlight.
If AQMesh is under obstruction, relocate the pod to open space, avoid shading.
3) Check the solar panel’s condition.
If it is dirty, remove any dirt or soil deposition by cleaning the face of the solar panel. If it is cracked, advise us of this and arrange transit for the pod to be returned to Tewkesbury workshop for repair or replacement.
4) Check solar panel build date from purchase order files.
If identified from faulty batch, send back panel to workshop for repair or replacement
5) Remove the front panel of the weatherproof battery box and ensure there are no loose connections.
If loose connections found, fix the connections and proceed to step 6
6) Check the battery voltage inside the weatherproof box. To do this, disconnect one of the external solar panel connections (see figure 1) prior to checking the battery voltage and allow 1 minute to settle. If the circuit voltage is greater than the base state voltage then the solar panel is charging the battery. If the circuit voltage is the same as the base state, the solar panel is not charging the battery and would identify a fault. A healthy battery should have a battery voltage greater than 12.4V.
If less than 12.4V, replace the external battery inside the weatherproof box with a new one.
If greater than 12.4V, proceed to step 7.
7) Check the solar panel is charging and providing a charge to the battery (this step requires direct sunlight during daylight time). To do this, reconnect the external connection and allow 1 minute before rechecking the battery voltage by voltmeter. The voltage recorded should be higher than the resting battery voltage recorded in step 6.
If the reading recorded in step 7 is less than step 6, send the back panel to the workshop for repair or replacement.
Figure 1 - external solar panel connections
If no problem is found from step 1 to step 7, the solar panel is confirmed to be working. Reinstall the solar panel.
Power Check - Mains Powered Pods:
Confirm if the device is being powered successfully.
If the device is not being powered, then disconnect the power and proceed to step 2.
Check that there is no damage to any of the cables or the 7pin weatherproof connectors. Please note: Water ingress can occur in the 7pin weatherproof connectors if they are not tightened sufficiently.
If damage is found, advise us of this or (if you have spare parts), remove the damaged parts and reinstall the replacement.
Power Check - Lithium Battery Pods:
Remove the triangular back plate of the pod and ensure that the lithium battery is connected via the white 2-pin connector and proceed to step 2.
If there is any damage present, please contact us immediately.
If there is no battery present, please contact us.
If it is not connected, please connect the battery to one of the two inputs on the motherboard
Open the rectangular base plate and locate the motherboard switch on the side of the pcb. Please note: all new pods have a power switch but Mk1 pods do not.
If the switch is ‘OFF’, please move it to the ‘ON’ position and watch to see if the LED lights under the sunshield begin to flash.