RMA Processing Policy and Procedures

Introduction:

The RMA department receives devices that have been authorized by Idrive Support to be returned for repair. The following is the standard procedure for receiving, repairing, and documenting these devices.

The X1 (V5) vs. the X1P (V7):

• The easiest way to tell the difference is by the location of the GPS puck. V5 cameras have external GPS units with long black cables. The GPS is internal on the V7 cameras.
• If examining just a motherboard, the V7 has an HDMI connector, while the V5 has a 50 pin connector. The SD socket is also placed much higher on a V7.
• V5 boards often have a remote panic component that is no longer supported. It should always be removed (see the Remote Panic Component section for more info) as it sometimes causes issues.
  • The picture below shows a V5 board that has the component removed manually. Newer versions of V5 motherboards have the component removed by the factory, along with a few other components. Notably, the blue component up and to the right will be missing.
• Both devices have their unique issues and characteristics, but both should operate the same in the end.

V5 --- V7 ---

The Test Fixture:

• Connects to devices via power cable and HDMI
• Has switches for all the main triggers that a camera needs (besides shock)
  1. Power
     • Note that the fixture and camera control have separate power switches
  2. Ignition
  3. Door
  4. Alarm
  5. W. Panic
• Controls reprogram and firmware update during the RMA procedure

Idrive Tools:

• Idrive tools is the software that the test fixture uses to reprogram and update firmware
• The RMA section is what you will primarily be using
  • Password: idrive2#rma
  • Enter an existing serial number (the camera you are processing)
  • The Parts of the RMA section are outlined in the “For Each Camera” section
• Development section is the same as the RMA section, for the most part. It can be useful at times for testing, as it doesn’t need an existing serial number to run installations. Don’t worry about this now.
  • Password: idrive2#dev

Processing:

Visual Inspection:

Check the case and GPS wire for signs of damage and/or tampering.

• Warranty is VOIDED for X1P’s with cases that have been opened. X1 units with open cases are automatically “Not Repairable” (see Not Repairable Diagnosis)
  • Look for missing screws, cracked plastics, etc.
• Cut GPS wires and general damage make a camera “Warranty Damaged” (see Pricing)

(V5) The plastic covering for the GPS puck is often missing. (Do not count this as a plastics repair.)

• Locate new plastics on the shelf above the RMA desk.
• Place the puck in the casing with the dotted side facing the air. (see picture)
• Snap-in the plastic cover
• Apply a strip of double-sided tape to the plastic cover

(V5) Neatly wrap up the GPS cable and tie it together with a zip tie.

Initial Testing:

Test the camera to verify reported issues. Correct LED behavior is outlined here.

1. Make sure you have Event Test and Transfer open in Idrive Tools RMA section
2. Plug in the power cord
3. Turn the test fixture ON
4. Turn the switches for power and ignition ON
5. After booting, let camera sit in standby mode for 15-30 seconds
6. Shake the camera to trigger a shock event
7. Turn the switch for ignition OFF to enter transfer mode
8. The camera should connect to Idrive Tools
   • Transfer entry should turn green if completed successfully
9. If a connection is made, play the event that was transferred.

If the camera does indeed have an issue, something should have gone wrong i.e.

• More events than one shock were transmitted
• The camera did not transfer at all
• LED behavior was incorrect
• Lenses were out of focus

With experience, diagnoses can sometimes be made after testing.

Reprogramming:

ALL RMA cameras should be reprogrammed, regardless of their issue or lack thereof.

Take out the motherboard (MB) and ready it for reprogram:

• Unscrew the hex bolt on the back of the case
• Open the case and use the tweezers to undo plastic latches that hold motherboard in place
• Unplug GPS (V5 only) and wifi components
• Remove the SD card and place it in the SD-reader to be formatted (Full-Overwrite mode)
• Insert a reformatted SD card that has the filesystem.yaffs and uImage files on it
• Connect the MB to the power cord, known-working wifi, and HDMI
• Turn the test fixture power ON (all other switches should be off)

Run Idrive Tools.

• Click on RMA or Back to RMA if already open
  • Password: idrive2#rma
• Enter in the device serial number (S/N)
  • Will start with 00127B------,01704-------, or 01705-------
• Click on Auto-Install
• Click Start Installation
  • The steps the installer follows:
    1. Bootloader
       • Connects via HDMI
    2. Kernel
       • Installs from the SD card
    3. Filesystem
       • Installs from the SD card
    4. Device Configuration
       • Connects via wifi
    5. Lens Focus
       • Connects via HDMI

Reconnect the MB to its original GPS and wifi, and unplug the HDMI.

Diagnosing:

Test the camera again in “Event Test and Transfer". From here, we can diagnose. Below are charts that contain many of the common issues that you will face with both versions of cameras.

Known Issues (V5 & V7)

Description	LED Behavior	Fix
Will not connect in transfer mode (ignition off)	Flashing YELLOW-GREEN	Replace Wifi
Camera freezes in standby mode (no triggers, no transfer)	GREEN-GREEN	Replace Wifi
Records events without trigger	Flashing RED-GREEN	Replace MB (only if it persists after reprogram)
No power	OFF-OFF	Replace MB
SD fails reformat or freezes the reformatter	n/a	Replace SD

Known Issues (V5)

Description	LED Behavior	Fix
Will not boot (reprogram will often change, not fix, this symptom)	RED-GREEN	Usually Wifi, but could also be SD or MB
Fails trigger tests during Device Configuration	n/a	Remove remote panic component
Goes into transfer mode with ignition ON	Flashing YELLOW - GREEN	Replace MB/remove remote panic component
Records panic/remote panic without trigger	Intermittent RED-GREEN	Replace MB/remove remote panic component
Repeatedly records shock events (only applicable to newer V5 boards)	Flashing RED-GREEN	Reprogram

Known Issues (V7)

Description	LED Behavior	Fix
Will not boot	RED-GREEN	Reprogram
GPS continues to fail after unit is changed	normal	Replace MB (bad socket)
Video blacks out	normal	Replace MB

If the issue you are experiencing is not on this list, troubleshoot the issue by using known-working parts to isolate each component.

Replacing Parts:

See the Policies section for information on Pricing and Not Repairable Diagnosis.

Wifi:

• Remove the old wifi and tape from the bracket, discard the unit in the “Bad Wifi Modules” box
• The cable and antenna can be reused, the bracket should only be reused if it is unbent and intact
• Connect the cable to the side of the new module
• Connect the antenna to the input labeled “MAIN” on the back of the module
• Orient the circuit board so that the cable socket is facing left and on the back (see picture)
• Take the new wifi module and tape it into a bracket from the front of the circuit board, using two pieces of tape as follows (see picture)
  1. One piece wrapping around the left side bottom, centered on the square black components
  2. One piece wrapping around the right side, centered on the antenna socket

GPS:

Save the bad GPS pucks in the labeled bag on the shelf of the RMA desk.

For V7 cameras, just replace the unit.

• Note that a common issue in V7 boards is defective GPS sockets, do not rule out that possibility

For V5 cameras, clip off the tie wrap on the inside of the case if it is there, and remove the cable from the plastics.

• Insert the new cable into the small hole on the top back of the plastics where the old one was
• Tie wrap the inside portion of the cable, leaving about an inch and a half before the connector, and cut off the tail of the tie wrap
  • Usually there is a mark from previous tie wraps to go off of

Motherboards:

For V5 cameras, this is easy.

• Write a note on the old MB with the observed issue before putting to the side
• Take a replacement motherboard and reprogram it under the desired serial number

For V7, there is a bit of documentation we have to do first.

• Write a note on the old MB with the observed issue before putting to the side. Include the S/N of the replacement MB
• Record the new S/N in all documentation, as it will change to the new number from this point forward
• In Admin Center, unassign the new S/N from Idrive Monitoring Systems - RMA Materials
• Find the old S/N and go to the RMA button
• Leave a note including the new S/N under the tag “Defect”
• Hit the “Replace Device” button and find the new S/N. Accept.
• Assign the old S/N to Idrive Monitoring Systems – Dead or Retired Devices
• Uncheck the dead S/N's final box
• Find the new S/N again and leave an RMA note under the tag “In Factory – Repaired” and include the replaced MB serial
• Run the new MB through Auto Install using the new S/N

Remote Panic Component:

This repair should be made on ALL applicable boards that come in for RMA.

• Verify power to the camera is OFF.
• With precision shears, locate the component and clip the 8 pins that secure it to the board.
  • Be careful not to touch surrounding components
• Clip off any excess solder or metal.
• Retest the camera
  • If removing this component solved an issue, charge for a MB. Otherwise, cite nothing.

Lenses:

Most of the time, a lens that is out of focus can be screwed in or out back into focus. Once in focus, superglue the lens in place.

If the lens is broken, out of focus, etc. and is stuck glued into the bracket, then you must remove the whole lens bracket from the motherboard.

• Find a suitable screwdriver (the screws are either small phillips or torx)
• Remove the screws on the opposite side of the board that hold the black plastic lens bracket in place.
• Replace with a new lens and bracket found on the shelf above the RMA desk

Documentation:

There are three places that you need to log the information from an RMA.

Shipping form:

Download “New RMA Shipping Form” here. Use this as your template.

• Fill in the necessary information specific for the customer
• Enter the S/N's of the cameras in the RMA in the designated fields
• Select repairs from the drop down lists in each section of the table
• See the Policies section for information on Pricing and Not Repairable Diagnosis

Special Cases:

• X1P MB replacements
  • include a note in the Repair Needed field that says "S/N Changed to <New S/N>"
  • Highlight it in black, and change the text color to white
• Not Repairable cameras
  • Select "Not Repairable (see comment below)" for the Repair Needed field
  • Find the comments box at the bottom and select the second option from the drop-down list
    • "One or more of your Device(s) has been diagnosed to be Not Repairable..."

RMA Log:

On the network at \\IDR1\Users\Idrive_support\Support you will find a file called “RMA Log”.

Fill in the spreadsheet for the specific RMA in three parts:

1. When the RMA is issued via email, add the device S/N’s, RMA #, date, customer name, reported issues, and any special conditions to the RMA Log spreadsheet
2. When the RMA is received, enter the date in the Received Date field
3. After the RMA is performed, fill in the remaining information

Admin Center:

Look up each device in the RMA in the Admin Center. For each:

• Click the RMA button
• Change the RMA status to “In Factory – Repaired”
  • Add a comment that outlines repairs made
• Save

If the device is Not Repairable:

• Change RMA status to “In Factory – Not Repaired”
• Add a comment “Not Repairable from <customer>”
• Save

Policies:

Pricing:

A downloadable spreadsheet of these costs is available here.

In Warranty

Part	Price
Wifi	$0.00
Wifi Components	$0.00
Motherboard (often Customer-Specific)	$0.00 (V7)/$250.00 (V5)
GPS	$0.00
Plastics	$0.00
SD Card	$0.00
Lens Repair	$0.00
No Issue	$50.00

In Warranty, Damaged cameras do not lose their warranty. In the event that they are returned again, honor the warranty.

In Warranty, Damaged

Part	Price
MINIMUM CHARGE (If repair cost < this, charge this. Else, charge the repair cost.)	$50.00
Wifi	$45.00
Wifi Components (Cable/Antenna)	$25.00
Motherboard (often Customer-Specific)	$250.00
GPS	$100.00
Plastics	$25.00
SD Card	$45.00
Lens Repair	$50.00
No Issue	$50.00

Out of Warranty

Part	Price
MINIMUM CHARGE (If repair cost < this, charge this. Else, charge the repair cost.)	$150.00
Wifi	$45.00
Wifi Components (Cable/Antenna)	$25.00
Motherboard (often Customer-Specific)	$250.00
GPS	$100.00
Plastics	$25.00
SD Card	$45.00
Lens Repair	$50.00
No Issue	$150.00

Packaging:

Proper packaging is vital to the safety of cameras due to the rough way packages are typically handled.

After processing an RMA...

• Place each camera into a ziplock bag (We have special red ones that perfect size)
  • Note: X1P's without mounting brackets can fit horizontally
• Place each bagged camera into a bubble wrap bag (Again, special red ones)
  • Note: X1P's without mounting brackets can fit horizontally
• We have white boxes in the back specifically for X1's
• Distribute 3 cameras per box (or 4 horizontally wrapped X1P's)
• On right side of the box, write some RMA information
  • (Top Left) RMA #(s)
  • (Center) Customer Name and Location

We expect customers to provide the same level of safe packaging, so badly packaged RMA's are subject to becoming In Warranty, Damaged.

Not Repairable Diagnosis:

When a camera is marked "Not Repairable," we salvage it for parts and provide a discount to the customer to buy a new camera as a replacement.

There are a few ways in which a camera can be diagnosed as Not Repairable.

• The camera was returned severely damaged
• The case was opened
• The camera was shipped as new three years ago or longer
• Three different repairs (exclusively including a MB) were needed on the camera
• The cost of repair was over $300

Customer-Specific:

Clark Pest Control:

• No charge for In Warranty V5 MB's through the end of 2014
• All RMA's are sent back to Corporate--Clark Pest Control, 555 N Guild Ave., Lodi, CA 95240
  • For this reason, multiple RMA's from different locations can all be shipped at once
    • Billing prefers for shipping forms that include multiple RMA's be separated in some way

Storer Bus:

• Contact Sean before doing just about anything with Storer
• All nonzero MB charges are $100.00

SSA Marine/Rail Management:

• SSA did a number of location refurbishes, and have salvaged RMA parts in-shop to be used exclusively for their cameras
  • If you replace a part on a camera from SSA, use one of these parts as a replacement, if possible.
  • Do not charge for the use of these parts