| Time for Stentura Care and Maintenance | ||
| By Michael Bazzoni, Technical Support Advisor & Webmaster | ||
| Winter 2002 (12/01) | ||
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With the start of a new year, it is the perfect time to think about maintaining your Stentura so that it continues to provide you with top performance. Here are steps you should take to ensure Stentura stamina: Make it Shine…General Cleaning Stenograph recommends that you clean your platen at least once a month, using a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol. It is also important to keep the shell and keyboard clean, using a mild soap. Spraying or pouring liquid cleaners on the Stentura will damage the electronic components. Storage Be careful not to store your Stentura where it will be exposed to extreme temperatures (hot or cold), such as a car. If your Stentura does get exposed to an extreme temper-ature, let it sit at room temperature for at least one half (1/2) hour before using it. This will minimize any negative effects. Also, be careful to keep small objects like paper clips stored separately when using the travel case. Small items can get stuck in the diskette drive or even short out the PC board. Remember to never transport your writer with a diskette in the drive, as this may damage the drive as well. Lubrication Proper lubrication is the secret to keeping the Stentura working at peak performance and eliminating bothersome noise. We generally recommend lubricating the Stentura as needed, depending on your usage level. At a minimum, we recommend that you lubricate your writer once every three months. The areas in need of the most frequent lubrication are the platen shaft, platen bearings, paper feed roller, electric platen advance gear, and the ribbon advance shaft. A kit, containing all necessary supplies and lubrication instructions, may be purchased from Stenograph by calling your Supplies Representative at 1-800-228-2339 and requesting product #33340 or by visiting Stenograph Shopping Online. Batteries We recommend cycle charging your battery at least once a month. A cycle charge is defined as a full discharge and then recharge of the battery. Typically a battery will last for about a year. If you continue to use a battery after a year, you should expect to experience unpredictable power production. You will also notice that a cycle charge takes less time as the battery gets older. If a cycle charge takes less than 2 hours, we recommend that you perform a second cycle charge to ensure the battery is charged properly. If you attempt to cycle charge Stentura batteries and nothing happens, you may receive a menu readout: BATTERY and MODEM. This is normal. To get to the charging message, press MORE. After a few seconds, you will get the message “cycle charging battery, unit will remain on.” Extreme temperatures (hot or cold) also can affect your batteries. For that reason, be careful not to leave extra batteries in your car for extended periods of time or leave a spare battery stored for an extended time without charging it. However, if you find a battery that has been stored for an extended time, we recommend performing a cycle charge on that battery. It is important to remember that both your regular use battery and extra battery need to be charged on a similar schedule. Sometimes batteries may need several repeated cycle charges to get them back to normal operational capacities. And, remember that a cycle charge does not mean just pressing the cycle button on your writer or performing a QuickCharge. Stenograph recommends using the QuickCharge™ to maintain a scheduled charging routine for your regular use battery and extra battery. Quick-Charge charges the batteries in less than half the time the Stentura takes. You may purchase a QuickCharge from Stenograph by calling your Supplies Representative at 1-800-228-2339 and asking for product #33190 or by visiting Stenograph Shopping Online. Static Build-Up During the warm summer and cold winter months, dry atmospheric conditions and carpeting can promote static build-up. Static can cause stacking of paper notes and billowing of paper out of the tray. Lightly spraying your paper tray with Static Guard®, fanning your paper before use and the avoidance of carpeted areas where possible can alleviate static build-up. Static Guard can be found at most stores. Annual Maintenance Your writer is an investment. By following the care and maintenance steps, you can protect your investment now and in years to come. Your Stentura needs cleaning, lubricating, and routine servicing by a trained service technician every one to two years. Most reporters have their machines serviced annually. Remember to allow only Stenograph Service Technicians or one of our Authorized Service Providers to service your writer. If you have any questions, our Technical Support Department is at your service by calling 800-323-4247. |
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