If your question is not answered here and you would like more assistance please look at our website help page, where we will be frequently updating any technical issues. You can find this under the Pulsar Plus help section at:
http://www.crucible-technologies.co.uk/support/callrecorder.aspx
If this still does not answer your query please contact us via our website enquiry page or alternatively email:
info@crucible-technologies.co.uk
CONTENTS
1 -Installation Problems
1.1 - Software Install error messages
1.2 - Pulsar can’t detect the hardware
1.3 - Re-Installation Problems2 - Auto Recording Problems
2.1 - Auto-recording does not start automatically
2.2 - Only records 1 side of the conversation
2.3 - Recordings sound very quiet
2.4 - Files recorded in segments
2.5 - Half way through a call it asks me to save the recording3 - Manual Recording Problems
3.1 - No sound on playback of recording
3.2 - Only records 1 side of the conversation
3.3 - Recordings sound very quiet4 - Recording Quality Problems
4.1 - Buzzing / crackling noise problems
4.2 - File sizes are too large5 - Other Troubleshooting Problems
5.1 - Can’t find saved wav files
5.2 - Don’t want the Pulsar software to start when windows starts
5.3 - I can hear my voice coming out of my speakers
5.4 - I have lost my CD or USB/Serial Drivers
5.5 - I need to backup my recorded files
Permissions error on install of the Pulsar Plus software
§ If you get a permissions error on install of the software then you need to make sure that you log into your pc on an administrator account (also if you are on a business network you must be logged in locally), to make sure that you have full admin permissions for the install.
§ If you get the above message on running the Pulsar Plus software then either you have not connected the hardware correctly to computer or the USB to Serial Drivers are not installed. Please see pages 6-11 for info on the correct hardware install methods and pages 12-15 for info on installing the USB to Serial Adaptor driver.
Permissions error on reinstall of the Pulsar Plus software
§ If you try and uninstall the Pulsar Plus software whilst it is running it may not uninstall correctly and therefore on reinstall it may give permissions error.
§ You must “abort” the install process and follow the steps below to correctly uninstall the rest of the Pulsar Plus software.
To close and uninstall the rest of the Pulsar Plus software -
§ Go to task manager (Ctrl, Shift, Esc) and under “Processes” find “PulsarPlus.exe”. - Highlight it and then press “End Task” to shut down the Pulsar Plus software.
§ Now you may have to go to the location of the Pulsar Plus folder through “My Computer” (default C:/Program Files/Pulsar Plus) and delete the “Pulsar.exe” file.
§ Now try to install the software again.
If there is no sound on playback of recordings then please follow these steps.
Please note that if you have changed the “Recording Level Settings” then you will need to restart the Pulsar Plus software for them to take effect.
§ Check Your Speakers - Try and play the “Speaker Check.wav” audio file on the Pulsar Plus CD. If this plays through your speakers then they are working correctly. If not then make sure your speakers are plugged into the correct socket on your computers soundcard (usually green) and that the volume is turned up on the speakers themselves and the volume control icon in the system tray.
§ Check the Microphone Connection – Make sure that the 3.5mm mic lead that you have connected to the Pulsar Plus (the same lead splits to the serial/USB adaptor) is connected to your microphone socket on your computer. See page 7 for a diagram on plugging this in.
§ Do You Have 2 Microphone Sockets (2 Sound Cards)? - You may have a microphone socket on the front AND back of your computer. If this is true try plugging the 3.5 mm mic lead into the other microphone socket and recording a conversation again.
§ Try a Manual Record and Check Your Soundcard– Try a manual record (Page 24) and then playback the recorded file (Page 26). If this works then make sure you have followed the previous points here. If it does not work then and you have followed the previous point here then your soundcard may need to be configured again. See pages 17-20 on configuring your soundcard.
§ Flip the “1-2” Switch - This is on the side of the Pulsar Plus hardware box and you may need a pen or paper clip to move it. Once you have moved the switch to the other position try another recording and see if this gives both sides of the conversation at the same level on playback.
§ Turn the Mic Volume Up – The microphone volume on your volume control may need to be turned up. See Pages 17-20 on how to access the microphone volume level setting and make sure that it is set at a high level. Also you could try and turn the mic boost on (or up to ½ way if using Vista) see if this improves the recordings.
§ Turn the Mic Volume Up – The microphone volume on your volume control may need to be turned up. See Pages 17-20 on how to access the microphone volume level setting and make sure that it is set at a high level. Also you could try and turn the mic boost on (or up to ½ way if using Vista) see if this improves the recordings.
§ Check Your Speaker Volume - Try and play the “Speaker Check.wav” audio file on the Pulsar Plus CD. If this plays through your speakers at a loud level then they are working correctly. If not then make sure your volume is turned up on the speakers themselves and the volume control icon in the system tray.
If there has been a long pause in the conversation and the Pulsar software thinks you have finished the call then it will stop recording and save the file.
Then when you start talking again it will start a new recording.
There are 2 solutions to this problem:
§ You can increase the “Delay before recording stops (Secs)” in the Recording Level Settings menu (See Page 23) which will give you more time before the recording will auto-stop (warning– if you hang up and start a new conversation within the time you have set then you could have multiple conversations recorded on 1 file).
§ You can have the “Prompt before saving” checkbox checked and if this problem happens you can select “Continue” on the pop up (See page 25 for details).
§ This is due to the “Prompt before saving” checkbox being checked and the “Delay before recording stops (Secs)” being set to short. If you don’t want to have the “Prompt before saving” to appear then simply un-check the check box on the main Pulsar screen (See page 22).
If you do want the “Prompt before saving“then you must can click the “Continue” button to carry on recording on the same file (see page 25) and increase the “Delay before recording stops (Secs)” in the Recording Level Settings menu (See Page 23).
If there is no sound on playback of manual recordings then please follow these steps:
§ Check Your Speakers - Try and play the “Speaker Check.wav” audio file on the Pulsar Plus CD. If this plays through your speakers then they are working correctly. If not then make sure your speakers are plugged into the correct socket on your computers soundcard (usually green) and that the volume is turned up on the speakers themselves and the volume control icon in the system tray.
§ Check the Microphone Connection – Make sure that the 3.5mm mic lead that you have connected to the Pulsar Plus (the same lead splits to the serial/USB adaptor) is connected to your microphone socket on your computer. See page 7 for a diagram on plugging this in.
§ Do You Have 2 Microphone Sockets (2 Sound Cards)? - You may have a microphone socket on the front AND back of your computer. If this is true try plugging the 3.5 mm mic lead into the other microphone socket and recording a conversation again.
§ Try a Manual Record and Check Your Soundcard– Try a manual record (Page 24) and then playback the recorded file (Page 26). If it does not work then (and you have followed these previous points) then your soundcard may need to be configured again. See pages 17-20 on configuring your soundcard.
§ Flip the “1-2” Switch - This is on the side of the Pulsar Plus hardware box and you may need a pen or paper clip to move it. Once you have moved the switch to the other position try another recording and see if this gives both sides of the conversation at the same level on playback.
§ Turn the Mic Volume Up – The microphone volume on your volume control may need to be turned up. See Pages 17-20 on how to access the microphone volume level setting and make sure that it is set at a high level. Also you could try and turn the mic boost on (or up to ½ way if using Vista) see if this improves the recordings.
§ Turn the Mic Volume Up – The microphone volume on your volume control may need to be turned up. See Pages 17-20 on how to access the microphone volume level setting and make sure that it is set at a high level. Also you could try and turn the mic boost on (or up to ½ way if using Vista) see if this improves the recordings.
§ Check Your Speaker Volume - Try and play the “Speaker Check.wav” audio file on the Pulsar Plus CD. If this plays through your speakers at a loud level then they are working correctly. If not then make sure your volume is turned up on the speakers themselves and the volume control icon in the system tray.
There can be 3 reasons for bad quality recordings. Please change each of these in order so that you can get the best quality recording you can:
§ Cordless Phones Cause Interference – If you have a cordless phone (wireless) within 2 meters of the Pulsar Plus hardware box then this can interfere with the unit and give bad static on the recordings. Please make sure that if you have a cordless telephone that it is positioned at least 1.5 meters away from the Pulsar hardware.
§ Mic Boost – Do you have the “Mic Boost” on or turned up? This can cause bad quality recordings as it overloads the microphone. Please see pages 17-20 on how to turn off the mic boost.
§ Low Quality Codec – If you have used a very high compression codec that keeps the file sizes small it could reduce the quality of recordings to a point where they sound distorted. Please see page 29 on how to change the recording quality level to a higher quality codec.
§ High Quality Codec – If you have used a very low compression codec (e.g. CD Quality) then the file sizes might be very large so as to give the best quality recordings. Please see page 29 on how to change the recording quality level to a lower quality codec (we recommend “Radio Quality” but please try “Telephone Quality” and if you find the quality is acceptable then use it as it will save on disk space.
§ The default directory for saving the recorded files (in wav format) is:
“C:/Program Files/Pulsar Plus”
If you have changed this then you can find the changed directory under the “Advanced” menu (See page 27).
§ You can always do a search using the Windows search feature (“Ctrl + F” from your desktop) for wav on all drives to see if it can find the recorded files (if Vista remembering to select “Non-indexed locations”).
§ This is an option that can only be set on install of the Pulsar Plus software (Note. We do not advise editing the system registry to change the Pulsar entry)
§ If you want to change it so that the software starts or doesn’t start when Windows starts then you will have to uninstall the software and re-install it making sure you select the checkbox option (see page 16).
§ The “Playback” Microphone volume needs to be muted (Note. The playback volume NOT the recording volume).
§ Double click on the Volume Control loudspeaker symbol in the system tray, which is normally on the bottom right of the screen. On the Volume Control menu, the Microphone input needs to be muted. Normally, you just need to click on the Mute box underneath the Microphone input option. On some computers, only Select options are presented, in which case you will need to select everything except the Microphone input.
§ You can download any USB/Serial adaptor drivers and the Pulsar Plus software from our website.
§ To get an updated version of the Pulsar Plus software use our enquiries page at:
http://www.crucible-technologies.co.uk/AskUsAQuestion.aspx
You must select the option for “Pulsar Plus software update request” and include the serial number of your Pulsar Plus (you can find this on the base of your Pulsar unit).
§ To get the USB to Serial adaptor drivers you can find them on our site:
http://www.crucible-technologies.co.uk
under the “Help” menu tab, “Product Support”, “Pulsar Plus” section.
1 - First you will need to locate the saved recordings - see page 38
2 - Once found you have several options to backup up the files. Some suggestions are listed below:
§ Burn the files to CD / DVD
§ Copy the files to a portable hard-drive
§ Copy the files to another computer / laptop
§ If in a business network (and if you have the permission of your network administrator) you could copy the files to a shared network drive.
NOTE - Please do not contact Crucible-Technologies on support for how to burn CD's / DVD's, etc. You must contact your relevant PC support company. Alternatively you may find info pages at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.aspx
AFTER SALES SERVICE
At Crucible Technologies we pride ourselves in providing excellent technical support. Having supplied CTI products for more than 15 years, we know this makes us stand out from other suppliers.
Due to the increasing amount of our products in the market and the number of support issues that relate to people changing and upgrading computers rather than encountering difficulties with our products, we have the following support policy:
“We will provide unlimited telephone support for 30 days following purchase of the product. Following this period, we will provide unlimited e-mail support for the life of the product. This will allow us to keep the cost of the product competitive.”
When contacting us for support, please have the following information to hand (or include in e-mail):
§ Serial number of unit (usually on base of product)
§ Software version
§ Where purchased from? (ie directly from us or a reseller)
§ Windows Operating System (Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, etc)
§ Your contact details including tel, fax and e-mail address
§ Description of the problem
GUARANTEE
Your Crucible Technologies product is guaranteed for 1 year from the date of purchase. Please keep your invoice as proof of purchase. Should a problem arise with the product, please contact: info@crucible-technologies.co.uk for technical assistance. If you wish to return your product please contact us on: 01904 792211 and instructions for returning the product will be given. If you send any items back to us without arranging a returns number then we do not guarantee any repair or refund of the item. This guarantee does not affect your statutory rights.