Body
Environment
Student Life, ResLife, Housing, Union, League
Issue
Overview of common classroom hardware issues and how to troubleshoot them.
Resolution
Context
There are multiple types of AV technology used in classrooms and multipurpose rooms (MPRs) throughout campus. For spaces located in residence halls managed by Student Life, certain AV hardware is managed and supported by LSA IT (Mosher-Jordan and Trotter) while SLTS handles others. This KB reflects the portion of classroom support managed by SLTS. If a piece of equipment is not mentioned here, it is likely managed by LSA IT and should be routed accordingly.
Note: for users who need help or assistance with learning how to use the technology in a given Student Life educational space, we recommend watching the relevant tutorial videos located here.
Equipment
The most common devices present in all educational spaces managed by SLTS include the following:
User-facing devices, readily accessed within the physical room:
- Crestron Room Scheduler (directly adjacent to the room’s entry/exit door).
- Crestron Control Panel (usually a touch screen; comes in 4-inch, 7-inch, and 10-inch models)
- Crestron Wall Input Panel (for a user's device)
- Projector
- Projector Screen
- Microphones (lapel or handheld, only for the bigger rooms, mostly MPRs)
- BluRay/DVD Player
- TVs
- Built-in computer (not common)
Additionally, there are user-hidden devices that allow the AV technology of a given room to function. These are typically located in an equipment closet on a dedicated AV stack and include:
- Control processor
- Digital TV receiver
- Input/Output switch
- Microphone receiver
- Power amplifier
- Power sequencer
Common Issues
In general, initial troubleshooting of SL AV equipment should always include the following steps:
- Power Cycle: Turn off the device, wait for 30 seconds, and turn it back on.
- Check Connections: Ensure all cable connections are secure.
- Network Connectivity Check: Verify that the device is connected to the network.
If the above steps fail to resolve an issue, follow-up information will need to be gathered before routing to SLTS. As each AV device has different considerations, the following list breaks down the most common device issues by technology type and its related intake questions.
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Crestron Control Panels
-
Room Schedulers
-
Projectors
-
TVs
- Audio Systems
-
Microphone
Escalation Process
If an issue cannot be resolved through the initial troubleshooting steps, a ticket should be generated and routed to the SLTS Operations team. When doing so, the following information must be included in the ticket:
- Customer name and contact details
- Description of the issue and a list of troubleshooting steps already taken
- Description of the problem device (control panel, projector, etc)
- Asset tag, if any (usually a 4-digit numerical code)
- Building and Room number (use GIS, if needed)
- List of any error messages or codes displayed by the problem device
Additional Information
For immediate assistance for LSA classrooms, please contact LSA Technology Services at 734-615-0100 (prompt 1) or email LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu.
SLTS does not provide in-person training or event support for the above-mentioned equipment. Users of the space are encouraged to view the SLTS-created tutorial videos on our MiVideo website (here). Additional classroom support and training resources, including in-person scheduling, can be found on LSA Technology Services' website (here). However, if in-person services are required, ITS Event Services (here) and LSA TS (here) do provide these (sometimes for a fee).