Encore Pro download frequency

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:58 am

Regie,

I don't know the exact details but there is a time lag before the data shows up. I generally wait at least an hour after I get up before I try to download. I've also heard something about the machine being on a noon-to-noon cycle but am not clear on the exact effects.

In any case, just don't try to download right after you get up. Most of the time I wait until I get home in the evening.

Mindy

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:34 am

Mindy, i don't have any problems with reader getting stats right after i get up. i wanted to check this a.m. because of the polident strip experiment last night......

but i cannot figure how to upload and read the stats w/ the online utility w/ the encore 1.0

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:36 am

deerslayer,

Could you be a little more specific about what you are trying to do?

Mindy

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:05 am

Deerslayer,

You wrote "but i cannot figure how to upload and read the stats w/ the online utility w/ the encore 1.0". If I understand what you're asking:

As far as I am aware, the utilities at mycpap.org can save a binary copy of what's on the card and can also erase the card.

IMHO, in theory, you don't necessarily need those utilities - they do 2 things:
1. Save a copy of what's on the card in a binary file --- which you won't be able to read
2. Erase the card - normally not needed. If you erase the card and do not copy back the binary file, then your sleep doc will not be able to see your data unless you bring a report with tyou.

Sine people like to save the binary data files if you want to save the data that's on the card, erase the card and then copy the data back. That would only be useful, IMHO, in the event that you were troubleshooting a bad card or you were a programmer and wanted to figure out how to read and process the binary data. It could also be used as a backup medium but IMHO, there are easier ways to backup the data.

Since some of us think that the missing data may be some kind of firmware bug, if you download everyday and then erase the card every day you *might* avoid the bug. It certainly seems to reduce the frequency but we don't yet know for sure if it gets around the problem.

My personal preference is to download once a week (unless I've just changed settings) and not erase the card. Keeps it simple. However, I understand that others prefer to check every day and it *is* exactly that: personal preference.

Mindy

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:23 am

Hmm. That is odd. Whenever I get up during the night, turn the machine off, then back on, the full night's data is there when I download from the card the next morning. Maybe one of our knowledgeable experts will chime in here with a fix. I haven't heard of that issue before. I do know that you should see the full night's data, even though you turned the machine off for a few minutes during the night.

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:32 am

I download each morning right after I get up. I don't wait for anything except the computer to boot up. If I am missing something then I am not aware of it.

I think Regie is talking about the Missing Data Problem and posted in the wrong thread, I thought this was about frequency of downloads.

It seems things went down hill fast after that - when everyone was trying to figure out who, what, where, & when???

As for the noon-to-noon thing Mindy mentioned I believe that has to do with Encore not the machine but how Encore interprets a day. I have also heard about something people w/Resmeds had to wait until noon for but not sure what or why.

Back to the noon-to-noon thing as far as I know there are two ways to change it. When you create the patient or in Demographics. I don't have Encore open right now so I am not sure. I did change mine so it works like a normal day I have been used to for that last 50+ years.

HTH,
GumbyCT

ps. I did have the missing data thing in the middle of the nite before but I think that was a different thread, right?

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:53 pm

I should clarify .... what shows up on the LCD screen gets updated awhile later in the day. I think that ever since the missing data, I've purposely waited until the LCD is updated to download the Smartcard ... but that's probably spurious.

We have all been through so many scenarious in trying to debug the missing data problem that it's hard to keep straight sometimes (at least at my age it is!)

Mindy

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 1:03 pm

mindy wrote:deerslayer,

Could you be a little more specific about what you are trying to do?

Mindy

sorry, i had to work on some legal docs. anyway i meant the online tool kit utility where you upload card info(not that puter literate) it's no big deal like you said it's not necessary. it show the file is there,but i can't pull the file up to see whats stored....maybe you need the pro ver. of encore, i just have the basic ver

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:44 pm

EncorePro doesn't show you what's stored either! You'd need to be able to deal with binary files and would also need to know the data formats.

m

ICantGetNoSleep · Post by **ICantGetNoSleep** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:06 pm

I used to download my data once a week.... I sorta fell off the wagon have have not downloaded anything this year yet....

This thread gave me a kick in the rear.... Im going to download my data now.

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:51 pm

mindy wrote:I should clarify .... what shows up on the LCD screen gets updated awhile later in the day.

So now I'm wondering just how that affects the folks who turn their machines OFF? hmmm?

TossinNTurnin · Post by **TossinNTurnin** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:33 pm

Nodzy wrote:Michael,

It varies. Many download daily and closely monitor their stats. Some download once a week and closely monitor their stats. Others do it less frequently. The card is claimed to hold about six (6) months of data, and then FIFO... first in... first out -- oldest data day bumped to make room for the newest data day. Currently, my card contains cumulative data from 2007-09-28.

Be aware, as spoken about in many threads here, Encore Pro and Encore Viewer occasionally show a day or two of some level of "no therapy data" or "an incomplete array of therapy data" for a day or two. I have experienced the problem in several versions, as others have.

The problem appears to be firmware related, but could be a combination of things. Respironics has chosen to remain silent about the issue(s). Or, they deny a bug exists.

Many people download the data weekly (or more often) and erase the card to thwart the problem of a day or two of missing data every so often. To me, that is unacceptable, erasing the card after just a few days of data input onto it. It defeats the claimed purpose and parameters of the design of the data acquisition system on the machines.

Hint: Backup your card data by using a free app from http://mycpap.org called Card Utility. It's simple - saves the data to a .bin file you can rename - allows reformatting the card - and allows rewriting a saved .bin file of data back onto a card.

Good luck

Nodzy

I wish I had done this earlier. My husband used some sort of "clean up" program on my computer (without telling me). I wake up yesterday and there's only one day's worth of data on the card. Sure enough the "Keep Data on card after download" box was unchecked in the preferences.

So, I re-checked it... should be fine, right?

Guess what... only one night's worth of data again. (Even though the Keep Data on Card after download" remained checked off and I confirmed)

I had been downloading everyday saving to PDF... so I didn't lose all the data... but I had not discussed using Encore Pro with my Doctor yet..

Byt when I bring in the card, the data will not be there. So, I'm going to be forced to explain now. (unless I play dumb)

I've re-installed Encore Pro, and I'm hoping that'll fix the problem. We'll see tomorrow.

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:00 pm

TossinNTurnin wrote:So, I'm going to be forced to explain now. (unless I play dumb)

Play?

The fact is the hours used are still on the machine. My DME takes them off the machine, lucky me.

TossinNTurnin wrote:So, I re-checked it... should be fine, right?

Guess what... only one night's worth of data again. (Even though the Keep Data on Card after download" remained checked off and I confirmed)

Playin again?
I think you need to do this check before you download, right?

HTH,
GumbyCT

TossinNTurnin · Post by **TossinNTurnin** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:08 pm

GumbyCT wrote:Playin again?
I think you need to do this check before you download, right?

Yes, the check in the preferences is to make sure you are prompted as to whether you want to keep the data on the card or delete it. It the "default" is to keep the data on the card.

But, for some reason, when my husband used that disk clean up program, it must have cleaned something off the computer that "unchecked" that option, and as a result, the data on my card had been erased.

When I see my doctor and he downloads data from the card, he's going to expect to see data from 1/24/08. But now, the card only has info from 2/8/08.

It's no biggie. I can print out my info for him to see. But, quite frankly I wasn't planning on volunteering that I have been using Encore Pro.

It's just too bad I didn't start using that card utility program earlier.

TossinNTurnin · Post by **TossinNTurnin** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:16 pm

mindy wrote: Since some of us think that the missing data may be some kind of firmware bug, if you download everyday and then erase the card every day you *might* avoid the bug. It certainly seems to reduce the frequency but we don't yet know for sure if it gets around the problem.

But if you erase the card, how can the doctor use the card to check your numbers?

I mean, I know I can print out the info and bring it to him... but isn't part of the benefit of the card the ability to bring the data to your doctor so they can download the data to THEIR computers and keep track of your progress?

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: straight cpap 12.20 AHI avg.0.79