Troubleshooting a TimeTablet fault

Last updated - Jun 23, 2023 at 1:20PM

Here are some common faults and issues encountered with TimeDock devices, and how to troubleshoot them.

Cards or Key Fobs won't scan

Tapping them to the reader does nothing at all.

Check the following:

  1. Airplane mode hasn't been enabled.
    Click here to watch a troubleshooting video.

  2. The cards or key fobs are not damaged in any way (e.g. hole-punched).

  3. There are no electric or magnetic fields close to the machine (e.g. welding equipment nearby, or coiled power cabled behind the reader).

  4. Try restarting the machine.

If other cards or key fobs still work, then there may be an issue with the one that isn't working. Otherwise, there could be a problem with the reader itself.

Tapping them to the reader says "Employee not found".

This usually means that the machine has forgotten the employee, or someone is attempting to use a card or key fob registered to another TimeDock account.

Check the following:

  1. That the employee has not been deleted from your TimeDock dashboard.

  2. The time/date on the machine is accurate (including the system date/time from the device's system settings).

  3. The "Last synced" message along the top of the screen indicates that the device is up to date.

Device won't start

It gets to the startup logo or icon, but it doesn't go any further.

If your device is stuck on one of the loading or startup screens, then a problem could have occurred while the main application was starting.

While this is not a common experience, it doesn't necessarily indicate an alarming fault. It could be caused by something transient, such as magnetic interference from a coiled cable next to the reader during the startup phase.

Try the following steps to resolve the issue:

  1. Unplug the device from the power source.

  2. Unplug the power cable from the power adapter (rectangular box).

  3. Plug the device and power cable back in, ensuring all connections are firmly seated.

  4. Hold the power button down for up to 30 seconds, until the device turns off. Important: Short-pressing the power button will simply turn the screen off, not the device.

  5. Wait 10 seconds.

  6. Hold the power button down until the device starts.

It won't turn on at all.

If your device won't start at all, there may be an issue with one of the power connectors or the power supply itself.

Try the following steps to resolve the issue:

  1. Unplug the device from the power source.

  2. Unplug the power cable from the power adapter (rectangular box).

  3. Plug the device and power cable back in, ensuring all cable connections are firmly seated.

  4. If you have another TimeDock machine nearby, try swapping the power supply to see if the other one works on the machine that won't start.

  5. Press and hold the power button for up to 30 seconds or until you see the TimeDock logo appear on screen.

Static Charge Build-Up

A static charge could have built up inside the device, causing it to malfunction. Plugging it into USB, or using an earthed power adapter, can help discharge the static and allow it to start normally.

It's stuck on a menu screen with Chinese or Asian text.

You may have accidentally booted into an engineering mode. Long-press the power button for up to 30 seconds, until the device turns off, then start it again.

The device has no internet connection

Symptoms:

  1. The device's screen has turned grey, instead of blue.

  2. The "Last synced" message along the top indicates that the last sync was quite some time ago.

  3. People are clocking in or out, but the entries aren't coming through in our TimeDock dashboard.

  4. The TimeTablet dashboard has alerted me that the device is offline.

Remedy:

Refer to Troubleshoot TimeDock machine/hardware sync issues for steps to remedy a hardware connection or syncronisation issue.

Frequently asked questions about Hardware Faults

Can we drill or punch a hole in the corner of the cards for a key ring?

Putting a hole in the cards could damange the internal NFC antenna, or the embedded NFC data chip. To avoid this, hold a torch behind the card to see where the internal wires and chip of the inlay are, and avoid drilling or hole-punching these areas. To avoid damaging the swipe cards, we recommend not hole-punching or modifying them in any way.