Angiography and C-arm Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding
From the error log to the failed module: generator, tube, image chain, detector, motion and workstation
Part of the program: Angiography and C-arm Service Engineer — program (8 h) →
Level 1 taught you to keep a C-arm or an angiography room safe, maintained and measured. Level 2 starts when it fails anyway, usually with a patient on the table. This course teaches the engineer to read the logs of mobile C-arms and fixed angiography systems for the first and causal event, to isolate the fault between the stand and the workstation, the generator and the tube, the image chain and the detector, the motion system and the software, and to follow it to the module that has really failed. Then it shows how to return the system to clinical use with the tests, dose checks, safety tests and written records that prove the repair.
The fluoroscopy stopped mid-procedure. The log said 'small focus changed to large'.
- Tubes, cables and generator modules are replaced in turn because the error mentioned kV or mA, while the cause was an inverter, a battery pack or a supply board that nobody isolated first.
- An angiography stand that makes an extra movement or a table that stops at certain angles is 'fixed' with a restart, because nobody compared the position sensors with the real position or looked at the warnings, not only the errors.
- After a repair on a C-arm the system goes back to theatre without a dose rate check, a collision and brake test or an electrical safety test, and nobody can later show what was measured and who decided it was fit for use.
After the course you can
Curriculum
Read the logs of a mobile C-arm or a fixed angiography system for the first and causal event, isolate the fault to a subsystem with the cheapest safe test, stay inside your authorised level, and protect yourself and others when a test needs radiation.free
22 min02Generator and high voltage: inverter, kV and mA control, monoblock and tank faults, filament, HV cables and arcing
Follow a kV, mA, arc, filament or power fault on a mobile C-arm or a fixed angiography generator to the supply, the energy store, the inverter, the monoblock or tank, the cable or the control, using only the manufacturer's measurement methods.24 min03The X-ray tube and heat: rotating anodes on fixed systems, monoblock tubes on C-arms, cooling, focal spots, seasoning and tube life
Tell a real heat problem from a cooling or sensor fault, diagnose rotor, bearing and focal spot faults on angiography and C-arm tubes, and plan seasoning or replacement only by the manufacturer's procedure.23 min04The image chain: image intensifier and camera versus flat detector, dose rate control, image faults and calibrations
Locate a no-image or poor-image fault on a C-arm or angiography system to the intensifier, camera, flat detector, acquisition, processing or display, prove that dose rate control works, and know which calibrations follow a repair.24 min05Fixed angiography specifics: DSA, stand and table motion, collision protection, foot switches, consoles and the injector interface
Separate system faults from user or patient causes in DSA, trace wrong or blocked movements of the stand and table to position sensing, drives or control, keep collision protection and radiation controls working, and fault-find the injector interface without crossing into the injector's own service.24 min06Mechanics, motion and brakes on mobile C-arms: wheels, locks, brakes, counterbalance, cables in the arm, collision and pinch hazards
Find why a mobile C-arm rolls, drifts, swings or binds, repair wheels, brakes, locks, balance and cabling by the manufacturer's procedure, and prove before release that it holds, moves and stops safely.22 min07Workstation, monitors, recording and networks: image storage, DICOM export, displays, power-up faults and UPS
Fault-find the computer side of a C-arm or angiography system: boot and power-up faults, UPS, image storage and database, DICOM export and media, and the display chain, without losing patient data.23 min08Complex cases and return to service: acceptance and constancy tests, dose checks, electrical safety, records and who decides fitness for use
Untangle faults with several causes, know when to stop and escalate, and return a C-arm or angiography system to clinical use with the right tests, dose checks, electrical safety tests and a record that leaves the decision on use with the people responsible for it.24 min—Exam
25 · 40 min · 75 %
The certificate
Pass the exam and get a certificate of course completion with your name, hours and score. Every certificate has a unique number and a public verification page, so an employer or a customer can check it in one click. It confirms completion of the course; it is not an educational document (diploma) and not a manufacturer authorisation.
Who it is for
Who it is for
- Engineers who have completed Angiography and C-arm Service — Level 1 or have equivalent experience
- Field engineers in independent service companies who look after mobile C-arms and angiography rooms
- Hospital biomedical / clinical engineering teams that diagnose and repair C-arms and interventional X-ray systems in-house
Who teaches
Written by a service engineer working with medical equipment since 2014, including 6.5 years at GE Healthcare and service supervision at Mindray, together with the engineers of Service Engineer.
FAQ
Is this manufacturer training?
No. It is independent, vendor-neutral training. It does not replace the manufacturer's service procedures, does not grant authorisation or access to service software, passwords, keys or licences, and every repair must still be followed by the calibrations and checks the manufacturer and national rules require.
Do I need Level 1 first?
Angiography and C-arm Service — Level 1 is the prerequisite: the system architecture, radiation and mechanical safety, the imaging chain, planned maintenance and basic fault-finding are assumed here. X-ray Service — Level 2 is strongly recommended, because its generator, tube and fluoroscopy lessons are the base for lessons 2 to 4. The Digital X-ray Detectors and Electrical Safety courses are referred to in lessons 4 and 8.
Does it teach board-level repair?
It teaches fault-finding to the subsystem and the replaceable module. Some field cases end in a component repair; that is workshop work and belongs to the Electronics and Power Supplies course.
Will I make exposures during the course?
The course explains which tests need radiation, how to keep them short, without a patient and inside the local radiation rules, and why tests on energised high-voltage parts belong only to trained, authorised personnel following the manufacturer's documentation. It never asks you to bypass interlocks, keys, licences or protection.
What does the certificate say?
Your name, the course, the hours, the date and your exam score, with a unique number and a public verification page.
Can my company buy seats for a team?
Yes: five seats and a progress overview for the manager.
Languages?
English and Russian.