MRI Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding
From the error or artefact to the failed subsystem: magnet, gradients, RF, coils, cryogenics, computers
Part of the program: MRI Service Engineer — full program (16 h) →
Level 1 taught you to keep an MR scanner safe, cold and documented. Level 2 starts when it stops scanning or the radiologist rejects the images. This course teaches the engineer to read the error history before opening a cabinet, translate an artefact into the subsystem that made it, separate the scanner from the room it stands in, and prove the repair with the same test that found the fault - while leaving ramping, shimming and quench recovery to the specialists who own them.
The spike test passed. The spikes are still on the images.
- An MR fault is rarely where the error message points: a gradient error can come from a chiller valve, a spike from a lamp, a lost centre frequency from a misplaced shim plate.
- Boards, coils and amplifiers are replaced on suspicion because nobody moved the fault first or read the log in time order, and the expensive part comes back with no fault found.
- After a repair the scanner scans, so the phantom, the spike check and the cryogen trend are skipped; the intermittent fault returns next week with a patient on the table.
After the course you can
Curriculum
Take any MR fault from the first complaint to a named subsystem with a fixed method - error history in time order, subsystem map, test scans and phantoms, a written boundary of what you may change - while keeping yourself and others safe in a field that never switches off.free
22 min02Magnet and shimming: homogeneity, drift and the specialist tasks
Recognise a field homogeneity or drift problem from images, centre frequency and shim results, find the cheap causes first, and play the engineer's part around ramping and shimming without performing them.22 min03Cryogenics: finding where the heat comes from
Diagnose a rising cryostat pressure or falling helium level by following the heat balance - cold head, compressor, water, vacuum and outside heat sources - read boil-off and heater trends correctly, and keep the quench pipe and relief path fit for an emergency.22 min04Gradients: amplifiers, coils, cables and cooling
Locate a gradient fault to the amplifier, its supply, the filters and cables, the gradient coil or its cooling, using the error history, per-axis tests, permitted swaps and safe insulation measurements, and recognise the artefacts that point at the gradient chain.24 min05RF transmit: amplifier, SAR supervision and the RF room
Follow the transmit chain from the exciter to the body coil, read reflected-power, SAR and calibration errors correctly, use transmit calibration trends to locate losses, and judge the RF room and its interference sources without ever weakening patient protection.24 min06RF receive and coils: elements, preamplifiers, connectors and spikes
Locate a receive fault to the coil element, preamplifier, coil cable and connector, table socket, receiver or room by comparing elements and coils on a phantom, measure SNR repeatably, hunt spikes and zippers to their source, and take an unsafe coil out of use.24 min07Patient table, monitoring and peripherals
Fault-find the patient table's drives, sensors and cabling, verify its emergency functions after any repair, and treat patient monitors, injectors, intercom, alarm and cameras as MR Conditional equipment that can both fail and interfere with the images.23 min08Image quality and artefacts: from the picture to the subsystem
Separate artefacts of physics, patient and protocol from artefacts of a fault, and map SNR loss, non-uniformity, distortion, ghosting, spikes, zippers, susceptibility, chemical shift and wrap to the subsystem or setting most likely to be behind them.25 min09Computers and software: host, reconstruction, disks, network, licences
Locate faults in the host, reconstruction computer, disks, internal and hospital networks, restore software and configuration only by the manufacturer's procedure, repeat the calibrations a restore requires, and handle licences and system time without ever bypassing them.23 min10Complex cases and return to service
Run down intermittent and site-caused faults with a fault diary and controlled changes, separate the scanner from its chiller, power, climate and building, verify a major repair subsystem by subsystem, and hand the system back with a written statement of what is proven and what is not.25 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 MRI Service — Level 1 or have equivalent experience
- Field engineers in independent service companies responsible for MR scanners
- Hospital biomedical / clinical engineering teams that support MR 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, service software access, passwords or licences, and every repair must still be followed by the manufacturer's required tests and calibrations.
Do I need Level 1 first?
Level 1 is the prerequisite: magnet-zone safety, quench basics, cryogenic readings, the room walk, PM by checklist, weekly QC trends and documentation are assumed here and not repeated.
Will I learn to ramp or shim a magnet?
No. Ramping, shimming and quench recovery are specialist tasks done by trained, authorised people with the manufacturer's equipment. The course explains the principles and the field engineer's role before, during and after them.
Does it teach component-level board repair?
It teaches fault-finding to the module and the cable: amplifier, power supply, board, coil, connector, optical link. Component-level repair is covered in the Repair Fundamentals course on electronics and power supplies.
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.