Siemens ACUSON Antares: boot loop right after power-on
What happened
The system powers on, the SIEMENS logo appears, sometimes followed by the ANTARES welcome screen, then the machine restarts in a loop and never finishes booting.
What was checked
- The original system drive was imaged and the disk itself checked for integrity — it passed.
- Supply voltages were measured on the power and I/O boards at the test points described in the service documentation — all within spec.
- The system image was deployed onto another drive — the boot loop stayed the same, so the storage was ruled out.
- All probes were disconnected to exclude a frontend trigger — no change.
- A hands-on inspection of the RM module boards revealed bulged capacitors on the video card.
Cause
In this case the restart loop was traced to a failed solder connection under the video card chip on the RM module; bulged capacitors were also found on the same board.
What was done
The RM module video card was repaired at board level — the chip's solder joints were restored and the faulty capacitors replaced — after which the machine booted normally again.
Safety
Isolate the system from the mains and let the capacitors discharge before working on the boards, and after any internal repair run the full electrical safety test (protective earth and leakage currents) before the machine returns to clinical use.
Lesson: A boot loop is not always a software or drive problem — when storage and power rails test clean, give the video chain a hands-on visual inspection.
Covered in the course: Ultrasound Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding →
Written from an anonymised case shared by service engineers. It is not a manufacturer instruction and grants no authorisation. Independent note; names are trademarks of their owners.