Help Centre
Answers to 339 questions and our ten most common fixes, written by the Consort World support team and drawn from leading assistive technology organisations.
Start here before booking a repair
Most device issues have a simple fix.
The Black Screen of Death: Deep Battery Discharge State
What you see: After leaving his communication device in his backpack over a 3-day holiday weekend, David presses the power button, but the screen stays completely black. Plugging in the charger doesn't light up the charging LED right away, making his family fear the hardware is dead.
Usual cause: Assistive speech tablets enter a deep-discharge protection mode when the battery hits 0% to prevent cell corruption. The power controller refuses to power the screen until a safe baseline charge is achieved.
Fix: Leave the device plugged into its high-wattage OEM power adapter for at least 30 to 45 minutes before attempting to press power. Do not rely on low-power USB phone bricks.
The Infinite Logo Loop: OS Boot Corruption
What you see: When powered on, a Tobii Dynavox I-Series device shows the initial startup brand logo, fades to black, shows the logo again, and continuously restarts without ever reaching the Windows desktop or TD Snap.
Usual cause: Interrupting a critical system update during power-off, unexpected shutdown during database indexing, or a corrupted boot-sector file.
Fix: Perform a hardware-level hard reset or enter the system recovery menu (holding Volume Up + Power during boot) to run a System Restore or software repair image.
Thermal Lockdown: High-Temperature Power-Off
What you see: While riding in a school van on a hot afternoon, a speech tablet abruptly turns off. Repeated attempts to power it back on result in a brief battery/temp warning symbol before the device turns off instantly. This could also happen if the device is placed on a bed sheet or sofa covering the ventilation fan of the device.
Usual cause: Built-in thermal protection sensors shut down processing power to prevent permanent battery or CPU damage when temperatures exceed safe thresholds.
Fix: Move the device to a cool, shaded environment and allow the interior heat sink to cool down for 20 minutes. Do not plug in the charger while the chassis is hot, as charging generates additional thermal energy. Some devices allow you to select mounting settings choices (mounted vs. portable) which can signal the fan to work harder or slower.
The Sliding Mount: Loose Joints & Angle Displacement
What you see: Over a bumpy bus ride to work, a heavy speech tablet can slowly tilt forward until it’s facing the floor. The mounting arm keeps slipping down the wheelchair frame, leaving it out of range to reach or look at.
Usual cause: Vibrations loosen standard clamp joints (e.g., Rehadapt or Daessy mounts), or the mounting plate isn’t torqued to match the device weight.
Fix: Tighten clamping joints using the proper hex key, apply friction washers or non-slip liners to frame joints, and double-check weight-rating specs for heavy eye-gaze hardware.
The Disappearing Voice: Speech Engine & Audio Output Cutouts
What you see: In some cases, the AAC device users tap on their communication grid to speak, but no sound comes out. The screen registers the tap, but the voice synthesiser is silent. Is the speaker broken, or did the software lose its voice file?
Usual cause: Speech engines (such as Acapela or Apple TTS) can unload due to background updates, incorrect audio output routing, or volume overrides. Another possible cause could be a system sound being muted. Some systems offer hearing protection and could mute the sound until a box is ticked to accept the risk of loud audio.
Fix: Check if the device is muted or locked in Guided Access. Re-assign the primary voice engine in the app's speech settings (e.g., TD Snap or Grid 3) and verify system audio output pathways. Check the system sound if it is muted and unmute it.
The Silent Symbols: Maxed Memory Limits
What you see: If someone tries to record a fresh message for the afternoon activity on a QuickTalker 12, but when pressing the target cell, the record light turns orange or immediately beeps and exits record mode without capturing the voice.
Usual cause: AbleNet QuickTalker devices have fixed internal recording capacities (e.g., 6, 12, or 20 minutes across all levels depending on the model). Once the total available audio storage is maxed out, the device prevents new audio clips from being recorded.
Fix: Clear old or unused levels to free up memory. To erase a single level, select the level and hold the red Record button for 10 seconds until it beeps. To perform a full factory memory wipe, hold the Record button down continuously for 20 to 30 seconds.
The Dead Connection: Leaked Batteries & Corroded Contacts
What you see: After sitting in a school storage cupboard over the summer holidays, battery-operated AAC devices won't turn on despite having brand-new batteries installed. Opening the battery door reveals a crusty white powder coating the metal springs, preventing power from reaching the circuit board.
Usual cause: Alkaline batteries left inside unused devices over long periods vent hydrogen gas and leak potassium hydroxide, which corrodes and isolates the metal contact springs.
Fix: Put on protective gloves, remove the old batteries, and dab the corroded metal contacts using a cotton bud dipped in white vinegar or lemon juice to neutralise the alkaline crust. Scrub gently with a small brush, wipe clean with isopropyl alcohol, let it dry completely, and insert fresh regular AA alkaline batteries. In some cases where the corrosion is extensive, the metal could have been damaged and it requires replacement.
The Click That Disappeared: Switch Cable Strain & Failure
What you see: If hitting or touching an adaptive switch to activate a song or a toy, but nothing happens, it could create frustration for users. The switch still makes its satisfying mechanical "click," but the communication app or toy acts as if no one touched a thing.
Usual cause: The thin 3.5mm cord connecting the switch to the interface box got wrapped tightly around a wheelchair armrest, pulling internal wires loose near the plug. Or the wire ending at the plug got strained.
Fix: Inspect the cable for sharp bends or exposed wires. Unplug the 3.5mm jack, wipe off any dust, and plug it firmly back into the switch port. Test the switch with another device to see if the cable or the port needs replacing.
The Blocked Social Hub: Join-In Apps Disconnecting
What you see: An AAC user opens the Join-In web app to message a friend on WhatsApp and watch YouTube, but the page stays on a white loading screen with a spinning icon that never finishes or the menu does not load.
Usual cause: Web-based accessible software overlays (like Smartbox Join-In) rely on active security tokens and cookies. When a browser updates automatically, it can clear these tokens or block pop-ups.
Fix: Tap the "Refresh App" icon inside the software grid, check that the tablet has an active Wi-Fi connection, and log back in. Reload the whole application to make sure a fresh set of pages are downloaded.
The Disappearing Target: Eye Tracker Losing Sight of Eyes
What you see: Halfway through typing a message on an eye-gaze computer the cursor can suddenly freeze in the centre of the screen. It looks like something is interfering with the eye tracker and “distracting” it.
Usual cause: The user may have slowly shifted in their chair while working, or direct sunlight may have hit the camera bar, causing the eye tracker to lose track of their pupils. Losing proper position in front of the eye tracker can cause loss of dwell control.
Fix: Bring up the positioning track status box on screen. Adjust the user’s seating posture or tilt the screen angle until the two eye dots appear back in the centre of the box, then close nearby window blinds to block outside glare.
339 answers by topic
Filter by topic and by who you are. The full searchable index launches with the Arabic phase; until then, ask us directly and we will send the answer.
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Initial Diagnosis
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2 questions
WHO Framework
1 question
Education
1 question
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