EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: Hogwild on November 03, 2018, 06:03:07 pm
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Hi everyone:
My aunt has an Omron BP762 digital blood pressure meter. The meter started throwing errors. After troubleshooting, I'm convinced that the electronics are fine, and that it's only the cuff that's bad. I'd like to replace just the cuff. Omron was completely uncooperative when I called to ask about that. They said they didn't keep that information. No part numbers ever seem to be on their cuffs either.
Does anyone have any references on which cuffs are compatible with which Omron B/P machines?
Thanks
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Try looking at a local drugstore or somewhere like Walmart. You can also probably order online.
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/productlist/blood-pressure-cuff-blood-pressure-monitors/N=361299-2000014959 (https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/productlist/blood-pressure-cuff-blood-pressure-monitors/N=361299-2000014959)
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A completely new Omron BPM is around $30. Why bother?
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I have an Omron BP762 and it's a piece of junk, it never gives the same readings and sometimes spits out an error code. Do another run and it gets data. Try another run and it's way different numbers. Emailed Omron support and never heard back from them. List is $100. I'd toss it in the garbage, they don't support it.
The cuff you can blow up like a balloon and see if it leaks. Also check the hose & fittings for leaks.
I think putting on the cuff with the hose connected to the base overpressures things, although the manual advises to 1st connect the hose. Seems mean to a pressure sensor.
Inside the Omron is a hose and a few fittings to the pressure transducer.
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Thanks. I'm in Canada, so ordering from the US is only practical if shipping is not too expensive. Otherwise, it's not worth it.
I don't wish to throw out the unit. Comparable units, by the time you throw in shipping and taxes come to over $100.00. And I don't like throwing stuff into the landfill.
I think her readings are generally consistent-within a few points of each other.
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Is there no recycling company in your Area who take it appart and reuse the Metal?
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Omron was completely uncooperative when I called to ask about that. They said they didn't keep that information. No part numbers ever seem to be on their cuffs either.
Don't know about the cooperativeness, but my Omron 710N has a part number on the cuff (HEM-RML31). It is not an expensive tool and seems to work fine. Have you considered buying a cheaper Omron unit and seeing whether the cuff works and/or fixes the problem? Walmart would be a good source as it allows returns.
Since the blood pressure is determined by sensing pulsations in the cuff pressure, it is unclear how you could determine that system was electronically working fine with a "defective" cuff. Did you have a known good cuff to compare with?
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The Omron unit has error codes:
E1 - low pressure (leak)
E2 - over pressure
E3 - something about manually (over) inflating the cuff
E4 - movement during measurement "remain still and do not talk" lol
E5 - clothing interfering with arm cuff
Er - Device error
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Thanks. Walmart would be fine if I were in the US. Here in Canada, those meters are a little pricey. E1 and E2 are the error codes I was receiving. Both involve pressure air pressure/leakage, and everything inside the meter itself looked to be intact, I came to believe that it was the cuff that was the problem.
I think I've found the right model cuff, but by the time you include shipping prices, it may not be worth it. Dang I wish they would stop making things to be obsolete.
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I have a few of these over the years, used in health office setting and yes the cuffs spring a leak after a while. The electronics are usually fine, I've opened them up and pump is usually good. So the annoying thing is you have to open up the fabric over the cuff "bladder" and try and find the hole (soapy water) and then patch it with a bike tire patch or some other method. By the time you do that, sow back up the fabric (which you need to let you Velcro the thing tightly around the arm) you are wasting so much time it is not worth it. Better to buy another for $30 or whatever they are at Costco and move on. They *should* sell the cuff and maybe some smart entrepreneurs in China are already recognizing this issue and have started a market of compatible cuffs you may find on eBay but is it is hard to know if you get something that works and what quality it may be. The rubber dries or stresses out from use and leaks will eventually happen again and again. I have yet to repair one of mine as I usually buy another, but now I'm going to try and see how hard it is as I have a few leaky cuffs sitting around.
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I don't think Omron makes these machines themselves. There is a big Chinese firm which makes these kind of devices which are then rebadged under lots of different brands. You can probably find original replacement cuffs on Ebay and Aliexpress.
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There are lots of replacement cuffs on eBay but cost is $15-20 with shipping or more for most. A new box at Walmart is ~$30 for a basic monitor. Doesn't seem economically feasible to risk paying that much for a cuff only.... So either patch it with a $3 bicycle repair kit or buy new. Unless cuff cost with shipping under $10 I would buy new, get warranty and option to return easily at local store.
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Your Ebay-fu is way off. A new cuff for less than US $4 including shipping from China:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LCD-Upper-Arm-Blood-Pressure-Pulse-Monitor-Health-Care-Sphygmomanometer/302940394736 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LCD-Upper-Arm-Blood-Pressure-Pulse-Monitor-Health-Care-Sphygmomanometer/302940394736)
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That is what I did, bought a cheap replacement cuff and used it. Nothing special about the cuff either, it has to do the exact same thing on all machines, fit around the human arm ( I bought the bigger cuff, as they come in 2 sizes plus a paediatric size for children) and connect via a rubber hose. $5 for the new cuff locally.
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While you've given a lot of good advice here, I don't think it wise to just use any cuff. Yeah, for all I know, it may be made by the same mfgr. as the Omron ones. Or it could be a cheap sh*tty knockoff which doesn't work properly. And I don't know if they're all identical in terms of how they react to air pressure. No, I don't think a B/P cuff is something for which I want to buy a generic. I'll wait until I can find a genuine at better price.
Again, for those who didn't notice the first time I posted it, there are NO B/P meters @ 40.00 in Canada. Maybe in the US, but I don't live in the US.
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Do be aware that the function of a blood-pressure meter is very specifically centred around measuring a minute change in pressure during the 'discharge phase'. That's how the systolic and diastolic pressures are measured [1]. Changing the cuff could change the system performance and make the measurement less accurate or provide completely misleading readings, you are talking about minute changes at the pressure sensor compared to the pressure of the cuff itself.
Medical devices, smoke detectors, etc. are just the type of products you don't fiddle with and try to fix because the potential cost of failure is very large and you certainly don't have the equipment to calibrate these instruments. (Did you know just removing the case from an optical smoke detector can change its sensitivity; I did not until I measured it in an EN14604 compliant test tunnel.)
[1] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jhe/2017/9128745/ (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jhe/2017/9128745/) figure 1 showing conventional method. (Isn't it remarkable such a device can be shipped to your door for $30?)