Frequently Asked Questions

PDi is flexible in how we provide you with products and professional services.

1. Find the products you are interested in purchasing or learning more about.
2. At any point, reach out to your local PDi representative who can guide you through selecting the right products for your facility.
3. Already found what you want? You can request a quote now.
   
   
   
   
4. Our ProServices team can help you decide the best strategy for installation or even product details.
5. Have more questions or a complex challenge? That's our sweet spot! We often start projects together with a demo.
   
   
   
   
6. Shop online if you are interested in refurbished products, parts, or many new products.

PDi ProServices can help you every step of the way!

You can reach out to technical support directly by calling 1 (800) 628-9870 ext. 3486

Submit an RMA form for a return here: 

https://www.pdiarm.com/repairs 

Or send us a message and we'll get things started.

5 dBmV +-5 is good for A series.

You can watch these quick user setup videos on PDiUniversity at YouTube.

This playlist is to setup without Internet or GENiO customization: 

This playlist is top 10 FAQs:

PDi has a Quick Start Guide by TV model to assist in programming your TVs out of the box. You may also reference the User Manual. These documents can be found under the Document Library.

Note: The PD108-520 master programming remote is required to setup TV. You can purchase this remote online.

Yes. All PDi wall mounted hospital televisions provide a connection for a pillow speaker control, unlike commercial TVs. In addition to control of the TV through the wired connection, the TV also provides sound to the pillow speaker for less noise on the floor with private listening.

For A-Series Smart wall TVs, the pillow speaker must be a numeric or navigational keypad having a Back, Last or Guide button. 

Curbell Medical partners with PDi to build a Smart Pillow Speaker for PDi-GENiO control. Deliver seamless access to Epic® MyChart® Bedside TV on PDi Smart Hospital TVs.

PDi will work with you and Curbell to customize the pillow speaker for nurse call systems, lighting, room temperature control, window shades, and of course the PDi Smart TV. For more information, contact us. 

Out of the box, the PDi A-Series TVs provide you with Smart TV features you can use.  No head-end equipment, server, or internet is required to provide patients with pillow-speaker compatible TV, games, and relaxation apps. 

PDi also offers Interactive Enhanced Entertainment for A-Series to take patient entertainment to the next level by providing internet access to your patient TVs.

GENiO is an optional cloud-based software that allows you to customize your patient engagement experience, affordably and easily. Engage patients with education videos, daily menus, video calls, send messages, patient surveys, and more using Smart A-Series hospital TVs by PDi. 

Offer patients the best interactive experience using PDi-GENiO Pillow Speakers manufactured by Curbell Medical or choose PDi’s healthcare grade wireless keyboard. 

PDi Smart large-screen hospital TVs are compatible with various brands of camera and microphone solutions. Please contact us to learn more.

medTAB series does offer built-in camera and mic for teleconference and telehealth capabilities.

The PDi A-Series wall-mounted televisions are compatible with hearing aids. Easily connect the hearing aids to the TV via wireless Bluetooth technology for an improved experience. 

To check the TV pillow speaker connection, PDi TVs use a 3 wire (tip, ring and sleeve) configuration connected by a ¼ inch jack.  There is a SMALL SLIDE SWITCH next to the ¼ inch jack input that may need changed depending on the voltage required by the pillow speaker. 

Our wiring is:

Tip = Audio

Ring = Data

Sleeve = Common

The easiest way to trouble shoot the pillow speaker is to have a pillow speaker with a ¼ inch jack so you can plug directly into the TV and eliminate the wall plates at the head wall and foot wall. 

If you don’t have a pillow speaker that can plug directly into the TV, you can use a meter and check measurements.  You would unplug the ¼ inch jack from the TV and you should see less than 200 ohms from the outside to Common, and greater than 1M ohm from Common to the inside.  If you see anything different then there is a problem with the wiring and not the TV.

Another check you can do with a meter is plug in a ¼ inch to ¼ inch cable into the TV.  With the TV turned on measure the voltage from the common to the data and see what voltage you read.  This will depend on the position of the pillow speaker switch on the back of the TV.  CZ ≈ 12 -13 volts  CP ≈ 5 volts and CR ≈ -5 volts.  

Usually, if the pillow speaker isn’t controlling the TV it is a fault in the wiring either at the wall plate behind the TV or at the bedside wall plate.

Need more help? Email us:

Yes, a Roku would plug into one of the HDMI ports on the A-Series Smart Hospital TV. 

This will require a programming remote control for the TV, shop PD108-520.  Whichever port is used will need to be enabled in the TV’s setup menu.  Select Setup > Sources > Source Enable > HMDI 1 or 2.

After the HDMI is enabled, you can select it by pressing the TV/AV button on the remote o scroll through the enabled inputs until you see the one you want.

The high inrush current of the 1kVA toroidal transformer in the PDI-772HE can sometimes trip the 15A or 20A branch breaker.  This will happen when the PDI-772HE is first plugged into the wall outlet or any time power is lost and then returned, such as a power outage or backup generator test.

A “high magnetic” version of most common breakers exists.  These breakers have a higher short circuit trip point. The higher trip point helps avoid tripping from the brief inrush current of the toroidal transformer and should be used with PDI-772HE power supplies whenever possible.

Ask your electrician to replace the standard breaker in your load center with a high mag version shown below.

If you have in-house channels from a DVD or antenna, you will combine channels and want to use the PDI-772HE central power supply.

If you don’t have in-house channels, then every set-top box output can go through the PDI-772HE-IND individual input to eliminate the need for combining and splitting.

500 Series arms hold 4 lbs up to 13 lbs. You must specify the correct part number when ordering. Springs may be slightly field adjusted.

1400 Series arms are designed for 4 lb, 7 lb, 10 lb and 13 lbs. You must specify the correct part number when ordering.

1000 Series arms hold 13 lbs up to 24 lbs. You must specify the correct part number when ordering.

Arm system configurators can be found under the medTV Product Catalog for 16" and 22" medTV or medTAB complete systems.

Important cable requirements are shown here:

1. Coax must be solid copper core, solid copper braid. Recommended RG-6 coaxial cable numbers to use include
   • AlphaM4182,
   • Belden 9248,
   • West Penn 806, or
   • West Penn 25806 (plenum).
2. Max. home run distance for coax from central power supply is 150 ft.
3. Max length HDMI is 35 ft. Use an HDMI extender for longer distances.
   
   CAT5e supports 1Gbps speed and PoE power up to 328 feet between the network switch and the powered device. If using PoE the 328 ft limit includes the length of cable before and after the midspan power inserter.
4. CAT5e cable usually uses 24AWG wires, but more expensive versions can use 23 or 22 AWG. The lower AWG numbers are better because they allow for slightly less PoE power loss over long cable runs. This saves electricity costs and causes less self-heating of bundles of cables as they travel from the power inserter to the powered device.
5. Using CAT6 or CAT6A is generally unnecessary but may be desirable for future needs.
6. Always follow the local electrical code and category cabling best practices.  Use plenum cable when crossing firewalls, crossing floors, or wiring through ventilation shafts. Use shielded cable when running alongside electrical wires or other sources of electrical noise.

PDi designs for safety first! 

ARM RECOIL HAZARD

PDi swing arms have a SAFETY PIN located at the base of the arm section that meets the nose of the arm. If your arm won't extend full reach, it likely still has the safety pin in-place.

The safety brake pin must remain in the SAFETY BRAKE PIN HOLE whenever the television set is removed from the arm OR when the arm is removed from the wall bracket to prevent the arm from springing open. 

For immediate help, please reach out to PDi ProServices.

Call 1-800-628-9870 ext. 505

TIP: Store the safety pin in the nose of the arm for easy future access!

Here is a simple instruction video to replace the coaxial cable in the 1400 Series arms. Start at 1 minute for instructions: 

The replacement of the coaxial cable is specifically documented for the 500 Series arms. The procedure for this series is detailed in the document "500-Series Arm Coaxial Cable Replacement Procedure" (Document Number: PDITCHB2R3, dated 2012/10/16).

What is the recommended signal strength for medTAB powered over coax or POE? 

5dBmV +-5 dB  for POE power

15dBmV +-5 dB for coax power

PDi builds several models of arm mounted TVs that work with a pillow speaker.  NOTE: This is something that has to be specified when the TV is ordered so it can be built with the pillow speaker interface board and the correct cabling.

The TV only model below would have a coax cable and pillow speaker compatibility. 

PDI-P16TV-xG-C  x=color Cream/Gray,  *Note the P16 is not offered in black*

For POE, order the 16" medTV or 16"  medTAB using the suffix -P in place of -C. 

These medTAB touchscreens are also built with nurse call pillow speaker functionality:

MEDTAB16D1R-xL2-C    (COAX + CAT6 + HDMI + PILLOW SPEAKER)

MEDTAB16D1R-xR2-C   (COAX + CAT6 + PILLOW SPEAKER)

MEDTAB16D1R-xY2-D   (XLR PWR + CAT6 + PILLOW SPEAKER), the XLR power is best cost option for use with IPTV.

1= camera

R= rear mount

x= color Cream/Gray 

Call for medTAB22 part numbers with pillow speaker, 800-628-9870 or request a quote.