Electrosurgical generators

Bovie IDS-310: troubleshooting and error codes

The ServiceForge knowledge base holds 20 documented symptoms for the Bovie IDS-310, with 60 ranked causes, 23 diagnostic checks with test points and expected values, and 22 error codes. Each symptom below shows its causes and the first check; the rest is one connection away. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Symptoms

Unit does not deliver output power when activated high voltage

Generator is on and accessory activated, but no output power is delivered to patient

Ranked causes

1. Error condition exists (common)
2. Main board malfunction (occasional)
3. Malfunctioning or damaged footswitch receptacle (occasional)
4. Footswitch activation signal lost on main board (occasional)
5. Sensing circuit malfunction (occasional)
6. Power set too low (common)
7. Display board malfunction (occasional)
8. Relay board malfunction (occasional)
9. NEM alarm - return electrode connection issue (common)

First check

Inspect footswitch for physical damage

Test point: Footswitch receptacle
Expected: No visible damage, connector seated firmly

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 11 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Generator is on but will not activate high voltage

Unit powers on normally but does not respond to activation attempts

Ranked causes

1. Alarm condition exists (common)
2. Loose or disconnected internal cables (occasional)
3. Main board malfunction (occasional)
4. Display board malfunction (occasional)
5. Relay board malfunction (occasional)
6. Disconnected or faulty handpiece (occasional)
7. Disconnected or faulty footswitch (occasional)

First check

Check display for error messages

Test point: Display screen
Expected: No alarm displayed

8 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Blank or confusing LED display

Display shows blank screen or unclear/confusing content. Mode buttons do not operate properly.

Ranked causes

1. Display board malfunction (common)
2. Damaged front panel overlay (occasional)
3. Loose or disconnected internal cable (occasional)
4. Power supply malfunction (occasional)
5. Main board malfunction (occasional)

5 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Generator does not respond when turned on high voltage

Unit shows no response to power-on, no lights or sounds

Ranked causes

1. Disconnected power cord or faulty wall receptacle (common)
2. Fuses blown (common)
3. Loose or disconnected internal cables (occasional)
4. Faulty power switch (occasional)
5. Faulty power supply (occasional)

First check

Verify power cord connections

Test point: Power cord connectors at generator and wall
Expected: Connections secure and firmly seated

2 more checks with pass and fail actions, 5 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Activation and alarm tones do not sound

Speaker malfunctioning - no audio output when activation or alarms should occur

Ranked causes

1. Loose or disconnected cable between main board and speaker board (common)
2. Main board malfunction (occasional)
3. Display board malfunction (occasional)
4. Speaker board malfunction (occasional)

First check

Verify speaker board cable connections

Test point: Cable between main board and speaker board
Expected: Cable firmly connected at both ends

5 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Continuous monitor interference caution

Monitor displays interference when generator is operating

Ranked causes

1. Faulty chassis-to-ground connections (common)
2. Electrical equipment grounded to different objects (common)
3. Mains voltage differences between grounded objects (occasional)
4. Malfunctioning monitor (occasional)

3 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Abnormal neuromuscular stimulation patient safety

Abnormal neuromuscular stimulation observed - stop surgery immediately

Ranked causes

1. Metal-to-metal sparking (common)
2. High power setting during coagulation (occasional)
3. Abnormal 50-60 Hz leakage currents (rare)

3 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Unit displays fault code during power-up

Unit powers on but displays fault code (F1–F12) instead of normal startup display. Audible alarm may sound.

Ranked causes

1. Footswitch or handpiece button depressed during power-up (common)
2. Faulty or stuck handpiece button (occasional)
3. Internal circuit fault (rare)

First check

Verify no footswitch pedals or handpiece buttons are depressed

Test point: All footswitches and handpiece controls
Expected: All controls in resting/neutral position; no buttons or pedals pressed

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 3 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Bipolar receptacle loose or damaged patient safety

Bipolar cable does not seat securely in front-panel bipolar receptacle or receptacle appears damaged.

Ranked causes

1. Bipolar receptacle connector assembly damaged (occasional)
2. Receptacle obstructed (common)

First check

Visually inspect bipolar receptacle for obstruction or physical damage

Test point: Front-panel bipolar receptacle
Expected: No visible damage, cracks, debris, or foreign objects

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 2 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Electrically inconsistent ground wires in operating room caution

Interference with monitor when generator activated due to ground wire configuration

Ranked causes

1. Ground wires not optimally routed to common grounding point (common)
2. Monitor responding to radiated frequencies from generator (occasional)

2 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Footswitch indicator does not illuminate

Monopolar or bipolar footswitch indicator LED fails to light when footswitch connected to rear receptacle.

Ranked causes

1. Footswitch not properly connected (common)
2. Footswitch receptacle damaged (occasional)

First check

Verify footswitch connector seating in rear receptacle

Test point: Footswitch receptacle on rear of unit
Expected: Footswitch fully inserted with audible click or secure fit

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 2 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Interference with other devices when generator active caution

Monitor or other equipment interference occurs only when generator is activated

Ranked causes

1. Metal-to-metal sparking (common)
2. High settings used for fulguration (common)

2 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Internal component damaged or connection loose high voltage

Visual inspection reveals damaged components, cracked traces, corrosion, or loose connectors inside unit.

Ranked causes

1. Physical damage to circuit board or component (occasional)
2. Loose or unseated connector (common)

First check

Remove unit cover and visually inspect all circuit boards and connectors

Test point: Internal circuit boards, connectors, and solder joints
Expected: No visible damage, cracks, corrosion, loose wires, or unseated connectors

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 2 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Monopolar instrument receptacle loose or damaged patient safety

Monopolar handpiece or footswitch connector does not seat securely in receptacle or receptacle appears damaged.

Ranked causes

1. Receptacle connector assembly damaged (occasional)
2. Receptacle obstructed or misaligned (common)

First check

Visually inspect monopolar handpiece receptacle for obstructions or bent pins

Test point: Front-panel monopolar handpiece receptacle
Expected: No visible debris, cracks, bent pins, or foreign objects

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 2 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Pacemaker interference during surgery patient safety

Patient with pacemaker experiencing interference or complications from electrosurgery

Ranked causes

1. Intermittent connections or metal-to-metal sparking (occasional)
2. Current path passing too close to pacemaker (occasional)

5 corrective actions and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Return electrode receptacle damaged or loose patient safety

Return electrode cable does not seat securely in receptacle or receptacle shows physical damage.

Ranked causes

1. Return electrode receptacle assembly damaged (occasional)
2. Receptacle pin broken or obstructed (occasional)

First check

Visually inspect return electrode receptacle for broken pins or obstruction

Test point: Front-panel return electrode receptacle
Expected: All pins intact and undamaged; no debris or obstruction visible

1 more check with pass and fail actions, 2 corrective actions, and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Blend bar segments do not illuminate or move

Blend bar display fails to illuminate segments or segments do not change when blend control adjusted.

Ranked causes

1. Blend control circuit failure (occasional)

First check

Press blend amount control button and verify all 10 segments illuminate and move

Test point: Blend control button and LED bar display
Expected: All 10 green segments illuminate when button pressed; segments respond to arrow key adjustments

1 corrective action and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Incorrect LED color for activated mode

LED illuminates wrong color when operating mode is selected. Mode selector functional but LED color does not match mode.

Ranked causes

1. LED or display circuit malfunction (occasional)

First check

Select each output mode and verify LED illuminates correct color

Test point: Mode selector and indicator LEDs
Expected: Cut modes: amber; Coag modes: blue; Bipolar: blue; all others: green

1 corrective action and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Power increments missing or non-sequential in output mode

When adjusting power level, unit skips numbers or does not increment properly. Expected watt increments not present.

Ranked causes

1. Power control circuit malfunction (occasional)

First check

Verify all power settings from 0 to maximum for selected mode

Test point: Power control knob / buttons
Expected: Monopolar Cut/Coag: 1W increments 0–49W, 2W 50–100W, 5W 105–200W, 10W 210–300W

1 corrective action and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Unit does not power on or display not illuminated

Upon power-up, display does not illuminate or show proper information. No LED or segment displays visible.

Ranked causes

1. Power cord not properly connected (common)

First check

Verify power cord connection at unit and wall outlet

Test point: Power receptacle connectors
Expected: Power cord firmly seated with no gaps

1 corrective action and part numbers are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Error codes

Code	Meaning	Trigger	Severity
`E1`	Output Current out of Specification, Digital Check	Internal detection of output current exceeding specifications	error
`E10`	Watch Dog Error	System watchdog timer triggered	critical
`E11`	Relay Board Cable Sense Error	Relay board cable detection failure	error
`E12`	Dosage Error	Dosage calculation or delivery error detected	error
`E4`	DC Voltage Error	DC voltage out of specification	error
`E5`	Temperature Sense Error 1	Temperature sensor 1 malfunction or out of range	warning
`E6`	Temperature Sense Error 2	Temperature sensor 2 malfunction or out of range	warning
`E7`	NEM / Autobipolar Error	Neutral Electrode Monitoring or autobipolar circuit malfunction	error
`E8`	NEM Calibration Error	NEM system calibration failure	error
`E9`	A/D Error	Analog-to-Digital converter malfunction	error
`F1`	Cut button on handpiece 1 depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with handpiece 1 cut button pressed	warning
`F10`	Activation request from footswitch when no footswitch connected or non-approved footswitch detected	Footswitch activated but not connected or incompatible footswitch connected	warning
`F11`	Activation request from monopolar handpiece 1 when no monopolar handpiece connected	Monopolar handpiece 1 activated but no handpiece connected to monopolar handpiece connector 1	warning
`F12`	Bovie Bipolar high current fault detected during activation	During bipolar operation, excessive current detected	error
`F2`	Coag button on handpiece 1 depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with handpiece 1 coag button pressed	warning
`F3`	Cut button on handpiece 2 depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with handpiece 2 cut button pressed	warning
`F4`	Coag button on handpiece 2 depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with handpiece 2 coag button pressed	warning
`F5`	Cut pedal on monopolar footswitch depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with monopolar footswitch cut pedal pressed	warning
`F6`	Coag pedal on monopolar footswitch depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with monopolar footswitch coag pedal pressed	warning
`F7`	Bipolar pedal on bipolar footswitch depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with bipolar footswitch pedal pressed	warning
`F8`	Bipolar activation button depressed during power-up	Unit powered on with bipolar activation button pressed	warning
`F9`	Simultaneous activation from footswitch, handpiece, or combination detected	During operation when multiple activation controls pressed simultaneously	warning

Likely causes and actions for each code are in ServiceForge. Connect ServiceForge to your AI

Community

0 fixes logged by technicians through their AI, with outcomes, for this model.

ServiceForge knowledge base record. Field-unverified unless technicians confirmed it. A teaching summary of the record, not a service manual. Export 2026-10-14.