Photo Scan Not Working? Common Issues and Fixes
ErgManiac's photo scan is designed to read Concept2 PM3, PM4, and PM5 monitor screens and extract workout data automatically. It works great most of the time, but occasionally things go wrong. Here are the most common issues and how to fix them.
Issue 1: Blurry Photo
Symptoms: The scan fails completely, or numbers are extracted incorrectly.
Why it happens: You just rowed hard and your hands are shaking, or the camera could not autofocus in time.
How to fix it:
- Wait 10-15 seconds after finishing your piece to let your hands settle
- Brace your phone against the monitor housing for stability
- Tap the screen on your phone to force autofocus on the monitor display before capturing
- Make sure there is enough light for the camera to focus quickly
Issue 2: Screen Glare
Symptoms: Part of the data reads correctly but one or two fields are wrong or missing.
Why it happens: A light source is reflecting off the monitor screen and obscuring some numbers.
How to fix it:
- Angle your phone 10-15 degrees off center to shift the reflection
- Use your body or free hand to shade the monitor screen
- Turn off the overhead light closest to the erg
- Move to the other side of the monitor and try from there
Issue 3: Low-Contrast or Hard-to-Read Screen
Symptoms: The scan fails entirely or produces nonsense results.
Why it happens: Any Concept2 monitor can be hard to read if the photo is dark, blurry, reflective, cropped, or taken from a steep angle. Older screens may need more careful lighting because the display can be lower contrast.
How to fix it:
- Make sure the screen is well-lit from the front, not backlit from behind.
- Shoot straight-on and keep the full screen in frame.
- Retake the photo if glare, sweat, dust, or motion blur covers any numbers.
Issue 4: Partial Read
Symptoms: Some fields are extracted correctly but others show as blank or incorrect.
Why it happens: Part of the screen was obstructed, out of focus, or cut off at the edge of the photo.
How to fix it:
- Check that the entire monitor display is within the photo frame
- Look for any fingers, shadows, or reflections covering part of the screen
- Tap any incorrect field to manually correct it after the scan. You do not need to rescan the whole thing.
Issue 5: Wrong Workout Type Detected
Symptoms: Your interval workout is read as a single distance piece, or vice versa.
Why it happens: The AI misidentified the workout format from the screen layout.
How to fix it:
- Make sure you are photographing the correct screen. For intervals, the summary screen shows "Interval" in the header area.
- You can change the workout type in the edit screen after scanning.
- For intervals, scan each interval individually after scanning the summary. This gives the AI the clearest possible data.
Issue 6: Screen Timed Out
Symptoms: You open the camera and the monitor screen is dark/blank.
Why it happens: The monitor enters sleep mode after a few minutes of inactivity.
How to fix it:
- Tap any monitor button to wake it up
- The results screen should still be available. Navigate back to it using the monitor menu buttons.
- Scan immediately after finishing your workout to avoid this issue entirely
When to Use Manual Entry Instead
Photo scan saves time, but manual entry is a perfectly valid alternative. Use it when lighting is consistently bad or the AI keeps misreading your workout format. Manual entry takes about 30 seconds and ErgManiac treats it identically to scanned workouts.
Still Having Problems?
Reach out through the support bubble on ergmaniac.com. Include the photo you tried to scan if possible.
