EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Drager Caleo Incubators

Hi, we are at present having some issues with our Drager Caleo incubators with failures of Goldcaps (after anything between 3 and 6 years and they are not routine replacement items)and Filterbox base clip.Both these parts are now available in modified form for a not inconsiderable price from Drager but we are still having issues with the modified Filterbox and as such another product complaint has been registered with Drager.
I wondered if other Hospitals are having problems like these (or others) with Caleo's and also what other Incubators do other units use and how reliable are they?

Not had any goldcap failures so far (how does the fault manifest itself?) but know what you mean about the filter boxes - a few have been broken and we now only replace them when we do one of the major strip down ppm's, as the only people they really effect is the technicians/fse's anyway.
The other problem we have is that the cover over the O2 cells is prone to being broke around the screw holes if you don't get the cells sat exactly right first time - the cover isn't available separately and you have to order that whole housing where the temp probe sits just for the cover!!

We have two Caleo's and the rest of our incubators (about 8) are Airshields (now Draeger anyway!) C2000's which seem to be pretty good apart from the weighing scales, which have to be returned to the USA (via Draeger UK) if anything goes wrong with them.

With regards to your Goldcap issue, before you go to the expensive option, Inspect the sensor cable from the aggregate to the sensor housing. I unknowingly trapped it once whilst servicing and the unit worked fine. However on a routine inspection I spotted the trapped lead. I freed it but then got Goldcap errors. I resolved the error by replacing the lead. Just a hunch, but I think it could possibly be your fault. We had some of the first Caleo's and this is the only time I have had an issue with them.

The filter box mod is expensive but you do get a better seal and hence it operates more efficiently (in terms of Oxygen consumption) and is a lot easier to change that pesky air filter.

The Caleo's are very reliable, but as the nursing / clinical staff do not like them they only get used when all other incubators are in use.

One wonders why they bought them, then! No doubt someone justified the purchase as being "essential". Can't help wondering also which good old machines they replaced (and what became of them).

They replaced the Old Vickers Incubators, I'm not 100% sure, but I think they got Hilditched. It would great to place a GPS device on some of this equipment and track its lifecycle when it leaves in this way.

Stig - if it is the sensor cable, the Part no. is 2M50174 at a cost of £33.8.

Thanks for the quick replies.
The fault manifests itself on the user screen as a Goldcap Capacity error (accompanied by a low bong noise) and as an goldcap charging error in the service mode error list although if you check the goldcap voltage in service mode it is OK.
Drager recommend replacement of the aggregate pcb at £500 and this cures the fault, the "new" modified aggregate pcb has a piggy back pcb on it which has I think the Goldcap on it but you still have to buy the whole pcb if the goldcap fails.we've had about 6 fail so far.
Incidentally, nice to hear others are having problems with the filterbox base clip as at one time according to Drager ours was an isolated fault!!!

Yes, I think I noticed them passing through Hilditch. They probably went for about the price of the sensor cable you mention, and are now continuing to give yeoman service out in India (or perhaps it was Africa). So there is some good news, then!

PS: yes it would be interesting to track equipment throughout its lifetime (but don't go giving the powers that be any further ideas about how to waste ... er, spend tax-payers' money). But in many cases, the cost of tracking would be more than the value of the item itself! Anyway, in the case under discussion, I think I can guess:- Basingstoke - Reading - Malmesbury - Malawi!

You don't have to spend much time on this forum to see that claim being made by the "big players" over and over again! "Funny, but this is the only hospital having that problem"! You'd think that, when they're charging (gouging) such OTT rates as those mentioned, that they would have the good manners to stop blaming the user (aka the customer) for the design defects on their "state of the art" medical equipment!

Hi stig

We had the same "GOLD CAP error" in one of the caleos. Replaced the GOLD CAPACITOR, now working OK.

We were given 6000 dirhams quote for the board by the authorised dealer here in the UAE.

That's about 1,635 USD or £ 830 at current rates. Yet another gouge, then, by the sound of it!

Meanwhile, real Gold is currently trading at around 29 USD per gram. Or USD 893 per (troy) ounce. So you could have bought two ounces, there, Shiju!