Steps	Problem	Possible solutions
13-18	Ardunio microcontroller board not recognized when plugged in	Check Arduino IDE is open Attach board by USB cable Under Tools in IDE, check for correct board and port entries Unplug microcontroller and plug in again
19-21	No readout or saved file after running Processing sketch	Close Arduino IDE Re-run Processing sketch Change the ‘portindex1 =’ value towards the top of the Processing sketch to match the designated port
1-12	Output values are random values	Check cable and sensor (if possible test replacements) Check all soldering connections
1-5 and 13	Constant readings of 1 or 100	If on all sensors, ensure the RJ12 cable does not cross over If on a single sensor replace cable or sensor and check connections to main board and microcontroller
3, 10 and 11	Failure to read environmental light via the LDR	Ensure the face of the LDR faces the light source Ensure the legs of the LDR are not crossed and touching
27-29	Changes of read quality following cage change or animal check	Confirm that the PIR sensor has not been moved during the cage change Ensure that the cage has been returned to the same location relative to the sensor. If necessary, runners or guides can be installed to maintain correct cage placement
32-34	Failure to read .csv data file by Python scripts	Confirm that the file location designated in the settings.py script includes the .csv extension in the filename Confirm that all data in the .csv is numerical. Any non-numerical data should be removed from the file If being read and saved by Windows, the .csv file can initially be saved in such a way that it cannot be read by python scripts. If so, open the .csv file in excel and resave before reading in Python