diff --git a/sinqEPICSApp/Db/el737Record.db b/sinqEPICSApp/Db/el737Record.db
index d11f8ea..ab632db 100644
--- a/sinqEPICSApp/Db/el737Record.db
+++ b/sinqEPICSApp/Db/el737Record.db
@@ -11,6 +11,14 @@ record(stringin,"$(P):MsgTxt")
 {
    field(DTYP,"Soft Channel")
 }
+record(longout,"$(P):ThresholdCounter")
+{
+   field(DTYP,"Soft Channel")
+}
+record(longout,"$(P):Threshold")
+{
+   field(DTYP,"Soft Channel")
+}
 record(scaler,"$(P)")
 {
         field(DESC,"$(DESC)")
diff --git a/sinqEPICSApp/src/devScalerEL737.c b/sinqEPICSApp/src/devScalerEL737.c
index ca78a58..b4884bd 100644
--- a/sinqEPICSApp/src/devScalerEL737.c
+++ b/sinqEPICSApp/src/devScalerEL737.c
@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@
  * to handle this. Moreover an external MsgTxt field in the DB can be filled with an error message.
  *
  * Mark Koennecke, July 2017
+ *
+ * Enhanced with  a separate thresholdCounter and threshold field in order to replace the 
+ * hack for threshold handling. If these fields are present, the hack with presets 2 and 
+ * 3 as described above is ignored.  
+ *
+ * Mark Koennecke, August 2017
  */
 
 #include <string.h>
@@ -92,6 +98,7 @@ typedef struct {
   unsigned long values[NCOUNT];
   unsigned int countCommand;
   unsigned int counting;
+  unsigned long thresholdValue;
   unsigned int sendThreshold; 
   scalerRecord *psr;
   epicsEventId wakeUp;
@@ -100,6 +107,8 @@ typedef struct {
   DBADDR   pause;
   DBADDR   status;
   DBADDR   msgTxt;
+  DBADDR   threshCounter;
+  DBADDR   threshold;
   unsigned int dbInit;
 }EL737priv;
 
@@ -145,6 +154,29 @@ static void connectSlaveRecords(EL737priv *priv)
   } else {
     errlogPrintf("dbNameToAddr succeded for %s, record access %s\n",slaveName, priv->status.precord->name); 
   }
+
+  snprintf(slaveName,sizeof(slaveName),"%s:ThresholdCounter", priv->psr->name);
+  errlogPrintf("Name of thresholdCounter variable: %s\n", slaveName);
+  status = dbNameToAddr(slaveName,&priv->threshCounter); 
+  if(status!= 0){
+    errSymLookup(status,errName,sizeof(errName));
+    errlogPrintf("dbNameToAddr failed for %s with %s\n", slaveName, errName);
+    priv->dbInit = 0;
+  } else {
+    errlogPrintf("dbNameToAddr succeded for %s, record access %s\n",slaveName, priv->status.precord->name); 
+  }
+
+  snprintf(slaveName,sizeof(slaveName),"%s:Threshold", priv->psr->name);
+  errlogPrintf("Name of thresholdCounter variable: %s\n", slaveName);
+  status = dbNameToAddr(slaveName,&priv->threshold); 
+  if(status!= 0){
+    errSymLookup(status,errName,sizeof(errName));
+    errlogPrintf("dbNameToAddr failed for %s with %s\n", slaveName, errName);
+    priv->dbInit = 0;
+  } else {
+    errlogPrintf("dbNameToAddr succeded for %s, record access %s\n",slaveName, priv->status.precord->name); 
+  }
+
 }
 
 static long el737_init_record(scalerRecord *psr, CALLBACK *pcallback)
@@ -339,6 +371,12 @@ static asynStatus el737_transactCommand(EL737priv *priv,char command[COMLEN],cha
 	strncpy(message,"Parameter missing",sizeof(message));
       } else if(strstr(reply,"?6") != NULL){
 	strncpy(message,"to many counts",sizeof(message));
+      } else if(strstr(reply,"?91") != NULL){
+	strncpy(message,"Start Failure",sizeof(message));
+      } else if(strstr(reply,"?92") != NULL){
+        strncpy(message,"Failure while counting",sizeof(message));
+      } else if(strstr(reply,"?93") != NULL){
+        strncpy(message,"Read Failure",sizeof(message));
       } else {
 	if(strstr(reply,"?") != NULL) {
 	  snprintf(message,sizeof(message),"HW error: %s", reply);
@@ -368,8 +406,43 @@ static asynStatus sendStop(EL737priv *priv)
 
 static void runEvents(EL737priv *priv)
 {
-  char command[COMLEN], reply[COMLEN];
+  char command[COMLEN], reply[COMLEN], errName[256];
   int status;
+  long dbStatus, myThreshold, nElements = 1, options = 0, threshCounter;
+
+  /*
+    This is the better way to set the threshold rather then the old way below which uses 
+    presets for that function. This one uses separate fields. 
+  */
+  if(priv->dbInit == 1) {
+    dbStatus = dbGetField(&priv->threshold,DBR_LONG,&myThreshold,&options, &nElements,NULL);
+    if(dbStatus != 0){
+	  errSymLookup(dbStatus,errName,sizeof(errName));
+	  errlogPrintf("Reading threshold failed with %s\n", errName);
+    } else {
+      if(myThreshold != priv->thresholdValue){
+	/*
+	  we have to set the threshold
+	*/
+	dbStatus = dbGetField(&priv->threshCounter,DBR_LONG,&threshCounter, &options, &nElements,NULL);
+	if(dbStatus != 0){
+	  errSymLookup(dbStatus,errName,sizeof(errName));
+	  errlogPrintf("Reading thresholdCounter failed with %s\n", errName);
+	} else {
+	  sprintf(command,"DL %d %d", (int)threshCounter,
+		  (int)myThreshold);
+	  //errlogPrintf("Sending threshold command %s\n", command);
+	  status = el737_transactCommand(priv,command,reply);
+	  sprintf(command,"DR %d", (int)threshCounter);
+	  status = el737_transactCommand(priv, command,reply);
+	  if(status == asynSuccess){
+	    priv->sendThreshold  = 0;
+	    priv->thresholdValue = myThreshold;
+	  }
+	}
+      }
+    }
+  }
 
   if(priv->sendThreshold == 1){
     sprintf(command,"DL %d %d", (int)priv->presets[THRESHMON],