5. Operating your S-4 in the User Mode
There are times when the material in the Supply Hopper does not lend itself very well to the "Automatic" mode of operation. Materials that are "sticky" or inconsistent can "fool" the controller in the automatic mode. These materials usually run better in the "User" mode. When using the Controller in this mode, the operator must enter all of the operating parameters using the target weight up and down arrow switches.
The Fill Process
The S-4 Controller in User mode fills a container as follows. It fills the major portion of the container at a high speed (Bulk Speed) until it reaches a certain weight (Bulk Cutoff). It then fills the remainder of the container at a slower speed (Dribble Speed) until it reaches a terminal weight (Dribble Cutoff). The terminal weight is usually a bit less than the final weight because a small amount of material falls into the container after the vibrator motor turns off.
For example, if the operator was filling bags with 5 pounds of rice, s/he might program the S-4 Controller to fill the first 4.75 pounds at a high vibrator motor speed. The Bulk Cutoff would be 4.75 pounds and the Bulk Speed might be 50% of full motor speed. The remaining pound of material might then get filled at a lower vibrator motor speed. The operator might program a Dribble Speed of 20% and a Dribble Cutoff of 4.98 pounds guessing that the final 0.02 pounds will fall into the container after the controller turns off the vibrator motor.
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The following is a step-by-step description of operating the S-4 in User Mode:
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Turn on the Controller
Every time the controller is turned on using the power switch, the LCD screen displays a short "splash" screen (fig. 1) that indicates the model number and revision number. You should see a line like "S4 Rev 1.14". In this example, the first part of the message "S4" would tell you that the controller is setup for the Model S-4 machine. If this first part shows "S4", call Logical Machines for instructions on changing it to "S4". The "Rev 1.06" part of the message is indicating the software revision in the controller (1.14 in this example). Write this down so that if you need to call Logical Machines with a question, they will know what machine you have.
Once the "splash" screen has past, the "Home" screen (fig. 2) will show a short menu, a "Job number", an indication of whether the current job is "automatic" or "manual", and the weight indicated by the scale.
The "Job number" is the job currently being used. The controller can store several jobs that the operator has setup and saved in its internal memory and the operator can recall those jobs later on. A Job is a set of parameters that tell the controller how to fill a particular container with a particular amount of material. All jobs are saved when the power is removed.
There are 2 characters after the job number. They will either be "Au" indicating that the currently loaded job is an "automatic" mode job or "Us" indicating the current job is a "User" mode job. An automatic job means the controller will constantly adjust the job parameters during operation and a user job will use fixed operator supplied parameters and will make no adjustments.
The weight of the material currently in the Scale/Accumulation Hopper will be shown on the bottom right side of the LCD display. If you connected the scale you should be able to make this weight change by pressing on the Scale/Accumulation Hopper.
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Load a Job
We will load job number 2 for this example. Load the current job number 2 from the controller's memory by pressing "Home 2,3" to get to the load job screen (fig. 3). You will be asked to enter the job number you want to load. Press "2" and then "Enter" to load the parameters currently saved in job #2. After hitting "Enter" you will be returned to the main screen. Notice that the bottom line of the display starts with "Job: 2" (fig. 4). This is telling you that job number 2 is being used.
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Setup Operating Modes
Now we need to tell the controller to use "user" mode for this job. This forces the controller to use operator supplied parameters while it is running. Press "Home 2,2" to get to the "Edit Modes" menu (fig. 5). The first item in this menu should be "Mode". By pressing the "1" key you can toggle the mode from "Auto" to "User". Toggle the mode to indicate "User"
While you are in this menu, notice the other menu items. Press the "2" key to toggle the "AutoDump" setting to "Off". Use the "3" key to toggle the "AutoTare" to "Off".
Once you have made the above changes to the Modes, press Home to go back to the home screen.
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Set the Bulk Cutoff Weight
If we are running the job described above we will want to enter the bulk cutoff weight of 4.75 lbs. Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list. Press the "1" key to edit the bulk cutoff weight (fig. 6). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired bulk cutoff weight and press enter when you are done. (Your Model S-4 comes calibrated in pounds. If you wish to change to the metric system, see the section on calibration, listed below.) You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Set the Bulk Speed
Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. Press the "2" key to edit the bulk speed (fig. 7). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired bulk speed and press enter when you are done. (Both Bulk and dribble speeds are displayed as a percent of 100%, full speed.) You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Set the Dribble Cutoff Weight
Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. Press the "3" key to edit the dribble cutoff weight (fig 8). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired dribble cutoff weight and press enter when you are done. You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Set the Dribble Speed
Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. Press the "4" key to edit the dribble speed (fig. 9). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired dribble speed and press enter when you are done. You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Set the Target Weight
Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. You can use the up and down arrow keys to view all the parameters. Press the "5" key to edit the target weight (fig. 10). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired target weight and press enter when you are done. You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Set the Drop Gate Open Time
The drop gate open time is the time that the controller leaves the gate open. This and the drop gate close time can be adjusted to optimize cycle time. Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. You can use the up and down arrow keys to view all the parameters. Press the "8" key to edit the drop gate open time (fig. 11). If while entering the parameter you make a mistake, you can press the C/CE key to clear your entry and re-enter the parameter. Enter the desired open time and press enter when you are done. You will be returned to the parameter edit list. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
- Set the Drop Gate Close Time
Press "Home 2,1" to get to the parameter edit list if you are not already in it. You can use the up and down arrow keys to view all the parameters. Press the "9" key to edit the drop gate close time (fig. 12)
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Fine Tuning Material Flow
If you find the vibrator is running very fast and/or it takes a long time for the accumulator to fill, you may have the Supply Hopper Gate too restrictive for the material in the Supply Hopper. On the other hand, if the container fills quickly but is not very accurate, the Supply Hopper Gate may not be restrictive enough and should be lowered. Generally the Feed Pan should contain one layer of material when the container is filling. For example, if you are filling a container with beans, you should observe a continuous flow of beans in the Feed Pan, one bean deep that flows smoothly and evenly. If there are gaps or open spots where you can see the bottom of the Feed Pan, you should open up the Supply Hopper Gate.
- Save the Job
You should now save the job so that the next time you turn the machine on, all the current operating parameters are saved. The S-4 does not automatically save jobs. You must save the job. To do this simply press "Home 2,4" (fig. 15.) This will save all of the current parameters so that the next time you load this job from the controllers memory, it will operate just as it did the last time you saved the job.
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6. Operating your S-4 in Automatic Mode
You are now ready to turn your S-4 on for the first time. We will first setup a new job filling 0.50 lb containers in "automatic" mode. This mode lets the controller adjust itself for optimum performance.
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Turn on the Controller
Every time the controller is turned on using the power switch, the LCD screen displays a short "splash" screen (fig. 16) that indicates the model number and revision number. You should see a line like "S4 Rev 1.06". In this example, the first part of the message "S4" would tell you that the controller is setup for the Model S-4 machine. If this first part shows "S3", call Logical Machines for instructions on changing it to "S4". The "Rev 1.06" part of the message is indicating the software revision in the controller (1.06 in this example). Write this down so that if you need to call Logical Machines with a question, they will know what machine you have.
Once the "splash" screen has past, the "Home" screen (fig. 17) will show a short menu, a "Job number", an indication of whether the current job is "automatic" or "manual", and the weight indicated by the scale.
The "Job number" is the job currently being used. The controller can store several jobs that the operator has setup and saved in its internal memory and the operator can recall those jobs later on. A Job is a set of parameters that tell the controller how to fill a particular container with a particular amount of material. All jobs are saved when the power is removed.
There are 2 characters after the job number. They will either be "Au" indicating that the currently loaded job is an "automatic" mode job or "Us" indicating the current job is a "User" mode job. An automatic job means the controller will constantly adjust the job parameters during operation and a user job will use fixed operator supplied parameters and will make no adjustments.
The weight of the material currently in the Scale/Accumulation Hopper will be shown on the bottom right side of the LCD display. If you connected the scale you should be able to make this weight change by pressing on the Scale/Accumulation Hopper.
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Load a Job
We will load job number 1 for this example. Load the current job number 1 from the controller's memory by pressing "Home 2,3" to get to the load job screen (fig. 18). You will be asked to enter the job number you want to load. Press "1" and then "Enter" to load the parameters currently saved in job #1. After hitting "Enter" you will be returned to the Home screen (fig. 19). Notice that the bottom line of the display starts with "Job: 1". This is telling you that job number 1 is being used.
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Setup Operating Modes
Now we need to tell the controller to use "automatic mode" for this job. This allows the controller to try and optimize the running parameters while it is running. Press "Home 2,2" to get to the "Edit Modes" menu (fig. 20). The first item in this menu should be "Mode". By pressing the "1" key you can toggle the mode from "Auto" to "User". Toggle the mode to indicate "Auto"
While you are in this menu, notice the other menu items. Press the "2" key to toggle the "AutoDump" setting to "Off". Use the "3" key to toggle the "AutoTare" to "Off".
Once you have made the above changes to the Modes, press Home to go back to the home screen.
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Set Target Weight
Since we are going to run in "Automatic" mode for this example, the only parameter we need to adjust is the target weight. Press "Home 2,1,5" to get to the target weight entry screen (fig. 21). This will prompt you for a target weight. Enter "0.5" followed by the "Enter" key. You will now be returned to the run parameter screen which shows all of the operating parameters. Since we will be running in "Automatic" mode you will not have to change any of these other items. You can use the arrow keys to view all of these parameters. Use the "Home" key to return to the main screen.
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Fine Tuning Material Flow
If you find the vibrator is running very fast and/or it takes a long time for the container to fill, you may have the Supply Hopper Gate too restrictive for the material in the Supply Hopper. On the other hand, if the container fills quickly but is not very accurate, the Supply Hopper Gate may not be restrictive enough and should be lowered. Generally the Feed Pan should contain one layer of material when the container is filling. For example, if you are filling a container with beans, you should observe a continuous flow of beans in the Feed Pan, one bean deep that flows smoothly and evenly. If there are gaps or open spots where you can see the bottom of the Feed Pan, you should open up the Supply Hopper Gate.
- Re-entering the Learn Cycle
If you make a major adjustment to the Supply Hopper Gate, you should force the S-4 Controller to start the "Learn Cycle" from the beginning. To do this, simply press "Home 3,3" to toggle the learn cycle on. You can usually make small adjustments to the Supply Hopper Gate without re-entering the "Learn Cycle".
- Save the Job
After operating several cycles, you should notice that the S-4 has figured out how to fill your containers quickly and accurately. You should now save the job so that the next time you turn the machine on, all the current operating parameters are saved. The S-4 does not automatically save jobs. You must save the job. To do this simply press "Home 2,4" (fig. 25.) This will save all of the current parameters so that the next time you load this job from the controller's memory, it will operate just as it did the last time you saved the job.
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