WeighTech MicroWeigh Standard Checkweigher User manual

MicroWeigh Standard Checkweigher
WeighTech, Inc. Staff
Waldron, Arkansas
1-800-457-3720
April 25, 2014

Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 MicroWeighFeatures.......................... 4
1.2 MicroWeigh Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 Keypad Operation 4
3 How to Step Through Menus 5
3.1 Menus can contain several different items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Howtoenteranumber ......................... 5
3.3 How to select from a list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4 General Scale Operations 6
4.1 ScaleOnProcedure........................... 6
4.2 ScaleOffProcedure............................ 7
4.3 ZeroProcedure .............................. 7
4.4 UnitsProcedure.............................. 7
5 Calibration Procedure 7
5.1 Entering the calibration menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.2 Keyingincalweight ........................... 7
5.3 CalibrationExample ........................... 7
5.4 Establishingazero ........................... 8
5.5 Accepting a cal weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6 Display Messages 8
6.1 General Warning/Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.2 CalibrationWarnings .......................... 9
7 Menus 10
7.1 MainLevel ............................... 10
7.2 Productionmenu ............................ 10
7.3 Totalsmenu............................... 10
7.4 SetupMenu................................ 11
7.5 Parameters................................. 11
7.6 CheckSettings ............................. 12
7.7 InfoMenu................................ 13
8 Detailed Menu Item Descriptions 13
8.1 MainMenuLevel............................ 13
8.2 ProductionMenu ............................ 14
8.3 TotalsMenu............................... 15
8.4 SetupMenu............................... 16
8.5 Parameters................................ 16
8.6 CheckSettings .............................. 17
8.7 InfoMenu................................ 20
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9 Troubleshooting 21
9.1 Loadcells................................. 21
9.2 Motors&ACDrives ........................... 21
9.3 BannerOptoSensors ........................... 21
9.4 Before calling WeighTech... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
10 Module Assignments 22
11 Drive configuration (TB Woods drive) 23
11.1Weighbridge............................... 23
11.2Infeed/outfeed.............................. 24
12 Replacement Parts 25
13 Wiring Diagram 26
14 Load Cell Color Codes 27
3

1 Introduction
With the WeighTech MicroWeigh a combination of state-of-the-art technology with
common down-to-earth basics creates a digital indicator that makes troubleshooting and
actual maintenance repair so simple that anyone can be trained to make repairs on this
indicator in just minutes.
1.1 MicroWeigh Features
•High impact ABS alloy construction.
•Highly visible, easy-to-read display with adjustable contrast and backlight.
•Environmentally sealed touch-sensitive operator control panel.
•Standard units of measure include grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds.
• RS-232 and Infrared communications are standard with RS-485 option available.
•Wireless data collection using a PDA with WeighTech data-sync software.
1.2 MicroWeigh Applications
•Standard weighing
•Label printing
•Tank or vat weighing
•Checkweighing (boxes, bags, and pieces)
•Bench and floor scales
•Batch weighing
2 Keypad Operation
The WeighTech MicroWeigh keypad is a watertight sealed touch sensitive sensor. The
keys are actually sensitive to contact area, not force. Press lightly with the ball of your
fingertip as though you were giving fingerprints. Best results come from using the
ball of your finger, not the very tip. Most objects will not trigger the keypad–knives,
screwdrivers, tools, etc. do not have enough surface area in contact with the key to
register as a keypress. (You might get it to trigger with a medium sized conductive bolt
head, if you have skin in contact with the bolt.)
One consequence of the design of the touch sensitive keypad is that it is sensitive
to water streams. For this reason, WeighTech includes a unique “washdown mode” to
prevent unwanted keypad activity during washdown/sanitation/cleanup intervals. When
the indicator is in washdown mode, the indicator will weigh normally but the keypad is
locked out.
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To unlock the keypad, you must play follow the leader. One key will be lit. Press
it. Another key will then light up. Press it. Continue until the indicator displays “Exit
washdown”. The indicator will require that you press five keys in a row correctly before
it will unlock the keypad. Any wrong keypress will restart the counter back to five. The
odds are extremely slight that random water splashing would ever be able to trigger the
correct keys in the correct order to unlock the keypad.
3 How to Step Through Menus
From the main weight display, press the “Menu/Help” key. You are now in a menu, and
the keys now have different functions:
Cancel Help Enter Down Up
•“Cancel” will back you out of the menu one level at a time.
•“Help” will display information about the current choice (option).
•“Enter” has various functions, depending on where you are in the menu.
•The “Down” key will scroll backward through the menu choices.
•The “Up” key will scroll forward through the menu choices.
3.1 Menus can contain several different items
An item with a “*” on the right end will do something when you press the enter key–
something might be turn the indicator off, drill down into another menu, clear totals, or
start a calibration routine. The item with a numeric value (scale capacity, for instance)
at the right side of the display might allow you to change the number by pressing the
enter key. An item with text (such as “on” or “off”) at the right side of the display might
allow you to select from a list of options by pressing the enter key. Some items are just
for reference and cannot be changed at all. Examples of reference items would be the
software name and revision–these are set when the software is written and cannot be
changed.
3.2 How to enter a number
Using the calibration routine as an example: Press the “Enter” key. The indicator display
will show “Cal weight ” and the cursor will be blinking. The blinking cursor is the
clue that you can enter an arbitrary number using the up, down, right, and enter keys.
Pressing the up/down keys will scroll through the list (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - . ) in
turn. When the desired number appears, press the right arrow (menu/help) key. The
blinking cursor will advance one digit to the right, leaving your selected number in
place. Continue this sequence until the desired numeric value is visible on the display.
Press the “Enter” key to accept the value, or the “Cancel” key to abort.
Example: Enter a calibration weight of 25 pounds
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•Start with the indicator at a normal weight display (“ 0.00 lb”)
•Press the “Menu/Help” key
• Scroll through the main menu using the up or down arrow keys until “Calibrate *”
is displayed on the indicator
•Press the “Enter” key to start the calibration routine
• The indicator may display “Password” if a calibration password is required. If so,
enter it (default calibration password is “Zero” “Zero” “Zero”)
•The indicator should now be displaying “Cal Weight” and a blinking cursor.
•Press the up arrow key. The display should now show “Cal weight 1”
•Press the up arrow key again. The display should now show “Cal Weight 2”
• Press the right arrow key to accept the first digit (2) and advance the blinking
cursor to the next digit. The indicator should display “Cal weight 2 ”
• Press the up arrow key five times to select a 5 as the second digit. The indicator
should now display “Cal weight 25”
•Press the “Enter” key to accept 25 pounds as a calibration weight.
• The indicator will display “Cal–zero weight”. Press the “Cancel” key to abort the
calibration process.
3.3 How to select from a list
This is very much like stepping through a menu. Some settings (such as displayed
resolution) must be limited to one of several predetermined values. To edit one of these
settings, press the “Enter” key. The currently selected value will move from the far right
of the display to the left. This indicates that you may use the up and down arrow keys to
scroll through a list of possible values for this setting. Once you’ve selected a value for
the setting, press the “Enter” key to complete the selection process. As always, pressing
the “Cancel” key will cancel the selection and restore the setting to the previous value.
4 General Scale Operations
4.1 Scale On Procedure
Touch the “Zero / On” key. Indicator will come on and display will read “MicroWeigh
by WeighTech” and then continue to the weigh mode. At this point the scale is ready
for product or operator input.
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4.2 Scale Off Procedure
To turn the scale off touch the “Menu / Help” key. The indicator will display “Power
off *”. At this point touch the “Print / Enter” key and scale display will go blank, and
the indicator will be off. (If the auto-on jumper is installed on the interface board, the
indicator will immediately power up.)
4.3 Zero Procedure
To zero the indicator touch and hold the “Zero / On” key for about 3 seconds and the
indicator will take a new zero. If the current weight reading is unstable, under capacity,
or over capacity, no new pushbutton zero will be established.
4.4 Units Procedure
To change the units of measure touch the “Units / Cancel” key. The units will change
between pounds, kilograms, grams and ounces (assuming all the units are enabled in the
“Parameter” menu) each time that the key is touched.
5 Calibration Procedure
5.1 Entering the calibration menu
With the indicator on and displaying weight, touch the “Menu / Help” key. The display
will read “Power off *”. Use the up / down arrows until the display reads “Calibrate
*”. Touch the “Print / Enter” key and the display should then show “Password”. At
this point key in the calibration password. (The default calibration password is “Zero”
“Zero” “Zero” .)
5.2 Keying in cal weight
The display will show “Cal weight ” and the cursor will be blinking. Using the up,
down, and right keys to enter the size of your calibration weight in pounds (i.e. 1, 2, 5,
or 10). Press “Enter” to accept the cal weight, or “Cancel” if you make a mistake.
5.3 Calibration Example
(Entering a 25.00 lb cal weight value.) The blinking cursor is the clue that you can enter
an arbitrary number using the up and down keys. Pressing the up/down keys will scroll
through the list (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - . ) in turn. When the desired number appears (2),
press the right arrow “Menu / Help” key. The blinking cursor will advance one digit to
the right (2 ), leaving your selected number in place. Continue this sequence until the
desired numeric value is visible on the display (25 ) (25. ) (25.0 ) (25.00). Press the
“Enter” key to accept the value, or the “Cancel” key to abort.
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5.4 Establishing a zero
The indicator will display “Cal–zero weight”. Clear the weighing platform of any
foreign objects and once all vibration has died out, press the “Enter” key. Make sure
that the platform is not disturbed during this process. Indicator will display “Zeroing...”
as it takes an average reading of the zero offset weight (about three seconds).
5.5 Accepting a cal weight
The indicator will then display “Cal–add weight”. Add weight to the weighing platform
(the weight should be the same amount as the keyed in cal weight) then touch the “Enter”
key. The indicator will display “Scaling...” for about three seconds as it performs
internal calculations. Finally, the indicator will display “Cal done” for about one second
once the calibration cycle is complete.
6 Display Messages
6.1 General Warning/Error Messages
The following warning and error messages may appear at any time that the display is
showing the current weight. They will not be visible when the indicator is displaying a
menu item.
“Setup required” The indicator is still set to factory defaults, and will require configu-
ration before entering service. This message will clear once the scale capacity (in
“Setup Menu”/“Parameters”) has been set.
“Cal required” The indicator has not yet been calibrated. This message will clear
once the scale has been calibrated.
“Excite Shorted!” The measured load cell excitation voltage has been below 1V for
more than one second. To prevent any damage to the indicator or load cell,
the excitation supply has been disabled. Double check the load cell cable and
connections to the interface board, especially at the terminals marked “EX+” and
“EX-”. The indicator must be turned off and back on again to clear this message.
“ADC Full Scale” The analog to digital converter reading the load cell went to full
scale positive or negative for more than a second. This is usually caused by faulty
wiring, or in severe cases, a seriously damaged load cell. Check connections,
especially on the terminals marked “S1+” and “S1-”. This warning will clear
automatically when the load cell readings come back into the normal range.
“Check Weigh Opto” This warning message indicates that at least 20 items have been
seen by the first optical sensor (zero opto) and not seen by the second optical
sensor (weigh opto). It will clear automatically as soon as the weigh opto detects
an item. This warning message can be disabled by setting “Sensor mon” to off.
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“Check Zero Opto” This warning message indicates that at least 20 items have been
seen by the second optical sensor (weigh opto) and not seen by the first optical
sensor (zero opto). It will clear automatically as soon as the zero opto detects an
item. This warning message can be disabled by setting “Sensor mon” to off.
“IR locked.” Access to the setup menus is locked out. The “IR lock” setting in the
parameter menu is turned on and it’s been more than one minute since the Palm
was used to pull settings or totals. To unlock, use a Palm to pull totals or settings.
You will then have 60 seconds to access the setup menus. If you do not wish to
lock out the setup menus, turn off “IR lock”.
6.2 Calibration Warnings
The following warning messages may appear when entering the calibration routine.
“Check load cell” This warning will only appear when entering the calibration rou-
tine. It indicates that the load cell reading is past full scale positive or negative.
Calibration will not be allowed in this case. Refer to “ADC Full Scale” warning
for troubleshooting information.
“Check excite” The load cell excitation supply was measured at less than 4.0 volts.
Check the load cell and wiring, especially the terminals marked “EX+” and “EX-”.
This warning can also be caused by excessive load cell current drain, such as from
more than four load cells tied together, or a load cell with damaged strain gauges.
“Check ex- wire” Both load cell signal outputs were measured at more than 4.0 volts.
This usually indicates that there’s a poor connection at the “EX-” terminal, or that
the load cell excitation wiring has gone open (such as from physical damage to
the cable).
“Check ex+ wire” Both load cell signal outputs were measured at less than 1.0 volts.
This usually indicates that there’s a poor connection at the “EX+” terminal, or
that the load cell excitation wiring has gone open (such as from physical damage
to the cable).
“Check signals” The difference between the two load cell signal outputs was measured
at more than 0.2 volts. This much imbalance between the two signals is usually
caused by either incorrect wiring (such as swapping an excitation and signal wire),
or by a severely bent load cell. Check connections, try swapping pairs, or replace
the load cell.
“Check sig+ wire” The positive load cell signal was measured at either less than 1.5
volts or more than 4 volts. Check wiring at terminal marked “S1+”, check that
the load cell signal and excite pairs are correct, and finally consider that the load
cell may be damaged.
“Check sig- wire” The negative load cell signal was measured at either less than 1.5
volts or more than 4 volts. Check wiring at terminal marked “S1-”, check that the
load cell signal and excite pairs are correct, and finally consider that the load cell
may be damaged.
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7 Menus
7.1 Main Level
Power off Turn off the indicator
Production Enter the production submenu
Washdown Disable keypad to prevent false keypresses during washdown
Calibrate Enter quick calibration routine
Dynacal Dynamic calibration feature
Setup menu Bunch of stuff...see below
Audit cfg Number of times an audited config parameter has been changed
(HB44)
Audit cal Number of times indicator has been calibrated (HB44)
7.2 Production menu
Cycle on Enable knockoffs, totals, and start the operating cycle
Cycle off Disable knockoffs and totals
Low mt Low side of acceptable weight range
High lmt High side of acceptable weight range
Tare Tare weight, in current units
Package Experimental display of package size, rate, and spacing.
Totals Display totals submenu
7.3 Totals menu
* Cnt Total number of items (ok, unders, and overs)
* Tot Total weight of all items (ok, unders, and overs)
* Avg Average weight of all items (ok, unders, and overs)
* Min Minimum weight of all items (ok, unders, and overs)
* Max Maximum weight of all items (ok, unders, and overs)
* Dev Standard deviation of weight of all items (ok, unders, and overs)
OK cnt Number of acceptable weight items
OK tot Total weight of acceptable items
OK avg Average weight of acceptable items
OK min Minimum weight of acceptable items
OK max Maximum weight of acceptable items
OK dev Standard deviation of weight of acceptable items
Lo cnt Number of underweight items
Hi cnt Number of overweight items
Too close Number of items too close to weigh
Clear stats Clear all stats/totals. (Will prompt for confirmation. Touch enter
to clear totals, cancel to retain totals.)
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7.4 Setup Menu
Parameters Scale stuff
Check settings Checkweigher settings
Info menu Debugging stuff
Clock Set clock menu
Contrast Control display intensity
7.5 Parameters
S units Setup units: used for entering capacity and resolution (defaults to
pounds)
Capacity Scale capacity, in setup units
Resltn Scale resolution, in setup units
AZT max Maximum weight that can be autozeroed out at one time during
operation
Calibrate Start calibration routine
Dynacal Dynamic calibration feature
IZ set Set initial zero at power up (default is off)
lb units On/Off: Enables the units toggle key to include pound units
kg units On/Off: Enables the units toggle key to include kilogram units
g units On/Off: Enables the units toggle key to include gram units
oz units On/Off: Enables the units toggle key to include ounce units
Address Communications address, visible in IR transfers to the Palm
Cntst Enabled/Disabled: If enabled, the three key quick contrast adjust-
ment is allowed.
IR lock When turned on, the Palm is required to access the setup menus
Defaults Restore scale to factory default settings (all settings will be lost!)
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7.6 Check Settings
Low lmt Low side of acceptable weight range
High lmt High side of acceptable weight range
Offset wgt Weight added to each sample to make static and dynamic weights
equal
Delay to KO Time to knockoff (in 1/100 of a second–100 is 1 second, 200 is 2
seconds)
KO duration Length of time arm is extended (in 1/100s–100 is 1 second, 200
is 2 seconds)
KO Select between kicking off the rejected items or the accepted
items
KO type Select standard or smart knockoff gate action
R buffer Length of weighing buffer (filtering)–larger numbers give more
stable weights
Z buffer Length of autozero buffer–larger numbers give more stable
weights
Zero dly Number of ticks until an automatic zero will occur (tick = 1/120
of a second–120 is 1 second)
Auto zero Control whether scale will automatically zero if a product isn’t
seen for some time (On/Off)
Sens 1 Leading edge optical beam debounce–larger numbers reject more
noise, but also reduce sensitivity to bag edges
Sens 2 Trailing edge optical beam debounce–larger numbers reject more
noise, but also reduce sensitivity to bag edges
Zero opto Std/Rev: select first sensor mode, either light activate (std) or
dark activate (rev)
Weigh opto Std/Rev: select first sensor mode, either light activate (std) or
dark activate (rev)
Sensor mon On/Off: enable or disable the optical sensor failure warning
system
Close cnt Number of ticks from zero opto to weighbridge, used to determine
“too close”
Wbrdg ticks Length of weighbridge, in ticks. Set to 0 to use older too close
detection method.
Eye space Experimental: distance between optical beams (used to determine
belt speed, package sizes)
Travel Set to either L-R or R-L to match direction of item travel, as seen
from indicator
Dbase Control whether IR total dump includes individual item weights
(On/Off)
Gap delay Number of seconds between infeed pauses (used to force gaps
for autozero)
Gap drtn How long to pause infeed, in seconds, when creating a gap
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7.7 Info Menu
ADC Raw ADC (analog to digital converter) counts display
Filtered Filtered ADC counts
Weight Live weight display (filtered and calibrated to pounds)
Logging WeighTech use only
Offset Calibration zero offset, in raw counts
App Name of firmware app (microcheck 1)
Build Software revision info (Build 72)
Date Date firmware was compiled (03/28/2014)
Time Time of firmware compilation (11:25:52)
ADC rate Experimental: Set ADC converter rate–affects a lot of other
settings, modify with care!
S1+ Current load cell + signal voltage, 1 Hz update rate
S1- Current load cell - signal voltage, 1 Hz update rate
Excite Current load cell excite voltage, 1 Hz update rate
IZ Autoset Force a new initial zero
IZ Current initial zero settings, in setup units
Debug msg On/Off: Turn this parameter on for more extensive messages
during powerup
Bootload Weightech use only
8 Detailed Menu Item Descriptions
8.1 Main Menu Level
Power off Turns off the MicroWeigh controller. When powered down, the belts will
continue to run, as the indicator has no control over the infeed, weighbridge, and
outfeed motor drives.
Production Enter the production submenu. Most of the functions used on a daily basis
are located in this menu, such as cycle on, cycle off, high and low weight range,
package rate/size displays, and the sizer totals/statistics.
Washdown Disable the keypad to prevent the touch sensitive keypad from registering
false keypresses during a washdown period. To enable the keypad, play follow the
leader and press the lit keys in order. You must get five in a row to exit washdown
mode. (The controller will continue to operate normally in washdown mode–it
only affects the keypad.)
Calibrate Quick calibration routine. The password required to enter the calibration
routine is to touch the Zero/On key (far right side of keypad) three times. The
indicator will first prompt for a calibration weight and the calibration weight units,
then prompt for all weight to be removed, and finally for the calibration weight to
be added. Calibration can only be performed when the system is in the cycle off
mode. (Knockoffs and totals disabled.) Before calibrating, several tests are run
on the load cell and load cell connections. If any of these load cell tests fail, a
warning message will displayed before the calibration weight prompt.
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Dynacal Dynamic calibration routine. The password required to enter the calibration
routine is to touch the Zero/On key (far right side of keypad) three times. The
indicator will first prompt for a calibration weight and the calibration weight
units. After the units are entered, the indicator will prompt you to remove all
weight. Touch the enter key to establish the new zero. Once a zero is set, the
indicator will ask you to weigh items. Send the calibration weight across the
weighbridge. The display will update and show you the number of calibration
passes. Send that same item across the weighbridge several times to average in
on a good calibration. Touch the enter key to accept the calibration or the cancel
key to abort.
Setup menu Enter the setup submenu, where the configuration settings and test func-
tions are located. This menu is password protected to prevent unqualified person-
nel from accessing the settings. The password is to touch each of the five keys in
order, from left to right. (“Units”, “Menu”, “Print”, “Tare”, “Zero”).
Audit cfg Displays the number of times an audited configuration parameter has been
changed. There is no way to reset this counter in the field.
Audit cal Displays the number of times the indicator has been calibrated. There is no
method to reset this counter in the field.
8.2 Production Menu
Cycle on Start the operating cycle. Each item will be weighed, added to the proper
totals, and the knockoffs will operate as needed. The current item weight display
will update as each item goes across the weighbridge and breaks the weigh beam.
Cycle off Exit the operating cycle. The belts will continue to run. Items going across
the weighbridge will still be weighed, the display will still update, but totals will
not change and the knockoffs will not activate.
Lo lmt Lower range of acceptable weight, in pounds. An item with the same weight as
this setting is considered to be ok.
Tare Current tare weight.
Hi lmt Upper range of acceptable weight, in pounds. An item with the same weight as
this setting is considered to be ok.
Package Experimental display of package size, rate, and spacing.
Totals Enter the totals/statistics menu. Totals can be viewed while the machine is in
operation, and the display will update as each item is weighed and assigned to a
gate. The totals are also available for download to a Palm through the front panel
IR interface. Items that are too close to weigh are counted as too close, but do not
affect any other statistic (such as total count, or total weight).
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8.3 Totals Menu
* Cnt Total number of items that have been gone across the weighbridge, not counting
any items too close to weigh.
* Tot Total weight of all items that have been gone across the weighbridge, not includ-
ing any that were spaced too closely to weigh.
* Avg Average (mean) weigh of all items that have gone across the weighbridge,
excluding items that were spaced too closely to weigh.
* Min Minimum weight of all items that have gone across the weighbridge, except for
too close items.
* Max Maximum weight of all items that have gone across the weighbridge, not
including items that were too close.
* Dev Standard deviation of the weight of all items that have been weighed. The
standard deviation is calculated assuming that the items comprise the entire
population, not a sub-sample of a larger population.
OK cnt Total number of items that weighed inside the acceptable weight range.
OK tot Total weight of all items that weighed inside the acceptable weight range.
OK avg Average (mean) weight of all acceptable weight items.
OK min Minimum weight of accepted items.
OK max Maximum weight of accepted items.
OK dev Standard deviation of the weight of acceptable items. The standard deviation
is calculated assuming that the items comprise the entire population, not a sub-
sample of a larger population.
Lo cnt Number of items that weighed less than the acceptable weight range and were
knocked off.
Hi cnt Number of items that weighed more than the acceptable weight range and were
knocked off.
Too close Count of number of items that were too close to weigh. An item is considered
to close if it breaks the zero beam at the front of the weighbridge while the
previous item is breaking the weigh beam at the end of the weighbridge. Excessive
numbers of too close items indicate a problem with the upstream flow to the sizer
or upstream singulation problems.
Clear stats Clear all the totals and statistics. The indicator will prompt for confirmation
(“Sure?”) before actually clearing the data. Press the Print/Enter key to clear, or
the Units/Cancel key to abort. The indicator will record the date and time of every
total clear operation. The date and time of the last clear operation is transmitted
to the Palm when the totals are transferred.
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8.4 Setup Menu
Parameters Enter the parameter menu, where all the important (nonvolatile) settings
are located. A word of warning—the “Default” option exists to return the settings
to the factory defaults. It will prompt for confirmation, but once you’ve defaulted
the settings any changes you’ve made are gone forever. If you don’t know why
you’d need to return to factory defaults, you don’t.
Check settings
This menu contains the settings relevant to the operation of the auto-
matic weighing cycle. (Filters, automatic zero settings, optical beam debouncing,
etc.)
Info menu Enter the info menu, which contains several interesting and useful nonad-
justable parameters, such as the current firmware name and revision.
Clock Display current date and time. Also allows setting the real time clock. (The
MicroWeigh controller real time clock is battery operated, so it will keep time
even while the controller is powered off.)
Contrast Allows adjustment of the display intensity. Use the up and down arrows
to scroll until the display contrast is nice and crisp, then press the Units/Cancel
key to exit. This setting is retained through power cycles. There’s an emergency
contrast adjustment that’s handy if the display is really washed out and hard to
read: touch and hold the Units/Cancel and Menu/Help keys, then touch either
the up or down key to adjust contrast. If you can’t tell whether to go up or down,
touch the same key repeatedly until the display is easy to read. (It’ll loop around,
so it doesn’t really matter if you use the up or down key.)
8.5 Parameters
S units Default units for resolution, capacity, and other internal settings. Default is to
use pounds.
Capacity Maximum capacity of scale, in setup units. Must be set during initial installa-
tion to remove the “Setup Required” warning message from the display.
Resltn Displayed weight resolution, in pounds. Default is 0.01 pounds.
AZT max Maximum weight that can be automatically zeroed out by the automatic
weighing cycle. Adjust so that the scale can compensate for any product buildup
during production. Setting this value too high can result in a bad zero reading,
such as if a whole bird were to stick on the weighbridge during an autozero cycle.
A good starting point would be about 10% of the expected item weight, so that
buildup can be zeroed out but not an entire item.
Calibrate Perform a load cell test and calibration. (Feel free to enter the routine to
do a load cell test, and touch the cancel key to exit without calibrating at the cal
weight prompt. This can be a handy troubleshooting feature.)
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Dynacal Dynamic calibration routine. The password required to enter the calibration
routine is to touch the Zero/On key (far right side of keypad) three times. The
indicator will first prompt for a calibration weight and the calibration weight
units. After the units are entered, the indicator will prompt you to remove all
weight. Touch the enter key to establish the new zero. Once a zero is set, the
indicator will ask you to weigh items. Send the calibration weight across the
weighbridge. The display will update and show you the number of calibration
passes. Send that same item across the weighbridge several times to average in
on a good calibration. Touch the enter key to accept the calibration or the cancel
key to abort.
IZ set Set initial zero. If you have to ask, you probably don’t need to be doing it.
lb units Enable or disable the pound units display. If enabled, the units key will allow
the item weights to be displayed in pounds.
kg units Enable or disable the kilogram units display. If enabled, the units key will
allow the item weights to be displayed in kilograms.
g units Enable or disable the gram units display. If enabled, the units key will allow
the item weights to be displayed in grams.
oz units Enable or disable the ounce units display. If enabled, the units key will allow
the item weights to be displayed in ounces.
Address
Communications address. Appears as part of the total and parameter informa-
tion transmitted to the Palm through the IR port.
Cntst Enable or disable the three key quick contrast adjustment. This setting does
not affect the contrast menu control inside “Setup menu”. The default setting is
enabled, but it is recommended to disable the quick contrast adjustment before
placing the indicator in production.
Defaults Set all settings back to factory defaults. Will prompt for confirmation before
doing its business. “Sure?”: touch the Units/Cancel key to abort, or the Print/Enter
key to restore factory default settings. Defaulting will erase any changes to the
parameters that have been made, so write them down before defaulting just in
case!
8.6 Check Settings
Low lmt Lower range of acceptable weight, in pounds. An item with the same weight
as this setting is considered to be acceptable.
High lmt Upper range of acceptable weight, in pounds. An item with the same weight
as this setting is considered to be ok.
Offset wgt Amount of weight either added or subtracted from the item weight to com-
pensate for difference between static and dynamic weights. Excessive amounts of
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offset weight could indicate that the weighbridge is not level. This setting can be
either positive or negative to compensate in either direction.
Delay to KO Number of ticks from an item blocking the weigh beam to the knockoff.
Adjust this value so that the rejects are properly knocked off the outfeed belt.
KO duration Number of ticks that the knockoff will be extended. Adjust so that the
knockoff can cleanly remove rejects from the outfeed belt and not interfere with
the following items.
KO If set to “Rejects”, the rejected items (too heavy, too light, too close) will be
knocked off the belt. If set to “OK”, only the accepted items will be knocked off.
KO type Select either standard or smart knockoff mode. In smart mode, the knockoff
gate will stay out if items are arriving fast enough to overlap with the knockoff
gate duration.
R buffer Weigh buffer filter setting. Larger values give a more stable weight, but
require that the item spend more time on the weighbridge. If this parameter is
set too high, the dynamic item weights will be much less than actual weight
as measured statically. If this parameter is set too low, the weights will be less
accurate.
Z buffer Zero buffer filter setting. Larger values give a more stable weight, but require
that the item spend more time on the weighbridge. If this parameter is set too
high, the automatic zero will not be accurate. A good starting point is to set this
parameter to twice the “R buffer” setting.
Zero dly Length of time (in units of ticks) that no items must be seen before starting
an autozero cycle. With the default “ADC rate” setting, there are 120 ticks per
second. Factory default for this parameter is 2000, which is about 16 seconds.
Auto zero On/Off. Controls whether or not the automatic weighing cycle will attempt to
zero out any slight changes in weight when no items are crossing the weighbridge.
Sens 1 Leading edge debouncing used on both optical sensors. This value specifies
the number of consecutive readings that must elapse from beam clear to beam
blocked before the transition is registered. Increase this if you’re seeing a single
item count as multiple items. (This is most common with irregular packages, such
as plastic bags). Decrease if the items are very consistent on the leading edge, as
with a box. Units are ticks (120 per second).
Sens 2 Trailing edge debouncing used on both optical sensors. This value specifies
the number of consecutive readings that must elapse from beam blocked to beam
clear before the transition is registered. Increase this if you’re seeing a single item
count as multiple items. (This is most common with irregular packages, such as
plastic bags). Decrease if the items are very consistent on the trailing edge, as
with a box. Units are ticks (120 per second).
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Zero opto Select the operating mode for the first opto sensor. If the sensor is light acti-
vated (normally open), select std mode. If the sensor is dark activated (normally
closed), select rev mode. It is recommended to use std mode with the Banner opto
sensors black wire output. The zero opto sensor detects if products are too close
to be accurately weighed and completes the autozero cycle.
Weigh opto Select the operating mode for the second opto sensor. If the sensor is
light activated (normally open), select std mode. If the sensor is dark activated
(normally closed), select rev mode. It is recommended to use std mode with
the Banner opto sensors black wire output. The weigh opto sensor detects the
products as they transition off the weighbridge.
Sensor mon When set to “On”, the system will watch for items being detected by only
one of the optical sensors. If more than twenty consecutive items are missed
by one of the optical sensors a warning message will appear on the display
(either “Check Weigh Opto” or “Check Zero Opto”). The warning message will
automatically clear as soon as the failing sensor detects an item. Set to “Off” to
disable this warning system completely. (The system can run without the zero
opto sensor, but “Autozero” and “Sensor mon” must be disabled and items that
are too close to weigh accurately will not be detected. This is a degraded mode of
operation.)
Close cnt Number of ticks from zero opto beam until weighbridge. Increasing this
setting allows the machine to be more forgiving of closely spaced items.
Wbrdg ticks Number of ticks required to travel from the zero opto beam to the weigh
opto beam. This setting is used to determine if more than one piece is on the
weighbridge, which would cause a too close to weigh error. Set to 0 to disable
and use the old style too close detection. (Old style detects an item as too close if
the zero opto beam is blocked when the item hits the weigh opto beam.) If this
setting is not zero, Dynacal will automatically measure the distance between the
beams and update this setting.
Eye space Distance between the leading zero beam and the trailing weigh beam, in
inches. Used to scale the displayed data in the packaging menu.
Travel Controls the front panel LEDs to indicate the status of the weigh and zero
beams–a useful diagnostic tool, but it doesn’t have any effect on the operation
of the machine. Set to correspond to the direction of item travel, as seen when
you’re viewing the front panel of the indicator. When set to “L-R”, blocking the
zero beam (at the front edge of the weighbridge) will illuminate the Motion LED
on the front panel of the indicator, and blocking the weigh beam (at the trailing
edge of the weighbridge) will illuminate the Net LED on the front panel. When
set to “R-L”, the zero beam will light the Net LED, and the weigh beam will light
the Motion LED. If you set the wrong, nothing bad will happen.
Dbase On/Off. When on, the indicator will record and transmit each item weight to the
Palm. Handy for troubleshooting purposes.
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8.7 Info Menu
ADC Live display of current raw unfiltered counts from analog to digital converter. Full
scale is +/- 8 million counts, so values of more than several million are suspicious
and could indicate a defective load cell or incorrect wiring.
Filtered Live display of current raw filtered counts from analog to digital converter
through the R buffer filter.
Weight Touch the enter key to enable a live display of the current weight, in pounds.
Handy for troubleshooting and testing calibration.
Logging WeighTech use only. Allows recording of ADC and sensor data for playback
or transfer.
Offset Current zero offset, in counts. Will update during an autozero cycle.
App Firmware application name (microcheck 1). Very handy to WeighTech personnel
if you call and expect to receive accurate advice.
Build Firmware revision code (Build 72). Again, this is something that’s good to know
when contacting WeighTech with questions.
Date Date that firmware was compiled (03/28/2014). This is not the current date!
Time Timestamp of firmware compilation (11:25:52). This is not the current time!
ADC rate Current analog to digital converter rate. 120 Hz is the factory default setting,
but 60 Hz might provide more stable weight readings at slow product rates at the
cost of a slower response time. Unless you really want to experiment, best to
leave this alone. Changing the parameter will also affect all other parameters that
are set in units of ticks.
S1+ Current load cell positive signal voltage. Should be about half of the excitation
voltage, and very close to the negative load cell signal voltage.
S1- Current load cell negative signal voltage. Should be about half of the excitation
voltage, and very close to the positive load cell signal voltage.
Excite Current excitation supply voltage, updated at about 1 Hz. Should be in the 4-5
volt range for normal operating. Very low readings could indicate cable damage,
incorrect load cell wiring, or an excessive number of load cells connected to the
indicator.
IZ autoset If enabled, the scale will attempt to set an initial zero every time it’s powered
on. Not really relevant to this firmware revision.
IZ Current initial zero setting.
Debug msg Not used in this firmware revision.
Bootload Enter bootloader for firmware update procedure. WeighTech use only.
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