command center user manual

7/30/2019 Command Center User Manual

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Command Center

User Manual

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1 Introduction........................................................................................................2

1.1 System Requirements ...................................................................................................... 2

2 Modes of Operation............................................................................................2

2.1 Passive Mode.................................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Active Mode...................................................................................................................... 2

3 Getting Started ...................................................................................................3

4 Communication ..................................................................................................4

5 Operator Screen .................................................................................................4

5.1 Passive Mode.................................................................................................................... 4

5.2 Active Mode...................................................................................................................... 5

5.3 Individual Arc Control.................................................................................................... 65.4 Charts ............................................................................................................................... 6

6 System Interface .................................................................................................7

7 Set Points.............................................................................................................8

8 Diagnostics ..........................................................................................................9

9 Preferences....................................................................................................... 10

9.1 General Preferences ...................................................................................................... 10

9.2 Data Logging.................................................................................................................. 119.3 Other Options ................................................................................................................ 12

10 Miscellaneous Features................................................................................ 13

10.1 Save and Restore System Configuration.................................................................. 13

10.2 View Saved Weld Data............................................................................................... 13

10.3 Heat Input Analysis Tool........................................................................................... 1410.3.1 Calculation Domain.............................................................................................................................1410.3.2 Statistics...............................................................................................................................................1510.3.3 Cursor Values ......................................................................................................................................1510.3.4 Additional Features .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ..........1510.3.5 Save Report..........................................................................................................................................15


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1 IntroductionCommand Center is an application for high-level monitoring and controlling of multiple-arcsystems, including systems used for Submerged Arc welding. It is designed for ease of use and

convenience for operators and administrators.

1.1 System RequirementsCommand Center is designed to run under Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, XP, and up.

For best performance, it is recommended to run Command Center on a PC with at least 64 MB

of RAM, and a processor speed of 300 MHz or higher. If Command Center is used to control asystem of arcs, it is not recommended to run other applications on the same computer as

Command Center.

2 Modes of OperationCommand Center may be used in several distinct ways for different applications. It can be usedstrictly as a monitoring tool in the case where the arc system is controlled by a PLC or similar

controller. It can also be used as a controlling tool if no external controller is present.

2.1 Passive ModeIn Passive Mode, Command Center has absolutely no control over any aspect of the operation ofthe arc system; it acts strictly as a monitoring tool. For applications where the arcs are

controlled by a PLC or a user interface such as the PF10A, this mode adds a measure of security

so that the user of Command Center cannot interfere with the operation of the arcs (i.e.accidentally clicking the Start/Stop buttons). Passive Mode is Command Centers default

mode of operation. To enable or disable Passive Mode, see 9.1.

2.2 Active ModeIn Active Mode, Command Center is allowed control over the arc system, including the ability tostart and stop the arcs, change set point values, and change System Interface settings. Command

Center should be in Active Mode only if there is no external controller (PLC or user interfacesuch as PF10A) that controls the arc system, or if it is absolutely necessary to change set pointsor System Interface settings from Command Center. To enable or disable Active Mode, see 9.1.

Note: If Command Center detects a PF10A User Interface attached to the system, it will default

to Passive Mode and not allow the user to enter Active Mode.


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3 Getting StartedCommand Center can be installed from the Submerged Arc Utilities CD distributed by Lincoln

Electric. After the CD is installed, to start the program, click the Windows Start button, then

navigate to Programs Lincoln Electric Submerged Arc Utilities Command Center.

The program starts with a blank window, and

expects the user to click the Open Arc

Configuration button, or select File OpenArc Configuration from the menu. The Arc

Configuration file is a text file that describes

the relationships of individual machines to eachother and their respective arc. This file is

required for Command Center to run properly.

An Arc Configuration file is generated by the

Submerged Arc Cell Configuration utilityincluded with the Submerged Arc Utilities

package.

Once all connections have been established

successfully, several tabs will appear near the

top of the window. Clicking on different tabs will reveal different pages with various content andcontrols. The following sections describe each page in detail.

Figure 3.1: Starting Command Center.


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4 CommunicationAfter Command Center opens the Arc

Configuration file, it establishesconnections to all machines specified in

the file. It also creates a graphical

representation of the arc system in theform of a tree, as in Figure 4.1.

Each item in the tree represents either apower source that is part of the arc

system, or the System Interface module

required to link together multiple arcs.

The Close Communications button may

be clicked at any time to close the

connections to all machines and resetCommand Center to how it looked when

it was first started.

5 Operator ScreenIn the Operator Screen page, Command

Center displays a detailed control panel foreach arc in the system, as shown in Figure

5.1.

Each panel displays its respective arcs

voltage, current, and wire feed speed, as

well as numerous controls for modifyingthe arcs parameters.

5.1 Passive ModeUnder Passive Mode (See 2.1), all controlsin the Operator Screen are grayed out

(disabled). In this case, the Operator Screen

is only useful for monitoring arc current,voltage, wire feed speed, and status.

Figure 4.1: Communication tab, connected to a 5-arc system.

Figure 5.1: Operator Screen in Passive Mode, monitoring multiple ar


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The Arc light indicates whether or not an arc is present. If the light is black, no arc is present

and no voltage is being generated. If the light is light-blue, there is an arc present. If the light isyellow, then there is voltage being generated, but no arc is present (an open-circuit state).

The Status light indicates whether or not the machine is experiencing any faults. If the light is

green, no faults are present. If the light is flashing red, the machine is in a faulted state and needsto be diagnosed. Double-clicking on the light will cause Command Center to go directly to the

Diagnostics page (See 8).

The Pipe Identification field can be used to record the part number of the current part being

welded. This field is used for data logging purposes (See 9.2).

5.2 Active ModeUnder Active Mode, all controls for

modifying arc parameters become enabled,

and the Start and Stop buttons becomevisible at the bottom of the screen, as

shown in Figure 5.2.

The Workpoint and Trim values can be

modified by using the up- and down-arrow

buttons, or by entering values directly into

the provided text fields.

The Cold Inch buttons allow the user to

feed the wire back, forward, or fast forward.

The back and forward buttons feed thewire at 50 ipm, and fast forward feeds at

200 ipm.

If the machine is in a faulted state, a

Reset button will appear to the right of

the Status light. Thisbutton enables the user to

clear the fault and bring

the machine back to aready state. Note that, in

Passive Mode, the Resetbutton will not appear.

At the bottom of the Operator Screen, there are large Start and Stop buttons, which are used

to trigger the arc system. When Start is clicked, all arcs will be triggered. The Stop buttonwill stop all arcs unconditionally. In addition, the Stop button that appears in the bottom status

bar may also be used to stop the machines.

Figure 5.2: Operator Screen in Active Mode, monitoring multiple arc

Figure 5.3: A faulted arc with visible Reset Fault button.


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5.3 Individual Arc ControlOne of the optional features of Active Mode is the ability to start and stop each arc individually,or to start and stop a subset of the arcs (To enable this feature, see 9.1). When this feature is

enabled, each arc

will appear asFigure 5.4, withStart and Stop

buttons for that

particular arc.

In addition, each

arc will have a Group check box. The big Start and Stop buttonsat the bottom of the Operator Screen will change to Start Group

and Stop Group, meaning that these buttons will now only start

and stop arcs that have the Group box checked.

5.4 ChartsThe Charts tab within the Operator Screen

page contains charts that log voltage, current,

and wire feed speed data whenever the arcsare running. Using the buttons on top, it is

possible to save the data, clear the graphs,

and pause the graphs.

Saving the data will generate a comma-

delimited file that can be viewed with aspreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel,or viewed at a later time with Command

Centers built-in data viewer (See 10.2).

It is also possible to perform Heat Input

Analysis on the collected data from this

screen by clicking the Heat Input Analysisbutton (See 10.3).

As data continues to collect, the charts will

scroll to reflect the latest data points. Toreview previous data points, use the scroll bar at the bottom of the charts to scroll to the desired

position.

Clicking on one of the Arc tabs at the bottom (Arc 1, Arc 2, etc.) will highlight that arcs

data trace within the charts.

Figure 5.4: An arc with Individual Start/Stop enabled.

Figure 5.5: Charts of Current, Voltage, and Wire Feed Speed.


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6 System InterfaceThe System Interface tab offers full

control over the phase relationships ofeach arc with respect to the others. In

addition, it allows the operator to set

each arcs Weld Mode.

The Weld Mode can be set by double-

clicking on a number listed in the list-box on the right. Next to the Mode

number is a description of the wire size

appropriate for the mode, and the

process description.

The different slider controls can be used

to set each arcs Phase offset (indegrees), Balance (percent duty cycle),

and DC Offset.

The Frequency field specifies the frequency (in Hertz) of the current arcs wave shape.

However, if the Synchronize check box is checked, all arcs will default to the frequency of the

selected arc.

The Arc tabs near the top of the page (Arc 1, Arc 2, etc.) allow switching between different

arcs.

Important: In Passive Mode, all of the controls mentioned above are disabled.

Figure 6.1: System Interface tab.


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7 Set PointsThe Set Points tab allows the operator to

change different settings in each arc foreach state of the weld. The state can be

selected from the bottom graphical

representation of a weld process. Thesettings for the Weld 1 state are always

displayed in the bottom center column for

reference.

To change a setting, click inside the

desired text box, type in the new value,

and press Enter.

The Arc tabs near the top of the page

(Arc 1, Arc 2, etc.) allow switchingbetween different arcs.

The Summary button will bring up awindow that contains all attributes in all states grouped together in one list.

Important: In Passive Mode, these settings are disabled and can only be monitored.

Figure 7.1: Set Points tab with Weld 1 state selected.


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8 DiagnosticsThis page diagnoses problems when one or

more machines enters a faulted state. The tophalf of the page contains diagnostics for the

selected arcs Master, and the bottom half for

the selected arcs Slave(s).

The Refresh button will repeat the

diagnostic process on all arcs. The ResetFault button will clear all faults on the

current arc and bring it out of the faulted

state.

Note: In Passive Mode, the Reset button is

disabled.

Figure 8.1: Diagnostics tab with a faulted arc.


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9 PreferencesThe Preferences window allows the user to set

several options to define and fine-tune CommandCenters behavior. The preferences can be accessed

by selecting File Preferences from the menu.

9.1 General PreferencesThe first tab in the Preferences window contains

options that affect the overall behavior of Command

Center. These options include:

Enable Passive Mode: If checked, thischeck box brings Command Center into

Passive Mode (See 2.1). If it is unchecked,Command Center will be in Active Mode (See 2.2), and the following three options will

become enabled:

Show start/stop buttons: This check box shows or hides the Start and Stop buttons onthe Operator Screen, as well as the Stop button on the Status Bar. Uncheck this box ifstarting and stopping the arcs is not desired, but changing parameters (set points, system

interface, etc.) is still necessary. (This option is only valid in Active Mode)

Allow individual arc start/stop: This check box enables or disables the individual arcstart/stop feature when in Active Mode (See 5.3).

Stop all welding when any one arc becomes faulted: If checked, this option will causeCommand Center to stop all other arcs when any one arc becomes faulted, or if

Command Center loses its connection to any of the arcs, or if Command Center is closed.

(This option is only valid in Active Mode)

Remote Fault Watchdog Timeout: It is possible that a machine may lose its connectionto the computer running Command Center (for example, if the computer is turned off

abruptly, or if a network cable is unplugged or severed). This option allows the machine

to become faulted after a certain period of inactivity from the computer runningCommand Center. This option specifies the amount of time (in seconds) that every

machine in all arcs will wait until becoming faulted after receiving no signal from

Command Center. In Active Mode, this setting is mandatory and has a minimum of 10seconds. In Passive Mode, this setting is disabled. (Note: with this setting enabled,

closing Command Center normally or closing

connections by clicking the Close Communications

button will not generate a fault)

Show Travel Carriage Controls: If the arc systemcontains a compatible Travel Carriage module, this

option becomes enabled, and checking this option

Figure 9.1: General Preferences window.

Figure 9.2: Travel Carriage controls.


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would enable the Travel Carriage controls at the bottom of the Operator Screen, as shown

in Figure 9.2. These controls allow setting the travel speed and causing the travel carriageto move forward and backward.

Disable screen saver: If checked, this option prevents the Windows screen saver fromstarting while Command Center is running.

Arcs file directory: This is the default directory in which Command Center searches forArc Configuration (.arcs) files when the Open Arc Configuration button is clicked.Click the Browse button to select a directory on the computer.

Machine Configuration File Directory: This is the default directory in which CommandCenter saves and opens Machine Configuration files (See 10.1)

9.2 Data LoggingCommand Center contains flexible data loggingfeatures that enable it to record data files containing

weld information with minimal user interaction. The

following options are available in the Data Loggingtab of the Preferences window.

Enable automatic data logging: Thisenables or disables the data logging featureentirely. If it is disabled, the next four options

will also become disabled.

Data directory: This is the directory whereCommand Center will save data filesautomatically. Click the Browse button to

select a directory on the computer.

Maintain a single log file as long as theprogram is running: If this data logging method is selected, Command Center willcreate a log file and write to it for the duration of the programs execution.

Start a new log file after a certain number of data points: With this data loggingmethod, Command Center will wait until the specified number of data points has beenaccumulated, then start a new log file.

Start a new log file after a certain number of welds: With this data logging method,Command Center will wait until the specified number of welds has been accumulated,

then start a new log file. A weld is defined as follows: When any one arc is started, aweld has begun. The weld does not end until all arcs have stopped.

Maximum data points allowed on graphs: When a large amount of data accumulates inthe data charts of the Operator Screen, it can degrade the performance of Command

Center. This option sets the maximum number of data points that can be displayed in thecharts. If more data is added to the charts than the maximum allowed, the charts are

cleared and the data is saved to the current log file (if data logging is enabled).

Figure 9.3: Data Logging preferences.


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File Naming Options: These options specify how the automatic log files will be named.The file name can begin with a custom text prefix, and can also include the PipeIdentification (located on the Operator Screen), and the current date and time.Note: the

file naming options are saved in the .arcs file currently open.

9.3 Other Options Round off Current, Voltage, WFS: If

checked, this option will cause the Operator

Screen to display Current, Voltage, and Wire

Feed Speed in whole numbers instead ofdecimals. For example, instead of 56.7 V, it

will display 56 V.

Show state timers in seconds, notmilliseconds: In the Set Points tab, severalwelding states (Start, UpSlope, Crater, etc.)

have timers that specify how long the arc will

remain in that state. By default, these statetimers are displayed and entered in

milliseconds. This options allows showing the

timers in seconds.

Increment Workpoint by: This specifies the amount by which the Workpoint value isincremented with the Up/Down buttons in the Operator Screen (See 5.2).

Increment Trim by: This specifies the amount by which the Trim value is incrementedwith the Up/Down buttons in the Operator Screen (See 5.2).

Wire feed speed for cold-inching: This sets the speed of the wire when the Cold Inchbuttons are clicked in the Operator Screen (See 5.2). Wire feed speed for fast cold-inching: This sets the speed of the wire when the Fast

Cold Inch button is clicked in the Operator Screen (See 5.2).

Chart Options: These four check boxes select which charts are shown in the Charts tabof the Operator Screen (See 5.4). These include Current, Voltage, Wire Feed Speed, and

Travel Speed (Select Travel Speed only of a compatible Travel Carriage module is

installed in the arc system).

Measurement Standard: This allows the user to select the measurement standard(English or Metric) for quantities displayed in Command Center. For example, when

English is selected, all wire feed speed quantities will appear as inches per minute;

when Metric is selected, these quantities will appear as meters per minute.

Figure 9.4: Miscellaneous preferences.


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10Miscellaneous Features

10.1Save and Restore System ConfigurationThe Save and Restore System Configuration options, found inthe File menu, allow to save all settings for all arcs (including

Set Points) once the desired weld performance has been

achieved, and restore those settings to the arcs at a later time.The number of configuration files that will be saved depends on

the number of arcs in the system.

When saving settings, Command Center will prompt the user to

enter a file name. This name will be used as the name for allconfiguration files in the set, with different extensions.

10.2View Saved Weld DataThe View Saved Weld Data option, found in the File

menu, allows viewing data traces that were saved byCommand Center during automatic data logging or fromthe Charts section of the Operator Screen (See 5.4).

When a data file is opened, it will appear as a separatewindow that contains charts with data read from the data

file.

To review all of the data in the trace, use the scroll bar at

the bottom of the charts.

Clicking on one of the Arc tabs at the bottom (Arc 1,

Arc 2, etc.) will highlight that arcs data trace within the charts.

It is also possible to perform Heat Input Analysis on the collected data from this screen by right-clicking within the charts and selecting Heat Input Analysis from the popup menu.

Figure 10.1: Save and Restoremenu options..

Figure 10.2: Viewing a saved data file.


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10.3Heat Input Analysis ToolThe Heat Input Analysis window,as shown in Figure 10.3, can be

accessed by clicking the Heat

Input Analysis button in the Chartssection of the Operator Screen

(See 5.4), or by selecting Heat

Input Analysis from the popup

menu in the Saved Data Viewerwindow (See 10.2).

Analyzing the amount of heatdeposited during a weld can be

used to infer certain characteristics

of the weld. It can potentially beused as a measure of weld quality,

although predicting weld quality is not one of the goals of this application, since weld quality

depends on numerous other variables.

For heat input analysis to be as accurate as possible, the following input parameters must be

specified by the user:

Distance from Lead: In the upper right-hand area, the user must specify the distance (ininches) of each arc from the lead arc (if applicable). If a certain arc is the lead arc, its

distance value should be 0.

Wire Diameter: In the upper right-hand area, the user must specify the diameter (ininches) of the wire used in each arc.

Travel Speed: In the lower right-hand area, the user must specify the travel speed (ininches per minute), which is the speed at which the arc system was moving relative to the

work.

Metal Density: In the lower right-hand area, the user must specify the density (in poundsper cubic foot) of the metal of which the wire was composed. For example, the density

of steel is about 490 lb/ft3.

With every change to the above variables, the calculations will automatically update themselves.

All of these settings are saved in the Windows registry for future use.

10.3.1 Calculation DomainThe user may restrict the calculations to a specificportion of the data (for example, if the data contains

more than one weld, or if a weld contains an

undesirable spike in the beginning or end). The lower

Figure 10.4: Restricting calculation limits.

Figure 10.3: Heat Input Analysis window..


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and upper limits for the calculation are denoted by thin colored bars (or cursors) that, by

default, appear at the beginning and end of the weld trace. These limits are movable by clickingand dragging the colored bars, and moving them with the mouse along the x-axis.

Similarly, the user can right-click anywhere in the chart area and select Low Limit Here or

High Limit Here to automatically move the lower or upper limit cursor to the position of themouse.

10.3.2 StatisticsThe Statistics tab in the lower left corner of the windowcontains the following data, which is dynamically

calculated when any of the input variables change, or

when the limits for the calculation are changed. Note that

this data is calculated only between the limits defined bythe limit cursors, as stated above.

10.3.3 Cursor ValuesThe Cursor Values tab in the lower left corner of thewindow contains instantaneous data at the position of the

lower and upper limit cursors. It also contains the

difference (delta) between the upper and lower limits.(This data is also updated automatically whenever the

limits are repositioned).

10.3.4 Additional FeaturesIt is possible to zoom into and out of the chart by clickingthe + (zoom in) or (zoom out) buttons which appear

in the lower left corner of the chart. The zoom factor is 2x.

Double-clicking within the chart area will enable a tool-tip

which follows the mouse cursor and displays they-value at

the current mouse position. Double-clicking a second timewill change the tool-tip to display thex-value at the current

mouse position, which is the number of inches from the

beginning of the weld.

10.3.5 Save ReportIt is also possible to save the calculated data to a tab-delimited text file. To save a file, click the

Save Report button in the lower right corner of the window. The program will then bring up a

standard Windows save dialog, where the user can find the location to save the file.

Figure 10.5: Statistics tab.

Figure 10.6: Cursor Values tab.

Figure 10.7: Enabling the tool-tip.

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