Command Center User Manual

Y50016-02

1 Introduction ........................................................................................................2
1.1 System Requirements ...................................................................................................... 2

2 Modes of Operation............................................................................................2
2.1 2.2 Passive Mode .................................................................................................................... 2 Active Mode...................................................................................................................... 2

3 Getting Started ...................................................................................................3 4 Communication ..................................................................................................4 5 Operator Screen .................................................................................................4

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Passive Mode .................................................................................................................... 4 Active Mode...................................................................................................................... 5 Individual Arc Control.................................................................................................... 6 Charts ............................................................................................................................... 6

6 System Interface .................................................................................................7 7 Set Points .............................................................................................................8 8 Diagnostics ..........................................................................................................9 9 Preferences ....................................................................................................... 10
9.1 9.2 9.3 General Preferences ...................................................................................................... 10 Data Logging .................................................................................................................. 11 Other Options ................................................................................................................ 12

10

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

Save and Restore System Configuration.................................................................. 13 View Saved Weld Data............................................................................................... 13 Heat Input Analysis Tool........................................................................................... 14
Calculation Domain.............................................................................................................................14 Statistics...............................................................................................................................................15 Cursor Values ......................................................................................................................................15 Additional Features .............................................................................................................................15 Save Report..........................................................................................................................................15

10.1 10.2 10.3

10.3.1 10.3.2 10.3.3 10.3.4 10.3.5

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1 Introduction
Command Center is an application for high-level monitoring and controlling of multiple-arc systems, including systems used for Submerged Arc welding. It is designed for ease of use and convenience for operators and administrators.

1.1 System Requirements

Command 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 a system of arcs, it is not recommended to run other applications on the same computer as Command Center.

2 Modes of Operation
Command Center may be used in several distinct ways for different applications. It can be used strictly 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 Mode

In Passive Mode, Command Center has absolutely no control over any aspect of the operation of the 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 Mode

In Active Mode, Command Center is allowed control over the arc system, including the ability to start 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 interface such as PF10A) that controls the arc system, or if it is absolutely necessary to change set points or 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 Started
Command 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 Open Arc Configuration from the menu. The Arc Configuration file is a text file that describes the relationships of individual machines to each other 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 utility included with the Submerged Arc Utilities package. Once all connections have been established Figure 3.1: Starting Command Center. successfully, several tabs will appear near the top of the window. Clicking on different tabs will reveal different pages with various content and controls. The following sections describe each page in detail.

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4 Communication
After Command Center opens the Arc Configuration file, it establishes connections to all machines specified in the file. It also creates a graphical representation of the arc system in the form of a tree, as in Figure 4.1. Each item in the tree represents either a power 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 reset Command Center to how it looked when it was first started.

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

5 Operator Screen
In the Operator Screen page, Command Center displays a detailed control panel for each 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 modifying the arcs parameters.

5.1 Passive Mode

Under Passive Mode (See 2.1), all controls in 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 5.1: Operator Screen in Passive Mode, monitoring multiple arcs.

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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 is yellow, 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 needs to 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 Mode

Under Active Mode, all controls for modifying arc parameters become enabled, and the Start and Stop buttons become visible 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 the wire 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. This button enables the user to clear the fault and bring the machine back to a ready state. Note that, in Passive Mode, the Reset button will not appear.
Figure 5.2: Operator Screen in Active Mode, monitoring multiple arcs.

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

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 button will stop all arcs unconditionally. In addition, the Stop button that appears in the bottom status bar may also be used to stop the machines.

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5.3 Individual Arc Control

One 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 as Figure 5.4, with Start and Stop buttons for that particular arc. In addition, each arc will have a Group check box. The big Start and Stop buttons at 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.
Figure 5.4: An arc with Individual Start/Stop enabled.

5.4 Charts
The Charts tab within the Operator Screen page contains charts that log voltage, current, and wire feed speed data whenever the arcs are 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 commadelimited file that can be viewed with a spreadsheet 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 Analysis button (See 10.3).
Figure 5.5: Charts of Current, Voltage, and Wire Feed Speed. As data continues to collect, the charts will scroll to reflect the latest data points. To review 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.

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6 System Interface
The System Interface tab offers full control over the phase relationships of each 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 doubleclicking on a number listed in the listbox 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 (in degrees), Balance (percent duty cycle), and DC Offset.

Figure 6.1: System Interface tab.

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.

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7 Set Points
The Set Points tab allows the operator to change different settings in each arc for each state of the weld. The state can be selected from the bottom graphical representation of a weld process. The settings 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 switching between different arcs.
Figure 7.1: Set Points tab with Weld 1 state selected.

The Summary button will bring up a window 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.

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8 Diagnostics
This page diagnoses problems when one or more machines enters a faulted state. The top half 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 Reset Fault 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 Preferences
The Preferences window allows the user to set several options to define and fine-tune Command Centers behavior. The preferences can be accessed by selecting File Preferences from the menu.

9.1 General Preferences

The first tab in the Preferences window contains options that affect the overall behavior of Command Center. These options include: Enable Passive Mode: If checked, this check box brings Command Center into Figure 9.1: General Preferences window. 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 on the Operator Screen, as well as the Stop button on the Status Bar. Uncheck this box if starting 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 arc start/stop feature when in Active Mode (See 5.3). Stop all welding when any one arc becomes faulted: If checked, this option will cause Command 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 connection to 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 running Command 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 10 seconds. 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 system contains a compatible Travel Carriage module, this option becomes enabled, and checking this option
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 carriage to move forward and backward. Disable screen saver: If checked, this option prevents the Windows screen saver from starting while Command Center is running. Arcs file directory: This is the default directory in which Command Center searches for Arc 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 Command Center saves and opens Machine Configuration files (See 10.1)

9.2 Data Logging

Command Center contains flexible data logging features that enable it to record data files containing weld information with minimal user interaction. The following options are available in the Data Logging tab of the Preferences window. Enable automatic data logging: This enables or disables the data logging feature entirely. If it is disabled, the next four options will also become disabled. Data directory: This is the directory where Command Center will save data files automatically. Click the Browse button to select a directory on the computer. Figure 9.3: Data Logging preferences. Maintain a single log file as long as the program is running: If this data logging method is selected, Command Center will create 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 logging method, Command Center will wait until the specified number of data points has been accumulated, 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, a weld 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 in the 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 the charts. 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).

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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 Pipe Identification (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 of decimals. For example, instead of 56.7 V, it will display 56 V. Show state timers in seconds, not milliseconds: In the Set Points tab, several welding states (Start, UpSlope, Crater, etc.) have timers that specify how long the arc will remain in that state. By default, these state timers are displayed and entered in Figure 9.4: Miscellaneous preferences. milliseconds. This options allows showing the timers in seconds. Increment Workpoint by: This specifies the amount by which the Workpoint value is incremented 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 incremented with 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 Inch buttons 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 tab of 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.

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10 Miscellaneous Features

10.1 Save and Restore System Configuration

The Save and Restore System Configuration options, found in the 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 all configuration files in the set, with different extensions.
Figure 10.1: Save and Restore menu options..

10.2 View Saved Weld Data

The View Saved Weld Data option, found in the File menu, allows viewing data traces that were saved by Command Center during automatic data logging or from the Charts section of the Operator Screen (See 5.4). When a data file is opened, it will appear as a separate window 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.
Figure 10.2: Viewing a saved data file.

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

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10.3 Heat Input Analysis Tool

The Heat Input Analysis window, as shown in Figure 10.3, can be accessed by clicking the Heat Input Analysis button in the Charts section of the Operator Screen (See 5.4), or by selecting Heat Input Analysis from the popup menu in the Saved Data Viewer window (See 10.2). Analyzing the amount of heat deposited during a weld can be used to infer certain characteristics Figure 10.3: Heat Input Analysis window.. of the weld. It can potentially be used 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 (in inches) 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 (in inches) of the wire used in each arc. Travel Speed: In the lower right-hand area, the user must specify the travel speed (in inches 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 pounds per 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 Domain

The user may restrict the calculations to a specific portion 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. 09-27-06 14

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 clicking and 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 the mouse.

10.3.2 Statistics
The Statistics tab in the lower left corner of the window contains 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 by the limit cursors, as stated above.
Figure 10.5: Statistics tab.

10.3.3 Cursor Values

The Cursor Values tab in the lower left corner of the window 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).
Figure 10.6: Cursor Values tab.

10.3.4 Additional Features

It is possible to zoom into and out of the chart by clicking the + (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 the y-value at the current mouse position. Double-clicking a second time will change the tool-tip to display the x-value at the current mouse position, which is the number of inches from the beginning of the weld.

Figure 10.7: Enabling the tool-tip.

10.3.5 Save Report

It 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.

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