FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Following are the most common questions asked about your system. Scan this list before you call Customer Service. Each question is followed by the answer.

Question 1:
What do I do when a message appears stating that system resources are too low to open a window?

Answer:
System resource limitations restrict the number of windows which can be open at one time. If you are running your system and several other programs, close one or more of the other programs. If you are only running your system and receive this message, close some of your open windows. To see how much free resources are available, select the About... menu item under the Help menu within your system.

Question 2:
Why did your system stop updating the Real-Time windows within Monitor?

Answer:
If window information is not being updated, make sure all host computer programs are running. Specifically, the System Administrator should check and ensure that the shop floor routing process is running. Use the sfdctrl -stats command on the host computer to obtain the current status of the shop floor routing process.

Question 3:
Automatic reports are not printing. Why?

Answer:
If automatically scheduled reports are not running

·	Open the Schedule Reports window under the REPORTS menu within the Monitor program. Ensure that the reports are correctly set up for the scheduled time. Make sure that there is a shift schedule for the current year. (At year end, shift schedules do not roll over.)

·	Check the printer to ensure it is ready and on-line.

·	Use another program to try to print something to the printer.

Question 4:
Why does your system report that a machine is down (appears blue) when the machine is actually running. ANSWER

Answer:

·	The down threshold may be set too low. Open the Edit Current Job window in the Monitor program and make sure that the down threshold setting is larger than the current cycle time of the machine.

·	The machine's DCM may not be receiving a contact closure from the machine. Check the wiring from the machine's relay to the DCM. Check the relay inside the machine cabinet. It should open and close each time the machine cycles. Make sure that all ribbon cables are seated securely at both ends.

Question 5:
Why would all machines show as off-line (appear white in the MONITOR windows)?

Answer

·	Make sure that there is power to the DCM.

·	Check all wiring. Using a volt meter, measure the RS-232 voltages inside the DCM. Go to the COMM 1 section of the terminal board and measure the voltage across RXD and GND. The voltage should be between -8.0 VDC and -11.0 VDC. If this voltage is not present, the wiring is faulty.

Question 6:
How can I find out the version number from a your system distribution tape?

Answer
The your system version number is documented within the install.f2k and update2.sh installation files.

·	Untar the first tar set on the distribution tape into a temporary (for example, tmp) directory.

·	Two files -- update2.sh and install.f2k -- now exist after the tar procedure.

·	View either file. Look for the F2K_VERSION variable within either file. This variable displays the version number for the distribution tape.