Marel TC Test

The goal of this document is to help the operator to use the MarelTCTest application.

MarelTCTest is an application for testing gas hobs safety thermocouples. The software is intended to use with the Marel special bench.

The main window of the application is as follow:

Next sections describe in detail all main window components.

The table shows all the buttons present in the toolbar with the relative function:

Button	Function
	Create new test
	Start/Continue test
	Pause current test
	Stop/End current test
	Delete current test
	Unload closed/finished test from main screen
	Opens archived tests window
	Opens the software tools window
	Opens the software channels window
	Opens Log viewer
	Opens the software ADMIN tools window only for bench diagnostic
	Opens software info version-author
	Close application

This area show the current active test or archieved details:

Station state : current test state

Components : number of the components in test.

Warmed up : showed only if during the test the components are warmed up according with the temperature defined in the Tools panel.

Model type, Supplier, Batch : components details specified by operator for search purpose once archived.

Elapsed time : elapsed time from the beginning.

Total time : test duration according with Time ON, Time OFF and inserted cycles.

Current cycle : current running cycle.

Total cycles : total cycles of the test.

Status cycle : ON in case of the system is warming the termocouples, OFF during the time OFF period.

Temperature : current temperature in TC test side.

Comp.T : current temperature in TC connection with gas taps component.

TC/GR Err : maximum allowed deviation percentage between TC value and GR value.

Thld. Err : minimum allowed read millivolts for tc value.

When there is current defined test or a test is loaded from archive the software shows the lists of the defined thermocouples.

From the list the operator can show/hide the thermocouple diagrams selecting or deselecting the checkbox. Also he can change color with mouse click on coloured rectangle (default is black) on the right. When test is in RUNNING state the software show the last read value for thermocouple and for the value acquired after the connection with the gas taps: GR (GR is intended as GROUND).

In the center of the screen the operator can see the diagram of the current cycle or a different selected already executed.

There are two diagrams: the first on the top is the Temperature diagram. It show the test temperature acquired near the thermocouple. The upper and lower lines delimit the accepted temperature range to consider the acquired values millimolts good for test results.

The second graphic area show for two diagrams for each component: the main termocouple generated millivolts and the values read by the system after the connection with the gas taps (dotted line). The green area delimits the range used to verify generated millivolts. The area in in percentage from the end of the cycle to avoid to take data during the warming phase at the beginning of the cycle. When the mouse is over the graph, a red bar show the selected read and the acquired value are showed in the rigth: TC is the main value; GR is the value read after connection with the percentage of deviation from TC. In the right for each graph the software show the maximum, average and minimum acquired values for the showed diagrams.

For the test with a minimum threshold defined, the software show a red horizontal line to highlight the minimum acceptable read TC value.

The second toolbar in middle of the screen must be used for current test functions:

Select all : show/hide all thermocuples diagrams.

EXPORT : export the data of the selected cycle as CSV file.

GO FIRST : show the detail of the first cycle.

BACK : select the previous cycle.

NEXT : select the next cycle.

GO LAST : select the last cycle (completed or actual running).

MORE INFO : show a new panel with current test details and cycles averages. Please check Test details window paragraph.

RESET ZOOM : restore default diagram settings.

When there is a test defined in the right of the screen a list with all executed cycles will be visible:

For each cycle the software show in case of values outside limits:

DEV. ERR. : number and percentage of the first component starting from 1 with GR/TC millivolts difference over the setup limit. THLD ERR. : number and millivolt of the first component with TC value less then threshold.

To go directly to the cycle, click on the number to see graph and details.

From the main menu bar select New test

to open the test definition panel:

Insert the thermocoples specification:

model type, supplier, batch (production lot etc…).

Insert the test settings:

Components : number of the connected thermocouples;

Warm up: check to warm up components (gas taps) during time ON period. To setup the warming temperature open Tools panel before start test.

Temperature (°C) : system target setpoint temperature for TC sensors.

Cycle number : number of the cycles to execute.

Time Cycle On (minutes) : duration of the time on step (warming time).

Time Cycle Off (minutes) : duration of the time off step (cooling time).

Threshold min. (mV) : minimum acceptable voltage for goods thermocouples.

Once filled up the fields, confirm with OK. The station state will become READY.

When station state is READY once created new test, the operarator has to close the safety door and after press the button

In case that an error occur during start or the door is not closed, a warning message will be showed and the test will go in ERROR otherwise the station will go in RUNNING state.

In RUNNING state state press the button

to switch the state in PAUSE. If the software is performing a time ON step, will stop to warm up the thermocouples and also the gas taps if specified during startup.

In case it's necessary to close the test before the scheduled end, the operator has to press the button

Once pressed the software will stop to acquire data and station will go in STOPPED state.

In case it's necessary to definitively delete the test before the scheduled end, the operator has to press the button

Once pressed the software will ask the operator to config to discard current test.

Once the test is COMPLETED or STOPPED or DELETED, to prepare the system for a new test going in EMPTY state, the operator can press the button

Some system setting can be customized by the operator and are saved to avoid to insert each time a new test is defined. To modify this settings, the operator must open the tools panel pressing the button

The software will show the following panel

Cycle Interval Analysis % : this value define the last time in percent of the total ON period taken as valid to calculate averages and verify thermocouples working parameters.

GR deviation % : this is the maximum allowed difference of the GR value (second contact) from the main thermocouple generated millivolts.

Range temperature control °C : it define the difference from the target setpoint to consider the data acquired as valid for test. If for any reason the temperature is lower or high the range also if in Cycle Interval Analysis the acquired data are marked as not valid to avoid to recognize as thermocouples problems.

Components test temperature : it define the temperature that the system will apply near the connection between thermocouple connector and gas taps; only if a test definition the Warmed Up flag is checked.

During setup phase or during test execution, the operator pressing the button

can open a new window to see the values of all defined system inputs and other system signals

System temparatures : the test bench has three sensors to read/regulate the generated temperature in thermocouples contacts. Normally use the first as valid, it automatically switch to se second or therd in case of sensor problem to avoid to loose running test.

Component temperature : other sensor is near the gas taps connection with the thermocouple connector.

System output power : this is the parzialized power generated to maintain the test setpoint temperature.

System component output power this is the partialized power generated to warm up gas taps connection (maximum 20 %).

Components voltages: this box contain all the system defined thermocouples inputs : two inputs for each to read main generated millivolts and also the value after the ground connection.

System signals : there are three defined inputs as explained in below table:

Problems occurred during software execution are storend into a text file. The content can be managed pressing the button

In the show panel there are the following tools:

Icon	Button	Command
	Empty Log	Delete all recorded events
	Apply	Show only events according with partial text entered in Filter box
	Remove	Remove selected element from list

All the executed test are stored into the archive. To view graph and data of a completed test it's necessary to load it from archive. Operator must press the button

and after in the showed panel will be possible to search the test for some inserted data or execution date interval

Click on Search button, select the test from the list end double click on it or press the Load button.

The software will show a new window with the details of the executed test similar to the main windows. The operator could navigate through the cycles and also view test details as for currently running test.

From main window is possible to see the list of executed cycles but the graph and averages of only one cycle at time. To see the averages, and minimum acquired values of the thermocouples millivolts, the operator must press the button More Info

Once pressed the program shows a new window

Differently from main screen where X axis was the minutes from the start of the cycle, here the X axis represent the number of the cycle. So the two lines are the result of the minimum values and average values (millivolts) sampled in each cycle.

An exception is the first graph on the top were the two lines represent the temperature min and max (not average) in the cycle.

When the mouse is over the graph area, is possible to see the values in the highlighted cycle. The graph can be panned or zoomed with mouse wheel.

Three buttons are available as in the following table:

Button	Function
	export tha acquired values into a CSV file (it could be easily opened with Microsoft Excel (TM)) or Libreoffice Calc (TM)
	reset the zoom
	create a print preview of the test report that can be printed out or exported as .pdf choosing the PDF printer