How do I verify that my machine is sending the cycle signal to the DCM and that the DCM is receiving this signal.
Inside the DCM is the IO rack where the wiring from the machines terminate and signals from machines are received for processing by the DCM and APU. Note the small LEDs above the termination strips. These are indicator lights for the inputs. The 3rd row from the bottom are inputs 1-8, the 2nd row from the bottom are inputs 9-16 and the bottom row are the digital outputs.
Check the input assigned to your machine. This can be found in the machine setup or in PlantStar 4.0 there is a custom report that can be added / run to retrieve this information.
When the machine is supposed to send the cycle signal to the DCM (often mold close), the light corresponding to the input should light. If the light is not lighting, remove the wiring connector from the row and short the appropriate pins together at the input.
Pins 1&2 are input 1, pins 2&3 are input 2, etc.
The light should then light when the pins are shorted. If not there is a problem at the DCM level. If the light lights, the problem exists in the wiring from the machine to the DCM.
When the signal is not reaching the DCM, the first place to check is the relay between the machine and the DCM. The relay generally should have a 24V source, 2 inputs from the machine and 2 outputs to the DCM. Check to make sure that the 24V source is good and that there is voltage from the machine when the cycle occurs and voltage on the output.
If there is voltage on the output side but no voltage at the DCM, there is an issue with the wiring in-between the DCM and relay.
If there is no voltage source to the relay, check that wiring.
If there is no input voltage from the machine when the cycle occurs, check the machine output and wiring to the relay.