Future Design MCT-CM, User Manual

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MCT-CM
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6.4 Common Questions About Ramp/Soak Program Operation
1. How do I start or run a ramp/soak program?
To select and start a program, use the Program Operation window which can be accessed from the Loop,
Overview or program Entry screens. All start, stop, hold, edit and program select operations are available from
this window.
2. How do I know which program is running?
When a program is running, the name is displayed on the program Status view screen as well as the Loop and
Overview screens. It is also shown in the Program Operation window. The MCT will indicate that the program
is running when it is in operation. If a program is not running, the MCT will display the name of the currently
loaded program, i.e., present in memory and ready to be run.
3. Why is the program name not appearing correctly?
MCT only uses the first ten characters of the program name for display updates and record keeping, even
though programs can be saved with names of up to 16 characters long. When naming programs, try to keep
the names limited to ten characters if the desire is to have the full program name shown, or use the first ten
characters as a means of more clearly identifying the program when more than ten characters are used.
4. How do I enter a jump step?
A jump step is a normal step; however, instead of continuing to the next step of the program when the step is
complete, the program jumps to a specified step. To enter a jump, set the step number you want to the program
to jump to, and the number of times that the jump is to take place, into the step you want to jump from. When
that step is complete, the jump settings will tell the program to jump to the specified step until all jumps have
taken place. The next time the jump step is executed (after all jumps have taken place), the program will
continue on to the next step.
5. Why is the program not coming out of a Wait?
When a wait condition is applied to a step, the step will not begin until the wait condition is met. When using a
wait condition to initiate a soak time, be sure to place the wait condition on the soak step. If the wait is applied
to the ramp step, the program will not continue because the set point will not change until the wait condition is
met, i.e., the ramp cannot take place until the step is executed. Since the set point does not change, the input
will not change to meet the wait set point and the program will wait indefinitely.
If the wait condition is a digital input, the selected input must meet its configured transition state after the wait
has been initiated. If the input
turns on or off before the ‘wait’ step has been entered, the program will not
continue because the change in state of the input must be seen after the wait has been initiated.
6. Why has the program not completed its run by the stop date given when I started it?
The estimated stop date provided by MCT for the program is a calculated value based on the sum total of all
step times. This time can be affected by any guaranteed soaks or wait for conditions entered into steps of the
program. The effects of these times are an unknown and can cause the program to run longer than calculated
because they pause the program until their conditions are met.
NOTE: MCT does update the estimated stop date based on these conditions as they occur; however, it does
make the stop date a moving target.