Section
15
HOW TO ENTER A PROGRAM
In order to fully understand the operation of the Micromat, it is strongly advised that these
instructions are followed step by step until the procedures become second nature to the
operator. The basic controls will be dealt with first, and after becoming fully conversant
with these the operator should progress to the section covering RPT, BRACKET, SIL,
MOVE, EXPAND and ASCOPP commands.
It is assumed that sections 2 and 3 covering tool installation, drill depth and TV target
adjustment have been read and understood.
Select a small circuit board with no more than about 50 hole positions to become familiar
with the operation of the Micromat computer and mechanical system.
Resist the temptation to go straight into full production without first acquiring a full
operating knowledge of the complete machine as costly mistakes, both in time as well as
materials, will result from an incomplete understanding of the operating principles. A few
hours spent at this stage will save many hours of frustration at a later date.
Each time the PROGRAM mode is entered, ( as long as the HOLD switch is OFF ), the
system will reset itself to the first block of program memory, regardless of any previously
entered data, and the first command to be entered is placed in that first block of memory.
Each subsequently entered command is placed sequentially into each succeeding block of
memory in the order in which the commands are entered.
When the machine is first switched on, it's memory will contain information which is
meaningless and should be ignored as it will be overwritten in the course of entering new
data.
Because of this feature there is no requirement to 'clear' the system's memory, nor is there
any means of doing so as the machine simply runs until it encounters an END command.
When a program is RUN, operation normally starts with the FIRST block of data and
continues sequentially, in the order in which data was entered, until an END command is
encountered. The END command prevents the system from accessing memory blocks
which have not been programmed and may contain unwanted or non valid commands.
The correct order in which to enter commands is:
a)
any tooling or panel registration holes.
b)
followed by RPT commands if required.
c)
HOLES of each required tool size along with any BRACKET commands.
d)
finally a single END command.
NOTE: ONLY ONE END COMMAND IS REQUIRED.
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