FACIT N4000 (01) PDF Document

To get started with your FACIT N4000, please follow these steps for the mains connection:

1. Check that the mains voltage selector on the rear panel shows the actual mains voltage for your location.

2. Connect the mains cord to the rear panel mains inlet on the unit and to the mains power outlet.

3. Switch the ON/OFF switch on the rear panel to the ON position.

4. Check that the status display shows “OFF”.

Follow these instructions for punching a tape:

1. Load the punch tape according to the instructions in the manual.

2. Connect the NC/Computer cable plug to the CHANNEL 1 I/O PORT connector on the rear panel of the unit.

3. Depress the “ON L” key on the operator keyboard. The status display will show “LINE”.

4. Start the punching process from your NC/Computer.

5. Tear off the tape when the punching is complete.

If required, you can feed blank tape by depressing “OFF L” and then “FEED” before tearing off the tape.

Note: The data transmission should be made at 600 bit/s.

Follow these instructions for reading a tape:

1. Load the tape into the reader mechanism.

2. Depress the “ON L” key on the operator keyboard. The status display will show “LINE”.

3. Clear the NC/Computer to prepare it for reading.

4. Depress the “START” key to begin reading the tape.

5. Depress the “STOP” key to stop the reading process.

6. Depress the “START” key again to restart reading from where it stopped.

Note: The data transmission should be made at 600 bit/s. Because the reading speed is faster than the transmission speed, the reader may pause during the process. It will restart automatically and continue until the entire tape is read.

To copy a tape from the reader to the punch, follow these instructions:

1. Depress the “OFF L” key on the operator keyboard. The status display will show “OFF”.

2. Depress the “COPY” key. The status display will show “COPY”.

3. Place the tape you wish to copy into the reader.

4. Depress the “START” key. The copying process will begin.

5. When copying is finished, depress the “OFF L” and “ON L” keys to exit copy mode.

If the reader stops during copying, this is normal behavior as the reader is faster than the punch. The copying process will restart automatically and continue until the entire tape has been copied.

Tape Low: When the punch tape supply is running low, the error message “Lo” will appear on the display.

Tape End/Jam: When the punch tape has run out, or if a jam occurs in the feed mechanism, the message “Err” will blink on and off on the display.

With the mains power switched OFF, follow these steps to load tape onto the punch tape holder:

1. Move the tape guide arm until it touches the magnetic catch. This action applies the brake to the tape bobbin and frees the tape feed and punch mechanism.

2. Pull out approximately 2 metres (6 feet) of tape from the new reel and place the reel onto the bobbin.

3. Lock the bobbin by pushing the centre section downwards by hand as far as it will go.

4. Push upwards on the two punch opening pegs (located on each side of the punch housing) and pull the punch assembly forward to open the tape feed and punch slot.

5. Lead the tape around the guide pulleys and drop it into the tape feed and punch slot.

6. Push the punch assembly back to close the tape feed and punch slot.

7. Release the tape guide arm from the magnetic catch.

8. Switch the power ON and depress the “FEED” key until the tape is taut and feeding correctly from the spool.

It is recommended to check the punching accuracy approximately every 50th tape reel used. You will need the Facit template (part no. 1114 00 50-00/0).

1. Lay the punched tape on the template with a feed hole accurately centered on the leftmost vertical line of the template.

2. Examine the 50th feed hole on the rightmost vertical line. If this line is visible within the hole (i.e., within ±0.5%), the punch accuracy is acceptable.

3. If the vertical line is not visible (i.e., outside ±0.5%), the punch mechanism requires servicing.

Follow these steps to load a paper tape into the reader:

1. Raise the lift bar to open the entry and exit guides.

2. Place the tape into the reader. The tape path goes under the entry guide wire, through the tape width selector (adjustable for 5, 6/7, and 8 channel tapes), past the reader head, and over the drive sprocket.

3. Lower the lift bar to hold the tape in position. Ensure that the tape feed holes are engaged correctly in the teeth of the drive sprocket.

An indicator lamp on the reader head will light up to show that the optical reader lamp is on.

A malfunction of the tape reader mechanism will stop the transmission of data, and the message “Err” will blink on and off on the display. To clear this error, press the <*> key.

When using X-ON/X-OFF protocol, DC1 (XON) will start the reader. When not using X-ON/X-OFF protocol, DC1 and DC3 can be used to start and stop the reader in all modes except transparent mode. For this to work, Program step 31 (start reader) must be set to 17, and program step 33 (stop reader) must be set to 19.

The following table details the conditions under which DC1 (XON) will start the reader based on various program mode settings.

The following key functions are available only when the unit is in Off-line mode.

When the unit is On-line, the only functional key is the key.

To enter Program Mode, depress the key. Once in Program Mode, you can select and change parameters.

Select Modes in Sequence:

After entering Program mode, repeatedly depressing the <*> key will display all modes and their associated parameter values in sequence.

Select Mode Directly:

After depressing the key and then the <*> key to enter mode 1, any other required mode can be selected by depressing the number key(s) required (modes available are 2 to 14, 30 to 39, and 50). The display will show the selected mode number, and depressing the <*> key will then show the parameter value of that mode.

Change Parameter Value:

Select the required mode and depress the <*> key to display the current parameter value. The new required value may then be keyed in directly; the display will then show the new value. Further modes can now be selected as previously described.

Program step 60 is used for restoring settings. It is normally not entered during standard parameter setting.

1. To enter Program step 60, first enter any other Program step, then press <6><0> on the keyboard.

2. Press the <*> key. A “0” will be shown in the display.

3. To reset the buffers (to the same state as after Power Up), press <0>.

4. To restore the default parameters, press <1>.

5. To leave the parameter setting mode, press .

6. To return to step 1 of the Program Mode, press <*>.

If you make a mistake during programming, the display will show the message ‘Err’ (not blinking). To clear this message and allow further program entries, simply depress the <*> key.

1. With the unit in Off-line mode, press the key to enter Test Mode. The display will show “TEST”.

2. Press the <*> key to select the first of seven test routines (the display will show “1”).

3. Press the key to start the selected test routine.

4. If a routine completes without failure, the display automatically changes to the next test number. Press to start it.

This procedure is continued until all seven test routines are completed. You can also select any test routine directly by pressing <*> until the desired number appears in the display, then pressing to start it. A fault or failure in any test routine will be shown on the display.

Select Test Mode 1 and press . The unit will perform a memory test by writing and reading ‘1’s and then ‘0’s to the entire buffer memory. If any memory location is found to be defective, its decimal address is shown on the display and testing stops. A faulty address below 2047 indicates an issue with RAM 1; an address above 2047 indicates an issue with RAM 2. If no fault is present, the unit automatically proceeds to Test Mode 2.

This test requires a special test plug (loopback plug) to be fitted to the Channel 1 I/O port. Select Test Mode 2 and press . The test monitors the transmission and reception of all ASCII characters at the currently set baud rate. If a faulty character is found, the display shows the faulty character’s decimal value, and testing stops. You can press the <*> key to see the correct character’s decimal value. Press the key to continue the test. When completed, the unit proceeds to Test Mode 3.

Test Mode 4 – Test Tape Punching:

Select Test Mode 4 and press . The unit will punch a blank tape with a set of code holes ranging from Hex 00 to Hex 1F (for 5-channel tapes) or Hex 00 to Hex FF (for 8-channel tapes), depending on the setting in Program mode 9. The test tape starts and finishes with 50 NUL characters. When completed, the unit automatically enters Test Mode 5.

Test Mode 5 – Test Tape Reading (for Combination unit only):

This test reads the tape that was just punched in Test Mode 4. Ensure the Reader Code Conversion (Program mode 9) is set to the same value used for punching. Place the tape in the reader, select Test Mode 5, and press . The reader will start and check the data. If an incorrect character is read, the reader stops, and the display shows that character’s decimal value. Pressing the <*> key will show the correct value. To continue testing, press the key. When the entire tape is read, the unit enters Test Mode 6.

This test allows you to check individual punch pins separately.

1. Select Test Mode 6 and press the key. A blank tape will begin to feed through the punch.

2. Press any number key from 1 to 8 to continuously punch the corresponding track.

3. You can switch to a different track at any time by pressing another number key.

4. To stop the punching, press the key.

This test is similar to Test Mode 4, but it punches a continuous test tape.

1. Select Test Mode 7 and press .

2. The tape starts with 50 NUL characters and then punches the full code sequence (Hex 00 to Hex 1F for 5-channel tapes or Hex 00 to Hex FF for 8-channel tapes).

3. When the sequence is finished, it immediately restarts without the leading NUL characters.

4. This process repeats continuously until you press the key.

The following tables detail the available program modes, their functions, and default values.

Communication Settings (Modes 1-5)

Code Conversion Settings (Modes 6-9)

Operational Settings (Modes 10-14)

Control Code Definitions (Modes 30-39)