SpectrumV624 UserGuide
SpectrumV624 UserGuide
User Guide
Version 6.24
2/9/2010
Command Alkon Incorporated believes the statements contained herein are accurate as of
the date of publication of this document. HOWEVER, COMMAND ALKON
INCORPORATED HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EITHER EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANT OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. In no event will
Command Alkon Incorporated be liable for any damages, including any lost profits, lost
savings, or other incidental or consequential damage arising out of the use of or inability to
use any information provided through this publication, even if Command Alkon Incorporated
has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party.
Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability or consequential damages, so
the above limitation may not apply.
This information is not intended to be an assertion of future action. The contents of this
document are for informational purposes only and are subject to change without notice.
Command Alkon Incorporated expressly reserves the right to change or withdraw current
products that may or may not have the same characteristics listed in this publication. Should
Command Alkon Incorporated modify its products in a way that may affect the information
contained in this publication, Command Alkon Incorporated assumes no obligation whatever
to inform any user of the modification.
www.commandalkon.com
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CONTENTS
Contents ............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 10
AUDIENCE ................................................................................................................................................ 10
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ..................................................................................................................... 10
ª Mn/DOT Certification ............................................................................................................... 10
ª California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP) Approval .......................................................... 10
REVISIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 11
User’s Guide Terminology ............................................................................................. 13
ª Menu, Screen, and Database Names......................................................................................... 13
ª Menu and Screen Locations ...................................................................................................... 13
ª Field Names............................................................................................................................... 13
ª Keystroke Designations............................................................................................................. 13
ª Features & Functions................................................................................................................ 13
ª References to Other Sections of This Guide .............................................................................. 13
Spectrum System Terminology...................................................................................... 14
ª Database ................................................................................................................................... 14
ª Database Table ......................................................................................................................... 14
ª Record ....................................................................................................................................... 14
ª Field .......................................................................................................................................... 14
ª Nodes/Terminals........................................................................................................................ 14
ª Character .................................................................................................................................. 14
New Features ................................................................................................................... 15
Power-up and Shutdown Procedures............................................................................ 18
POWER-UP PROCEDURE ........................................................................................................................... 18
RESTARTING A NODE DURING THE DAY ................................................................................................... 19
BOOTING INTO DOS ................................................................................................................................. 19
USING WINDOWS FROM THE SPECTRUM ................................................................................................... 20
SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE .......................................................................................................................... 20
ª Quit Spectrum Procedure.......................................................................................................... 20
Navigating the System .................................................................................................... 21
ACCESSING SCREENS ................................................................................................................................ 21
MOVING WITHIN SCREENS ....................................................................................................................... 22
ª Selecting a Field........................................................................................................................ 22
ª Moving from Field to Field ....................................................................................................... 22
ª Selecting Entries from Browseable Fields ................................................................................ 23
ª Accessing Field Help................................................................................................................. 24
EXITING MENUS AND SCREENS ................................................................................................................ 24
Menu Layout ................................................................................................................... 25
ª Sub-Menus................................................................................................................................. 25
ª “*” Listed Beside a Report Item ............................................................................................... 25
ª “Nothing” Listed Beside a Report Item .................................................................................... 25
Basic Screen Layout........................................................................................................ 27
ª Current Time ............................................................................................................................. 28
ª Screen Title................................................................................................................................ 28
ª Function Key Prompts for Batching.......................................................................................... 28
ª Escape Key Prompt ................................................................................................................... 28
ª Function Key Prompts (Screen-Specific) .................................................................................. 28
The Spectrum Database ................................................................................................. 29
WHAT IS THE DATABASE? ........................................................................................................................ 29
HOW IS THE DATABASE ORGANIZED? ...................................................................................................... 29
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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of Command Alkon’s Spectrum Batching
System for your ready-mix concrete company. Spectrum offers you complete
ready-mix operations functionality; including batching, reporting, quality control,
scheduling, order tracking, inventory, dispatching, and mix design maintenance
management. All aspects of the Spectrum System are linked through a central
database. Spectrum can also be linked to existing accounting or general ledger
software.
Spectrum also offers you direct control of your concrete mixing and batching
activities. With Command Alkon’s moisture probe, you can generate an accurate
reading of material moistures at any point in the batching process, allowing you to
accurately determine the amount of water necessary for the desired mix.
This Guide is designed to help you make the most of your new Spectrum System.
We’re sure you’ll find that working with Spectrum will lead to more efficient
operation of your ready-mix concrete company. Ensuring the accuracy and speed
of your batching processes will allow you to react quickly to changing conditions
and improve your ability to respond to customer needs.
AUDIENCE
This Guide is intended for the use of managers, dispatchers, and batch persons
who operate ready-mix concrete plants. Additional technical material regarding
the Spectrum System is available through Command Alkon Technical Support at
(614) 792-0677.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
ª MN/DOT CERTIFICATION
This device was evaluated under the California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP)
and was found to comply with the applicable technical requirements of California
Code of Regulations for “Weighing and Measuring Devices”.
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REVISIONS
September 22, 2000 • Updated section on Exporting Batch Weights to include the
option of exporting load-level weights.
• Restructured Ticket Printing information.
• Added more details about batch weights (on reports and tickets).
• Added section on Mixer Operation.
June 20, 2001 Added information about using math calculations in the Data
column of the Ticket Layout Editor (see “The Ticket Layout Editor
Screen”).
August 21, 2001 Added sub-section about Ulink Admix Modifiers to the “Admix
Designs” section.
August 28, 2001 Added example of Truck Production Report.
September 7, 2001 • Added section on Slump Tables and slump calculations.
• Updated list of new features for V6.18.
September 11, 2001 Added sections on Batching Defaults and System Defaults screens.
September 20, 2001 Added section on Device Property Sets.
October 9, 2001 Updated description of Batch Weight options and moved this
information from the Reports section to just before the Advanced
Batching Features section.
October 12, 2001 • Updated field descriptions for Ingredients screen.
• Replaced old disclaimer page with the new one.
October 15, 2001 Updated field descriptions for Batch Weights reports according to
new oven dry moisture calculation changes.
October 16, 2001 Added sections on Material Calculations screen and Slurry
Calculations.
February 27, 2002 • Added section on setting up the printer, and updated description
of ‘Tracepoints’ field of Port Parameters screen.
• Updated description of ‘Record SOZ as Batched?’ field of
Ingredients screen.
March 1, 2002 • Updated description of ‘Tracepoints’ field of Ingredients screen.
• Updated descriptions of items on Batch Weights reports.
April 4, 2002 Added sections on “Editing Truck Code Before Discharge” and
“Editing Truck Code After Discharge” to the “Adjusting Batching
Information” section.
August 19, 2003 to Updated the user guide for V6.19. Consolidated the U.S. and Metric
September 30, 2003 user guides into one.
Note: The U.K. switch_date script is now incorporated into the
general release. The script file makes the required .profile and
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For example, to access the CUSTOMERS screen indicated above, start at the MAIN
MENU, select “Data Entry,” then select “Customers” from the DATA ENTRY
menu.
ª FIELD NAMES
When a field is discussed, its name appears in the following style:
Order field
ª KEYSTROKE DESIGNATIONS
Keyboard letter keys are displayed in bold font inside square brackets as follows:
[F2] [ENTER] [TAB]
Keystroke combinations (pressing two or more keys at the same time) are shown
with a plus sign (+) between the key’s names. Example:
[ALT + C]
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ª DATABASE
A database is a group of electronically stored information that can be retrieved
and used so that it does not have to be re-typed every time it is needed. The
Spectrum System contains a single database for your company. Most of the
information stored in the Spectrum database is accessible through DATA ENTRY
screens.
ª DATABASE TABLE
The Spectrum System database consists of many tables. Each table contains
separate, like information (e.g., information on customers is stored in its own
CUSTOMER database table).
ª RECORD
A record is a collection of information about a specific item in a database table.
A table can have many records. For example, the information stored for one
customer is a record. Records are composed from information stored in fields.
Records are viewed, created, and modified using DATA ENTRY screens.
ª FIELD
All data is entered into fields. Each time you view a Spectrum screen, you are
looking at an assortment of fields. Think of a screen as a form with fields as
blanks where you enter data. Each field contains a particular type of data (e.g.,
Customer Name, Unit Price, Project Number, etc.).
ª NODES/TERMINALS
All IBM PC-compatible computers are called Nodes. Attached serial terminals
are referred to as Terminals.
ª CHARACTER
The term character refers to a single letter, symbol, or digit. For example, “A”,
“*”, and “2” are each a single character. In contrast, the number “100” is three
characters long. Each field consists of a certain number of characters.
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NEW FEATURES
The following features have been added to the Spectrum software since Version 6.18.
The current software version is 6.23.
Note: Information about feature enhancements is provided in the Release Notes for the
appropriate Spectrum version.
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POWER-UP PROCEDURE
The Spectrum System’s power-up procedure involves two steps, which should
always be performed in the following order:
If the Spectrum was not properly shut down before it was turned off, it
automatically rebuilds the database. Otherwise, the Spectrum starts immediately.
Once the Spectrum is turned on, the MAIN MENU shown below is displayed. You
can now turn on the plant power.
Main Menu
NOTE: Control power to the Manual Station should always be left on.
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CAUTION ! Nodes other than Node 1 can be restarted without causing data
corruption problems. If you must restart Node 1, ask ALL
other users to stop their activity first. If Node 1 is restarted in
the middle of the day, all other nodes must also be rebooted.
The preferred method for rebooting a node is to use the keyboard. To reboot a
node from the keyboard, press and hold [CTRL+SHIFT+ALT], then press the
[DEL] key on the numeric keypad. Next, release all the keys. The screen counts
down from 10 to 0, then the node reboots.
If after several attempts the keyboard reset method does not reboot the node,
press, then release the RESET button on the front panel of the node if the node
has such a button.
If neither of the above methods works, switch the node’s power off then back on
using the node's main power switch. This places stress on the node’s circuits, and
should be used only as a last resort.
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SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE
Shutdown is automatically performed at the end of the End of Day process. If
you wish to shut down before the end of the day, the Quit Spectrum procedure
given below should always be followed.
CAUTION! Never shut the computer’s power off unless you perform either
an End of Day or a Quit Spectrum procedure. Failure to do so
can result in data loss.
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Main Menu
Sub-Menus. Some menus have sub-menus. A “>” symbol is shown to the right
of each sub-menu as shown on the screen below. A sub-menu is accessed the
same way as any menu item (by highlighting it and pressing [ENTER]).
Function Keys. Function keys (F1 through F12 at the top of the keyboard) are
also used to access certain screens. When function keys are used in this way,
labels are provided. Labels for F1 through F8 are provided at the bottom of the
screen, labels for F9 through F12 at the top.
NOTE: F9 through F12 are reserved for batching functions (F9 - RUN, F10 -
HOLD, F11 - DISCH, and F12 - GRAPH).
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ª SELECTING A FIELD
To enter data into a specific field, that field must be selected. When a field is
selected, it is highlighted in a distinct color – usually light blue (this cannot be
shown in the example below). Customer Code is the selected field below.
When a new screen is accessed, the top-leftmost field is typically selected by
default.
Field (selected)
As mentioned above, the cursor is normally on the top, leftmost field when you
access a screen. To move forward one field at a time, press one of the following
keys: [TAB], [ENTER], or [↓]. To move backward one field at a time, press
either [SHIFT+TAB] or the [↑] key.
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Browseable fields have square brackets around the entry area as shown in the
previous example. By pressing [F2] from the browseable Customer field below,
you can pull up a list of valid customer entries. You can then use the up and
down arrow keys to highlight the desired entry, and press [ENTER] to pull the
entry into the Customer field.
SHORTCUTS:
• To move to the next page of a browse list, press [PAGE DOWN]; to move to
the previous page, press [PAGE UP].
• To move to the end of a browse list, press [END]; to move to the beginning of
a browse list, press [HOME].
• Incremental Search. After pressing [F2], you can type the first letter of the
entry you want from the list. When the browse list appears, the first entry
beginning with that letter is highlighted. To get even closer to the desired
entry, you can type the second letter, then the third, and so on.
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Additional information is available online for many fields. To access online help
for a non-browseable field, select the desired field and press [F2]. To access
online help for a browseable field, select the desired field and press [F2] two
times. If no online help exists for the selected field, the system displays a
message stating that no online help is available.
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MENU LAYOUT
To help you understand how the Spectrum system functions, we have provided a
menu layout diagram on the following page. There are many screens listed in the
diagram, but don’t worry. You don’t have to know about them all. Screens
dealing with plant and system setup, for instance, are not even listed on your
Main Menu. Only those screens pertinent to running batches are listed on your
Main Menu.
ª SUB-MENUS
As you look at the diagram on the next page, notice that everything flows from
the MAIN MENU. The Main Menu is the gateway to all system functions,
including batching. Menu items followed by a “>” are sub-menus. For example,
the “Data Entry” item on the Main Menu is a sub-menu of the Main Menu.
Similarly, “Update Inventory” is a sub-menu of the Data Entry Menu.
An asterisk “*” is shown to the right of the some of Reports. This means the
report will be generated and sent directly to the printer when you select the item
and press [ENTER].
Some reports have neither a “>” or a “*” beside them. This means another screen
appears so you can enter specific parameters for the report (e.g., a range of dates).
Examples of these kinds of reports are Fleet Utilization and Current Orders.
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MAIN MENU
Customers
BATCH SETUP Edit Tickets Daily Inventory
Update Inventory > Weekly Inventory
Ingredients Monthly Inventory
Mix Designs Yearly Inventory
Resale Products
LOAD INDEX Orders
Projects
Sales Tax Rates
Trucks Display Batch Weights
Concrete Calculator Batch Weights by Date
DISPATCH Batchbook Base Mix Batch Weights by Load
Batchbook Cement Mix
Admix Designs
Edit MMM Description Incoming Inventory
Mat'l Usage by Material
DATA ENTRY > Batch Wt Reports > Mat'l Usage by Plant Current Orders
Inventory Reports > Material Usage by Bin Tomorrow's Orders *
Ingredient Listing * Mix Inventory Yesterday's Orders *
Mix Design Listing * Resale Prod Inventory Future Orders *
Mix Summary Rpt * Past Orders *
ORDER INDEX Customer Listing * All Orders *
Order Reports > Project Listing * Select Order Dates
Project Reports > Project by Customer * Loads by Order
Resale Products Listing Expired Projects Orders by Plant
Ticket Reports > Projects by Last Used Date
REPORTS > Fleet Utilization
Manual Material Monitor C.O.D. Tickets
Sequence Listing * Voided Tickets
Cancel Report * Non-C.O.D. Tickets
All tickets Floppy/Removable Media Backup
END OF DAY Material Overview Tickets by Customer & Restore
Bins & Silos Hard Disk Backup & Restore
Scales Batching Defaults Batch Weights Backup & Restore
Decumulative Scales Port Parameters Export Tickets to DOS File
Metered Liquids Modem & Terminal Parameters Purge & Rebuild Database
PLANT SETUP > Admixture Bottles System Defaults Rebuild Individual Database Index
Holding Tanks Time & Date Setup Repair Corrupt Database File
Conveyor Belts Mix Classes Format Disk
Extra Devices Printer Setup Floppy Disk Copy
SYSTEM Events Plants Import Data Files
MAINTENANCE > Truck Device Users Winlink File Transfer
Mixers User Login Convert Database Files From 6.04
Material Assignments Material Calculations Convert Ticket Files From 6.04
Sequences Ticket Layout Editor Convert Database Files From 6.05+
Feed Destinations Batch Weight Options Update Spectrum
QUIT SPECTRUM I/O Assignments Disk Utilities > Purge Batchbook Mixes
Junction Box Test Custom Controls Editor
Exercise I/O Manual Station Labels > Left Buttons (A & B)
Readout Display S.O. Number & Customer Name Right Buttons (C & D)
Scale/Meter I/O Network Update Left Scales
USER LOGIN Quick Edit Debugging by Node Right Scales
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[ESCAPE] Key
Prompt Function Key Prompts
[F1] – [F8]
(Screen-Specific)
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ª CURRENT TIME
The current time as set in the Spectrum system is displayed in the top-left corner.
ª SCREEN TITLE
A screen title appears at the top-center of every screen, except the GRAPH screen.
These prompts appear at the top-right of every screen so you can control the batch
in progress while working on other screens. They are always: [F9] for Run;
[F10] for Hold; [F11] for Discharge; and [F12] to pull up the GRAPH screen or to
return to the previous screen.
This prompt appears at the bottom-left of every screen. It is used to exit the
screen. If you keep pressing [ESCAPE], you will end up back at the MAIN
MENU.
These prompts (for Function keys [F1] - [F8]) appear along the bottom of every
screen. They are different from screen to screen. For example, on Data Entry
screens [F1] is used to save data, while on the Load Index screen it is used to
access the BATCH SETUP screen. [F2] is typically used to access field help.
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The database is also used to maintain inventory records. When materials are added or
used, the amounts are either added to or deducted from current amounts stored in the
database.
Most of the information stored in the Spectrum database is accessible through DATA
ENTRY screens, which are accessed through the DATA ENTRY MENU (shown next).
DATA ENTRY screens are discussed in this section. However, they are not discussed
in the order they appear on the menu. Rather, they are discussed in the order in
which they should be set up. For example, Customers are discussed before Orders
because customer information is used for order entry.
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Remember: When you save a data entry screen, you are saving a record.
TIPS: • To cancel the changes you just made, press [F7] before you exit
the screen.
• To delete the record altogether, press [F8].
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Tax Zone Contains the code assigned to the tax zone.
Tax Rate % Contains the percentage of tax charged in the tax zone.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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CUSTOMERS
Customer information is stored in the customer database table. This information
includes things like tax rate, credit limit, credit status, and whether the customer
allows returned concrete. This information can be inserted directly into the Orders or
Projects screens.
Customers Screen
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Customer Code Unique code assigned to the customer. You may browse
this field to see a list of customers in the database.
Customer Name Full name given to the customer.
Account Number Account number assigned to the customer account. Used
for tracking purposes only - Customer Code is the main
identifier of the customer account.
Account Status Status assigned to the customer account. This is a free form
entry field and is used for informational purposes only. If a
status is entered in this field, it will be pulled onto the
PROJECTS screen when a project is created for this
customer.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Credit Limit Customer’s credit limit. If an order for this customer
exceeds this limit, an error message is displayed at the
bottom of the screen when the order is transferred to the
Batch Setup screen.
User Defined This is a free-form entry field and is used for informational
purposes only.
Account Balance Current customer account balance. System-generated based
on the tickets generated for this customer code.
Tax Zone Tax zone applicable for this customer. This browseable
field must contain an entry from the Sales Tax Rates table.
Returned Concrete Yes or No field that specifies whether returned concrete
Allowed? could be shipped to this customer. Controls all returned
concrete activity for this customer.
C.O.D.? Yes or No field that specifies whether this customer is a
cash or credit customer.
Print Prices? Yes or No field that specifies whether prices will print on
tickets generated for this customer.
Address Address line 1.
Address Address line 2.
P.O. Box P.O. Box number, when applicable.
City City of the customer.
State/County Either the state or county of the customer.
Zip/Postal Code Zip or postal code of the customer.
Contact Name Name of contact person at the customer location.
Phone Number Telephone number of the contact person.
Notes Any notes you wish to attach to the customer account.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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INGREDIENTS
Information about ingredients is stored in the ingredients database table. Ingredients
can be added, edited, and viewed on the INGREDIENTS screen.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Code assigned to the ingredient. You may browse this
field to see a list of ingredients in the database.
Description Description of the ingredient (e.g., 3/8” Rock).
Entry The units used on the MIX DESIGNS screen for this
ingredient.
Based On Used only if the amount of this ingredient in a mix is
based on the amount of another ingredient. Usually used
for admix ingredients. Works with the Based On Factor
field of this screen. Valid entries are:
/c – The amount of the ingredient is based on each 100
lb/kg of another ingredient (usually cement).
% - The amount of the ingredient is a percentage of the
amount of another ingredient.
sg – Used for slurry calculations based on the specific
gravity of the slurry and water.
Internal Units in which all internal calculations are done. This unit
should be the least common denominator of all units
entered in the Units section; so, it is usually lb/kg, or fl
oz/ml.
Inventory Unit of measure in which inventory for this ingredient is
displayed.
Purchase Unit of measure in which the ingredient is purchased.
Adjust Unit used to perform the adjustment calculation on the
ingredient. The amount of the ingredient in each load is
changed by the amount entered for the adjustment factor.
This is an absolute amount and is not proportional to the
load size, as in the trim calculation. Usually used only
with water.
Trim Unit used to perform the trim calculation on the
ingredient. The load size is multiplied by the trim factor
to obtain the change in the ingredient amount for the load.
Usually used only with water.
Weight Unit of measure in which the material is weighed, such as
lb or kg.
To Volume Unit of measure for the volume of the ingredient, such as
gallons (gl) or fluid ounces (oz). Mostly for liquids.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Unit Factor Contains the number by which the weight of the
ingredient is multiplied to obtain the volume (i.e., a
conversion factor). This factor is usually used for liquids.
Inventory Enable Yes/No field that enables/disables inventory checking of
this ingredient in the On Hand column of the Inventory
Period screens. Normally, this field is set to Y, except for
waters. This field also enables/disables inventory
checking for mixes and resale products.
Cost Per Cost of the ingredient per Inventory unit of measure.
Decimal Points Number of decimal points that appear on the MIX DESIGN
and BATCH SETUP screens for the ingredient amount.
Modify Flag A Y (yes) value permits you to modify the amount of the
ingredient in the mix design on the BATCH SETUP screen.
An N (no) value prohibits this action.
Print Inventory Unit? When this field is set to Y, the inventory report will print
in inventory units instead of internal units.
Tracepoints? This field determines whether tracepoints are enabled and
recorded in the Error file (for debugging). Options are:
Y – enable Tracepoints.
N – do not enable Tracepoints.
P – (for Performance) enable Tracepoints and provide
more details in the Error file.
Check Negative A Y (yes) value tells the system to report an error if the
Correction? material’s target passes below zero after calculating the
targets on the BATCH SETUP screen.
Minimum Allowed In Minimum amount of the ingredient allowed in a mix
Mix design, based on the Entry unit of measure.
Maximum Allowed In Maximum amount of the ingredient allowed in a mix
Mix design, based on the Entry unit of measure.
Minimum Auto Minimum moisture percentage reading allowed from the
Moisture % probe. Minimum that can be entered manually. Manual
or Automatic.
Maximum Auto Maximum moisture percentage reading allowed from the
Moisture % probe. Maximum that can be entered manually. Manual
or Automatic.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Use Positive Tare? Works in conjunction with the Zero Tolerance Over
field on the SCALES screen. If you enter a Y in this field,
the system accepts any positive tare amount under the
established tolerance. If you enter an N in this field, the
system always uses a zero tare value, even if a positive
weight exists. Example: Tolerance is set at 20 pounds.
Target weight is 100 pounds. The scale registers a 15-
pound positive tare. For a Y value, the system dumps 85
pounds of material onto the scale. For an N value, the
system dumps 100 pounds of material onto the scale.
Use Over Positive Works in conjunction with the Zero Tolerance Over
Tare? field on the SCALES screen. If you enter a Y in this field,
the system accepts any positive tare amount over the
established tolerance. If you enter an N in this field, the
system always uses a zero tare value, even if a positive
weight exists. Example: Tolerance is set at 20 pounds.
Target weight is 100 pounds. The scale registers a 30-
pound positive tare. For a Y value, the system dumps 70
pounds of material onto the scale. For an N value, the
system dumps 100 pounds of material onto the scale.
Use Negative Tare? Works in conjunction with the Zero Tolerance Under
field on the SCALES screen. If you enter a Y in this field,
the system accepts any negative tare amount under the
established tolerance. If you enter an N in this field, the
system always uses a zero value, even if a negative weight
exists. Example: Tolerance is set at -20 pounds. Target
weight is 100 pounds. The scale registers a 15-pound
negative tare. For a Y value, the system dumps 115
pounds of material onto the scale. For an N value, the
system dumps 100 pounds of material onto the scale.
Use Under Negative Works in conjunction with the Zero Tolerance Under
Tare? field on the SCALES screen. If you enter a Y in this field,
the system accepts any negative tare amount under the
established tolerance. If you enter an N in this field, the
system always uses a zero value, even if a negative weight
exists. Example: Tolerance is set at -20 pounds. Target
weight is 100 pounds. The scale registers a 30-pound
negative tare. For a Y value, the system dumps 130
pounds of material onto the scale. For an N value, the
system dumps 100 pounds of material onto the scale.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Group Code Attaches the material to the appropriate material group.
Required for new ingredients! Controls colors,
calculations, and batching orders. Standard groups are:
1 AGG, 2 CEM, 3 WAT, 4 ADX, and 5 WATADX.
Auxiliary Group Secondary material group for the ingredient.
Inventory Level N means to display inventory by Bin/Tank/Silo
Y means to display inventory by Plant.
S means to display inventory System Wide.
Ticket Group Attaches the ingredient to a ticket group. This controls
the printing order of the material. For example,
ingredients in the AGG group will print before ingredients
in the ADX group.
Aux2 Group Third material group for the ingredient.
Record SOZ as Normally, this field should be set to N (for No). It should
Batched? only be set to Y (for Yes) in cases where bin or silo gates
do not close all the way, allowing small amounts of
(SOZ means material to leak into the scale between loads. In such
“Scale Over Zero.”) cases, setting this field to Y allows the "leaked" material
to be included in inventory usage for the next load.
Note: This method of compensating for leaking gates
should only be used temporarily. It is preferred
that the gates be repaired.
Based on Factor Used with the Based On field. Tells the system what
factor to use if the target weight of this material is based
on another material. Example: To batch one unit of this
material per 100 weight of cement, enter a 1 in this field.
Effectiveness The system uses this value to determine how much of this
ingredient to actually batch. For example, if you are
batching air that is 100% effective and the target for air is
50 ounces, the system batches 50 ounces. If you are
batching air that is 50% effective and the target for air is
50 ounces, the system batches 100 ounces. This field
accepts values with up to two decimal places (ex: 60.75).
Correction Factor Typically assigned to calcium ingredients and used to
determine water targets. Based on ingredient group type.
Using Calcium as the primary group ingredient and
Water as the secondary group ingredient, the calculation
is as follows: Water = Water – (Calcium * Calcium
Correction Factor) * (Material Calculation Factor).
Numerically this could be presented as Water = 32 gl –
153.6 oz * 1.00 * 1.00. Water then equals 30.8 gl.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Substitution Ratio of this product when it is substituted for another.
Acceptable values range from 1 to 1.2. Example: Target
weight for cement is 500 lb. You want to substitute fly
ash for 10 percent of the cement. However, cement and
fly ash are not a one-to-one substitution. It takes 1.05
units of fly ash to equal 1 unit of cement. The substitution
value for fly ash is 1.05.
Absorption Percentage of moisture above Oven Dry needed to
achieve SSD (Saturated Surface Dry) weight. SSD
moisture can range from 1 to 3% above Oven Dry.
Correction Weighting Applies to groups of ingredients. Example: Hot and cold
water are both used in a mix design. However, correction
needs to be made to water amounts due to the moisture in
the sand. If both the hot and cold-water ingredients have
a correction weighting value of zero, the system adjusts
each amount proportionately based on their target weights
in the mix design. However, if you assign a value of 1 to
cold water and a value of zero to hot water, then the
system makes the adjustments against the cold water.
This is because the cold water is 100 percent of the total
weighting of the two water group ingredients, i.e. 1+0=1
and the value of cold water is 1 which is 100 percent of
the total. The numbers themselves don’t carry any
meaning except the ratio of the total of the entire
ingredient group that they represent. If you want the
correction to the water to be applied 50/50 percent
between hot and cold water, then you could assign a value
of 1 to both ingredients. Because they are both 50 percent
of the 2, the adjustments would be applied at 50 percent
per ingredient. This can work for more than two
ingredients. Everything is still based on proportionate
ratio.
Note: If the system is applying an adjustment to an
ingredient and that ingredient target goes below
zero before the total adjustment is applied, the
system applies the adjustment proportionately to
the remaining ingredient targets in the mix design.
Slump Factor Used for determining the water amount per mix unit
(cubic yard or meter) per 1 inch or 1 mm for slump
calculations. Typically, this value is 1.0 for US systems
and .20 for Metric.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Specific Gravity Specific gravity for the material. Used for calculating the
mix design’s yield on the MIX DESIGNS screen. Also
used in slurry calculations. Quality control personnel
normally provide this number.
Plant Code Default home plant of the current user. This is not
editable.
Over Tolerance % Allowable percentage of over-tolerance amount based on
the entry units for the plant. When calculating over-
tolerance situations, the system uses either the material or
plant over tolerance setting, whichever is greater. This
field instructs the system when to flag the amount.
Under Tolerance % Allowable percentage of under-tolerance amount based on
the entry units for the plant. When calculating under-
tolerance situations, the system uses either the material or
plant under tolerance setting, whichever is greater. This
field instructs the system when to flag the amount.
Finished % Percentage of under- or over-target the system will allow
for batch completion of this ingredient. Typically, this is
one-half the under-tolerance value. Used mainly for
speed in split batching where you would jog to less than
100% of the target. If the system weighs up in fast feed
and has to jog, it jogs to the Finished % short of the
target.
Batch Calculation Tells the system whether to calculate the ingredient on an
Type individual net basis or group cumulative basis based on
the group code of the product. Value is either C
(cumulative) or N (net). The type chosen here must match
the type chosen in the Tolerance Calculation Type field.
Tolerance Calculation Tells the system whether to issue a tolerance error for the
Type ingredient on a net or cumulative basis based on the group
code of the product. Value is either C (cumulative) or N
(net). The type chosen here must match the type chosen
in the Batch Calculation Type field.
Sequence Priority Default is 0. When 0 is used, the sequence priority on the
mix design is used. To globally increase the priority of an
ingredient, assign a number here. The higher the number,
the higher the priority.
PAGE 2 – INGREDIENTS SCREEN
Purchase-Inventory Weight-to-volume factor used for converting purchase
Unit Factor units to inventory units.
Inventory-Internal Weight-to-volume factor used for converting inventory
Unit Factor units to internal calculation units.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Specific Gravity of Specific gravity of the solids in the slurry water. Used for
Slurry Solids slurry calculations. Quality control personnel normally
provide this number.
Small Batch Percentage of the scale/meter capacity below which small
Tolerances batch tolerances are used. If this value is zero, large
(normal) batch tolerances are used.
Over Tolerance Allowable percentage or amount of over-tolerance based
on the entry units for the plant. When calculating over-
tolerance situations, the system uses the smaller of the
percentage or the amount.
Note: For large (normal) tolerance checking, the system
uses the larger of the percentage or amount entries.
Under Tolerance Allowable percentage or amount of under-tolerance based
on the entry units for the plant. When calculating under-
tolerance situations, the system uses the smaller of the
percentage or the amount.
Note: For large (normal) tolerance checking, the system
uses the larger of the percentage or amount entries.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
ª INGREDIENT GROUPS
When an ingredient is entered into the Spectrum database, you must assign it to a
“group” in the Group Code field of the INGREDIENTS screen. The system can
then perform calculations based on all ingredients within a group, as opposed to a
different calculation for each ingredient in the database. The Group Code is a
required field when entering a new ingredient. The standard group codes are:
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1 AGG
2 CEM
3 WAT
4 ADX
5 WATADX
“Absolute value” ingredients do not have their mix design target amounts based
on the amount of another ingredient in the mix. Aggregate ingredients usually
fall into this category. To make an ingredient an absolute value ingredient, leave
the Based On and Based On Factor fields blank.
ª PERCENTAGE INGREDIENTS
“Percentage” ingredients do have their mix design target amounts based on the
amount of another ingredient in the mix. This applies mostly to admixes. To
make an ingredient a percentage ingredient, enter % in the Based On field, and a
numeric value in the Based on Factor field.
Example:
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“Hundred Weight” ingredients have their mix design target amounts based on
each 100 pounds of cement. To make an ingredient a hundred weight ingredient,
enter /c in the Based On field, and 1 in the Based On Factor field. This means
an admix measured in ounces would have 1 ounce of the admix added for each
100 pounds of cement.
ª INGREDIENT EFFECTIVENESS
• At 90% effectiveness, 11.11 oz. is used per yard. (10 oz. / .90 = 11.11 oz.)
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MIX DESIGNS
Information about mix designs (recipes for concrete mixes) is stored in the Mix
Designs database table. Mix Designs can be added, edited, and viewed on the MIX
DESIGNS screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Mix Code Code assigned to this mix design. You may browse this
field to see a list of mix designs in the database.
Description The complete name assigned to the mix design.
Ingredients Allows you to select an ingredient from a browseable list of
ingredients. Each ingredient is selected on a separate line.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Absolute Absolute value of this ingredient required to make one unit
(cubic yard or cubic meter) of the mix design.
Note: An entry is required in, either, this field or the Based
On field.
Based On Amount of this ingredient required to make one unit, based
on the amount of another ingredient. The ingredient must
have “based on” information entered on the INGREDIENTS
screen. Actual targets are figured at batch time based on the
setups in the MATERIAL CALCULATIONS screen.
Note: An entry is required in, either, this field or the
Absolute field.
Yield This ingredient’s portion of the mix design. This value is
derived from the Specific Gravity numbers set up for the
material in the INGREDIENTS screen. This number can
usually be obtained from your local supplier. NOTE: the
total of the yields of all ingredients should equal 27 cubic
feet. Anything other than this signifies an incorrect mix
design.
LMD Read-only field. Last Modified Date. Shows date and user.
This field appears when an existing mix design is selected.
It is not present on the blank Mix Design screen.
Tot Yield: Read-only field. Total yield for all ingredients. Should not
exceed 27 cubic feet (see Yield field above.)
Maximum Maximum load size and unit of measure for the mix design.
Load/Unit Should equal the largest truck size entered on the
BATCHING DEFAULTS screen.
NOTE: Any Load Size on the BATCH SETUP screen greater
than this value causes the system to split-batch the load.
Sequence Code Browseable field that allows you to select the sequence of
events for this mix design. Because a default sequence code
is established in the BATCHING DEFAULTS screen, you only
need to enter a sequence code for the mix design when it
differs from the default. Because of this, the Sequence
Code field is often left blank. Sequence codes are most
often entered for grout mixes and when you have a plant
that is switching between wet and dry batching.
Slump: Default The consistency to which the mix was designed. This value
is pulled onto the BATCH SETUP screen when this mix
design is batched. If Slump Tables are enabled, this value is
ignored (see “Slump Tables” for more information).
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Slump: Min The minimum threshold before the water/cement ratio for
the mix is compromised. When batching this mix, if you
enter a slump less than this value, an error occurs and you
will be forced to enter a new slump value.
Slump: Max The maximum threshold before the water/cement ratio for
this mix is compromised. When batching this mix, if you
enter a slump more than this amount, an error occurs and
you will be forced to enter a new slump value.
Air Content Amount of free air trapped in the concrete due to the
gradation of aggregates. This value is typically supplied by
the QC department and is only used for yield calculations.
Mixer Time Minimum amount of time needed for a properly blended
mix. This time determines at what point the load is ready to
dump from the mixer. (For mixer systems only.)
Modify? Allows you to indicate whether the operator is allowed to
modify the mix design on the BATCH SETUP screen at batch
time. If set to N, values cannot be changed before batching.
Mix Type? Either S for SSD weights, D for standard Oven Dry weights,
or O for Minnesota DOT Oven Dry weights. At batch time,
the system converts Oven Dry weights back to SSD
weights.
Mix Class Browseable list of mix classes. Mix classes are entered on
the MIX CLASSES screen found in the SYSTEM
MAINTENANCE menu and are used when returned concrete
is involved. Here’s how it works. Compatible mix designs
are assigned to a particular mix class. By compatible, we
mean a small amount of one mix design could be left in the
truck and combined with another mix design of the same
class with no adverse affects. The QC department usually
defines Mix classes. Only a couple of U.S. states allow
returned concrete to be resold.
Inventory Allows you to indicate whether this mix should be tracked
in the daily inventory logging. If set to N, mix design
inventory will not be kept for this mix, and it will not affect
the daily totals for batches run. A ticket will not be printed
for “no” value loads. (Usually used for washout mix
designs.)
Taxable Indicates whether this mix design is taxable.
List Price Per unit price for the mix design.
Account Number Used for tracking purposes.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Alias Used only when Spectrum is interfaced to a HydroControl
IV moisture control system. In this case, you would enter
the 3-character alias for the mix in this field.
Slump Table Browseable list of slump tables that can be attached to the
mix design. If a slump table is selected here, then standard
linear slump calculations will not be used. (See “Slump
Tables” for more information.)
Consistence This field contains the EN 206 Consistence Class (S1, S2,
etc.) or Slump in millimeters.
Ext. Description This field is a concatenation of information about Strength
Class, Exposure Class, Flow Class, Maximum Aggregate
Size, and Cement Type. For non-EN 206 users, this field
can be blank or used for entering additional information.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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[F6] - Del Line Deletes a line (in the Ingredients section). The line
currently selected is deleted.
[F7] - Clear Cancels changes before you have saved them.
[F8] - Delete Deletes the mix design currently displayed. When
prompted, press this key again to confirm.
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NOTE: Before adding ingredients, you must determine the order in which
ingredients are to be batched for this mix. The system batches
ingredients in the order they are listed on the MIX DESIGNS screen
(from top to bottom). Ingredients should be listed in the following
order in a mix design: (1) Aggregates; (2) Cement; (3) Water; (4)
Admixes.
5. Type the code for the first ingredient on the top line of the Ingredients section.
You can browse a list of ingredients by pressing [F2]. Then highlight the
desired ingredient and press [ENTER] to insert the ingredient into this field.
6. Press [ENTER] to move to the Absolute field. If the ingredient is an
“Absolute Value” ingredient (e.g., an aggregate), type the absolute value per
cubic yard (or meter) in this field and press [ENTER] to enter the next
ingredient.
If the ingredient is a “Based On” ingredient, leave the Absolute field blank
and press [ENTER] to move to the Based On field.
7. In the Based On field, type the numeric value you wish to associate with this
“Based On” ingredient. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the next
ingredient line.
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1. Make sure the ingredient has been added to the database (see “ Ingredients” in
this manual).
2. From the MIX DESIGNS screen, press [SHIFT + F6] to pull up the following
change box. The cursor is in the “From” field.
NOTE: The Inventory? field on the Mix Designs screen must be set to Y if you
want to track inventory for the mix.
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ADMIX DESIGNS
Information about admix designs is stored in the Admix Designs database table.
Admix Designs are a convenient way to add seasonal ingredients such as calcium on
an “as needed” basis to an order. Admix Designs can be added, edited, and viewed
on the ADMIX DESIGNS screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Admix Code Code assigned to the admix design. You may browse this
field to see a list of admix designs in the database.
Description The complete name assigned to the admix design.
Ingredients Allows you to select an ingredient from a browseable list of
ingredients. Each ingredient is selected on a separate line.
Absolute Absolute value of the ingredient required to make one unit
(cubic yard or cubic meter) of the admix design.
Based On Amount of this ingredient required to make one unit, based
on the amount of another ingredient. The ingredient must
have “based on” information entered on the INGREDIENTS
screen. Actual targets are figured at batch time based on the
setups in the MATERIAL CALCULATIONS screen.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Sale Unit This field is not editable. It contains the default batching
unit of measure for your system. You can press [F4] to
toggle between U.S. Standard and Metric measurements.
Quantity Type Default quantity to be targeted when a load with this admix
design is batched. The options are:
B (balance) – causes the product quantity to be set to zero
when quantity ordered = quantity delivered.
F (flat rate) - causes the product quantity to be
automatically set to “1” on the Batch Setup screen.
M (mix based) – causes the quantity of the admix to match
the quantity of the main mix design on the Batch Setup
screen.
Taxable Indicates whether this admix design is taxable.
List Price Per unit price for the admix design.
Account Number Used for tracking purposes.
Last Modified Read-only fields that show the last date the record was
by modified and by which user.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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NOTE: Typically, only one admix is entered. If, however, more than one
ingredient is entered, the order in which the ingredients are listed is
important. The system batches ingredients in the order they are listed
on the ADMIX DESIGNS screen (from top to bottom).
5. Type the code for the first ingredient on the top line of the Ingredients
section. Or, browse the ingredients list, highlight the desired ingredient and
press [ENTER] to insert the ingredient into this field.
6. Press [ENTER] to move to the Absolute field. If the ingredient is an
“Absolute Value” ingredient, type the absolute value per cubic yard in this
field and press [ENTER] to enter the next ingredient.
If the ingredient is a “Based On” ingredient, leave this field blank and press
[ENTER] to move to the Based On field.
7. In the Based On field, type the numeric value you wish to associate with this
“Based On” ingredient. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the next
ingredient line.
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If you receive mix designs from a dispatch computer via the Universal Link (Ulink),
you can enter Ulink-style admix modifiers as admix designs. This kind of admix
design is given a specific name so that it corresponds to a particular Ulink field (i.e.
admix code ULINK_092 would correspond to Ulink field 092).
The following list shows the names that must be entered as the admix code, along
with their corresponding Ulink fields and descriptions. (See the section titled “To
Create an Admix Design” for more information.)
Note: In Spectrum, you do not have to put a calcium ingredient in ULINK_092, nor
an air entrainment ingredient in ULINK_093, etc.
A Ulink-style admix design contains all of the materials that can be modified. When
a value is sent in the corresponding Ulink field, the amounts associated with the
material names in the admix design that match materials in the main mix are either
modified (multiplied as a percentage) or replaced by the value in the Ulink field.
Example:
The dispatching computer sends a ticket with a value in Ulink field 092. Ulink looks
for a Spectrum admix design named ULINK_092. If the admix design is found and it
contains one or more of the materials used in the main mix, the value sent in Ulink
field 092 replaces the amounts of these materials in the main mix.
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RESALE PRODUCTS
Resale products include items such as rebar, fiber mesh, sand, and gloves. These
items are sold along with concrete, meaning they are included on the order. Resale
products can be added to an order any time before the order is batched, but the best
time to enter them is when the order is first entered.
Information about resale products is stored in the Resale Products database table.
Resale products are added and edited on the RESALE PRODUCTS screen . To access
this screen, select MAIN MENUDATA ENTRYRESALE PRODUCTS.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Code assigned to the resale product. You may browse this
field to see a list of resale products in the database.
Ingredient Alias (Used only when an ingredient is used as a resale product.)
Browseable list of ingredients. (See “Ingredients Used as
Resale Products” for more information.)
Description Full name given to the resale product.
Plant Plant code. You may browse this field to choose another
plant.
Account Number Account number assigned to the product. Defaults to the
resale product code.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Quantity Type Default quantity when the product is sold. The options are:
B (balance)– causes the product quantity to be set to zero
when quantity ordered = quantity delivered.
F (flat rate) - causes the product quantity to be
automatically set to “1” in the order.
M (mix based)– causes the quantity of the resale product to
match the quantity of the main mix design on the BATCH
SETUP screen.
Taxable Indicates whether the product is taxable.
Auto Add? Controls the automatic addition of this product to orders:
• N – Product is not automatically added to an order.
• A – Product is automatically added to all orders.
• W – Product is automatically added to all orders during
the winter season.*
• S – Product is automatically added to all orders during
the summer season.*
* Date ranges are set on the SYSTEM DEFAULTS screen
of the SYSTEM MAINTENANCE MENU.
• O – Product is added if ordered amount is less than the
indicated threshold.
• L – Product is added if the load size amount is less than
the indicated threshold.
Threshold Works in conjunction with the Auto Add? field when that
field contains an “O” or “L” value. Determines minimum
order and minimum load size charges.
List Price Per unit sale price for the product.
Inventory Enable? To display inventory data on the bottom portion of the
screen, you must set this field to Y (yes). (Must also be set
to Y if you use ingredients as resale products.)
Decimal Points Number of decimal places to show in the inventory amounts
at the bottom of the screen.
Deduct from (Used only when an ingredient is used as a resale product.)
Ingredient? Must be set to Y in this case.
Internal Unit Default unit of measure for the product.
Sale Unit Unit of measure in which the product is sold.
Sale/Internal Unit Conversion factor for converting the Sale Unit to the
Factor Internal Unit.
Inventory Unit Unit of measure in which inventory for the product is to be
displayed.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Inventory-Internal Conversion factor for converting the Inventory Unit to the
Unit Factor Internal Unit. Expressed as a weight/volume.
Purchase Unit Unit of measure in which the product is to be received.
Purchase-Inventory Conversion factor for converting the Purchase Unit to the
Unit Factor Inventory Unit. Expressed as a weight/volume.
On Hand Current on hand balance of the product. Both the inventory
and sale unit information is displayed.
Inventory Periods There are four inventory periods displayed: (1) Day, (2)
Week, (3) Month, and (4) Year. Total inventory and sale
units are displayed for each inventory period.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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For customers who use ingredients as resale products, resale usage can be deducted
from the corresponding ingredient’s inventory when the ticket is generated.
• The Inventory Level field of the Ingredients screen must be set to Y (By
Plant) or S (System Wide) for each ingredient used as a resale product.
• The Inventory Enable and Deduct from Ingredient fields of the Resale
Products screen must be set to Y, and an ingredient must be selected in the
Ingredient Alias field.
When a batch with the resale product is run, the system deducts the resale amount
from the alias ingredient’s on-hand amount. The Resale Products Listing and the
Resale Product Inventory Report (not shown) will not display an amount for the
ingredient used as the resale product. Rather, they will display an asterisk (*)
followed by the alias ingredient name in the On-Hand column.
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4. Enter the amount of incoming inventory and any other pertinent information
(supplier, truck, hauler, etc.).
5. Press [F1] to save your entry and update this product’s on-hand amount.
6. Press [ESC] to go back to the RESALE PRODUCTS screen. Repeat Steps 2
through 5 above for each product for which you need to receive inventory.
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TRUCKS
Information about trucks used to deliver concrete is stored in the Trucks database
table. This information is added, edited, and viewed on the TRUCKS screen. To
access this screen, select MAIN MENUDATA ENTRYTRUCKS.
Truck Screen
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Code assigned to the truck. You may browse this field to
see a list of resale products in the database.
Driver Name of driver assigned to the truck.
Hauler Name of the hauler if the truck is not company-owned, but
rented or leased.
Charge Rate % Percentage rate at which concrete should be discharged into
the truck.
Capacity Maximum number of units the truck can haul.
Home Plant Plant code of the “home plant” for the truck.
In Use? Y means the truck is available. N means the truck is not
available (i.e. in the shop for repairs) and cannot be called
up on the BATCH SETUP screen.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Truck Type Browseable field that may contain one of the following
values:
• N – Normal ready mix truck
• C – Conveyor truck
• F – Front discharging truck.
Description Description of the truck.
License Plate License plate number of the truck.
Expiration Date Expiration date of the truck’s license plates.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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PROJECTS
Information about projects is stored in the Projects database table. Projects are added
and edited on the PROJECTS screen. To access this screen, select MAIN
MENUDATA ENTRYPROJECTS.
Project Screen
Each project record includes the products, pricing, and projected quantities associated
with a particular “quote.” A quote is associated with a particular customer and may
involve a large project that takes several orders to complete.
In this regard, the Projects database is a great time saver. Project information (which
includes customer information) can be called up (by project code) and automatically
inserted into each order, thus saving a lot of typing.
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FIELDS
NOTE: Many of the fields on the PROJECTS screen are automatically populated
when the customer code is entered. These default values can be
changed, however.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Customer Code Customer code associated with the project. Required field!
Project Code Code assigned to the project.
Name Name assigned to the project.
Notes Delivery notes for the project
Status A browseable field that contains the status of the quote.
Valid entries are:
• N – Normal (firm)
• C – Cancelled (deletes all totals)
• E – Ended (keeps delivered totals)
• H – Held
• W – Will Call
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Return Mix Indicator from the customer record that stipulates if the
Allowed? customer will accept returned concrete.
NOTE:
If the Override Enabled field on the SYSTEM
MAINTENANCESYSTEM DEFAULTS screen is set to N, the
system uses the Returned Concrete flag from the customer
record. If, however, the Override Enabled field is set to Y,
you can override the Returned Concrete flag at batch time.
P.O.# P.O. number that should be assigned to all orders in the
project.
UDF 1 This user-defined field may contain up to 20 characters.
The field label is also user-defined (on the SYSTEM
MAINTENANCESYSTEM DEFAULTS screen).
UDF 2 This user-defined field may contain up to 20 characters.
The field label is also user-defined (on the SYSTEM
MAINTENANCESYSTEM DEFAULTS screen).
UDF 3 This user-defined field may contain up to 20 characters.
The field label is also user-defined (on the SYSTEM
MAINTENANCESYSTEM DEFAULTS screen).
Tax Zone Tax zone from the customer record for the customer
attached to the project.
End Date Expiration date of the project.
Last Date Last date this project was assigned to an order and ticketed.
Mix Mix design quoted for the project. You can also enter resale
products here.
Projected Number of units projected to complete the project for each
product.
Delivered System-generated sum of the number of units delivered for
each product.
Slump Default slump assigned to each mix design.
Description Description of each product.
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ª FUNCTION KEYS
ª PROJECT PRICING
Spectrum allows you to record custom pricing and/or discounts for any product
specified in a project. To Adjust product pricing:
1. Access or create the project.
2. Add the product(s) to the project.
3. Highlight the product for which you wish to set/adjust pricing.
4. Press [F5] - Discount. As shown next, the Discount/Pricing window appears
with the product code and projected quantity displayed at the top. (This
information is used to calculate the projected total.)
Discount/Pricing Window
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NOTE: You are not limited to either changing the list price or giving a
discount. You may do both.
7. Press [F1] to save the record. Repeat the process for each product for which
you wish to set/adjust pricing.
The Consistence and Ext. Desc. Fields on the Discount screen (accessed by pressing
[F5]) describe concrete production in terminology required by the EN 206 Standards.
This information defaults in from the Mix Design record.
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2. Press [F2] to browse a list of dates. Select the date for which you wish to edit
manual event information and press [ENTER].
3. Move to the Event ID field and press [F2] to browse a list of manual events
for the selected date. Press [ENTER]. The appropriate manual event
information appears on the screen.
4. If you do not want this material deducted from inventory, tab down to the
Deduct amount from inventory? field and enter N. Otherwise, leave this
field set to Y, the default setting. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the
blank comments section.
5. Enter comments if needed then press [F1] to save the data.
Timesaver: To cause this screen to always appear when the End of Day
process is run (and there are manual events to edit), set the Edit
MM Description field of the END OF DAY SETUP screen to Y.
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SLUMP TABLES
ª WHAT IS SLUMP?
Slump is defined as the number of inches (or millimeters) concrete will sag, or slump,
when a cone filled with the concrete is turned upside down and the cone pulled off
the concrete. Spectrum is capable of adjusting the slump of each load of concrete to
meet the needs of customers, especially when those needs are subject to state and
governmental requirements.
There are several ways in Spectrum to adjust the slump of a load of concrete.
• You can enter a default slump value for a mix (on the Mix Designs screen), and
this value will be used whenever the mix is used in a batch.
• On the Batch Setup screen, you can adjust the default slump of a mix at batch
time.
• On the Batching Defaults screen, you can enter a plant-wide default slump value
to be automatically entered whenever you create a mix design.
• You can use “slump tables” to vary how much water is added or subtracted for
each increment of change specified in the slump table.
Slump Tables. Using Slump Tables, you can vary how much water is added or
subtracted for each inch (25 mm) of change in slump. In other words, if you want to
add 3 inches to the slump, you can create a slump table that will add one gallon for
the first inch and lesser amounts for the second and third inches. This method of
slump adjustment can help ensure that your mix will not come out too wet or too dry
by allowing you to customize each change in slump step.
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A slump table can be attached to more than one mix design, or you can create a slump
table for each mix design. You can also create a “default slump table” and select it
on the Batching Defaults screen. This table will then be used if Slump Tables are
enabled (on the Batching Defaults screen) but no slump table has been attached to the
mix design.
Sample slump tables are shown next (one using US units, the other using Metric).
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A description of each column on the Slump Table is given in the following table.
Column Description
Slump Change The different amounts of slump typically used for
concrete mix designs. This information is read-only.
Percent Adjustment per This is the only column you can edit on this table. It
Step contains the percentage of change in water needed to
achieve the Slump Change in column 1.
Amount of Change per Shows the amount of change for each step (slump
Step change value) resulting from the percentage entered in
column 2. This information is read-only and is shown
in gl for U.S. systems and L for SI.
Cumulative Change per Shows the total changes made against each step
Step (slump change value). This information is read-only
and is shown in gl for U.S. systems and L for SI.
1. To use slump tables instead of the linear method of adjusting slump, select MAIN
MENUSYSTEM MAINTENANCEBATCHING DEFAULTS and enter Y in the
Enable Slump Table? field. Press [F1] to save your data.
2. Select Main MenuData EntrySlump Table to access the Slump Table
editing screen (shown above).
3. Enter a Slump Code and Description.
4. In the Percent Adjustment per Step column, enter the percentage of change
desired for each increment (or “step) of change. It is recommended that you set
up your tables something like the example given above.
5. Press [F1] to save your data.
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Water to Add/Subtract = Water Amt per Mix Unit * Sum of Percentages / 100
Example 2: Default slump is 75mm and we want a 125mm slump. We would be adding
50mm of slump. Using our Metric slump table (and starting from the “Default”
row), we can see that two steps would be used (the 25mm step and the 50mm
one).
Water to Add = Water Amt per Mix Unit * Sum of Percentages / 100
Water to Add = [100 (for 25mm step) + 80 (for 50mm step)] * 5.0 / 100
= 180 * 5.0 / 100
= 180 * .05
= 9.0 L
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Example 3: Default slump is 75mm and we want a 25mm slump. We would be subtracting
50mm of slump. Using our Metric slump table (and starting from the “Default”
row), we can see that two steps would be used (the -25mm step and the -50mm
one).
Water to Add = Water Amt per Mix Unit * Sum of Percentages / 100
Water to Add = [-100 (for -25mm step) + -150 (for -50mm step)] * 5.0 / 100
= -250 * 5.0 / 100
= -250 * .05
= -12.5 L
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Plant devices can be configured through screens accessed from the PLANT SETUP
menu. This is an important part of the installation process because there is a lot
of fine-tuning that takes place. Critical parameters that control material feeding
and discharge are entered on these screens. In addition to these parameters,
Input/Output points are also assigned for each device.
NOTE: Make sure you have added ingredients before you configure devices
through the Plant Setup screens.
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BINS SCREEN
Bins and silos must be set up before you can assign materials or destinations to them.
On the BINS screen (2 pages shown next), you can add a bin, or edit parameters for an
existing one. A description of each field on this screen is given after that.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, or [F5] to
go to the Material Assignments screen.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
(PAGE 1 – BINS SCREEN)
Code Browseable field containing a list of available bins.
Material Read-only field showing the material assigned to this bin.
If this is the first time this bin has been configured, this
field would be blank. (Materials are assigned to bins on
the MATERIAL ASSIGNMENTS screen.)
Monitor Enabled? Yes/No field that allows/disallows manual feeding of this
material to be tracked and recorded.
Feed Rate Rate of material flow through the primary gate. In the
above example, the feed rate is 800 lb/sec.
Keyboard Hold Browseable field containing a list of function keys. The
one selected can be used on the Graph screen to hold this
device from discharging.
Display Group Browseable field containing a list of group color numbers
in which to display this device on the Graph screen.
These color numbers correspond to the colors selected
for the Graph screen on the Batching Defaults screen.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field that activates/deactivates freewheeling for
this device.
Disable Drop Records? Yes/No field that allows you to disable the dropping of
records for the computer’s “learning” process.
FAST FEED
Allow Fast Feed? Yes/No field that allows/prevents fast feed for this
device.
Auger Feed? This field should be set to “Y” if fast feed should only
occur once during the feed cycle. If this field is set to
“N,” multiple fast feeds can occur.
Allow Negative Yes/No field that allows/prevents negative preact values
Preact? to be used in preact calculations. This is used mostly for
pressurized cement feed systems where air pressure
exerts force on the scale, causing the scale to read an
amount higher than what is actually on the scale.
Default Preact Preact value used by the computer when it first starts
automatically adjusting the preact. If there is a non-zero
value in the Preact Override field, however, that value
is used instead of the one calculated by the computer.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Preact Override Any non-zero amount entered here is used as the preact
instead of what is calculated by the computer.
Plant Erraticness This value takes into account variations in accuracy for
fast feed. It works with the Feed Rate and Preact to shut
the gate early. This amount is normally two scale
graduations.
Minimum to Fast Feed Fast Feed begins if Fast Feed is enabled for the bin and
the Safe Target is greater than the Minimum to Fast Feed
value. (See “Feed Types” for more information about
the “Safe Target”.)
Extra Gate Shutoff The point at which all gates, except the main gate, are
closed to avoid overshooting the target. During Fast
Feed, all gates on all bins containing the material being
fed are opened. When the scale weight equals (Target –
Extra Gate Shutoff – Preact – Plant Erraticness), all gates
are closed.
Fast Batch Tolerance All batches of a multi-batch load, except for the last
batch, use the larger of this value and of the absolute and
percentage tolerances from the Ingredients screen. The
last batch uses only the tolerances from the Ingredients
screen.
TIMED FEED
Allow Timed Feed? Yes/No field that allows/prevents timed feed.
Maximum Number of Maximum number of timed feeds the system can attempt
Timed Feeds on one batch.
Plant Erraticness This value takes into account variations in accuracy for
% or lb Timed Feed calculations. If both a percentage (%) and
an amount (lb) are entered, the system uses the greater of
the two.
Minimum to Time If Timed Feed is enabled and the amount left to feed is
Feed greater than the Minimum to Time Feed value, the
system searches the previous Drop History for buckets*
within + or – 20% of the amount left to feed and
calculates a time duration to open the gate based on the
found information.
* A “bucket” is a weight range of previous drop records
used for calculating the current drop time or preact. If
drop records are disabled, either the Default Preact or
Preact Override value is used.
Moisture Probe (Y/N) Yes/No field that indicates whether a moisture probe is
installed in this device.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Hold Feed Browseable field of I/O points for the gate hold limit
switch. Automatically shuts the gate if a problem is
detected by the system.
Gate Closed Browseable field of I/O points for the gate close limit
switch.
Gate 1 Browseable field of I/O points for Gate 1.
Gate 2 Browseable field of I/O points for Gate 2.
Gate 3 Browseable field of I/O points for Gate 3.
Gate Close Browseable field of I/O points for the gate close output.
Vibrator Browseable field of I/O points for the vibrator output.
JOG FEED
Allow Jog? Yes/No field that enables/disables jogs, which are the
smallest units in which material can be fed.
Maximum Number of Maximum number of times the system will jog the gate
Jogs open.
Jog Weight Amount of material that will fall when the gate is opened
for the Jog Time duration. Normally set to one scale
graduation.
Jog Settle Time Length of time the gate should stay closed between jogs
to allow the scale to settle. Normally set at one second.
Jog Time Length of time for the gate to feed the Jog Weight of
material. Must be greater than 20ms and less than 2
seconds. Automatically adjusted by the computer, using
the Jog Time Adjust value.
Jog Time Override A non-zero value in this field overrides the Jog Time
value and opens the gate for this length of time for each
jog. NOTE: Use this with caution! The Jog Time is a
learned value.
Jog Time Adjust This time is added to or subtracted from the Jog Time to
produce a new Jog Time so the next jog can attempt to
achieve the Jog Weight.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
(PAGE 2 – BINS SCREEN)
Flow Control Yes/No field that allows/disallows the system to open
Enabled? and close the gate to maintain a constant flow rate. If
this field is set to “N,” the system opens the gate all the
way, then closes it once loading is done.
Time between Flow Length of time between the computer’s flow rate
Calculations calculations.
Maximum Flow Rate Maximum flow rate allowed in scale units per second.
Minimum Flow Rate Minimum flow rate allowed in scale units per second.
Start Delay Number of seconds to wait before feeding or discharging
actually starts.
Flow Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits after loading
has begun to check the flow rate. This is necessary
because the flow rate is erratic at the start of a load.
Open Time at Start Length of time, in seconds, the gate should be opened at
the start of the loading the truck or mixer to get the
material flowing.
Close Time at Start Duration of the gate close output pulse.
Open Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate opens to keep the
material flow rate constant.
Close Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate closes to keep the
material flow rate constant.
Max Gate Close Time Duration of the gate close output pulse.
Gate Close Forced? Yes/No field. Forces gate closed before feeding starts
from this bin. If “Yes,” the gate close time must expire
before the scale will be used.
Vibrator On If Flow When the flow rate slows down to this rate, the vibrator
Below is activated.
Serial Probe Port This field is used when a moisture probe is attached as an
external serial device.
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ª FEED CONFIGURATIONS
Bins and silos can be configured to feed at different rates based on the amount of
material left to feed and other bin settings. These “feed configurations” take
advantage of Spectrum’s “feed types” described next.
FEED TYPES
In general, the system attempts, first, to Fast Feed then Time Feed and, finally, Jog
Feed to arrive as close as possible to the requested Target. During each “feed type,”
the system makes calculations based on parameters and previously learned
information for the feed type.
³ FAST FEED
Before Fast Feed starts, a “Safe Target” is calculated by adding the requested Target
to the Scale Start Tare then subtracting the Fast Feed Plant Erraticness and Preact
values. The Safe Target is less than the requested Target, so that fast feeding does
not overshoot the requested Target.
Note: If no Preact Overide is set and a learned Preact is not available, the Default
Preact value is used.
Fast Feed begins if Fast Feed is enabled for the bin and the Safe Target is greater than
the Minimum to Fast Feed value. Initially, Fast Feed conditionality opens two gates
and continuously monitors the scale for the amount left to feed. When the amount
left to feed reaches the Extra Gate Shutoff value (if enabled), the second gate is
closed. The first gate is closed when the Safe Target value is reached.
Note: When a feed’s Safe Target is less than the Minimum to Fast Feed value, Fast
Feed is skipped and the system goes directly to Timed Feed.
³ TIMED FEED
Timed Feed is a timed opening of a single gate for a time duration based on the
previous Flow Rates for the bin and material. If Timed Feed is enabled and the
amount left to feed is greater than the Minimum to Time Feed value, the system
calculates a time duration to open the gate based on the found information.
* A “bucket” is a weight range of previous drop records used for calculating the
current drop time or preact. If drop records are disabled, either the Default Preact or
Preact Override value is used.
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As with Fast Feed, a Safe Target is calculated based on the amount left to feed minus
the Timed Feed Plant Erraticness percentage or absolute value. Multiple Timed
Feeds can occur up to the Maximum Number of Timed Feeds value.
³ JOG FEED
Jog Feed is typically used for aggregates and cements and opens and closes the gate
enough to allow small jog bites of material to fall through. The time duration the gate
opens and closes depends on the Jog Weight, Jog Time and Jog Settle Time values.
The system automatically adjusts the Jog Time by the Jog Time Adjust value to
achieve the Jog Weight per jog.
For bins with more than one gate, the only gate that jogs is Gate 1. The other gates
stop feeding when the Fast Feed cutoff value is reached (i.e., when the scale weight
equals Target – Extra Gate Shutoff – Preact – Plant Erraticness).
The following sample Bins screen shows a possible configuration for an aggregate
feed that uses two gates.
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Note: Gate 3 is typically used to turn on Aeration for Cement feeds. Manual
Material Monitoring is not tracked for Gate 3.
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SCALES SCREEN
After configuring bins and silos, you should set up your scales. This is done on the
SCALES screen (2 pages shown next). On this screen, you can add a scale, or edit
parameters for an existing one.
NOTE: If you are setting up a serial scale, see the External Serial Device Setup
Guide for instructions.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, or [F5] to
go to the Bins screen.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
(PAGE 1 – SCALES SCREEN)
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Close Time at Start Duration of the gate close output pulse.
Open Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate opens to keep the
material flow rate constant.
Close Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate closes to keep the
material flow rate constant.
Scale Empty When the material left to discharge reaches this amount,
the scale is considered empty by the system.
Zero Tolerance Over Amount the scale is allowed to read above zero and still
be within its zero tolerance range.
Zero Tolerance Under Amount the scale is allowed to read below zero and still
be within its zero tolerance range.
Turn Vibrator On Scale weight at which the vibrator is turned on during
discharge.
Gate Wide Open Scale weight at which the gate is opened all the way to
completely empty the scale.
Hold Empty Scale Length of time, in seconds, the gate should be help open
Open even after the scale weight reads zero to allow the last
bits of material to fall out of the scale.
Scale Settle Time Length of time, in seconds, the system should wait before
checking the weight on the scale. This is because the
scale tends to bounce up and down after being loaded.
Accurate readings cannot be obtained until the scale is
allowed to settle.
Max Gate Close Time Duration of the gate close output pulse.
Gate Close Forced? Yes/No field. Forces gate closed before feeding starts.
If “Yes,” the gate close time must always expire before
the scale will be used.
Start Delay Number of seconds to wait before feeding or discharging
actually starts.
Inputs
Hold Disch I/O point for the HOLD button on the manual station.
Gate Closed I/O point for the limit switch on the gate that indicates
when the gate is closed.
Outputs
Gate Open I/O point for the signal the computer sends to open the
gate.
Gate Close I/O point for the signal the computer sends to close the
gate.
Vibrator I/O point for the signal to turn the vibrator on and off.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Gate2 Open (Used for dual gate discharge control.) I/O point for the
signal the computer sends to open the gate.
Gate2 Close (Used for dual gate discharge control.) I/O point for the
signal the computer sends to close the gate.
(PAGE 2 – SCALES SCREEN)
Time between Flow Length of time between the computer’s flow rate
Calculation Updates calculations.
Flow based on [scale] The scale that this scale “watches” to base its own flow
lb control on.
Hold Type Types are:
N No hold.
Y Hold the based on device until flow resumes
S System hold, operator releases.
Plus Indicates the amount of material on the belt - the amount
of material still to be blended after the scale reads empty.
Maximum Flow Rate Maximum flow rate allowed for the scale selected in the
for Based on Scale Flow based on field above.
Score Board Port Port parameter that identifies the device used as a remote
scale display. (Port parameters are entered on the Port
Parameters screen.)
Serial Scale Port Port parameter that identifies the device used as a serial
scale. (Port parameters are entered on the Port
Parameters screen.)
Open2 Time at Start Length of time, in seconds, the gate should be opened at
the start of loading the truck or mixer to get the material
flowing.
Close2 Time at Start Duration of the gate close output pulse.
Open2 Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate opens to keep the
material flow rate constant.
Close2 Adjust Pulse Length of time, in seconds, the gate closes to keep the
material flow rate constant.
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ª MOTION DETECTION
SETUP
Motion Detection ensures that a scale’s reading is stable before its value is recorded.
Motion Detection is used in the following situations:
• To capture the scale’s Start Tare – before the first material is fed into the
scale.
• To record correct Batch Weights - after the scale’s Settle delay and before the
Tolerance Check on the batched material.
• To capture the scale’s End Tare – after the scale's discharge cycle is complete.
1. Open the Scale/Meter I/O screen. From the Main Menu, select Plant Setup >
Calibration & Test > Scale/Meter I/O.
2. In the Motion Range field, enter the number of scale movement graduations
that correspond to an “in motion” condition.
Note: A value of zero in the Motion Range field disables motion checking.
OPERATION
When a batch is run, if the scale's flow rate is within the specified motion range for
three consecutive samples, taken every one-tenth of a second, the scale is considered
stable and the system records the scale's value. If three consecutive "no motion"
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samples are not read during a 1.5 second motion sampling period, the system issues
the "In Motion" error message as shown in the following screen example.
• Press <F4> to accept the error. The accepted motion error (Start Tare, End
Tare, or Batch Weight) will then be marked with an “m” beside the weight on
the ticket.
Note: Other tolerance check errors take precedence over motion checking and
may overwrite the “in motion” flag.
• Press <F6> to re-read the scale and perform the motion check again.
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This feature allows scale flow rates to be dampened to allow more precise feed cutoff
calculations and drop determinations.
SETUP
5. From the Main Menu, select Plant Setup > Scales. The Scales screen appears.
Scales Screen
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9. Enter a value from 0.01 to 0.99 in the Damp. Factor field. (A value of 0.1 is
recommended.)
10. Save your changes. The following message appears.
This change will cause weighing errors and will be
reported! Proceed? Y/N
11. Press the ‘Y’ key to continue. The following warning message appears.
Note: Flow information can be logged to a file for further analysis. See the separate
document titled “Flow Control Dampening” for more information about this
service tool.
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METERED LIQUIDS
After you have set up bins and scales, you should set up metered liquids (e.g. admixes
and metered water). In the next section, you will be setting up bottles, then assigning
feed destinations to each bin, silo, and bottle. For now, let’s focus on the METERED
LIQUIDS screen (shown next) and a description of the fields on this screen.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, or [F5] to
go to the Material Assignments screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of metered liquids.
Material Description of the metered liquid.
Monitor Enabled? Yes/No field that allows/disallows manual feeding of this
material to be tracked and recorded.
Graduation/Unit Read-only field. Amount of this liquid dispensed (in
metered units) per meter graduation. This value comes
from the Scale and Meter I/O Setup screen, where E-Z
Cal Manual Station configurations for plant equipment
were entered.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Maximum Capacity Read-only field. Maximum capacity of the tank (in
metered units). This value comes from the Scale and
Meter I/O Setup screen, where E-Z Cal Manual Station
configurations for plant equipment were entered.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this device from
discharging.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field enables/disables freewheeling for this scale.
Display Group Browseable list of group color numbers in which to
display this device on the Graph screen. These color
numbers correspond to the colors selected for the Graph
screen on the Batching Defaults screen.
Skip Zero Check? Yes/No field that allows/disallows zero checking for this
device (i.e. checking to see if scale is within zero range).
Flow Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits after the
valves are opened to check if the flow rate is between the
maximum and minimum flow rates.
Switch to Alternate These fields work together. The system switches to the
Tank After (sec) alternate tank if the flow rate stays below the If Flow
If Flow Rate Below Rate Below amount for the number of seconds shown in
(lb/sec) the Switch to Alternate Tank After field.
(NOTE: Bin Mapping must be enabled on the Batching
Defaults screen.)
Preact Amount This value is calculated by the system. This value is the
amount of liquid that enters the mix after the valve is
closed. The system subtracts this amount from the target
amount, then closes the valve at the new target amount.
Preact Override Any non-zero amount entered here is used as the preact
Amount instead of what is calculated by the computer.
Plant Erraticness Takes into account variations in accuracy for the
metering device. The system closes the valve when the
liquid dispensed equals the target minus Preact minus
Plant Erraticness.
Valve B Shutoff Used to prevent “water hammers” due to remaining
pressure, which causes the target to be exceeded. When
the amount dispensed nears the target, the larger valve
(Valve B) is shut, and the smaller valve (Valve A)
remains open until the target is reached.
Coast (Settle) Time Length of time, in seconds, required for the pump motor
to completely stop running.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits before
starting discharge for this metered liquid.
Hold Feed Browseable field of I/O points for the tank hold limit
switch. Automatically shuts the valve if a problem is
detected by the system.
Valve A Browseable list of I/O points for the Valve A feed output.
Valve B Browseable list of I/O points for the Valve B feed output.
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ADMIXTURE BOTTLES
Now that you have set up metered liquids, you can set up the bottles they will feed
into. This is done on the ADMIXTURE BOTTLES screen (shown next). Fields on this
screen are described in the table after that.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, [F5] to go
to the Metered Liquids screen, or [F6] to go to the Feed Destinations screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of admixture bottles.
Name Description of the admixture bottle.
Capacity/Unit Maximum capacity of the bottle in the unit selected.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this device from
discharging.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field enables/disables freewheeling for this
admixture bottle.
Display Group Browseable list of group color numbers in which to
display this device on the Graph screen. These color
numbers correspond to the colors selected for the Graph
screen on the Batching Defaults screen.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Blowout Time Length of time, in seconds, the valve on the hose must
stay open after the bottle is empty to allow all fluid to
drain from the hose. (NOTE: Prevents lines from
freezing in cold weather.)
Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits before
starting discharge from this admixture bottle.
Hold Discharge Browseable field of I/O points for the bottle hold limit
switch. Automatically shuts the valve if a problem is
detected by the system.
Bottle Empty Browseable list of I/O points for the “Bottle Empty”
input.
Bottle Full Browseable list of I/O points for the “Bottle Full” input.
Discharge Browseable field of I/O points for the bottle discharge
output.
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HOLDING TANKS
If holding tanks are used (e.g. for water), you should set them up on the HOLDING
TANKS screen. This should be done before you assign feed destinations to each
device.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, [F5] to go
to the Metered Liquids screen, or [F6] to go to the Feed Destinations screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of holding tanks.
Name Description of the holding tank.
Capacity/Unit Maximum capacity of the holding tank in the unit
selected.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this device from
discharging.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field enables/disables freewheeling for this
holding tank.
Discharge Time Length of time, in seconds, the valve on the hose must
stay open after the holding tank is empty to allow all
fluid to drain from the hose.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits before
starting discharge from the holding tank.
Hold Discharge Browseable list of I/O points for the tank hold limit
switch. Automatically shuts the valve if a problem is
detected by the system.
Tank Empty Browseable list of I/O points for the “Tank Empty”
input.
Tank Full Browseable list of I/O points for the “Tank Full” input.
Discharge Browseable list of I/O points for the tank discharge
output.
Hold Source Feeds Browseable list of I/O points for the hold source feeds
output.
Initial Charge Done Browseable list of I/O points for the initial charge done
output.
Final Charge Start Browseable list of I/O points for the final charge start
output.
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CONVEYOR BELTS
If conveyor belts are used, they should be set up on the CONVEYOR BELTS screen.
This should be done before you assign feed destinations to each device.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, or [F6] to
go to the Feed Destinations screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of conveyor belts.
Name Description of the conveyor belt.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this belt.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field enables/disables freewheeling for this
device.
Start/Stop Mode Running mode of the belt. Choices are:
Y - means the system sends a pulse to start the belt, then
another pulse to stop it.
N - means the system sends a continuous signal to start
the belt and keep it running. When the system stops
sending the signal, the belt stops running.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Ignore Hold Y – means this device ignores hold signals from the
operator. Prevents belts and diverters from becoming
jammed if they stop moving
Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits before
starting the conveyor belt.
Horn Blow Time Length of time, in seconds, the horn blows after Start
Delay has completed.
Belt Clear Time Length of time, in seconds, typically required for a
“rock” to travel from the beginning to the end of the belt.
Start/Stop Pulse Duration of the pulse, in seconds, sent to the Start and
Stop output addresses.
Start Browseable list of I/O points for the “Start” output.
Stop Browseable list of I/O points for the “Stop” output.
Horn Browseable list of I/O points for the “Horn” output.
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EXTRA DEVICES
The EXTRA DEVICES screen is used to set up extra devices such as a beeper to signal
the end of a load.
As with many Spectrum screens, you can go directly to other related screens from this
one. For instance, you can press [F4] to go to the I/O Assignments screen, or [F6] to
go to the Feed Destinations screen.
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of extra devices.
Name Description of the extra device.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this device.
Allow Early Feed? Yes/No field enables/disables freewheeling for this
device.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Pulse Mode Running mode of this device. Choices are:
Y - means the system sends a pulse to start the device,
then another pulse to stop it. Use this for double-action
solenoids.
N - means the system sends a continuous signal to start
the device and keep it running. When the system stops
sending the signal, the device stops running. Use this for
single-action solenoids.
Ignore Hold Y – means this device ignores hold signals from the
operator. Prevents belts and diverters from becoming
jammed if they stop moving
Repeat Pulse Yes/No field that allows/disallows the pulse attribute to
repeat. Ex: This allows a “beeper” function to be
created.
Start Delay Length of time, in seconds, the system waits before
starting the device.
Pulse Time Duration of the pulse, in seconds, that the system sends
to move the device. In the case of a diverter, a pulse
moves the diverter from one position to another. A
second pulse moves the diverter back to its original
position.
Clear Time Length of time, in seconds, the device remains in place
or stays on after the load is completed. In the case of a
diverter, this allows all material to be cleared from the
diverter.
Start Limit Browseable list of I/O points for the “Start” input.
Stop Limit Browseable list of I/O points for the “Stop” input.
Start Browseable list of I/O points for the “Start” output.
Stop Browseable list of I/O points for the “Stop” output.
Interface Device Reads data from an external source (manual station
display scale or counter, or external serial device) and
stores the value for the externally added material.
External Interface Port parameter for the interface device.
Material Code Material that can be externally added and whose added
amount is recorded by the external source.
Unit Unit of measure printed on tickets for data received from
the extra device.
Type Device type. C (counter), or S (scale).
Display Order Order the extra device is displayed at the bottom of the
Graph Screen with scales, bottles, and other devices.
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1. From the Main Menu, select Plant Setup > Material Assignments. The Material
Assignments form appears.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Plant Browseable list of plants.
Device Type Read-only field showing either B (for Bins), or L (for
Liquids). Defaults to B. Press [F4] to toggle back and
forth between bin-type and liquid-type devices.
Device Browseable list of bins or admixes. For bin-type devices,
this list shows only bins and silos. For liquid-type
devices, this list shows only admixes.
Material Browseable list of all ingredients in the system.
Enabled? Yes/No field for activating/deactivating the bin or admix
tank.
Moisture On? Yes/No field for allowing/disallowing moisture
adjustment calculation for this material.
Low Inventory When the actual inventory reaches the amount listed
here, the material name is displayed in red on the Batch
Setup screen.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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ª SETUP
1. From the Main Menu, select System Maintenance > Batching Defaults. The
Batching Defaults screen appears.
ª OPERATION
When a feed timeout occurs, the system checks for an alternate source for the
material. If an alternate source is available, the remaining required material is fed
from the alternate bin. This happens without operator intervention.
If a feed timeout occurs and there are no remaining alternate feed sources, the error
pop shown in the following screen example is displayed so that the operator can take
action the same way he would for manual bin switching.
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• If an alternate bin was used, a ‘@’ is printed beside the material’s Actual
amount on the ticket.
• If a substitute material was used, a ‘#’ is printed beside the material’s Actual
amount on the ticket.
• If material was fed from two different bins, and both bins have a moisture
probe, moisture values are ‘weighted’ for the proportion of each material.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Plant Name Browseable field containing list of available plants.
Source The source device for this feed relationship. Examples:
A bin can feed into a scale; a scale can feed into a truck,
mixer, or holding hopper; an admix can feed into a bottle,
mixer, or a truck; a bottle can feed into a mixer or a
truck.
Property Set If a property set record has been created for the source
device, the PSET number will appear in this field. (See
“Device Property Sets” for more information.
Destination The destination device for this feed relationship. (See
examples for Source above.)
Trace? Yes/No field that sets whether debugging tracepoints are
activated for this feed relationship. Defaults to No.
Command Alkon personnel should only change this field.
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ª FUNCTION KEYS
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Property set records are added, modified, or deleted from the FEED DESTINATIONS
screen. Procedures for performing these functions are given after the following
screen example.
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1. On the FEED DESTINATIONS screen, position the cursor in the Property Set column
on the row containing the desired source device and press [F3]. The property device
record appears for editing. Note that the Code field is displayed in yellow and is not
editable.
2. Make the desired changes to the record and press [F1] to save the record and return to
the FEED DESTINATIONS screen.
1. On the FEED DESTINATIONS screen, position the cursor on the row containing the
desired source device and press [F4]. The system displays the following prompt:
“Press F8 to delete Property Set PSETnnn, Esc to continue.”
2. Press [F8] to blank the field.
Note: The actual property set record will not be deleted until you save the FEED
DESTINATIONS screen.
PSET IO’s for a given device can also be used for MMM events instead of the IO of
the original device. (An MMM event occurs when material is manually batched.)
When the open/discharge IO point of the bottle or scale is activated, the MMM event
is started and the current scale or counter value is recorded. At the ‘done’ event, the
current scale or counter value is recorded and a Spectrum mat_log record is created.
The difference between the ‘done’ and ‘start’ values is the amount used.
If an MMM event occurs during an auto-load when any other auto-feeds are feeding
into a shared batcher (scale or metered feed), the auto-feed is ‘aborted’ and an errpop
is displayed stating what happened. The amount used and the load_id are recorded as
part of the MMM event.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
PAGE 1 – BATCHING DEFAULTS SCREEN
Plant Name Browseable field containing list of available plants.
Maximum Load Size / Default maximum load size that this plant is capable of
Unit batching. The Unit is the unit of measure for the load
size (yd or m3).
Next Load Number Number of the next load for this plant. Each time a load
is run, this number is incremented by one.
Maximum Number of Maximum number of batches that this plant can run per
Batches load. If this value is “1,” multi-batching is disabled.
Continuous Run? Yes/No field that sets whether the system will run
without the operator pressing the [F9] – RUN button.
Continuous Discharge? Yes/No field that sets whether the system will discharge
without the operator pressing the [F11] – DISCH button.
WATER
Trim Ingredient to be trimmed on the Batch Setup screen.
Normally water. Both this field and the Adjust field must
match the main water ingredient or the trim and
adjustment of water will not work. For instance, if the
main water is COLD, then both fields must have COLD
selected. This is a browseable field.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Default Default amount of water to be trimmed from each
yd/meter. This value appears on the Batch Setup screen.
Adjust Ingredient to be adjusted on the Batch Setup screen,
where you can adjust the ingredient on a load basis (i.e.
gallons per Load).
Min in Truck Minimum amount of water that can be recorded as in the
truck when the load is batched. This value appears on
the Batch Setup screen as In Truck.
Max in Truck Maximum amount of water that can be recorded as in the
truck when the load is batched. This value appears on
the Batch Setup screen as In Truck.
SEQUENCE
Base Base sequence for this plant. Base means the mix
sequence is laid on top of this one.
Default Default sequence code that is pulled onto the Batch
Setup screen. If the mix design contains a sequence
code, it overrides the default.
Auto Sequencing? Yes/No field that sets up basic default sequences when
set to “Y.” Feeds will start at batch start and discharge
devices will start when system discharge has been
activated.
Synch Discharge? Yes/No field that, when set to “Y,” holds all discharge
devices until all feeds are done.
Tolerance Device Browseable list of extra devices that could be used to
alert the operator of an out-of-tolerance condition.
SLUMP
Default Default slump for this plant. This value appears on the
Mix Designs screen when you enter a new mix.
Minimum Minimum slump allowed for a mix used at this plant.
Maximum Maximum slump allowed for a mix used at this plant.
Enable Slump Table? Yes/No field that, when set to “Y,” allows slump tables
to be used for slump calculations. When slump tables are
used, the standard “linear” method of slump adjustment
is not used. (See “Slump Tables” for more information.)
Default Default slump table that will be used at batch time if
Slump Tables are enabled but no slump table has been
attached to the mix design (on the MIX DESIGNS screen).
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Base Admix Code The code entered here is added to all mixes batched. For
instance, if you want to add Hot water to all mixes, you
can create an Admix design for Hot water then enter its
code in this field. Hot water would then be automatically
added to each mix that was batched.
NOTE: Changes to the following fields require a reboot.
Number of Feeds Maximum number of feeds that this plant may have
active at any one time. DO NOT change this without
calling Command Alkon first! Usually set to 20 feeds.
Maximum of 100.
Allowed? Yes/No field that sets whether the system is allowed to
switch to a secondary bin if the primary bin runs low.
We recommend that this be set to “Y.”
Auto? Yes/No field that sets whether the system switches to a
secondary bin without alerting the operator that bin
switching is occurring. If this field is set to “Y”, the
Allow field must also be set to “Y”.
Permanent? Yes/No field that sets whether the system is allowed to
make a secondary bin the primary bin if the original
primary bin runs empty. Should be set to “Y.”
Default Batch Code Default batch code that appears on the Batch Setup
screen. Choices are:
B – Print ticket WITHOUT batch weights.
Y – Print ticket WITH batch weights.
Default Simulation Default simulation status that appears on the Batch Setup
Code screen. Choices are:
B – Run an actual batch.
S – Run a simulated batch.
T – Run a training batch.
Save Simulated Drops Yes/No field that sets whether the system will save
records for debugging purposes from simulated batches.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
KEYBOARD HOLD LABELS
F1 Meaningful labels for the keyboard hold keys used on the
F2 Graph screen can be assigned here. Select them from
browseable lists or enter your own.
F3
NOTE: The actual function keys used for holding bins,
F4 scales, bottles, and other devices are designated on the
F5 appropriate Plant Setup screens. For instance, the
F6 keyboard hold for Agg feed is set on the Bins screen, and
the hold for Agg discharge is set on the Scales screen.
Normally, F1 is used for Aggregate, F2 for Cement, F3
for Water, and F4 for Admix.
GROUP DISPLAY COLOR
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Colors in which groups of materials will be displayed on
the Graph screen. Each group number has a browseable
list of colors. Choose a color for each group.
Inspect Mode Yes/No field that sets whether the system will run in
Allowed? Inspect Mode. This requires that an INSPECT_OK I/O
point be defined.
Custom Equation Activates/deactivates custom equation processing
Mode (software that emulates a PLC controller). Choices are:
A – for Activate
O – for Off
Returned Mix Max Length of time, in minutes, a returned mix can be in the
Age truck and still be used.
50 Line Graph Screen Y – means the Graph screen will be displayed with 50
rows.
N – means the Graph screen will be displayed with 25
rows.
PAGE 2 – BATCHING DEFAULTS SCREEN
CEMENT
Trial (Applies to Mix Design Polynomials. Refer to the Mix
Design Polynomial document for details.)
Min (Applies to Mix Design Polynomials. Refer to the Mix
Design Polynomial document for details.)
Max (Applies to Mix Design Polynomials. Refer to the Mix
Design Polynomial document for details.)
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Moisture Entry Type Used for moisture and absorption calculations. Choices
are S (for SSD) and D (for Oven Dry).
Default Mix Entry Mix Type that appears by default when you create a new
Type mix design. Choices are S (for SSD), O (for Oven Dry
MnDOT), and D (for Oven Dry).
Note: For “Oven Dry MnDOT” water is entered in the
mix design as FREE water instead of as TOTAL
water.
Round Batch Size By This factor is used for rounding batch sizes up or down
so that they are evenly divisible by this factor. By
default, this field is set to zero so that Spectrum will
divide a large load into multiple batches of equal size.
When a value besides zero is entered in this field,
Spectrum rounds each batch of a multi-batch load
(except for the last batch) by this factor.
Ideally, the load size should be evenly divisible by the
round-by factor. Two examples are given next, one for a
load size evenly divisible by the round-by factor and
another for a load size that is not.
Example 1:
Load Size evenly divisible by Round-By Factor
Load Size = 6.2 m3
Batch Size Round By Factor = .10
Max Batch Size = 5 m3
This load would be split into two batches of 3.1 m3
each.
Example 2:
Load Size NOT evenly divisible by Round-By Factor
Load Size = 6.15 m3
Batch Size Round By Factor = .10
Max Batch Size = 5 m3
This load would be split into two batches. The first
batch would be 3.1 m3 and the second (and last) batch
would be 3.05 m3.
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SYSTEM DEFAULTS
On this screen (2 pages shown below), you can do things like assign labels to user
defined fields, set default truck trip times, and set how many days to keep batch weight,
ticket, and other records.
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
(PAGE 1 – SYSTEM DEFAULTS SCREEN)
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Allow Link Mix This flag is used with COMMANDbatch and should be
Conversion? set to Y so that Ulink converts amounts on the
COMMANDbatch ticket/load to match Spectrum’s units.
Default Units Either YD (for cubic yards) or M3 (for cubic meter).
Test Mix Mix code used for test purposes.
Washout Mix Mix code used for truck washout.
TRANSIENT RECORDS
Keep Batch Weights Default number of days to keep batch weights. Batch
weights older than this are deleted.
Keep Ticket/Load Default number of days to keep ticket records. Ticket
Information records older than this are deleted.
Keep Batch Default number of days to keep batch records. Batch
Information records older than this are deleted.
Keep Drop Records Default number of days to drop records for debugging
purposes. Drop records older than this are deleted.
Keep Incoming Default number of days to keep incoming inventory
Records records. Incoming inventory records older than this are
deleted.
Quick Ticket to Load Yes/No field that sets whether to display “quick tickets”
Index? on the Load Index. (Quick tickets are normally
generated for non-concrete products.)
NOTE: Changes to the following field requires a reboot.
Batchbook Format (Used with Mix Design Polynomials.)
(PAGE 2 – SYSTEM DEFAULTS SCREEN)
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Returning Time Default length of time needed for a truck to travel from
the job site back to the plant.
DISPATCH AUTOMATIC STATUS CONFIGURATION
NOTE: Used Only with the Mini-Dispatch Feature
Allow Auto Truck Yes/No field that sets whether trucks can automatically
Status ? advance through the phases of a delivery on the Mini-
Dispatch screen.
Enable Auto Travel Yes/No field that sets whether a truck can automatically
Status ? advance from the “Washing Down” to the “Traveling to”
status.
Enable Auto On Job Yes/No field that sets whether a truck can automatically
Status ? advance from the “Traveling to” to the “Waiting On Job”
status.
Enable Auto Yes/No field that sets whether a truck can automatically
Unloading Status ? advance from the “Waiting On Job” to the “Unloading”
status.
Enable Auto Wash Out Yes/No field that sets whether a truck can automatically
Status ? advance from the “Unloading” to the “Washing Out”
status.
Enable Auto Return Yes/No field that sets whether a truck can automatically
Status advance from the “Washing Out” to the “Returning”
status.
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OVERVIEW
Material calculations define the manner in which mix design weights are converted to
target batch weights. Material calculations use material Groups, with each material
belonging to one or more Groups, and each type of calculation being performed
simultaneously on the entire Group. Calculations are performed in the order listed on
the MATERIAL CALCULATIONS screen and are independent of the order of
ingredients in the mix design.
Some calculations use only the ingredient quantities and the material calculation
factor recorded on the Material Calculations screen. Other calculations use factors
from the Ingredients screen.
The final target batch weights may or may not have the same units as the ingredients
in the mix. For instance, conversions between weight and volume units (e.g. lb to
gal) use the Weight-to-Volume Factor from the Ingredients screen.
Because material calculations are based on Groups and not on individual materials,
there are some restrictions. For example, an Admixture cannot be based on one
Cement and not on another, since by definition all Cements are in the same Group.
The amount of the based-on Admixture is therefore dependent upon the total amount
of ALL Cements.
To solve this problem, assign the Ingredient to more than one Group. In the above
case, you can make the Cementitious ingredient a member of two Groups, Cements
and CemAdx, with CemAdx being the user-defined additional Group. The Cement
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based-on and correction calculations can still work on all Ingredients in the Cements
Group, and the Admixture based-on Cements calculation can specify that it will only
use Cementitious Ingredients in the CemAdx Group.
Note: Only one Admixture can be used to correct the Water Group (using the
correction factor entered for the Admixture ingredient).
STANDARD CONFIGURATION
The standard configuration for the Material Calculations screen is shown in the following
table.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Recalculate? A “Y” entered here instructs the system to perform the
Target calculation 10 times a second on the “target” amounts of
materials in the specified group(s). This helps the system
adjust for dynamic situations (i.e. moisture fluctuations).
Note: All Recalculate flags after the first "Y" on the
Material Calculations screen are effectively forced
to "Y" also. For this reason, groups that require
recalculations (i.e. Aggregate and Water) should be
listed near the end.
Trace? A “Y” entered here turns on error tracing for the calculation
listed in this row.
Comments This column is provided for you to enter any comments
about a particular row of calculations.
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Internally, pounds are converted to kilograms for material calculations, and then
converted back into pounds. For these calculations, a Weight-to-Volume conversion
factor must be entered for the ingredient on the Ingredients screen.
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SLURRY CALCULATIONS
There are three methods for slurry calculations:
• Percentage substitution of slurry water against main water
• Absolute entry of slurry water amount in the mix design
• Mix slurry target specific gravity
For the Mix Slurry Target Specific Gravity method, the specific gravities of the
slurry water, slurry solids, and fresh water are used in calculations to meet the slurry
target specific gravity as entered in the mix.
SETUPS
• For the Percentage and Mix Slurry Target Specific Gravity methods to be
enabled and correction to occur, the “slurry water” ingredient must have the
following entries on the Ingredients screen:
“sg” in the Based On field.
A value in the Specific Gravity of Slurry Solids field.
The slurry ingredient needs to be part of the ‘3 WAT’ and ‘3 SLURRY’
groups.
• For the Absolute method, the slurry water ingredient is entered as an absolute
amount in the mix design. This means there is no “based on” entry in the mix
design.
• The solids portion of the Slurry can be used to adjust an aggregate or cement
material. This can be done with any of the slurry calculation methods mentioned
above.
• The “aggregate” material to be adjusted for slurry solids needs to be part of the ‘1
FINES’ group. The value in the Factor field of the Material Calculations screen is
used as the “percentage” to adjust the aggregate material in the slurry solids
calculation.
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• The “cement” material to be adjusted for slurry solids needs to be part of the ‘2
FINES’ group. The value in the Factor field of the Material Calculations screen is
used as the “percentage” to adjust the cement material in the slurry solids
calculation.
• You should add a row to the Material Calculations screen with ‘U’ as the Type, ‘3
SLURRY’ as Group 1, and ‘2 FINES’ as Group 2.
• Since all corrections to water should be done to the “fresh water”, the row for ‘3
WAT’ with a ‘X’ as the Type should be moved up on the Material Calculations
screen.
• The Correction Weighting factor for water should be set to ‘1.00’ on the
Ingredients screen.
A typical setup for slurry calculations on the Material Calculations screen is shown next.
Recalculate
Position Group 1 Group 2 Type Factor Targets? Trace Comment
1 2 CEM 2 CEM X 0.000 N N
2 2 CEM 4 ADX B 0.000 N N
3 4 ADX 4 ADX E 0.000 N N
4 2 CEM F 0.000 N N
5 2 CEM R 1.000 N N
6 ALL T 0.000 N N
7 ALL A 0.000 N N
8 3 WAT 3 WAT X 0.000 N N
9 4 ADX 3 WAT C 1.000 N N
10 5 WATADX 3 WAT S 1.000 N N
11 5 WATADX 1 AGG S 0.000 N N
12 1 AGG 3 WAT M 0.000 Y N
13 3 SLURRY Y 0.000 N N
14 3 SLURRY 1 FINES U -1.000 N N
15 ALL L 0.000 N N
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For corrections based on Ice, the material calculation type “K” is used as shown in
the following sample screen.
Note: Calculations for Ice must be entered on the last line of the screen!
Recalculate
Position Group 1 Group 2 Type Factor Targets? Trace Comment
1 2 CEM 2 CEM X 0.000 N N
2 2 CEM 4 ADX B 0.000 N N
3 4 ADX 4 ADX E 0.000 N N
4 2 CEM F 0.000 N N
5 2 CEM R 1.000 N N
6 ALL T 0.000 N N
7 ALL A 0.000 N N
8 3 WAT 3 WAT X 0.000 N N
9 4 ADX 3 WAT C 1.000 N N
10 5 WATADX 3 WAT S 1.000 N N
11 5 WATADX 1 AGG S 0.000 N N
12 1 AGG 3 WAT M 0.000 Y N
13 3 SLURRY Y 0.000 N N
14 3 SLURRY 1 FINES U -1.000 N N
15 ALL L 0.000 N N
16 ICE ICE ADJ K 1.000 N N Must be the last line!
• Type “K” corrections are made to load targets. When a material is multi-
batched, corrections will be applied proportionately across the load.
• Ingredients in Group 1 must have a Batch Calculation Type of ‘n’ (entered on
the Ingredients screen). This type disables Group 1’s batch-to-batch material
corrections because Group 2 materials make the corrections.
• Ingredients in Group 2 must have a Batch Calculation Type of ‘N’ to allow
the Group 2 material (water, slurry water, etc.) to correct for errors in the
weigh up of Ice.
• Group 2 materials must not complete their feeds before ALL Group 1
materials have finished feeding. Depending on the system configuration, it
might be necessary to add a “Holdback” sequence for the Group 2 materials.
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2. Select the set of labels you want to print or edit, and press [ENTER]. A screen with
blank label blocks appears for that set of labels.
3. You can create new labels or edit the default ones, which will appear if you select
“Manual Station 1 1 / 2” in the Name field. In either case, use the arrow, [TAB], or
[ENTER] keys to move to a label block, then enter text for that label.
4. After you have entered/edited all labels for this part of the Manual Station, press [F1]
to save your changes.
5. Ensure that the printer is turned on and that the paper tear-off is just above the print
head. Set the print quality to "NLQ" and the character pitch to "10." Make sure the
printer is in IBM emulation mode, not Epson emulation mode; otherwise, the borders
will not print correctly.
6. Press [F4] to print the labels for this part of the Manual Station.
7. Cut the labels along the lines provided on the printout.
8. Insert the label into the small slot on the edge of the Manual Station overlay. Widths
of the slots can vary slightly, so you may need to trim some labels.
9. Repeat Steps 2 through 8 for the other parts of the Manual Station panel.
NOTES:
Pressing [F8] deletes all labels for this part of the panel. Make sure this is what you
want to do before proceeding!
Pressing [F7] clears the text from all labels on the screen. Again, make sure this is
what you want to do.
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The table beginning on the next page explains the information you can enter into each
field of the TICKET LAYOUT EDITOR. You can pull up a browse list for each field
except for the Column and Instance fields.
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FIELDS
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FUNCTION KEYS
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ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Record Database table where the data field is stored.
Field Formal name of the database field. All fields available for
printing are displayed in this column.
Alias Alias name assigned to the database field. This is what you
enter in the Data field of the TICKET LAYOUT EDITOR.
NOTE: Default aliases are assigned to some fields. For
others, you can assign your own. You can change the alias
for any field, however.
Type A for alphanumeric string
N for numeric (decimal point)
I for numeric (integer)
D for jam defined date – yy
Y for jam defined date – yyyy
C for condition
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(Delivery Information):
Using the screen example on the next page as a guide, do the following:
4. From the Action field, press [F2]. A list of valid actions appears. Select the
desired action (e.g., PRINT) from the list and press [ENTER]. That action
appears in the Action field. Press [ENTER] to move to the Column field.
5. Type the column number where you want this data to be printed on the ticket.
Press [ENTER] twice. The cursor moves to the Data field.
6. From the Data field, press [F2] to pull up the Ticket Alias File. Select the
desired database field and press [ENTER]. That field and its alias appear on
the TICKET LAYOUT EDITOR screen.
7. Press the Down Arrow key to move to the next line. Repeat Steps 4, 5 and 6
above for all Delivery Information you want to be printed on the ticket. Enter
NL when you want the data to be printed on a new line of the ticket.
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(Product Information):
Using the screen example on the next page as a guide, do the following:
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• Choose to print or not to print delivery information on the top half of the ticket.
• Cause the system to prompt you for a truck code before discharge can commence.
• Include/exclude individual items from the batch weights portion of the ticket.
Note: To prevent batch weights from printing on tickets, you must set the Batch
Code field of the BATCH SETUP screen to B. To allow batch weights
printing, leave this field set to Y.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Node Number Spectrum batch computer being configured.
Default Login User User login to appear when this node is booted up.
Code
Record Batch Y means save batch weights to hard disk. N means do not
Weights to Disk? save batch weights to hard disk.
Print Top Half of Y means print delivery and product information. N means
Ticket? do not print delivery and product information (only print
batch weights).
Record Log? Y means enable the logging printer selected on MAIN
MENUSYSTEM MAINTENANCEPLANTS.
Ticket Page Length Number of lines from top to bottom of ticket. 66 is the
default.
Ticket Page Width Number of characters that can be printed from left to right
on the ticket. 80 is the default.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Ticket Script Name(s) Ticket script to be used for printing tickets. Press [F2] from
this field to pull up two lists of flags. Flags in the first list
are replacement scripts. You can type one of these flags
directly before the script name.
Example: -t alkon.y
Flags in the second list determine when the top of the ticket
will be printed. You can type one of these flags directly
after the script name.
Example: -t alkon.y –5
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MULTI-BATCH PRINTING
You can set the system to print batch weights for each weigh cycle of a multi-
batch load (some states require this). This is accomplished as follows:
To select an option, move the cursor to that line and type a ‘Y’ over the ‘N’. Be sure to
press [F1] to save your selections. (For a description of the more common batch weight
information, see “Batch Weights”.)
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Note: The “Print Batched UOM” flag must be set to “Y” so that printed
scale or meter values use the same UOM as their respective
measuring devices. This is a requirement for state inspections.
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The following table shows the Bar Code Types that can be printed on the OKI 320
Turbo 9-Pin dot matrix printer, and on the Lexmark laser printer.
1
Code 39 prints the following character set:
123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-. $/+%
2
Code 128 prints from one of three subsets (A,B,C). Refer to the printer manual
for details.
The following example prints a bar-coded ticket number starting at position 67 on the
“top” part of the ticket. All codes are shown in decimal values. The “@” following
the ticket_number tells the printer to calculate and print the checksum value. Note
that the number of data bytes specified in the Print Bar Code escape sequence is
eight. This includes the 7-digit ticket number (with required leading zeros) and the @
sign.
Note: If a bar code is required at the “bottom” of the ticket, then the same sequence
of characters can be output from within the vweights2, bwv_vw2 or other
script. Contact Command Alkon Support Services if you need this kind of
functionality.
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Bytecode Use
27
16 Select bar code escape sequence
65
8 Number of data bytes following
0 n1 Bar Code Type Selection
1 n2
0 n3 Vertical Height of the bar code
3 n4
1 n5 Width of one barcode character (0 .. 7)
1 n6 Ignored for EAN8
1 n7 Wide to Narrow ratio settings (0 .. 7)
2 n8 Print quality of plain writing.
Bytecode Use
27
16 Print Barcode escape sequence
66
8 Number of data bytes following
The following example shows all of the entries needed on the Ticket Layout
Editor for printing the bar-coded ticket number.
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CONFIGURING A PRINTER
After you have set up your ticket format and script, you are ready to connect the
printer and configure it.
TO SET UP A PRINTER
1. Connect the printer to the appropriate port (usually the first parallel port) on
the Spectrum computer. Plug the power cord into the appropriate electrical
outlet.
2. Select MAIN MENUSYSTEM MAINTENANCE PORT PARAMETERS. The
screen shown below appears.
Note: The Port Parameters screen is also used for configuring other devices
such as a Remote Scale Display or Water Controller.
3. Using the example above and the field descriptions on the following pages,
configure the printer. Normally, this is done at the factory.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Parameter Name Browseable field. Name of the device to which you want to
send information.
Useable? Yes/No field indicating whether this device can be used on
the PLANTS screen. “Y” is the default.
Node Node to which this device is connected. “1” is the default.
File or Device Browseable field. Enter either “F” for file, or “D” for a port
device such as a printer. “D” is the default.
File Path/Name Browseable field. Path to file on the hard drive where
information is to be sent. You may enter your own file path
or select a predefined one from the browse list. Do not
enter the Node number. Default is blank.
NOTE: If you enter your own file path/name, the
directories you enter must already exist on the hard drive.
The Spectrum will not create them.
Serial/Parallel Browseable field. Port type: “S” for serial, or “P” for
parallel. Default is “P.” For a dial-up serial printer or a
directly connected printer, select “S.” For a parallel printer,
select “P.”
Device Name Browseable field which displays a list of parallel and serial
ports. Default is “/dev/par1” for the first parallel port. The
ports on the back of the computer are labeled appropriately.
Protocol Browseable field. Form in which data is sent or received.
“R” is the default. Choices are:
R – Raw (used for printing tickets and reports normally)
L – Link-20 (for sending data to Spectrum Ver. 4.x)
U – Universal (for sending data over a Universal Interface)
B – Boral (for sending data over a Boral Interface)
I – Incoming (for receiving data via a Link-20 interface)
S – Score Board
H – Hanson
W – Water Controller
D – Scale Display
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Tracepoints? This field determines whether tracepoints are enabled and
recorded in the Error file (for debugging). Options are:
Y – enable Tracepoints.
N – do not enable Tracepoints.
V – enable Tracepoints and provide more details in the
Error file. (The ‘V’ is short for ‘Verbose’.)
Flow Control Browseable field. Type of handshaking used by the device.
S – for XOn/Xoff software handshaking
H – for RTS/CTS hardware handshaking
NOTE: RTS/CTS means Ready To Send / Clear To Send
Line Type Browseable field. “P” for a direct connection, or “D” for a
dial-up connection (phone line).
Multi-Drop? Yes/No field that indicates whether the plant has dedicated
phone lines for data transfer that are specially installed by
the phone company, and that do not require any dialing, but
connect automatically upon being used. A CAS switch is
very useful with this type of phone line.
Hex Convert? Yes/No field. Used only with the Boral link and sets
whether transmissions are converted from ASCII codes to
hexadecimal numbers. Example: Instead of a one-byte ‘A’
character, a two-byte hex number ‘41’ is transmitted.
Bin Crc ? Yes/No field. Sets whether the CRC is in binary form. For
example, if the CRC for a message is 254, then 254 is
assigned to the one CRC byte; otherwise, the CRC would be
in an ASCII hexadecimal format in two bytes. This option
can only be used if the serial port/modem connection has
hardware flow control enabled. It will cause a software
flow controlled connection to fail because the CRC may
then take a value that is the same as XON or XOFF.
No Crc ? Yes/No field. Sets whether CRC calculations or tests are
performed for a transmission.
Reversed Crc ? Yes/No field. Sets whether the byte order of the ASCII
CRC is switched. This has no effect on the binary CRC.
No Limit ? Yes/No field. Ulink maintains an internal queue of tickets
that it receives. With No Limit enabled, if the queue is full
and a new ticket arrives, the earliest ticket is removed.
NOTE: With recent changes, this option is obsolete.
No Wait ACK ? Yes/No field. Sets whether the system disregards the
receipt of acknowledgements.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Baud Rate Browseable field. Amount of information transmitted in
bits per second. A bit is a binary unit of information (a “0”
or a “1”). Default is “9600.”
NOTE: Be sure the modem and serial port can transmit
data at the baud rate selected.
Data Bits Browseable field. Number of data bits sent between stop
bits. Choices are “6,” “7,” and “8.” The default is “8.”
Parity Browseable field. Parity is used for error checking to
ensure that no information is lost in transmission. Default is
“N.”
Choices are:
N – None
O – Odd
E – Even
M – Mark
S – Space
Stop Bits Browseable field. Number of bits that act as markers
between the data bits. Choices are “1” or “2.” The default
is “1.”
Duplex Browseable field. Duplex setting for serial printers
connected to PCs. Default is “F.” Choices are:
F – Full (PC echoes commands you type)
H – Half (feature is turned off)
DTR/DSR? Yes/No field that enables/disables DTR/DSR hardware
handshaking for this device. DTR/DSR stands for Data
Terminal Ready / Data Send Ready.
RTS Delay Length of time, in milliseconds, the PC sends a “ready to
send” signal to the device. Default is 250 milliseconds
(ms).
NOTE: Set this time to less than the Timeout Delay;
otherwise the connection may be abruptly ended before all
of the information has been transferred to the port device.
CTS Delay Length of time, in milliseconds, the device sends a “clear to
send” signal to the PC. Default is 250 milliseconds (ms).
NOTE: Set this time to less than the Timeout Delay;
otherwise the connection may be abruptly ended before all
of the information has been transferred to the port device.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Time Delay Length of time, in milliseconds, the sending device waits for
the receiving device to respond before the sending device
disconnects itself. Default is 3000 ms.
NOTE: Set this time higher than the RTS and CTS
Delays; otherwise the connection may be abruptly ended
before all of the information has been transferred to the port
device.
Dialing Retries Used only if Line Type is “D” (for dial-up line). Number
of times the system will attempt to dial the line if the
previous attempt was unsuccessful. Default is “2.”
Connect Delay Number of seconds the system will ring the line trying to
establish a connection. Default is 10 seconds.
Hangup Delay Number of seconds the system will hold the line open. This
should be set high enough to ensure that tickets and reports
have completed printing. Default is 60 seconds.
Init/Format Command codes necessary to initialize this printer. Used
primarily to advance and retreat paper, change fonts, etc.,
especially for serial dial-up printers. Default is a blank
entry.
NOTE:
Modem Init, Phone Number, and Hangup String are used only if Line Type = D.
4. On the PLANT screen (shown next), select the appropriate printer for the
Ticket, Report, Logging, and any other device destinations.
Note: Descriptions of fields on the PLANT screen begin on the next page.
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Plant Screen
5. From any Spectrum screen, press [CTRL + P] to print a copy of the screen.
If the screen is printed correctly, the printer is ready to use. You can also use
[CTRL + P] to print a report to test the printer, although there probably won’t
be any data except for the headers, etc.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Name Name assigned to this plant. Browseable field.
Code Code assigned to this plant. Browseable field.
Color Browseable list of colors (by number) that you can assign
to trucks assigned to this plant. This also changes the
color of the Run bar at the top of the screen. There are
15 colors from which to choose. Each of the 15 numbers
across the top of the screen is displayed in the color
associated with that number. The browse list gives a text
description of the color for each number.
Next Ticket Number Next ticket number that will be used for this plant. This
number can be up to six digits long. You only need to
change this number when you want to start numbering
tickets all over again from zero.
Loading Time Default loading time, in minutes, for trucks at this plant.
Washdown Time Default washdown time, in minutes, for trucks at this
plant.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Startup Time Default startup time, in minutes, for this plant. Startup
time includes morning tasks needed to get the plant ready
for batching (starting equipment, computers, etc.).
Cleanout Time Default cleanout time, in minutes, for this plant.
Cleanout time includes tasks needed to get plant
equipment ready for shutdown (cleaning chutes and
mixers, turning off the power, etc.).
Batching Node Node number of the PC that controls batching for this
plant.
Remote Plant? Select one of the following:
Y (for Yes) – if there is a remote batching PC.
N (for No) – if there is no remote batching PC.
V (for Virtual) – if you want to use two different ticket
formats for the same plant.
Calculate Targets for Yes/No field that indicates whether the Mini-Dispatch
Remote Plant? will calculate net material targets for tickets not batched
at plants using Version 6 Spectrum.
Weighmaster through Weighmaster name and employer information.
Zip Code fields
Batch on Receipt? Batch on Receipt type used. Choices are:
N Not Enabled
Y Enabled
L Link Tickets Only
D Demands
d Demands Debug
Destination Name
Determines where the following information is sent or printed. These are
browseable lists of port destinations (from the Port Parameters screen). To modify a
port destination, select it and press [F4] to pull it up on the Port Parameters screen.
Ticket Destination device for tickets.
Report Destination device for reports.
Logging Destination device for logs of each order.
Remote Destination device for batches controlled by a remote
system.
Alt Ticket Destination device for alternate tickets. The Spectrum
can be configured to print two different pre-printed
tickets from one plant with the same ticket format.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Scoreboard Destination port for information sent to a Scoreboard.
(Note: This port is configured on the Port Parameters
screen.)
Dispatch Status
Enable Auto Truck to Yes/No field that sets whether trucks automatically
Loading advance from the ‘ticketed’ to the ‘loading status’ on the
Dispatch screen.
Enable Auto Truck to Yes/No field that sets whether trucks automatically
Washdown advance from ‘loading’ to the ‘washdown’ status on the
Dispatch screen.
Default User Code Default user for this plant. Only orders for this plant will
be displayed. To display all orders for all plants, leave
this field blank.
Alternate Plant Name The Spectrum can be configured to print to two different
pre-printed tickets from one plant with the same ticket
format. The Alternate Plant Name and Alt Ticket
fields are used for this purpose.
Master Plant Code This field only appears if ‘V’, for Virtual, is selected in
the Remote Plant field. In this field, select the master, or
“real” plant code.
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INVENTORY
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3. If you need to look at inventory for another plant, press [F2] from the Plant
field to pull up a browse list, select the desired plant and press [ENTER].
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ª FIELDS
• The Date and Time Last Cleared field shows when the inventory levels were last
cleared and updated (see “Clearing Inventory.”)
• The Total Batched field shows the total yards batched by the plant for the
selected period (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly).
• The Ingredient, Location, and On Hand fields are self-explanatory. They show
the ingredient, its location (bin, silo, etc.), and its current on hand amount.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
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ª FIELDS
• The Required field shows target weight totals for each ingredient for the selected
inventory period.
• The Auto-Batched field shows the total system-batched weight for each
ingredient for the selected inventory period.
• The Error (%) field shows the total of the error percentage for each ingredient
for the selected inventory period. (Error (%) is the percentage auto-batched over
or under target.)
• The Manual field shows the totals manually batched for each ingredient for the
selected inventory period.
ª FUNCTION KEYS
1. Press [F6] from either the ON-HAND LEVELS BY PLANT or the DETAILED
USAGE BY PLANT screen.
2. Press [SHIFT + F4] to see usage data for the next inventory period (Daily,
Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly).
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Incoming Inventory
4. Enter the amount of incoming inventory and any other pertinent information
(supplier, truck, hauler, etc.).
NOTE: If the On Hand Amount and Adjustment Amount fields do not
show the correct inventory units, press [F3] to go to the
INGREDIENTS screen, where you can set the correct inventory units.
5. Press [F1] to save your entry and update this ingredient’s on-hand amount.
6. Press [ESC] to go back to the inventory screen. Repeat Steps 2 through 5
above for each ingredient for which you need to receive inventory.
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ª FUNCTION KEYS
CLEARING INVENTORY
The recommended way to clear inventory is to run the End of Day procedure.
The Clear and Reset . . . Inventory field of the “End of” setup screens must be
set to Y, however. (See “End of Day Procedures” for more information.)
An alternate way to clear inventory is to press [F7] from the ON-HAND LEVELS
BY PLANT screen, enter Y for the appropriate inventory period (s), and press [F1].
This method can be used if you clear inventory more than once a day.
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Other uses for this screen include setting the display colors for dispatched orders and
load statuses, and setting other times and flags for dispatched orders.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
User Code Browseable field. 10-letter code name for the user.
Name First and last name of the user.
Password User’s password. Up to 6 characters. To change an existing
user’s password, select the user code, type the new password
here, then press [F1] to save the new password.
Plant Name Browseable field. 2-character name for the default plant of the
user. This field is used by the Plants screen to determine where
reports should be printed.
Display Orders Determines when orders appear on the Dispatch screen. Default
Lead Time is 180 minutes, which means the order appears on the Dispatch
screen 3 hours before the order’s first truck should be loaded.
Display Graph On Yes/No field that sets whether the Graph screen is automatically
Run Button? displayed when the [F9] – RUN button is pressed.
Sort Order Index Yes/No field that sets whether the Order Index will have its
By Order Code? orders sorted by Order Code or by the projected time for the next
load on the order.
Sequence Code Default sequence code to use when this user enters an order.
Batch on Receipt? Yes/No field that sets whether to batch tickets as soon as they
are received from the dispatching computer.
Reset Loading on Yes/No field.
error? Y – Resets the Discharge Authorize key <F11> to “Off”
whenever an error occurs during batching and Discharge
Authorize is armed.
N – The state of the Discharge Authorize key <F11> will remain
unchanged whenever an error occurs during batching.
Allow reordering of Yes/No field that sets whether you can change the order of
loads on Load Index unbatched loads on the Load Index screen (by pressing [CTRL
Screen +↑] to move a load up, or [CTRL + ↓] to move a load down the
list.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Load Stack User Browseable field. Sets which additional information is
Defined Field n displayed on the Load Index. Choices are:
1 Job name
(n = 1 or 2) 2 Job Address
3 Notes
4 Delivery Instructions
5 User Defined Field
6 Load ID
7 Returned Amt and Mix
8 Customer Name
9 Dispatch Ticket Number
Show Loads on Browseable field. Sets which plant’s loads will be displayed on
Load Index by Plant the Load Index for this user.
Show Batch Loads Yes/No field that sets whether batched loads are displayed on
on Load Index the Load Index for this user.
Enforce Based On • If this field is set to Yes and an ingredient has been assigned
Check a "Based On" unit, users can only edit the ingredient's
"Based On" amount on the Mix Designs screen.
• If this field is set to No, the system operates as normal and
allows the user to enter either an Absolute or a Based On
value, not both.
Dispatch Order Browseable fields. Sets the color in which orders are displayed,
Colors depending on their statuses. There are 15 colors to choose from.
Load Index Load Browseable fields. Sets the colors in which loads will be
Colors displayed on the Load Index, depending on their statuses. There
are 15 colors to choose from.
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USER SECURITY
The USER SECURITY SETUP screen is used to prohibit access to certain parts of the
system. For example, you can limit an Order Entry user’s access to the Customers,
Sales Tax Rates, Resale Products, Projects, Orders, and Tickets screens.
Select Main Menu > System Maintenance > Users then press <F4> to access the
USER SECURITY SETUP screen.
Spectrum comes with three pre-defined user accounts: ALKON, MANAGER, and
USER. (ALKON has been selected in the User Code field in the following screen
example. Notice that this user account has full access to the system.)
For each screen or function listed on this screen, an “N” prevents access and a “Y”
allows access (except for “Disable Load Index Editing” – an “N” here actually allows
Load Index editing).
NOTE: Do not deny access to “User Login Screen” if you want the user to be able to
login with another user code and change their access privileges.
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If you select “MANAGER” in the User Code field, the following screen appears with
fewer access rights than the ALKON user. For instance, a manager would not need
access to order entry, customers, and other database screens. He/she would, however,
need access to reports and inventory screens.
If you select “USER” in the User Code field, the following screen appears with
another set of access rights (Load Index, Batch Setup, Price, End of Day, etc.).
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BATCHING OPERATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Batching consists of two parts. The first part is the Batching Cycle, where materials
are weighed or metered into scales, holding hoppers or bottles. The second part is the
Discharge Cycle, where the scales and holding hoppers or bottles are discharged into
a truck or mixer, and where direct-metered admixes and water are normally added.
We will start with a general discussion of these two cycles, including some of the
technical terms used in concrete batching. Next, we will briefly discuss how to run
an automatic batch. (For a discussion of manual batching, see the E-Z Cal User’s
Manual.)
Then, we will discuss the screens used in the batching process (ORDER ENTRY, LOAD
INDEX, ORDER INDEX, BATCH SETUP, and GRAPH). Most of the details about
batching (order entry, calculating dimensions, adjusting batch information, etc.) are
contained in the discussions of these screens.
ª BATCHING CYCLE
All materials for each scale or meter, except for those that are metered directly into
the truck or mixer, are batched into their respective scales, hoppers, or bottles during
the Batching Cycle. To batch manually, you must feed one material at a time. To
batch automatically, however, you can call up pre-defined formulas, then let the
Spectrum System control feeding, weigh-up, and discharge.
Scales and admix bottles should be empty. Each scale should be within a range of
true zero (an amount between the Zero Tolerance Over and Zero Tolerance Under
values set on the SCALES screen for that scale). Zero Tolerance is not used for
admixes. Admix holding bottles normally send “bottle empty” signals back to the
Spectrum System to indicate they are ready.
ª PREACT
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ª FEED TYPES
In general, the system attempts, first, to Fast Feed then Time Feed and, finally, Jog
Feed to arrive as close as possible to the requested Target. During each “feed type,”
the system makes calculations based on parameters and previously learned
information for the feed type.
FAST FEED
Before Fast Feed starts, a “Safe Target” is calculated by adding the requested Target
to the Scale Start Tare then subtracting the Fast Feed Plant Erraticness and Preact
values. The Safe Target is less than the requested Target, so that fast feeding does
not overshoot the requested Target.
Note: If no Preact Overide is set and a learned Preact is not available, the Default
Preact value is used.
Fast Feed begins if Fast Feed is enabled for the bin and the Safe Target is greater than
the Minimum to Fast Feed value. Initially, Fast Feed conditionality opens multiple
gates and continuously monitors the scale for the amount left to feed. When the
amount left to feed reaches the Extra Gate Shutoff value (if enabled), the second gate
is closed. The first gate is closed when the Safe Target value is reached.
Note: When a feed’s Safe Target is less than the Minimum to Fast Feed value, Fast
Feed is skipped and the system goes directly to Timed Feed.
TIMED FEED
Timed Feed is a timed opening of a single gate for a time duration based on the
previous Flow Rates for the bin and material. If Timed Feed is enabled and the
amount left to feed is greater than the Minimum to Time Feed value, the system
calculates a time duration to open the gate.
As with Fast Feed, a Safe Target is calculated based on the amount left to feed minus
the Timed Feed Plant Erraticness percentage or absolute value. Multiple Timed
Feeds can occur up to the Maximum Number of Timed Feeds value.
JOG FEED
Jog Feed is typically used for aggregates and cements and opens and closes the gate
enough to allow small jog bites of material to fall through. The time duration the gate
opens and closes depends on the Jog Weight, Jog Time and Jog Settle Time values.
The system automatically adjusts the Jog Time by the Jog Time Adjust value to
achieve the Jog Weight per jog.
Jog Feed can start if ALL of the following are true:
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ª MULTI-BATCHING
Some plants must make several small batches because of limited batching capacity.
To solve this problem, the Spectrum divides a load into smaller batches if the load
amount exceeds the maximum batch size set for the system. Once started, batching
continues until the entire load is batched.
ª FEED SEQUENCING
Sequencing gives you complete control over the feeding of ingredients. Feed
sequences define when a device starts and stops, and the quantity of material that
should be fed. A separate sequence is created for each device. Many conditions can
be set for sequences, making any discussion of this topic a difficult one. One simple
condition could be that the completion of feeding of one ingredient could trigger the
start of feeding of another ingredient.
Only qualified personnel should create or edit sequences. For these reasons, this
Guide does not discuss how to create sequences. (If you have any questions about
sequencing, please contact your Quality Control representative or call the Command
Alkon Service Department.
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ª DISCHARGE CYCLE
After all ingredients with holding facilities (scales, bottles, or holding hoppers) have
been weighed up, they can be discharged into a truck or mixer. There are two kinds
of discharge: (1) Choke Feeding; and (2) Inching Discharge. With Choke Feeding,
the gates are held fully open until the scales are empty. Choke Feeding is used when
the truck or mixer can handle very fast discharge rates. With Inching Discharge, the
gates are pulsed open and closed to create a smooth flow of material from the scales.
Inching Discharge helps to avoid overflowing the truck or mixer.
Assuming there are no problems, initial water is fed, then the remaining materials are
discharged in the order established in the sequence set for this mix design. Several
discharge and system parameters control the discharge rate. Discharge continues
until there is a certain amount of material left in each scale. At this point, the gates
open fully and the vibrators come on to clear hung-up material. When each scale
reaches its zero point (Scale Empty value), its gate is held open for a set amount of
time, then closed. Remaining water is then fed. When all devices are empty, an end-
of-load signal is generated.
To avoid overflowing a truck, you can assign a percentage of the discharge rate to the
truck (on the TRUCKS screen). The discharge rate is then automatically reduced to
what the truck can handle.
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1. From the ORDER INDEX or LOAD INDEX screen, select the order you want to
batch. (Remember, the Order Index is used for orders entered locally on the
Spectrum while the Load Index screen is used for orders downloaded from a
Dispatch System.) Press [F1] to pull the order onto the BATCH SETUP screen.
2. Make any necessary adjustments to the order (this information is covered in
the section titled “Batch Setup Screen”).
3. Press [F9] – RUN to start the batch. The RUN prompt at the top of the screen
turns white to show that the batch has been started. The GRAPH screen
appears. This screen shows the progress of weigh-up (by ingredient at the top
of the screen, by scale at the bottom). (See “The Graph Screen” section for
details.) Also, the top portion of the ticket is normally printed at this time.
NOTE: If tolerance errors occur during weigh-up, a red error window pops
up. You can choose to accept the error by pressing [F4], retry
feeding by pressing [F6], or you can press the manual feed button
until enough material is fed then press [F6].
4. Once the materials have weighed up and a truck is in place, press [F11] –
DISCH to start discharge. The DISCH prompt at the top of the screen turns
white while discharge is occurring. You will see the colored bars at the
bottom of the screen move from right to left to show the scales discharging.
Normally, the remainder of the ticket (batch weights) are printed at this time.
5. When discharge is complete, both the RUN and DISCH prompts at the top of
the screen turn back to the normal black color. Press [F12] to return to the
BATCH SETUP screen.
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These screens function the same in that they allow you to select an order and transfer
it to the BATCH SETUP screen, where you can prepare it for batching. They are
different in that the ORDER INDEX lists orders that were entered locally on the
Spectrum, while the LOAD INDEX screen lists orders downloaded from a Dispatch
System. Another difference is that on the ORDER INDEX, you can make some
changes to the orders on the index. You cannot make any changes to orders listed on
the LOAD INDEX.
Order Index
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Information that appears on this screen is pulled from the Order Entry screen. Each
field on this screen, except for Mix Code and Delivered Amount, is editable.
Changes made to these fields also change the order record.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Order Date Contains the date for which orders are being displayed.
Only one date can be displayed. Browse this field to select
a different date.
Order Code/Time Two-part field. The first part is the system-generated order
code. The second part is the time the first load of the order
is to arrive on the job.
Job Name Job name associated with the order. If a project is not
associated with the order, the name of the customer is
displayed in this field.
Order Status Browseable field of order statuses. Valid entries are:
• N – Normal (firm)
• C – Cancelled (cancels all totals)
• E – Ended (keeps delivered totals)
• H – Held
• W – Will Call
Truck Code Truck code assigned to the order. When this field contains a
truck code, the information is carried over to the BATCH
SETUP screen. This information can be changed at any
time.
Notes Any notes entered on the order.
Mix Code Mix code entered on the order. Cannot be changed here.
Ordered Amount Total yards ordered for the order. You may add a + after
the number to designate that a finish load is needed.
Delivered This number is updated by the system each time a load is
Amount batched for the order.
Firm + Will Call: System-generated total of Firm + Will Call yards ordered
for the order date. Orders with a status of N or H are
considered firm orders.
Firm Orders: System-generated total of yards delivered for the day.
Orders with a status of N or H are considered firm orders.
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Load Index
• Information that appears on this screen comes from a Dispatch system (or
from a COMMANDbatch system).
• You cannot change any information on this screen, but you can change the
order of unbatched loads by moving them up or down the list. Press [CTRL
+ ↑] to move a load up. Press [CTRL + ↓] to move a load down the list.
• The asterisk (*) beside a mix code means that extra products were attached to
the ticket.
• Tickets are displayed in different colors, depending their load status. Press
[F5] from the Load Index to pull up a list explaining what each color means.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Time Time the order is to be batched.
Truck Truck assigned to the ticket. If the ticket was generated
from COMMANDbatch, the truck number will not
appear.
Mix Code Mix code to be batched for the ticket.
Load Size Load size to be batched.
Notes Special instructions attached to the ticket.
Ret’d Amount/Mix Amount and mix code of the returned mix, if any.
Design
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If you do not receive orders from a Dispatch system, you must manually enter orders
on the ORDER ENTRY screen, which is accessed by selecting MAIN MENUDATA
ENTRYORDERS.
FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Date Date for which the order was placed. Defaults to the current
date.
Order Code System-generated field. Each day, order codes begin at 1
and then increase. The order code is not unique within the
system, only unique within a given day.
Customer Customer for which the order was placed.
Project Project, if any, from which the order was generated.
Mix Code Mix code ordered. Each order can have only one mix code.
Ordered Amount of the mix design that was ordered. You may add
a “+” after the number to designate that a finish load is
needed.
Slump Ordered slump of the mix design.
Load Size Load size for the order.
Notes Any notes entered from a project, customer, or manually by
the order entry person.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Consistence For EN 206 users, this field contains the EN 206
Consistence Class (S1, S2, etc.) or Slump in millimeters.
This information defaults in from the mix design and onto
tickets for the order.
On Job Time Time that the first load is to arrive on the job. This field
adds travel and waiting times when posted on the ORDER
INDEX, even if the times are equal to zero.
Spacing Time Amount of time between loads requested by the customer.
May be entered from a project, or manually by the order
entry person.
Truck Type Browseable field of valid truck types from the truck
database. Use this field only to limit the type of truck that
can deliver the concrete.
Order Status Browseable field order statuses. Valid entries are:
• N – Normal (firm)
• C – Cancelled (cancels all totals)
• E – Ended (keeps delivered totals)
• H – Held
• W – Will Call
No. Of Loads Number of loads delivered for the order. This system-
generated field should not be changed.
Ext. Description For EN 206 users, this field can contain a string of
information about Strength Class, Exposure Class, Flow
Class, Maximum Aggregate Size, and Cement Type. For
non-EN 206 users, this field can be blank or used for
entering additional information. This information defaults
in from the mix design and onto tickets for the order.
Job Job name - filled in automatically if a project is associated
with the order.
Plant Plant from which the concrete will be shipped.
Addr Four address lines for delivery information. Filled in
automatically if a project is associated with the order.
P.O.# If a P.O.# is required, it is entered here. This field flashes if
a P.O.# is required (set in the Customer record).
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
UDF 1 User-defined field - may contain up to 20 characters. The
label is also user-defined.
UDF 2 User-defined field - may contain up to 20 characters. The
label is also user-defined.
UDF 3 User-defined field - may contain up to 20 characters. The
label is also user-defined.
Tax Zone Tax zone assigned to the customer in the customer file. You
may change this information.
C.O.D.? Indicates whether the order is a credit or cash order. This
can be pulled in from either the customer or project file.
Print Price? Indicates if pricing will print on tickets generated for this
order. This can be pulled in from either the customer or
project file.
Batch Code Y or B value. Y instructs the system to print batch weights
on tickets for this order. B instructs the system to refrain
from printing batch weights on tickets for this order.
Customer Customer name, contact name, contact and phone number
Name/Info are automatically inserted from the customer file.
Returned Mix Indicates whether concrete can be returned to the plant for
Allowed? this mix design.
Mix The mix design ordered by the customer is displayed in this
area. Resale products can also be entered in this area.
Ordered Total amount ordered for each product is entered in this
field.
Size Load size for this mix design. (For resale products, this is
the amount to be delivered with each load.)
Delivered As products are delivered, the system updates this field with
the total amount delivered.
Description Description of the product. Automatically entered but can
be changed if needed.
FUNCTION KEYS
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TO ENTER AN ORDER
TO EDIT AN ORDER
There is more than one way to edit an order. One way is from the ORDER ENTRY
screen. Another way is from the ORDER INDEX. Obviously, editing is limited on the
ORDER INDEX because less information is displayed. But this is a quick way to
change data such as order time, status, or amount. Changes such as travel and
waiting times must be made from the ORDER ENTRY screen. Editing from both of
these screens is discussed next.
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• Truck Code
• Notes
• Ordered Amount
1. Select MAIN MENUDATA ENTRYORDERS (or press [F6] from the ORDER
INDEX). Either way, the ORDER ENTRY screen appears with the cursor on the
Order Code field. “NEW Order” should appear at the top left corner of the
screen, and the current date and day should appear on the next line.
2. To edit one of today’s orders, type or browse for the appropriate Order Code
and press [ENTER]. The Order Code appears on the screen along with other
information for the order.
To edit an order for a day other than today, move the cursor over the current
date and type or browse for the appropriate date. Press [ENTER]. The cursor
moves to the Order Code field. Type or browse for the appropriate Order
Code and press [ENTER]. The Order Code appears on the screen along with
other information for the order.
3. Move the cursor to the appropriate field and type the new information. (When
you start typing, the old information disappears.) Press [ENTER] to move to
the next field. (Press [ENTER] to move past fields until you get to the one
you want.)
4. When you are finished editing, press [F1] to save your changes.
Default times (travel, waiting, unloading, washing out, and returning) are assigned to
each order. These times are used to calculate the batch time of the next load. These
times can also be printed on customer delivery tickets. To change order times:
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For an order associated with a project, pricing is usually driven by the project. For an
order not associated with a project, you can change pricing as explained below.
Pricing can be changed while the order is being created or after the order is saved.
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per-unit amount, the system calculates the percentage for you. Similarly, if
you type a percentage, the system calculates the dollars-per-unit.
In the example above, we entered 5 percent. The remainder of the pricing was
automatically updated when we pressed [ENTER] or [TAB].
6. To change the List Price, type the desired list price over the existing list price
in the List Price field under the Unit Price column. Press [ENTER] or
[TAB]. The system calculates the remaining pricing information.
7. Press [ESC] to exit the Discount Pricing box.
8. Repeat Steps 3 – 7 for each product for which you wish to adjust pricing.
9. Before you exit the ORDER ENTRY screen, be sure to press [F1] to save your
changes!
The Consistence and Ext. Desc. Fields on the Discount screen (accessed by pressing
[F5]) describe concrete production in terminology required by the EN 206 Standards.
This information defaults in from the project record. If no project is used, it comes
from the mix design record.
TO COPY AN ORDER
As a timesaver, you can copy an order from the current or a previous date and save it
for the current or a future date. For simplicity’s sake, we will show how to copy an
order from a previous date to use on the current date.
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4. Press [F2] to pull up the list of order codes. Select the appropriate Order
Code and press [ENTER]. The order to be copied appears on the screen.
5. Press [SHIFT + TAB] until the cursor is again on the first (date) field.
6. Enter today’s date and press [ENTER].
7. Enter a new Ordered amount and Load Size.
8. Press [F1] to save the new order. The order is saved with the next Order
Code for today and added to today’s ORDER INDEX.
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Use the Concrete Calculator as a quick way to determine cubic yards (or meters) of
concrete the customer needs. Enter the measurements the customer gives you on the
CONCRETE CALCULATOR screen then enter the results on the ORDER ENTRY screen.
You can access the Concrete Calculator screen one of two ways:
• By selecting MAIN MENUDATA ENTRYCONCRETE CALCULATOR,
meaning you have to press [ESC] until you get back to the Main Menu; or,
• By pressing [SHIFT + F8] from the ORDER ENTRY screen, selecting
“Concrete Calculator,” then pressing [ENTER].
The second method is recommended if you are already at the ORDER ENTRY screen.
In either case, the Concrete Calculator appears.
Concrete Calculator
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Loads are prepared for batching on the BATCH SETUP screen. On this screen, you can
change target weights for ingredients not locked by mix design or material. You can
adjust water volume (Slump, In Truck, and Trim fields). You can also adjust
moisture and the truck’s discharge rate.
Adjustments are only in effect as long as you do not exit the BATCH SETUP screen. If
you exit and re-enter this screen, you will have to re-enter any adjustments.
Most adjustments you make on this screen do not change system records. The
exceptions are changes to moisture, which update system moisture records.
IMPORTANT It is highly recommended that you run batches from the BATCH
! SETUP screen only. You can start batches from other Spectrum
screens but you cannot see which order is currently active on the
BATCH SETUP screen.
Two examples of the BATCH SETUP screen are given next – one blank and the other
with an order transferred onto it. After that, we describe the fields and function keys
associated with this screen. After that, we discuss how to prepare batches with and
without an order. Then we talk about the adjustments you can make on this screen.
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FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Mix Code Mix code to be batched. If the BATCH SETUP screen was
accessed from either the ORDER or LOAD INDEX, the mix
code is filled in by the system and cannot be changed.
Otherwise, browse this field to select a mix or type in the
mix code.
Load Size Amount of concrete to be delivered in the truck. You can
edit this data if it was not sent from a Dispatch System.
Slump Slump value for mix. You can change this value. (See “To
Change Mix Slump:” for more information.)
Truck Code of the truck that will deliver the concrete. You can
select another truck. When a truck is assigned, the charge
rate for the truck appears in the % field. Also, the name of
the driver appears just to the right of the charge rate.
% The rate at which the truck will be loaded. The percentage
entered here means that the truck will be loaded at this
percentage of the plant’s discharge rate. Example: 50%
entered here means the truck will be loaded at half the
plant’s discharge rate. (See “Changing Discharge Rate”
later in this section for more information.)
In Truck Amount of water in the truck before the load is batched.
The target for water will be reduced by this amount. You
can change this data. Also used to increase water to add on
the job.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Ret Qty Amount of concrete in the truck returned from the previous
load. When this value is greater than zero, the Returned
Mix field also appears on the screen. (See the description
for Returned Mix later in this table.) You can change this
amount.
Sequence Sequence code (feed sequencing) to be used. Defaults in
with the mix code but you can select another sequence code.
Mixer Time Appears only for sequences using a mixer. Amount of time
the mix must to stay in the mixer before it can be discharged
into a truck. Defaults to the mixer time set in MIX
DESIGNS. If no mixer time was set for the mix, defaults to
the mixer time set on the MIXERS screen.
Trim (/yd) Amount of water to trim per yard, negative or positive. You
can change this data. Also used to increase water to add on
the job.
Trim (/Load) Amount of water to trim per load, negative or positive. You
can change this data. Also used to increase water to add on
the job.
Batch Code You can select either a Y or B value. Y instructs the system
to print batch weights on tickets for this order. B instructs
the system to refrain from printing batch weights on tickets
for this order.
Simulate Status One of these three values:
B – Actual batch. A batch of concrete will be created and
inventory and delivered amounts will be affected by
this batch.
S – Simulated demo batch. Concrete will not be created but
inventory and delivered amounts will be affected.
T – Training batch. No concrete will be created and the
inventory and delivered amounts will not be affected.
You can change this information.
Return Mix Mix Code of the returned concrete. (This field appears only
if the Ret Qty value is greater than zero.) You can edit this
information. NOTE: If the mix code of the returned
concrete is incompatible with the mix to be batched, a
Warning box pops up. You can press [F4] to clear this box.
Age Number of minutes returned mix has been in the truck.
(This field is visible only if the Ret Qty value is greater
than zero.) You can edit this information.
Ingredient Read-only field. Lists each ingredient in the mix design.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Amount Target amount (per cubic yd/m3) for each ingredient. You
can change this information. The amount under the Target
column is updated to accordingly. Also, a red “#” sign
appears beside the changed amount.
Target Read-only field. Total target amount for the load. Equals
the amount per cubic yd/m3 multiplied by the load size, plus
any calculations for moisture, water correction, etc.
Customer Customer for whom the load is being batched. You can
change this data, but whatever you enter will be printed on
the load ticket.
Job If the load is associated with a project, the job name is
displayed. If no job exists, the customer name is displayed.
You can change this data, but whatever you enter will be
printed on the load ticket.
Notes Notes entered against the order or project. You can change
this data, but it will be printed on the load ticket.
Consistence For EN 206 users, this field contains the EN 206
Consistence Class (S1, S2, etc.) or Slump in millimeters.
The line under this field contains the EN 206 Extended
Description for the mix.
Information in these fields defaults in with the mix or order
and defaults onto Tickets using the mix.
Quantity Read-only field. Quantity of resale products associated with
this batch.
Product Read-only field. Description of resale products associated
Description with this batch.
FUNCTION KEYS
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As you can tell from the field descriptions given earlier, most of the information on
the BATCH SETUP screen can be changed before a batch is run. Some of this
information is very critical to the strength and make-up of the concrete. For this
reason, further explanation is given in the next few sub-sections. We will first
discuss changing target weights, followed by changes that affect the water target
only, and ending with changing the discharge rate into a truck.
You can change the “target amount” of an ingredient for the batch currently on the
BATCH SETUP screen. This is often done to change the amount of a chemical, e.g.,
calcium, in a mix design. This changes the target amount for one unit (1 cubic yard
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or meter). As soon as you make this change, the target amount of this ingredient for
the load is also updated.
1. Press [ENTER] until the Amount field for the ingredient whose target
you wish to adjust is highlighted.
2. Type the desired target amount for one unit (1 cubic yard or meter).
3. Press [ENTER]. The target amount of the ingredient for the entire batch
is updated, as shown in the Target field. A red # appears directly to the
right of the Amount value to indicate that a manual change was made.
Note: If the Modify Flag field of the Ingredients screen is set to N for a
particular ingredient, the target for that ingredient cannot be modified on
the BATCH SETUP screen. The Amount values for ingredients “locked” in
this manner are highlighted in yellow.
³ ADJUSTMENTS TO WATER
Adjustments to the Slump, In Truck, and Trim fields all have an affect on the
amount of water in the mix design. These adjustments are discussed next.
1. On the BATCH SETUP screen, press [TAB] until the Slump field is
highlighted.
2. Type the desired slump value and press [ENTER]. The Target value of
the water ingredient changes based on the value entered in the Slump
field. If you increased the slump value, the water target increases. If
you decreased the slump value, the water target decreases. A red #
appears directly to the right of the Slump field to indicate that this field
was manually changed.
1. On the BATCH SETUP screen, press [TAB] until the In Truck field is
highlighted.
2. Type the total number of gallons that the truck is carrying from the last
washout and press [ENTER]. The water target automatically decreases.
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1. On the BATCH SETUP screen, press [TAB] until the Trim gl / yd field
is highlighted.
2. Type either a positive or a negative amount in this field. A positive
amount increases the water for each yard by the amount entered in this
field. A negative amount decreases the water in the same manner.
Example: If you enter a 1 in this field for a 10-yard load, the water target
is increased by 10 gallons.
1. On the BATCH SETUP screen, press [TAB] until the Trim gl / Load
field is highlighted.
2. Type either a positive or a negative amount in this field. A positive
amount increases the water for the load by the amount entered in this
field. A negative amount decreases the water in the same manner.
Example: If you enter a 5 in this field for a 10-yard load, the water target
increases by 5 gallons.
³ ADJUSTMENTS TO MOISTURE
1. On the BATCH SETUP screen, press [F8] – Moisture. The Moistures box
appears as shown next.
Moistures Box
2. Press [TAB] until the Moisture Percent field is highlighted for the
ingredient whose moisture percentage you wish to change.
3. Type the new moisture percentage and press [ENTER].
Notes:
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The water target will only be adjusted if the ingredient whose moisture
was adjusted is part of the mix design.
The Probe Active field indicates whether a moisture probe is being
used for the ingredient, or whether the initial probe reading is used. Y,
N, or S is displayed in this field:
o Y – means a probe is used.
o N – means a probe is not used.
o S – means the system uses the probe reading taken at the
beginning of the batch for the entire batch.
4. Press [F1] to save the data and exit the MOISTURES box. The water
target will be automatically adjusted based on the percentage you just
entered.
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Besides selecting the truck code in the Truck field of the Batch Setup screen, there
are three other ways you can change the truck code BEFORE a batch discharges.
These methods are listed here and discussed immediately after that.
• By pressing [ALT + A] to pull up the Assign Truck Code dialog before the
ticket starts to print. (By default, tickets are set to start printing at LOAD
START but this flag can be changed in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the
Printer Setup screen.)
• By entering the -T argument in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the Printer
Setup screen so the system will prompt you for a truck code only if the Truck
field of the Batch Setup screen is blank.
• By entering the -F argument in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the Printer
Setup screen so the system will always prompt you for a truck code before it
prints the ticket.
Note: Once the load has discharged (and the ticket has printed), you will have to
go to the Edit Ticket screen to change the truck code and/or driver. You
cannot modify the truck discharge rate on this screen, however.
Alt + A
1. Press [ALT + A] from any screen to pull up the Assign Truck Code
dialog (shown next).
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Note: If the ticket has already started to print before you have saved your
data, the new or revised truck information will not be printed on the
ticket. You would have to go to the Edit Ticket screen to edit the
truck information then reprint the ticket.
Typically, this method is used if you don’t want to select a truck until the
mixer is ready to discharge into a truck. This way you can wait to see which
truck is ready for the load.
Note: If this method is used, the ticket will not print until the truck code is
verified.
2. Add the –T argument to the script in the Ticket Script Name(s) field as
shown in the example above.
3. Press [F1] to save your data.
4. Then, when you run a batch without entering a truck code, the system
will prompt you with the following message.
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Note: Exactly when this message appears depends on when tickets were set
up to print (in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the Printer Setup
screen). By default, tickets start to print at LOAD START, meaning
this warning message would pop up as soon as you pressed [F9] to
start the batch.
5. Press [F4] to clear the message then press [ALT + A] to pull up the
Assign Truck Code box.
6. Arrow up or down to select the correct ticket. Press [F2] and select a
truck code. The driver name is pulled in when you select the truck code
(if a driver was assigned to the truck).
7. Enter a driver name or edit the one that appears.
8. Make sure ‘Y’ is selected in the Verified column for the selected ticket.
An example of the completed Assign Truck Code box is shown next.
Caution! If you forget to verify the truck code, the ticket will not print.
You will have to go to the Edit Ticket screen to edit the truck
information before the ticket will print. (See “Editing the Truck
Code After Discharge” for more information.)
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This method can be used if you want the system to ALWAYS prompt you
for a truck code.
Note: If this method is used, the ticket will not print until the truck code is
verified.
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Note: Exactly when this message appears depends on when tickets were set
up to print (in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the Printer Setup
screen). By default, tickets start to print at LOAD START, meaning
this warning message would pop up as soon as you pressed [F9] to
start the batch.
5. Press [F4] to clear the message then press [ALT + A] to pull up the
Assign Truck Code dialog.
6. Arrow up or down to select the correct ticket. Press [F2] and select a
truck code. The driver name is pulled in when you select the truck code
(if a driver was assigned to the truck).
7. Enter a driver name or edit the one that appears.
8. Make sure ‘Y’ is selected in the Verified column for the selected ticket.
An example of the completed Assign Truck Code box is shown next.
Caution! If you forget to verify the truck code, the ticket will not print.
You will have to go to the Edit Ticket screen to edit the truck
information before the ticket will print. (See “Editing the Truck
Code After Discharge” for more information.)
Use this method to edit the truck code and print the ticket if you did not do so when
prompted to verify the truck code.
Note: You will only be prompted to verify the truck code if there is either a –T or –F
flag in the Ticket Script Name(s) field of the Printer Setup screen.
Caution! If you do not verify the truck code as prompted by the warning
message, the ticket will not print.
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Tickets whose truck codes have not been verified are displayed with a ‘P’ just
to the right of the Time column. Also there is a ‘0’ in the Ticket Number
column for these tickets.
5. Arrow down to the appropriate ticket and press [ENTER]. The ticket
appears on the Edit Ticket screen as shown next.
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6. The cursor should be on the Truck field in the upper right-hand corner of
the screen. Press [F2] to pull up a list of trucks.
7. Arrow down to the appropriate truck code and press [ENTER]. The new
code appears in the Truck field and the cursor moves to the ‘P’ just to the
right of the Truck field.
8. Type ‘Y’ over the ‘P’ then press [F1] to save the changes. As soon as you
press [F1], the ticket prints.
9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 for other unprinted tickets.
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The truck charge rate is automatically entered in the % field of the BATCH SETUP
screen when a truck is assigned to the load. This rate shows the percentage of the
plant’s discharge rate that the truck can handle.
Each scale discharges at a rate that is the median point of the Maximum and
Minimum flow rates for that scale. For example, if the Aggregate scale’s maximum
flow rate is 300 lb/sec and its minimum flow rate is 100 lb/sec, the scale’s actual
discharge rate would be 200 lb/sec. A 100% truck charge rate on the BATCH SETUP
screen means the Aggregate scale would load the truck at the 200 lb/sec discharge
rate. A 50% truck charge rate means the Aggregate scale would load the truck at 100
lb/sec (half of the scale’s discharge rate).
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The GRAPH screen shows the progress of weigh up and discharge for the batch most
recently started. Across the top portion of the screen, a colored bar for each material
moves from left to right to indicate the progress of weigh up. Colored bars at the
bottom of the screen move from right to left to indicate the progress of discharge
from scales and extra devices.
Two examples of this screen are given next, one showing weigh-up, the other
showing discharge. After that, we describe the fields and function keys associated
with this screen.
• The RUN function key prompt at the top of the screen appears in white when
you press [F9] to start the batch.
• For each ingredient, a colored bar moves from left to right in the top portion
of the screen to show the progress of feeding.
• An asterisk (*) appears next to a material name when that material is Fast
Feeding.
• A (t) appears next to a material name when that material is Time Feeding.
• A (j) appears next to a material name when that material is Jogging.
• If a scale (non-decumulative) goes over capacity, the entire system goes into
Hold so the operator can determine whether to stop feeding into the scale
before pressing [F10] to take the system off Hold and continue batching.
Also, OVER is displayed in red text in the scale’s Weight column.
• ***** is displayed in the scale’s Weight column if the scale’s load cell is bad.
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• The RUN and DISCH function key prompts at the top of the screen appear in
white until discharge is complete.
• For each scale, a colored bar moves from right to left across the bottom part of
the screen to show the progress of discharge.
• An asterisk (*) appears next to a scale or bottle name when that device is
discharging.
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STARTING DISCHARGE
Discharge is initiated by pressing [F11] from any Spectrum screen. You can also
do this as soon as you have pressed [F9] to start a batch. This “arms” the system
to automatically start discharge as soon as all ingredients are weighed up. Here
are a few things to keep in mind.
• If you have to clear or accept any feeding errors, you will have to press
[F11] again to resume discharge.
• Direct-metered ingredients (admixes and water) start as soon as you press
[F11].
• Make sure a truck is in place (or the mixer is running and empty) before
you initiate discharge!
ABORTING BATCHES
Press [SHIFT + F7] on any load other than the current load to abort that load as
well as subsequent loads.
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TICKET PRINTING
ª OVERVIEW
Normally, a load ticket is printed each time a batch is run. Typically, the top half of
the ticket (delivery address and product information) is printed as soon as the batch
starts weighing up. As soon as the batch starts discharging, batch weight information
and scale tares are printed.
The reason for this two-part print process is as follows. The top portion can be torn
off as soon as it is printed and given to the driver. This saves time because the batch
operator doesn’t have to wait for the entire ticket to be printed before he or she starts
the next batch. When the batch weight portion of the ticket is printed, it can be torn
off and set aside for record purposes.
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ª SAMPLE TICKET
BATCH DATA
MATERIAL DESIGN QTY REQUIRED BATCHED % VAR %ABSP %MOISTURE ACTUAL WATER
SAND 1610 lb 16905 lb 16852 -.31% 5.00% M 96.16 gl
57 STONE 1740 lb 17444 lb 17388 -.32% 0.25% M 5.20 gl
CEMENT I 450 lb 4500 lb 4488 -.27%
COLD 28.0 gl 178.3 gl 176.4 -1.07% 176.44 gl
AIR 3.50 oz 35.00 oz 36.38 3.94%
REDUCER 16.75 oz 167.50 oz 169.00 0.90%
SIMULATED NUM BATCHES: 1
LOAD TOTAL:40213 lb WATER/CEMENT: 0.517T DESIGN WATER: 280.0 gl
ACTUAL WATER: 277.8 gl TO ADD: 2.2 gl WATER IN TRUCK: 0.0 gl
SLUMP: 3.00 " ADJUST WATER: 0.0 gl /load TRIM WATER: 0.0 gl /yd
LOAD COMPLETED LOAD TIME:02:26 ----TARES------------------------------------
AGG SCALE B: 1 ST: 0 ET: 79 lb CEM SCALE B: 1 ST: 0 ET: 8 lb
WAT SCALE B: 1 ST: 0 ET: 14 lb
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Any or all of the symbols described below can appear on batch weight reports and on
load tickets. These symbols indicate the type of tolerance errors that occurred during
a batch. These symbols let the operator know if the material was out of tolerance,
over- or under-tolerance, and whether re-trying the scale read had any effect on the
tolerance error. The absence of these symbols means that no tolerance error
occurred.
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From the Edit Ticket screen, you can edit everything to be printed on the ticket except
for batch weights. Procedures for editing tickets are given next.
2. Make sure the Date field shows the correct date (defaults to the current date).
If it does not, press [SHIFT + TAB] until the cursor is on this field, type the
date or select it from the browse list, and press [ENTER]. The cursor moves
to the Ticket ID field.
3. Type or select the correct Ticket ID from the browse list. Press [ENTER].
Information for that Ticket ID appears on the screen, and the cursor moves to
the Truck field.
4. Edit fields as needed, pressing [ENTER] each time to move to the next field.
Some fields have no browse lists. For these fields, type the new information
over the old (as soon as you start typing the old information disappears).
To edit pricing, discount, and EN-206 information (Consistence and
Ext. Desc. fields), press [F5] to pull up the Discounts screen.
To edit Truck Code, see “Editing the Truck Code After Discharge”.
To make a local ticket a dispatch ticket, see “Making a Local Ticket a
Dispatch Ticket”.
5. When you are finished editing the ticket, press [F1] to save your changes.
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You can turn a local ticket into a dispatch ticket if the dispatch link goes down.
When the link comes back up, batch results for the edited ticket will then be available
when the dispatch computer requests batch results.
ª REPRINTING TICKETS
You can print a copy of an existing ticket. This does not affect inventory or delivered
amounts. Tickets may be reprinted from either the BATCH SETUP or the EDIT
TICKET screens. Use the BATCH SETUP to reprint the last ticket. Use the EDIT
TICKET screen to reprint older tickets.
ª TICKET REPORTS
Examples of ticket reports are provided in the “Reports” section of this guide.
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BATCH WEIGHTS
Batch weight items can be included or excluded from the batch weight information
saved to hard disk and printed on tickets and batch weight reports. This is
accomplished on the Batch Weight Options screen (accessed by pressing [F3] from
the System Maintenance¤Printer Setup screen). (See “Selecting Batch Weight Items
for Printing” for more information.)
The following table describes most of the items that can be printed on batch weight
reports and on tickets. (See “Reports” for an example of batch weight reports.)
ITEM DESCRIPTION
MATERIAL Name of the ingredient as entered in the Spectrum database.
SOURCE The first 10 characters of the Ingredient description.
DESIGN(OD) Amount of material needed to batch 1 cubic yard/meter of
-or- the mix design.
DESIGN QTY DESIGN(OD) is printed for Oven Dry mixes.
DESIGN QTY is printed for SSD mixes.
Note: Moisture in SSD (Saturated Surface Dry) materials
ranges from 1 to 3% above Oven Dry.
SSD SSD Design weight.
ADJ.T Adjusted SSD Design weight (after moistures)
REQUIRED Amount of this material needed to batch this load. For
cement and flyash, this value is equal to DESIGN QTY *
LOAD SIZE. For aggregates and water, the DESIGN QTY
would be adjusted for moisture in the aggregate.
BATCHED Amount of this material actually batched.
VAR Amount the final target varies above or below the required
amount.
Equal to BATCHED – REQUIRED.
% VAR Percentage the batched amount varies above or below the
required amount. Can be a negative value.
Equal to (BATCHED – REQUIRED) / REQUIRED.
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ITEM DESCRIPTION
%ABSP Percentage of moisture above Oven Dry needed to achieve
SSD (Saturated Surface Dry) weight.
This value comes from the Absorption field of the
Ingredients screen and typically ranges from 1 to 3% above
Oven Dry.
Note: This column appears if either of the variance
columns (% or amount) is turned off and “Print Material
Moisture Percent?” is turned on.
%TOTMOIST Total moisture (absorbed plus free moisture) in the
aggregate material of the mix design.
ABS.WAT Absorbed moisture in the aggregate material as set by the
supplier.
TOT.WAT Total water in the batch. Sum of free water and absorbed
water.
%FREE WAT Percentage of moisture detected by the probe or manually
-or- entered.
%MOISTURE %FREE WAT is printed for Oven Dry mixes.
%MOISTURE is printed for SSD mixes.
This value can be followed by one of the following:
M – means the moisture value was manually entered on the
Moisture edit dialog (accessed from the Batch Setup
screen).
A – means the moisture value was obtained from the
automatic probe.
E – means the system had problems obtaining the correct
moisture value from the automatic probe.
FREE WATER Weight of free water in the aggregate ingredient for Oven
-or- Dry mixes. Volume of free water in the aggregate
ACTUAL WAT ingredient for SSD mixes.
FREE WATER is printed for Oven Dry mixes.
ACTUAL WAT is printed for SSD mixes.
ABS Calculated absorbed water in the mix per yd3 or m3.
FREE MST Calculated free water in the mix per yd3 or m3.
TICKET SCRIPT Ticket scripts to be used for the selected plant. This entry
NAME(S) overrides the “base” scripts for the company. For more
information, see the description for the Ticket Script
Name(s) field in the table titled “Fields – Printer Setup
Screen”.
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ITEM DESCRIPTION
System Messages:
SIMULATED Batch was run in simulator mode.
NON-SIMULATED An actual batch was run.
NUM BATCHES: Number of batches need to complete the load.
Auto HH:MM:SS The following scenarios determine when these fields are
Manual HH:MM:SS displayed.
If Manual Power is turned OFF during a batch:
Auto HH:MM:SS and Manual HH:MM:SS both show the
Load Start Time.
If Manual Power ON at batch start (and left ON):
Auto HH:MM:SS and Manual HH:MM:SS both show the
Load Start Time.
If Manual Power is turned ON during a batch:
Auto HH:MM:SS is not displayed.
Manual HH:MM:SS shows the time Manual Power was
turned on.
If Manual Power is OFF at batch start (and left OFF):
Auto HH:MM:SS and Manual HH:MM:SS are both not
displayed.
Note: If the Print Manual/Auto option is set to “Yes” on
the Batch Weight Options screen, the name and amount of
the manually fed material is printed with the batch weights.
LOAD TOTAL: Total load weight.
DESIGN W/C: Water/cement ratio of the amounts specified in the mix
design. Equals:
TOTAL WATER WGT / TOTAL CEMENT WGT
WATER/CEMENT: Water/cement ratio of the amounts actually batched.
Equals:
TOTAL WATER WGT / TOTAL CEMENT WGT
This ratio can be followed by one of the following codes:
T – means you can add water up to the TO ADD amount
without changing the stated water / cement ratio.
A – means you cannot add water. This code appears if the
TO ADD value is zero.
DESIGN WATER: Amount of water needed to batch this load.
Equals DESIGN QTY * LOAD SIZE.
ACTUAL WATER: Amount of water actually used to batch this load (minus the
TO ADD amount).
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ITEM DESCRIPTION
TO ADD: Amount of water that can be added in the mixer.
SLUMP: Slump maintained for this batch. If slump tables are not
used, this value defaults to the mix’s design slump.
WATER IN TRUCK: Amount of water already in the truck.
ADJUST WATER: Amount of water added or subtracted from this batch,
besides the trim amount.
TRIM WATER: Amount of water to be added as trim. This value is set in
the Trim field of the Batch Setup screen.
LOAD COMPLETED Time the batch was completely discharged into the truck (or
LOAD TIME: mixer).
----TARES--------------- Start Tare (ST) and End Tare (ET) for each scale used to
batch this load.
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Any or all of the symbols described below can appear on batch weight reports and on
load tickets. These symbols indicate the type of tolerance errors that occurred during
a batch. These symbols let the reader know if the material was out of tolerance, over-
or under-tolerance, and whether re-trying the scale read had any effect on the
tolerance error. The absence of these symbols means that no tolerance error
occurred.
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ª MULTI-BATCHING
The Spectrum can run batches automatically back to back. This is called multi-
batching. There are two different ways to multi-batch, Continuous Run and
Freewheeling. Each of these methods is discussed in this section.
CONTINUOUS RUN
If you need to batch the same mix design over and over (used mostly for products
plants), you can use the Continuous Run feature.
Set the Continuous Run? field of the Batching Defaults screen to Y. The
Continuous Discharge? field of this same screen should also be set to Y.
NOTES: If error pops appear for any batch, you must press [F11] again to
reset discharge authorization.
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FREEWHEELING
³ TO FREEWHEEL:
1. Select the first load from the ORDER INDEX or LOAD INDEX and send it to
the BATCH SETUP screen. Or, pull up a mix design on the BATCH SETUP
screen.
2. Make any necessary adjustments to the batch and press either [F9] or [ALT +
F9] to queue this load for the first time.
3. Do one of the following to queue a second load:
• Escape back to the ORDER INDEX or LOAD INDEX and send another order
to the BATCH SETUP screen. Make any necessary adjustments and press
[ALT + F9] to queue this load.
- or -
• Press [ALT + F9] from the GRAPH screen while the first load is weighing
up to queue up the same mix a second time.
(In either case, the RUN prompt at the top of the screen changes to RUN2.)
4. You can queue a third load by repeating step 3. (This time, the RUN prompt
changes to RUN3.)
5. To initiate discharge, press [F11] any time during the batch process.
NOTES: Î As scales and bottles weigh up for the 1st load, an asterisk (*)
appears just to the left of the device name on the GRAPH screen.
As these devices weigh up for the 2nd and 3rd loads, a period (.)
appears instead of the (*).
Î The load number of the 2nd queued load is displayed in a cyan
color at the top of the Graph screen. The 3rd load number is
displayed in dark blue.
Î If error pops appear for any batch, you must press [F11] again to
reset discharge authorization.
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ª QUICK LOAD
The Quick Load feature lets you enter minimal load information without using the
ORDER ENTRY screen or waiting for the Dispatch link to send a new ticket. It is used
mostly with Dispatch links. The “quick load” appears on the LOAD INDEX screen as
soon as you save it.
When the quick load is batched, a ticket is generated but there is no customer or
delivery information. However, you can add a short note to the quick load to be
printed on the ticket.
3. The cursor is on the Load Time field. Type the desired load time or press
[ENTER] to accept the current time.
4. The cursor moves to the Truck Code field. Select the desired truck and press
[ENTER].
5. The cursor moves to the Mix Code field. Select the desired mix code for that
ticket and press [ENTER].
6. The cursor moves to the Load Size field. Type the load size and press
[ENTER].
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7. The cursor moves to the Slump field. The default slump is displayed. Press
[ENTER] to accept this value or type the desired value and press [ENTER].
8. The cursor moves to the Notes field. Enter any notes that you want the batch
plant operator to see and press [ENTER].
9. The cursor moves to the Seq field. Press [ENTER] to accept the default or
select from the browse list the appropriate sequence code and press
[ENTER].
10. The cursor moves to the Ret’d Amt field. Enter the amount of returned
concrete currently on the truck and press [ENTER]. You may also just press
[ENTER] to accept the default of zero in this field.
11. The cursor moves to the Plant field. Press [ENTER] to accept the default or
select the desired plant and press [ENTER].
12. Press [F1] to save the load. The load is then displayed on the LOAD INDEX for
the selected plant. The load is displayed in red text until batched. Then it is
displayed in white.
1. On the LOAD INDEX screen, select the load you want to edit and press [F6].
NOTE: You cannot change the mix code or edit a load already batched.
2. Make the desired changes and press [F1] to save your changes.
1. On the LOAD INDEX screen, select the load you want to batch and press [F1].
The BATCH SETUP screen appears.
2. Following the steps given in the “Basic Steps for Automatic Batching”
section, make any necessary adjustments and press [F9] to run the batch.
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ª QUICK TICKET
The Quick Ticket function lets you print a ticket without batching a load of concrete.
This function is accessed from the ORDER INDEX screen and is normally used for
non-concrete orders. When entering a non-concrete order, the mix code should be
entered as something like NONE or PRODUCT to distinguish it from orders of
concrete.
1. Enter a Mix Design with no materials. In the Mix Code field, enter
something that identifies this mix design as being used for non-concrete
orders. (Examples: ADD-ONS, NONE, PRODUCT.) Save this mix design.
2. Enter an order that contains the appropriate non-concrete product(s). Pull in
the mix design you entered in Step 1 above. Save this order. It will appear on
your ORDER INDEX.
3. Select MAIN MENUORDER INDEX and select the order to quick ticket.
4. Press [F3]. The screen shown next appears.
5. All information except for Truck Code is filled in by the system. Enter a
Truck Code (if applicable) and press [ENTER].
6. Press [F1] to print the ticket.
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ª BIN SWAPPING
Notes: • Your changes will take effect on the next batch if you make a
change or clear the Batch Setup screen.
• You can enable/disable feeding for an ingredient-bin by
selecting “N” in its Active field.
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ª QUICK EDIT
On this screen, you can create and edit macros to be used in Custom Equations and
Sequences. For example, the CEMSTR macro in the example below can be used in a
sequence where 10 percent of the aggregate is to be fed before the cement starts. The
benefit of using a macro is that you can use it several places in custom equations and
sequences but only have to change its value in one place - on the Quick Edit screen.
FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Plant Name Browseable list of plants.
Code Name assigned to the macro. Cannot be the same name
as a global I/O or a step label in a sequence.
Value Amount or percentage associated with the macro.
Description Literal description of the macro.
FUNCTION KEYS
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ª MATERIAL OVERVIEW
Once you have set up your plant (bins, scales, destinations, etc.), you can control
material-bin assignments and feed/discharge parameters from one screen - the
MATERIAL OVERVIEW screen. You can use this screen to assign/reassign materials
to bins and bottles, and to activate/deactivate these devices. From this screen, you
can also change feed or discharge parameters. These topics are discussed later in this
section.
A description of the fields and function keys on the MATERIAL OVERVIEW screen is
given in the tables that follow the sample screen below.
FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Ingredient Browseable list of ingredients.
From Bin, silo, or tank to which the ingredient is assigned.
Note: Ingredient-bin assignments can be changed by
pressing [F6] to pull up Material Assignments screen.
To Scale or bottle into which the “From” device discharges.
Note: Scale or measuring device assignments can be
changed by pressing [F5] to pull up the Feed
Destinations screen.
Active Yes/No toggle for activating/deactivating the device.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Other Extra devices are listed here.
Note: You can change the Start Delay, Pulse Time, and
Clear Time for one of these devices by highlighting the
device and pressing [F3] – More to access the
appropriate screen.
FUNCTION KEYS
TO REASSIGN INGREDIENTS
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TO ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE A DEVICE
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ª TRUCK WASHOUT
This feature lets you create a water-only mix design for washing out trucks. The
procedure below assumes that a washout (WO) sequence with “skip discharge
authorize” set has been created. It also assumes that items in the base sequence have
been added to the WO sequence to defeat their functionality. For example, the step
label “BEEPER” could be used to remove the “V DIS_AUTH” stop condition line so
that the washout load will automatically discharge without authorization.
1. Create a washout mix design that has inventory tracking disabled and that uses
the WO sequence.
2. Enter the mix code in the Washout Mix field of the System Defaults screen.
3. Initiate Truck Washout using one of the following methods:
• From any Spectrum screen press [ALT + T] to load the Batch Setup
screen with the washout mix design for one unit load of the washout mix.
Press [ALT + T] a second time to start the washout batch and display the
Graph screen. Discharge occurs automatically, so when washout is
complete you can escape out of the Graph and Batch Setup screens to
return to the screen you were on when you initiated washout.
• Another way to initiate truck washout is by pressing [SHIFT + F3] from
the Load Index, the Order Index, or Batch Setup screens. Pressing
[SHIFT + F3] a second time starts the washout load the same way as
described above. When truck washout is complete, you are returned to the
screen from which you initiated truck washout.
• A third way to initiate and start truck washout is to press [F3] from the
Batch Setup screen to pull up a menu. Select “Truck Washout” from the
menu and press [ENTER]. The washout mix is loaded onto the Batch
Setup screen. Press [F9] to start the washout load. When washout is
complete, escape back to the blank Batch Setup screen.
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OVERVIEW
Î TO MAKE EXPLANATION SIMPLER, THIS OVERVIEW ASSUMES
THE MIXER IS SET FOR AUTOMATIC OPERATION.
To start the mixer motor, the operator presses and holds the START button until
the motor starter is engaged and “locked up” through its auxiliary contacts to
power provided by the normally closed STOP switch. The START switch lamp
comes on and stays on once the starter is engaged.
If an I/O has been assigned to the Running Input on the Mixers screen, Spectrum
checks to make sure the mixer is running. Spectrum also checks for the presence
of the Tilted (Opened) signal which indicates that the mixer is empty. (NOTE:
This assumes the operator has manually tilted and righted the mixer once). When
the mixer is empty and running, the name of the mixer (i.e. MIXER) appears at
the top of the Spectrum screen.
Spectrum can now load the mixer. As this happens, the name of the mixer at the
top of the screen is replaced by the LOADING status message. When loading is
complete, the LOADING message is replaced by the MIXING TIME message.
Remaining mix time is displayed just to the right of this status message.
Note: The system uses the Mixer Time as set in the mix design. If no mix time
was entered in the mix design, the system uses the Mixing Time value
from the Mixers screen.
When Mixing Time expires, and the necessary interlocks are met (shroud,
diverter, etc.), the MIXING TIME status message is replaced by OPENING then
OPENED then DISCHARGING. Assuming the mixer is set for Automatic
operation, discharge occurs as controlled by the Partial Open Time, Partial Open
Pause, Full Open Time, and Discharge Time.
Once Discharge Time expires, the status message changes to CLOSING as the
mixer moves from the fully open to the fully closed position. The mixer is now
ready for another batch.
Note: If the load size exceeds the mixer’s capacity, the mixer multi-batches the
load.
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MIXERS SCREEN
On this screen, you can enter parameters and the operating mode for mixers. Up
to three mixers can be configured.
Mixers Screen
ª FIELDS
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Code Browseable list of mixers.
Name Description of the mixer.
Capacity/Unit Maximum capacity for this mixer in this unit of measure
(e.g. 10.00 cubic yards).
Charge Rate Percentage of the system discharge rate that this mixer
can handle. This percentage can be higher than the
normal charging rate (say, 150%) because mixers can
accept material at a higher charge rate than trucks can.
Keyboard Hold Browseable list of function keys. The one selected can
be used on the Graph screen to hold this mixer.
Disable Mixer Modes Yes/No field enables/disables automatic mixer operation
While Not Batching? if a batch is not in progress.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Mixer Mode Browseable list of modes of operation for the Open and
Open/Close Close functions of this mixer. There are two fields – one
for Open and one for Close. The choices for each are:
O – for offline
M – for Manual (operator presses and holds down on the
button)
T – for Triggered (operator presses and releases the
button)
A – for Automatic
Retrigger Required Yes/No field.
after Hold? Y – if the mixer is put on hold while tilting, you must
press the Tilt button after releasing the Hold button to
resume tilting.
N – if the mixer is put on hold while tilting, the mixer
will resume tilting once you release the Hold button.
Start Timer At Yes/No field.
Beginning of Load? Y – means the timer starts when the first bit of material
reaches the mixer.
N – means the timer starts after all material has been
loaded into the mixer.
Force Open During Used for a single-action gate. Works the same way as a
Discharge? scale by holding the gate open during discharge and then
releasing it.
Show Actual Mix Yes/No field. If you open the mixer before mix time
Time? expires, do you want that time printed on the ticket or the
original mix time?
Y – means print the actual mix time on the ticket.
N – means print the original mix time on the ticket.
Stop Mixer Time with Yes/No field.
Mixer Hold? Y – means the mixer timer stops counting when the
mixer is put into hold.
N – means the mixer timer keeps counting when the
mixer is put into hold.
Interface Device When an external moisture control device is attached as a
serial device, you can select it in this field.
Serial Temper Port When an external temper control device is attached as a
serial device, you can select it in this field.
Mixing Time Default length of time, in seconds, that the mixer mixes a
load. This time is used on the Batch Setup and Mix
Designs screens as the default mixer time.
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Percent of Mix Time in Used for a shrink mixer. This means you can designate a
the First Mixer certain percentage of the mix time to occur while the
material is in the first (barrel) mixer before the material
goes to the (tilt) mixer.
Partial Open Time Length of time, in seconds, required for the mixer to open
partially from the closed position.
Partial Open Pause Length of time, in seconds, the mixer remains partially
open. Because trucks cannot accept material as quickly
as the mixer can dump it, the mixer is only partially
opened when it starts to load the truck. Then, after some
of the material is in the truck, the mixer will open fully.
Full Open Time Maximum length of time, in seconds, the system waits
for the Open limit to be met before giving a warning
message. If this time is left at zero, no warning message
will be given.
Discharge Time Length of time, in seconds, that the mixer remains fully
open.
Close Time Maximum length of time, in seconds, the system waits
for the Closed limit to be met before giving a warning
message. If this time is left at zero, no warning message
will be given.
INPUTS
Open Limit Browseable list of I/O addresses for the limit switch that
indicates when the mixer is in the “tilted” position.
Close Limit Browseable list of I/O addresses for the limit switch that
indicates when the mixer is in the “righted” position.
Running Browseable list of I/O addresses for the switch that
signals when the mixer is running. If material is loaded
into a mixer that is not running, it may not be possible to
start the mixer due to the added weight of the material.
Hold Browseable list of I/O addresses for the HOLD button on
the manual station. Pressing the HOLD button stops the
automatic dumping of material from the mixer into the
truck.
OUTPUTS
Open Browseable list of I/O addresses for the “tilt” signal sent
from the system to the mixer.
Close Browseable list of I/O addresses for the “righted” signal
sent from the system to the mixer.
Mix Time Done Browseable list of I/O addresses for the signal sent from
the system to the mixer when mix time has expired.
TEMPER
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FIELD DESCRIPTION
Material Code Browseable list of names for materials to be tempered
(usu. Water).
Unit Read-only field that shows the unit of measure used for
the material to be tempered (usu. gl).
Complete Browseable list of I/O addresses for the input that signals
when temper is complete. You can select the same I/O
point as the Tilt Limit so that when the mixer is done
tilting, the temper stops.
Type Temper device type. C (counter), or S (scale).
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REPORTS
The Spectrum allows you to generate reports pertaining to batch weights, inventory,
ingredients, mix designs, customers, orders, projects, resale products, tickets, trucks,
sequences, and manual material usage. Reports are printed at the node destination
selected for the Report printer on the PLANTS screen. A sample of each report is
provided in this section.
PRINTING REPORTS
1. Select MAIN MENUREPORTS. The REPORTS MENU appears.
Reports Menu
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NOTE: When oven dry mixes are used, the %MOISTURE and ACTUAL
WAT column labels will read %FREE WAT and FREE
WATER, respectively.
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NOTE: When oven dry mixes are used, the %MOISTURE and ACTUAL
WAT column labels will read %FREE WAT and FREE
WATER, respectively.
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NOTE: When oven dry mixes are used, the %MOISTURE and ACTUAL
WAT column labels will read %FREE WAT and FREE
WATER, respectively.
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===============================================================================
Friday, November 1, 2002 14:37 PAGE 1
*** USAGE BY MATERIAL REPORT ***
TODAY'S TOTALS
Run from plant: 01
Last Cleared Time/Date 06/26/2002 11:27
===============================================================================
INGREDIENT REQUIRED AUTO-BATCHED ERROR (%) ON HAND
1 A'S 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
1 CR GR 151525.88 lb 151044.81 lb -.32 9505017.00 lb
1 CR ST C 113710.73 lb 113453.53 lb -.23 3342546.50 lb
1 RD GR 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
2 CR GR 165938.86 lb 165177.44 lb -.46 589758.56 lb
BLEND C 298628.78 lb 297123.34 lb -.50 4265181.50 lb
GRAV-BLEND 431620.38 lb 429798.09 lb -.42 4890358.00 lb
SAND TCG 1002252.94 lb 998015.50 lb -.42 6545947.50 lb
CEMENT 8100.00 lb 8081.39 lb -.23 6585320.50 lb
FINE AGG L 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 2386523.00 lb
FLYASH 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
PORT ST M 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
PORT WOOD 311306.94 lb 309609.78 lb -.55 290390.31 lb
PORTWOOD L 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
TYPE 3 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
COLD 103567.38 gl 100652.62 gl -2.81 733899.25 gl
HOT 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb
100 XR 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz
220-N 5813.88 oz 5868.00 oz 0.93 22532.00 oz
DARACCEL 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz
DARACEM 55 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 5000.00 oz
MB-VR 1633.61 oz 1667.50 oz 2.07 28332.50 oz
MICRO AIR 2089.02 oz 2201.00 oz 5.36 7799.00 oz
POZZ 307.80 oz 309.00 oz 0.39 19691.00 oz
POZZUTEC 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 10000.00 oz
RHEOBUILD 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 22000.00 oz
*** END OF REPORT ***
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===========================================================================================================================
Friday, November 1, 2002 14:40
*** USAGE BY PLANT ***
TODAY'S TOTALS
PLANT: 01
Last Cleared Time/Date 06/26/2002 11:31
===========================================================================================================================
INGREDIENT LOCATION ON HAND REQUIRED AUTO-BATCHED ERROR (%) MANUAL TOTAL BATCHED MATERIAL USAGE COST
1 CR GR BIN02 9505019.00 lb 151525.84 lb 151044.81 lb -.32 0.00 lb 151044.81 lb 755.21
1 CR ST C BIN01 3342546.50 lb 113710.73 lb 113453.53 lb -.23 0.00 lb 113453.53 lb 678.40
2 CR GR BIN06 589758.56 lb 165938.86 lb 165177.44 lb -.46 0.00 lb 165177.44 lb 789.73
BLEND C BIN04 4265180.50 lb 298628.78 lb 297123.34 lb -.50 0.00 lb 297123.34 lb 1240.11
GRAV-BLEND BIN05 4882801.00 lb 439199.34 lb 437356.22 lb -.42 0.00 lb 437356.22 lb 2015.01
SAND TCG BIN03 6545946.50 lb 1002252.94 lb 998015.50 lb -.42 0.00 lb 998015.50 lb 2105.67
CEMENT SILO01 6585320.50 lb 8100.00 lb 8081.39 lb -.23 0.00 lb 8081.39 lb 898.10
PORT WOOD SILO02 288288.81 lb 313421.94 lb 311711.19 lb -.55 0.00 lb 311711.19 lb 1540.86
TYPE 3 SILO03 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00 0.00 lb 0.00 lb 0.00
COLD WATER01 733899.38 gl 103567.39 gl 100652.62 gl -2.81 0.00 gl 100652.62 gl 0.00
100 XR ADMIX04 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00
220-N ADMIX02 22487.00 oz 5856.19 oz 5913.00 oz 0.97 0.00 oz 5913.00 oz 298.56
DARACCEL ADMIX07 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00
DARACEM 55 ADMIX01 5000.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00
MB-VR ADMIX05 28332.50 oz 1633.61 oz 1667.50 oz 2.07 0.00 oz 1667.50 oz 185.49
MICRO AIR ADMIX06 7776.00 oz 2135.37 oz 2224.00 oz 4.15 0.00 oz 2224.00 oz 145.32
POZZ ADMIX03 19691.00 oz 307.80 oz 309.00 oz 0.39 0.00 oz 309.00 oz 67.35
POZZUTEC ADMIX08 10000.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00
RHEOBUILD ADMIX09 22000.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00 0.00 oz 0.00 oz 0.00
*** END OF REPORT ***
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===============================================================================
Friday, November 1, 2002 14:51
*** USAGE BY BIN REPORT ***
TODAY'S TOTALS
PLANT: 01
Last Cleared Time/Date 06/26/2002 11:27
===============================================================================
CODE DEVICE UNITS REQUIRED MANUAL BATCHED ON HAND
BLEND C BIN04 lb 298628.8 0.0 297123.3 4265180.5
GRAV-BLEND BIN05 lb 439199.3 0.0 437356.2 4882801.0
1 CR GR BIN02 lb 151525.8 0.0 151044.8 9505019.0
1 CR ST C BIN01 lb 113710.7 0.0 113453.5 3342546.5
SAND TCG BIN03 lb 1002252.9 0.0 998015.5 6545946.5
RHEOBUILD ADMIX09 oz 0.0 0.0 0.0 22000.0
POZZUTEC ADMIX08 oz 0.0 0.0 0.0 10000.0
220-N ADMIX02 oz 5856.2 0.0 5913.0 22487.0
DARACCEL ADMIX07 oz 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
MICRO AIR ADMIX06 oz 2135.4 0.0 2224.0 7776.0
MB-VR ADMIX05 oz 1633.6 0.0 1667.5 28332.5
100 XR ADMIX04 oz 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
DARACEM 55 ADMIX01 oz 0.0 0.0 0.0 5000.0
POZZ ADMIX03 oz 307.8 0.0 309.0 19691.0
CEMENT SILO01 lb 8100.0 0.0 8081.4 6585320.5
COLD WATER01 gl 103567.4 0.0 100652.6 733899.4
2 CR GR BIN06 lb 165938.9 0.0 165177.4 589758.6
TYPE 3 SILO03 lb 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
PORT WOOD SILO02 lb 313421.9 0.0 311711.2 288288.8
*** END OF REPORT ***
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MIX INVENTORY
Select Time Period: 1 for Day, 2 for Week, 3 for Month, or 4 for Year.
Example below shows Today’s Totals.
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The example below shows totals for two days, 02/16/2004 through 02/18/2004.
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INGREDIENT LISTING
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INGREDIENT AMOUNT
---------- ---------------
BLEND C 1887.0000 lb
SAND TCG 1043.0000 lb
PORT WOOD 606.0000 lb
COLD 265.0000 gl
MB- VR 2.7500 /C
220-N 2.0000 /C
POZZ 0.0000 oz
100 XR 0.0000 oz
DARACCEL 0.0000 oz
POZZUTEC 0.0000 oz
INGREDIENT AMOUNT
---------- ---------------
SAND TCG 1374.0000 lb
PORT WOOD 1215.0000 lb
COLD 275.0000 lb
INGREDIENT AMOUNT
---------- ---------------
2 CR ST C 0.0000
SAND TCG 1035.0000 lb
1 CR ST C 749.0000 lb
PORT WOOD 515.0000 lb
FINE AGG L 91.0000 lb
COLD 270.0000 lb
220-N 2.0000 /C
MB- VR 1.8000 /C
POZZ 0.0000 oz
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CUSTOMER LISTING
Only part of the list is shown below.
CUSTOMER
CODE NAME AND ADDRESS MISC INFO
---------- ------------------ ---------------------- ------------------------
ALKON ALKON CORP. Account Status : STATUS
BILLING ADDRESS LINE NUMBER 1 Account Balance: 1304.77
BILLING ADDRESS LINE NUMBER 2 Discount Code : DISCOUNT
PO-BOX Tax Zone : TAX
DUBLIN OH 43017 COD? : Y
Contact: CONTACT NAME Print Prices? : Y
Phone: (CON)PHN-NUMB
Notes: NOTES FIELD
Account No: ACCOUNT NUMBER
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CURRENT ORDERS
Enter the status or orders to be included in the report:
N Normal
C Cancelled
E Ended
H Held
W Will Call
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ALL ORDERS
(Tomorrow’s, Yesterday’s, Future, and Past Order reports are not shown because they
have the same layout as the All Orders report.)
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LOADS BY ORDER
TRUCK From
Load Plant Leave Travel Wait Pour Wash Travel Return
----------------- ------ -------------------- ------------------- ----------------
9.00 yd 01 11:14 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ????? 00:00
100 9.00 yd 01 11:21 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ????? 00:00
100 9.00 yd 01 11:09 20.0 10.0 10.0 -28.2 -40.3 11:21
------------------------ --------
Delivered 27.0 yd Averages: 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ?????
Customer: LINDSEY CONST
--------
TRUCK From
Load Plant Leave Travel Wait Pour Wash Travel Return
----------------- ------ -------------------- ------------------- ----------------
779 10.00 yd 01 11:29 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ????? 00:00
779 10.00 yd 01 11:26 20.0 10.0 10.0 -37.2 -49.3 11:29
------------------------ --------
Delivered 20.0 yd Averages: 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ?????
Customer: MURDOCK HOMES
--------
TRUCK From
Load Plant Leave Travel Wait Pour Wash Travel Return
----------------- ------ -------------------- ------------------- ----------------
123 10.00 yd 01 11:54 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ????? 00:00
123 10.00 yd 01 11:54 20.0 10.0 10.0 -39.9 -50.4 11:54
123 10.00 yd 01 11:32 20.0 10.0 10.0 -18.2 -50.5 11:54
------------------------ --------
Delivered 30.0 yd Averages: 20.0 10.0 10.0 ????? ?????
*** END OF REPORT ***
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ORDERS BY PLANT
LINDSEY CONST
MURDOCK HOMES
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PROJECT LISTING
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PROJECTS BY CUSTOMER
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EXPIRED PROJECTS
* * * END OF REPORT * * *
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* * * END OF REPORT * * *
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* * * END OF REPORT * * *
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C.O.D. TICKETS
Non-C.O.D. and All Ticket reports are laid out the same way, so they are not shown.
Ticket Totals:
Discount Tax Ticket
Total Total Total
----------------------- -------
0.00 7.52 109.52
Ticket Totals:
Discount Tax Ticket
Total Total Total
----------------------- -------
0.00 0.00 0.00
Ticket Totals:
Discount Tax Ticket
Total Total Total
----------------------- -------
0.00 15.05 219.05
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VOIDED TICKETS
No tickets were voided on March 23, 2000.
* * * END OF REPORT * * *
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TICKETS BY CUSTOMER
Only part of the report is shown.
=============================================================================
Thursday, March 23, 2000 12:18 Page 1
*** CUSTOMER/ORDER/TICKET LISTING ***
for Thursday, March 23, 2000
thru Thursday, March 23, 2000
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
----------------------------
CUSTOMER TOTALS: 27.00 yd 22.57 328.57
____________________________________________________________________________
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
----------------------------
CUSTOMER TOTALS: 20.00 yd 0.00 0.00
_____________________________________________________________________________
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MATERIAL COSTS
Only part of the report is shown.
================================================================================
Thursday, March 23, 2000 12:18 Page 1
*** CUSTOMER/ORDER/TICKET LISTING ***
for Thursday, March 23, 2000
thru Thursday, March 23, 2000
=================================================================================
=================================================================================
=================================================================================
----------------------------------------
CUSTOMER TOTALS: 27.00 yd 22.57 328.57 -.an
=================================================================================
=================================================================================
----------------------------------------
CUSTOMER TOTALS: 20.00 yd 0.00 0.00 -.an
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FLEET UTILIZATION
=============================================================================================================================
Thursday, March 23, 2000 12:19 PAGE 1
*** FLEET UTILIZATION REPORT ***
for Thursday, March 23, 2000
thru Thursday, March 23, 2000
=============================================================================================================================
Plant 01
Truck License Active Units Total Wash Wash %
Number Hours Per Hour Trips Units Load Down Travel Wait Pour Out Travel Capacity
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
100 NONE 0.20 45.83 1 9.00 | 0.9 0.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 12.1 0.0 | 100.00
123 0.36 27.59 1 10.00 | 20.8 0.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 32.3 0.0 | 83.33
779 0.05 210.53 1 10.00 | 1.5 0.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 12.1 0.0 | 90.91
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plant 01 Totals: 47.82 3 29.00 23.1 0.0 60.0 30.0 30.0 56.5 0.0 | 90.62
Average Minutes Per Delivery.......................... 7.7 0.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 18.8 0.0
Percent of Times Spent................................ 63.54 0.00 164.91 82.46 82.46 155.25 0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Company Totals: 47.82 3 29.00 23.1 0.0 60.0 30.0 30.0 56.5 0.0 | 90.62
Average Minutes Per Delivery.......................... 7.7 0.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 18.8 0.0
Percent of Times Spent................................ 63.54 0.00 164.91 82.46 82.46 155.25 0.00
Productivity Summary.................................. 47.82 yards per driver hour 1.3 minutes per yard
*** END OF REPORT ***
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Load
Plant Type Time ID Ingredient Bin/Tank Amount Units
----------------- ------ -------------------- ------------------- --------------
System Restart 10:25 0.00
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SEQUENCE LISTING
Only the first few steps of the first sequence is shown.
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CATEGORIES
There are four separate End of Day categories: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly.
Each category lists Reports and Procedures you can select to run or not run. You
cannot add reports or procedures; you can only choose which ones to run or not run.
1. Select MAIN MENU END OF DAY. A screen similar to the one shown next
appears.
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3. Select a category and press [ENTER]. The appropriate setup screen appears.
In the following example, we selected “End of Day.”
4. On the top half of the screen, enter the number of copies to print for each
report. (Leave a zero for each report you do not want printed.)
5. On the bottom half of the screen, enter a Y for each procedure you want to
run.
6. Press [F1] to save your entries.
7. Press [ESC] to return to the Setup selection box if you need to select another
category to set up.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for each remaining category (End of Week, End of
Month, and End of Year).
IMPORTANT NOTES:
• “Clear and Reset . . . Inventory” should be set to Y so inventory totals are
always reset.
• If you purchased the Winlink product, refer to the User’s Manual for file
export information.
• For End of Day and End of Week setups, you can enter Y for either “Backup
Data to Floppy” or “Backup Data to USB,” not both.
• End of Month Inventory Report Flag. You can select the current working
month in the Set the Current Working Month for Automatic EOM
Operation field of the End of Month Setup screen so the system will
automatically remind you if you haven’t run an End of Month Inventory
report. If the report needs to be run, the End of Month screen automatically
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appears when you restart the Spectrum (assuming you properly shut down the
system the night before).
2. On the top half of the screen, type a Y next to the “End of” procedures you
want to run.
3. Also on the top half of the screen, type a Y under the Floppy Disk or USB
column (not both) for Backup Batch Weights and Database Files Backup.
(You can only back up Custom directory files to floppy disk.)
Note: For Backup Batch Weights, you can enter a P so that batch
weights will be purged when the End of Day process is run
(even if batch weights have not been backed up).
4. Press [F1] – Start to initiate the selected procedure(s). Once the “End of”
process is finished, the system automatically performs the proper shutdown
procedure. It then informs you that shutdown has been completed. You may
then power off the Spectrum.
Note: If batch weights are older than the number of days specified on
the SYSTEM DEFAULTS screen, a message to this effect is
displayed on the bottom half of the End of Day Procedure
screen. If you do not back up batch weights 10 days after this
default deadline, the system automatically backs them up.
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5. Enter the material file script (file where batch weights data is stored in the
Spectrum). The default is mat_file.x. (To export load-level batch weights,
enter mat_file_by_load.x.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the File
Name field.
6. Enter the name of the file to which batch weights will be exported. The
default is mat_rec.dat. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Directory
field.
Remember: DOS file names can only have 8 characters, a period, then a 3-
character extension.
7. Enter the directory to which batch weights will be copied. The default is the
3-letter abbreviation for the current day of the week (e.g. Tue). (Note: The
browse list lets you choose from a list of 3-letter abbreviations for days of the
week.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Full Path and File Name
field.
8. If you want to use another file path and name besides the ones specified in the
Directory and File Name fields, enter it here.
9. Press [F1] to export the batch weights.
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DISK UTILITIES
From the DISK UTILITIES MENU you can back up and restore the database, as well as
format floppy disks and perform other specialized functions. The options listed
below are the only ones you should use. They are discussed in this section. The
remaining options are either duplicated in the “End Of” processes, or should only be
used with the authorization of Command Alkon Support Services personnel.
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Note: Before you back up to USB removable device, make sure the
device has been set up, formatted, and connected as described in
the document “Data Transfer From/To a USB Device”.
The operations mentioned above are performed from the following screen, which
appears when you select MAIN MENUSYSTEM MAINTENANCEDISK UTILITIES
FLOPPY / REMOVABLE MEDIA BACKUP & RESTORE.
While most backups are completed in the “End of” processes, backups done from the
DISK UTILITIES menu offer additional flexibility in that you can designate which
database files to backup. Procedures for backing up to floppy disk and USB
removable device are given next.
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2. The cursor is on the Operation field with Backup as the default entry. Press
[ENTER] to accept Backup and move the cursor to the Drive field.
3. The default value for the Drive field is First. Press [ENTER] to select this
entry. The cursor moves to the Directory field.
First refers to the standard floppy disk drive on your workstation.
Second is valid if you have two floppy drives.
USB can only be used if a USB removable device has been set up and
connected to the PC.
4. The default for the Directory field is Database. Press [ENTER] to accept
this value. The cursor moves to the Files field.
5. Select one of the following options and press [ENTER]:
• All
• Data Files
• Customers
• Mixes/Ingredients
• Orders
• Projects
• Trucks
6. Press [F1] to start the backup process. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Another message tells you when backup is complete.
Note: Before you back up to USB removable device, make sure the
device has been set up, formatted, and connected as described in
the document “Data Transfer From/To a USB Device”.
Procedures for backing up to a USB removable device are the same as those for
backing up to floppy disk, except that USB must be entered in the Drive field. One
benefit of using a USB removable device is increased storage capacity.
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The Restore function is used to restore lost data (usually because of system failure).
You can restore data from either a floppy disk or USB removable device.
USB removable device restore procedures are the same as those for restoring
from floppy disk, except that USB must be entered in the Drive field.
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Hard disk backup and restore functions are performed from the following screen,
which appears when you select MAIN MENUSYSTEM MAINTENANCEDISK
UTILITIES HARD DISK BACKUP & RESTORE.
2. The cursor is on the Operation field with Backup as the default entry. Press
[ENTER] to accept Backup and move the cursor to the Directory field.
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3. The default for the Directory field is Database. Press [ENTER] to accept
this value. The cursor moves to the Files field.
4. Select one of the following options from the browse list and press [ENTER].
The entry appears in the Files field.
• All
• Data Files
• Customers
• Mixes/Ingredients
• Orders
• Projects
• Trucks
5. Press [ENTER] if you need to change the path and backup file name (default
is /usr/spec/db.bak). Note: When an End of Day process is run, the database
is automatically backed up to /usr/spec/db.bak.
6. Press [F1] to start the backup process. On-screen messages tell you when the
backup is started and completed.
2. The cursor is on the Operation field with Backup as the default entry. Select
Restore from the browse list and press [ENTER]. Press [ENTER] again to
move the cursor to the Directory field.
3. The default for the Directory field is Database. Press [ENTER] to use this
value. The cursor moves to the Files field.
Or, select Custom from the browse list and press [ENTER]. Press [ENTER]
again to move to the Files field.
4. Select one of the following options from the browse list and press [ENTER].
The entry appears in the Files field.
NOTE: If you select Custom in the Directory field, the only thing you
can select in the Files field is All.
• All
• Data Files
• Customers
• Mixes/Ingredients
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• Orders
• Projects
• Trucks
5. Press [ENTER] to move to the Directory Name field if you need to change
the path and restore file name (default is /usr/spec/db.bak).
6. Press [F1] to start the restore process. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Other messages tell you what is going on (e.g., purging old loads, restore
completed, etc.). When the restore process is complete, the system
automatically reboots.
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Batch weights should be backed up at least once every 30 days. Normally, this is
done daily when the End of Day process is run. However, you can do this without
running an End of Day process. This is accomplished from the screen shown below.
Notice that a message at the top of the screen shows the load ID and date range for
batch weights not yet backed up.
NOTE: The number of days the system keeps batch weights is specified on
the SYSTEM DEFAULTS screen. If you have not backed up batch
weights 10 days after this default deadline, the system
automatically backs them up.
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Batch weights stored on USB removable device can be viewed directly from the USB
removable device. If the USB removable device is not connected, the system reads
what is on the hard disk. Batch weights stored on floppy disk, however, must be
restored to the hard disk before they can be viewed. To restore batch weights to hard
disk:
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Note: Before you export to USB removable device, make sure the device
has been set up, formatted, and connected as described in the
document “Data Transfer From/To a USB Device”.
This utility lets you transfer ticket information to a DOS or Windows accounting
program, or to a QNX-formatted floppy disk or USB removable device.
Export Tickets
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4. Select the End Date. The default is today’s date. You can browse for dates
with tickets. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Ticket File Script
field.
5. Enter the ticket file script (file where ticket data is stored in Spectrum). The
default is ticket_file.x. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the File Name
field.
6. Enter the name of the file to which tickets will be exported. The default is
ticket.dat. (Remember: DOS file names can only have 8 characters, a period
then a 3-character extension.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the
Directory field.
7. Enter the directory to which ticket files will be copied. The default is the 3-
letter abbreviation for the current day of the week (e.g. Tue). (NOTE: The
browse list lets you choose from a list of 3-letter abbreviations for days of the
week.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Full Path and File Name
field.
8. If you want to use another file path and name besides the ones specified in the
Directory and File Name fields, enter it here.
9. Press [F1] to export the tickets.
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Note: Before you transfer data to a USB removable device, make sure
the device has been set up, formatted, and connected as described
in the document “Data Transfer From/To a USB Device”.
This utility lets you transfer batch weight information to Command Alkon’s QC
Helper, to a Microsoft Windows quality control program, or to a QNX-formatted
floppy disk of USB removable device.
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3. Select the Start Date. The default is today’s date. You can browse for dates
with batch weights. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the End Date
field.
4. Select the End Date. The default is today’s date. You can browse for dates
with batch weights. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Mat File
Script field.
5. Enter the material file script (file where batch weights data is stored in the
Spectrum). The default is mat_file.x. (To export load-level batch weights,
enter mat_file_by_load.x.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the File
Name field.
6. Enter the name of the file to which batch weights will be exported. The
default is mat_rec.dat. Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Directory
field.
Remember: DOS file names can only have 8 characters, a period, then a 3-
character extension.
7. Enter the directory to which batch weights will be copied. The default is the
3-letter abbreviation for the current day of the week (e.g. Tue). (Note: The
browse list lets you choose from a list of 3-letter abbreviations for days of the
week.) Press [ENTER]. The cursor moves to the Full Path and File Name
field.
8. If you want to use another file path and name besides the ones specified in the
Directory and File Name fields, enter it here.
9. Press [F1] to export the batch weights.
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FORMAT DISKS
This utility allows you to format a floppy disk or USB removable device on your
Spectrum workstation. Spectrum allows you to format disks in QNX or DOS.
Floppy disks used for data backups must be formatted in QNX. Floppy disks used for
exporting ticket data must be formatted in DOS.
USB removable devices used for both data backups and ticket exports must be
formatted, first, in QNX then in DOS. If it is formatted in DOS then QNX, the DOS
partition will be wiped out by the QNX formatting.
Format Disk
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QNX format.
Second Formats a disk placed in the second floppy drive in
a QNX format.
A Formats a disk placed in the first floppy drive in a
DOS format.
B Formats a disk placed in the second floppy drive in
a DOS format.
USB Formats a USB removable device in a QNX format.
(See the instructions below for formatting a USB
removable device.)
3. In the Size of Floppy Disk field, 1.44 M is the default. (You can select
another one from the browse list, then press [ENTER] to enter it in this field.)
4. Press [F1] to start the formatting process. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Before you can write to a USB device from Spectrum, it must be formatted for QNX.
Only do this once because all data on the device is erased!
If the USB device will be used to transfer/store data in a DOS/Windows format, you
will need to format the device on a Windows PC. (The following example uses a
Windows XP SP2 PC.)
2. After Windows recognizes the device, open My Computer and locate the
icon/name for the USB device (it might be labeled “Removable Disk”).
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5. Click Start.
6. When formatting is finished, close and safely remove the USB device.
The USB device now contains a 100 MB DOS partition. The remainder of the
storage space on the device is the QNX partition.
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Note: The · in the first command on the above screen means you have to scroll
to the right to see the rest of the command. The complete command is:
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4. Enter the appropriate pre-process commands, mix file name, and import “ini”
file. (See the sample screen on the previous page.) Be sure to enter a Y for
the prep commands and import line.
5. Press [F4]. The system deletes mix designs and material records from the
Spectrum, and imports mix designs from the floppy. (Slump information is
included in our example.)
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INDEX
Customers Screen, 33
A
D
Aborting Batches, 211
Absolute Value Ingredients, 43 Dampening
Admix Designs Screen, 53 Scale Flow Control, 91
admix modifiers, 56 Database
Admixture Bottles Screen, 96 Adding a Record, 30
Assigning Materials, 104 Editing a Record, 30
Auto Bin Switching, 106 How Is the Database Organized?, 29
Viewing a Record, 31
What Is the Database?, 29
B What Is the Purpose of the Database?, 29
Backup & Restore Device Property Sets, 110
Batch Weights, 286 Disk Formatting, 292
Floppy or Zip Disk, 280 Disk Utilities, 279
Hard Drive, 283
Bar Code Printing, 148 E
Batch on Receipt, 174
Batch Setup Edit MMM Description Screen, 69
Adjusting Truck Charge Rate, 206 Effectiveness of Ingredients, 44
Adjustments to Moisture, 197 End of Day Procedures, 272
Adjustments to Water, 196 End of Month Inventory Report Flag, 273
Changing Target Weights, 195 Export
Edit Truck Code After Discharge, 203 batch weights, 276
Edit Truck Code Before Discharge, 199 Export Batch Weights to QC Helper, 290
Batch Setup Screen, 191 Export Tickets to DOS File, 288
Batch Weights, 217 Extra Devices Screen, 102
Selecting for Printing, 146
Batch Weights Export, 276
Batching Defaults, 113
F
Batching Operations Fast Feed, 81, 171
Aborting Batches, 211 Feed Configurations, 81
Basic Steps - Automatic Batching, 174 Feed Destinations Screen, 108
Batching Cycle, 170 Feed Types, 81, 171
Discharge Cycle, 173 Fields
Feed Sequencing, 172 Browseable, 23
Screens Used, 175 Definition, 14
Starting Discharge, 211 Selecting a Field, 22
Batching Screens Flow Control Dampening, 91
Batch Setup, 191 Formatting a Disk, 292
Concrete Calculator, 189 Freewheeling, 223
Graph, 207
Order Entry, 180
Order Index & Load Index, 175 G
Bin Swapping, 227 Graph Screen, 207
Bin Switching
Automatic, 106
Bins Screen, 76 H
Holding Tanks Screen, 98
C Hundred Weight Ingredients, 44
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M R
Manual Station Record – definition, 14
Labels, 131 Reports, 238
Material Assignments, 104 Cancel Printing, 239
Material Calculation Types, 126 Reprinting Tickets, 216
Material Calculations Screen, 123 Resale Products Screen, 57
Material Overview
Activating/Deactivating a Device, 231 S
Changing Feed & Discharge Parameters, 231
Reassigning Materials, 230 Sales Tax Rates Screen, 32
Material Overview Screen, 229 Scales Screen, 85
Menu Structure, 25 Screen Layout, 27
Metered Liquids Screen, 93 Screens
Mix Designs Screen, 45 Accessing, 21
Mixer Operation, 233 Exiting, 24
Mixers Screen, 234 Field Help, 24
Motion Detection, 89 Moving from Field to Field, 22
Multi-Batch Printing, 146 Selecting a Field, 22
Multi-Batching, 172, 222 Selecting Entries from Browseable Fields, 23
Shutdown Procedure, 20
Shutdown Without Running “End of” Processes, 278
N Slump, 70
Navigating the System, 21 Slump Table, 70
New Features, 15 Slurry Calculations, 128
Node, 14 Starting Discharge, 211
System Defaults, 119
O
T
Order Entry
To Change Order Pricing, 186, 187 Ticket (sample), 213
To Change Order Times, 185 Ticket Alias File, 135, 137
To Copy an Order, 187 Ticket Editing, 215
To Edit an Order, 184 Ticket Layout Editor Screen, 132
To Enter an Order, 184 Ticket Printing, 212
Order Entry Screen, 180 Ticket Reports, 216
ORDER INDEX SCREEN, 175 Ticket Scripts, 139
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