CAT Roof Support PMC-R Shield Control System Operation Manual - PDF DOWNLOAD

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Doc. -No: Signal Peak03_78_00 Date: October, 2018

Operation Manual PMC-R Shield Control System

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Table of Contents Description.......................................................................................................................1 Display.............................................................................................................................2 Display Categories.......................................................................................................2 Default Display.........................................................................................................2 Active Display...........................................................................................................2 Master Display..........................................................................................................3 Slave Display............................................................................................................3 Input Display.............................................................................................................3 Keys.................................................................................................................................4 General Key Concepts.................................................................................................4 Audible Feedback.....................................................................................................4 External Beeper........................................................................................................4 Timeout.....................................................................................................................4 Stuck Key Error........................................................................................................4 Multiple Key Error.....................................................................................................4 Keyboard Modes..........................................................................................................4 Idle Mode..................................................................................................................5 Master Mode.............................................................................................................5 Group Function Mode...............................................................................................5 Data Entry Mode.......................................................................................................5 Help Mode................................................................................................................5 Specific Key Information..............................................................................................5 Hot keys....................................................................................................................5 Single Select Keys....................................................................................................6 Man-In-Place Function Keys....................................................................................7 In-Shield Automatic Keys.........................................................................................8 Group Select Keys....................................................................................................9 Group Function Keys................................................................................................9 Number keys..........................................................................................................10 Menu Navigation Keys...........................................................................................10 Other Keys..............................................................................................................11 Menu Control.................................................................................................................12 iii

Navigation..................................................................................................................12 Freeze Display Feature..............................................................................................13 Go-Back Feature........................................................................................................13 Parameter Changing..................................................................................................14 Local / Global Parameters......................................................................................15 Parameter Locking.................................................................................................15 Safety Features.............................................................................................................16 Local Lockout Button.................................................................................................16 Quickstop Button........................................................................................................17 Pressure Dump Feature.............................................................................................17 Resetting the System.............................................................................................17 Redundant Link (Intelligent).......................................................................................18 Conveyor Prestart with Visual Warning.....................................................................19 Conveyor Overload....................................................................................................19 Umbrella Lock............................................................................................................19 Controlling the Umbrella Lock................................................................................20 Maintenance Lock......................................................................................................21 Controlling the Maintenance Lock..........................................................................21 Active Maintenance Lock Displays.........................................................................22 Stop Key.....................................................................................................................22 Flashing lights................................................................................................................23 Shearer Signaling.......................................................................................................24 Single Shield Control.....................................................................................................25 Adjacent manual operation........................................................................................25 Adjacent automatic operation....................................................................................25 Remote Control..........................................................................................................25 Autosequence................................................................................................................26 Overview....................................................................................................................26 Start Options..............................................................................................................27 Prewarning / Active Display.......................................................................................27 Restrictions................................................................................................................27 Umbrella Lock interaction.......................................................................................27 Detailed Operating Logic...........................................................................................27 Autosequence Chart...............................................................................................28 iv

List of Steps............................................................................................................28 Errors......................................................................................................................37 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................38 Group Auto Functions....................................................................................................40 Batch Advance...........................................................................................................40 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................42 Operating Logic & Modes.......................................................................................42 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................43 Restrictions.............................................................................................................43 Errors......................................................................................................................43 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................43 Wedge Advance.........................................................................................................43 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................43 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................44 Operating Logic......................................................................................................44 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................45 Restrictions.............................................................................................................45 Errors......................................................................................................................45 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................45 Batch Pullback...........................................................................................................45 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................45 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................46 Operating Logic......................................................................................................47 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................49 Restrictions.............................................................................................................49 Errors......................................................................................................................49 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................49 Bankpush...................................................................................................................49 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................50 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................51 Operating Logic......................................................................................................51 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................52 Restrictions.............................................................................................................52 Errors......................................................................................................................52 v

Parameter Summary..............................................................................................52 Conveyor Push...........................................................................................................52 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................53 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................54 Operating Logic......................................................................................................54 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................57 Restrictions.............................................................................................................57 Errors......................................................................................................................57 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................58 Batch Flippers............................................................................................................59 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................59 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................60 Operating Logic......................................................................................................61 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................61 Restrictions.............................................................................................................61 Errors......................................................................................................................61 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................61 Auto Flippers..............................................................................................................61 Operator Display & Keystrokes..............................................................................61 Prewarning / Active Display....................................................................................61 Operating Logic......................................................................................................62 Enable / Disable Options........................................................................................62 Restrictions.............................................................................................................62 Errors......................................................................................................................62 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................63 Shearer Running Batch (SRB)......................................................................................64 Shearer Position.........................................................................................................64 Primepoint..................................................................................................................65 Mining Cycle Overview..............................................................................................65 Bidirectional............................................................................................................65 Operator Display & Keystrokes..................................................................................65 Newstart.................................................................................................................65 Restart....................................................................................................................66 Entering a Manual Position....................................................................................67 vi

Stopping SRB.........................................................................................................68 Prewarning / Active Display.......................................................................................68 Setting up the Safety Zones.......................................................................................69 Operator Safety Zone.............................................................................................69 Manual Safety Zone...............................................................................................71 Conveyor Push Distance Behind Advanced Shields.............................................72 Delayed or Reverse Pushing.....................................................................................73 SRB Gate Operation..................................................................................................73 Leaving the Gate End.............................................................................................73 Entering the Gate End............................................................................................74 Bidirectional Cutting Cycle.........................................................................................75 Bidirectional Cutting Cycle Beginning at Headgate...............................................76 Bidirectional Cutting Cycle Beginning at Tailgate..................................................78 Gate-area Shield Re-advance...................................................................................80 Restrictions................................................................................................................80 Parameter Summary..............................................................................................80 Pressure Pause.............................................................................................................83 Diagnostics....................................................................................................................84 CST Declutch.................................................................................................................84 Errors.............................................................................................................................84 Clearing Errors...........................................................................................................85 Error List.....................................................................................................................85 PMC-R System Components........................................................................................89 PMC-R Single Control Unit (SCU).............................................................................89 Driver Board...............................................................................................................89 Brass Bar...................................................................................................................90 Isolation Adapter........................................................................................................91 SKK24 Hose Cable....................................................................................................91 SKK28 Hose Cable....................................................................................................91 Pressure Sensor........................................................................................................92 Reed Rod...................................................................................................................93 Configuration Drawings.................................................................................................94 Shield Layout (Face)..................................................................................................94 Shield Layout (Face with sideseal)............................................................................95 vii

Headgate Area...........................................................................................................96 Group Layouts............................................................................................................98 Left Hand Face Configuration................................................................................99 Right Hand Face Configuration............................................................................100 Display Glossary..........................................................................................................101

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DESCRIPTION The PMC-R Shield Control Unit is an advanced digital shield control system. It is based on patented state-of-the-art electronics and contains multiple sub-processors, a dual line display, color coded keys, and a built-in infrared receiver. The PMC-R is capable of operating in a network of hundreds of units and utilizes modern software concepts to maximize the effectiveness of the computing and communications hardware. The PMC-R is housed in a stainless steel watertight enclosure that will hold up to most underground situations.

The keys are color coded to match the type of purpose they serve.

Man-in-place Keys

Number Keys

(Blue) 8 Total

0 thru 9

Group Select Keys Left or Right

Menu Navigation Keys

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Single Select Keys Left or Right

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DISPLAY The PMC-R Display is a backlit LCD display with 2 lines of 22 characters each.

Display Categories The following display categories exist: Default Display: no keys pressed; no shield function is occurring Active Display: shield function (such as Bankpush) is active Master Display: operator has selected another shield for manual operation Slave Display: this shield is selected for manual operation Input Display: operator is entering numerical values

Default Display The Default Display is shown when the PMC-R is not operating any other function.

#129 317 105>

100%

90* IR

"#129" is the shield number.

"90" is the flipper angle in degrees; the "*" indicates Positive Flipper Retract is active.

"105>" is the Shearer Position & Direction.

"100%" is the Ram Stroke in percent.

"IR" indicates "Infrared" shearer tracking is in use. "Serial" would indicate serial tracking. "Manual" would indicate manual shearer tracking.

An "i" preceding any sensor reading indicates the sensor is being ignored because it is turned Off under the Sensor Status section of the menu.

Any invalid value will be displayed as "~~~" instead of a number.

Active Display The Active Display is shown when the shield is executing a function. The details vary depending on the function which is active. Generally, functions will leave the bottom line of the default display and display status information on the top line with the name of the function surrounded by “!”. For example, this shows an active ASQ function in the Warning state:

! ASQ ! * WARNING * 317 105>I 100% ~~~ Note also that the last value on the bottom line is invalid causing it to be displayed as “~~~”.

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Master Display When an operator uses the PMC-R on one shield to control another shield manually, the shield where the operator is pressing keys is called the Master and the Master Display will be shown. Although most hydraulic functions can be activated using the dark blue “man-in-place function keys” there may be other hydraulic functions available. These are called Auxiliary Functions and are shown in the display where they are controlled using the N & P arrow keys.

For example, the Lemniscate Spray line allows the operator to control the lemniscate spray function by pressing and holding the P-key (the arrow below the “ON” text).

14: Lemniscate Spray ON From the Master Display, available Auxiliary Functions are accessed by using the Menu Navigation keys to scroll up or down.

Slave Display The Slave Display is shown on a shield that has been selected from another shield.

#

3 ! Slave ! - # 1 317 105>I 100% ~~~

The top line indicates that the shield is being operated as a slave unit. It shows that this is shield #3 and it is being controlled by shield #1.

The bottom line continues to show the default display of sensor values and shearer position.

Input Display When an operator is entering a numerical value the display is in Input Mode and will show the name of the value being entered and a question mark, similar to this:

Abort Dist ?

Input Mode terminates when the Enter key is pressed or, if no keys are pressed, after a several second timeout.

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KEYS General Key Concepts Audible Feedback When any key is pressed there is audible feedback. If it is a valid keystroke, there will be a single short beep. If it is an invalid keystroke, there will be an "error beep" which is 3 consecutive short beeps.

Beep and Error-Beep

External Beeper If the internal speaker of the PMC-R quits working, it must be sent in for repair to fix it.

It can’t be repaired in the field. Because of this, there is an option to purchase an external beeper to connect to one of the SKK24 ports on the back of the PMC-R or the possibility of connection one via an OS4 cable connected to the driver board.

Timeout When no key has been pressed for the 4s, the display will timeout and revert to the Default Display Mode and any manual actions will be canceled (e.g., Master Mode, menu scrolling).

Don’t wait too long!

Stuck Key Error If a key is held for more than 60s continuously, the key will be considered "stuck", an error sound will occur, and an error will be posted. (err: "KEYBOARD ERROR stuck key")

Don’t hold keys too long!

Multiple Key Error If an invalid combination or sequence of keys is pressed an error sound will occur and an error will be posted. (err: "KEYBOARD ERROR bad key combination")

Don't press too many keys at once!

Keyboard Modes Some PMC-R keys have only one function (e.g., the Stop key). But most keys have multiple functions (e.g., the 2-key is also the Positive Set key). The keyboard mode determines what the multi-function keys do when they are pressed.

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Idle Mode Idle Mode is the normal mode when no keys are being pressed.

When Menu Keys have been used to view different displays, the keyboard is still in the Idle Mode until an actual action has been taken.

When any other mode times out, the Idle Mode is entered and the Default Display is shown. In Idle Mode, the man-in-place keys are shortcuts to various menu displays.

When nothing else is going on.

Master Mode Selecting a shield for control is the only way Master Mode is entered. This can only be done from the Idle Mode. In Master Mode, the dark blue man-in-place keys can be used to manually operate the selected shield.

Manual shield control.

Group Function Mode The Group Function Mode is entered when any Group Function key is pressed. It may only be entered from the Idle Mode. After pressing the Group Function key, a group select key is usually pressed followed by the Start key to start the group function.

Multi-shield Automatic Functions

Data Entry Mode The Data Entry Mode is entered when the Enter key is pressed to begin the process of changing a parameter and ends when the Enter key is pressed to finalize the parameter. In the Data Entry Mode, the numeric keys are used to enter numbers.

To enter numbers

Help Mode The Help Mode is activated when the Help key is pressed. The help text is then displayed and the only valid keys are the Help key (to exit Help mode and return to the previously displayed line), and the Menu Up and Menu Down keys (to scroll through the help text).

Press Help to… get help!

Specific Key Information Hot keys When pressed from the default display, the man-in-place keys are used as “hot keys”.

The first time the key is pressed, one display is shown; if pressed again, another display is shown: Key

First display

Second Display

Third Display

Operator Assigned (see below) 5

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Last Auto Shearer Position Function – line 1 Display Last Stop key pressed at #

Lite set

Diagnostics Display

Shield Type Display

Error list Function

Command line to clear critical errors

Network Display

Bidi Comms Error Count

Hydraulic Sys Main Pressure Display

Hydraulic Sys Return Pressure Display

Command line to clear errors facewide

Tip Pressure

Mine Name and Program Version Display Conveyor loading % of load

CST Clutch(status) Dclutch

Clutch

Operator Assigned Hot Key When the A-key is pressed from the Default Display, the operator assigned display is shown. When pressed from any other display, the A-key is linked to the currently active display on this shield and for a range of +/- 5 shields. By default, it is linked to the PMC-R Voltage display.

Single Select Keys The Single Select keys are generally used to select a single adjacent shield for control.

After pressing the Single Select key, the adjacent shield is controlled manually via the man-in-place keys; optionally an Autosequence can then be started by pressing the Start key.

The Single Select keys are also known as the Shield Select keys or the Neighbor Select keys. © Caterpillar

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H Key

This key will select the single neighbor shield to the immediate left. If followed by the Enter key, a remote shield (up to 5 away) can be selected for operation. See Remote Control on page 25.

I Key

This key will select the single neighbor shield to the immediate right. If followed by the Enter key, a remote shield (up to 5 away) can be selected for operation. See Remote Control on page 25.

Man-In-Place Function Keys

Keys A-E, #,+/-, and 1 are man-in-place keys. These keys are used in Master Mode to manually operate a single shield. They also function as “hot keys”.

Manual Control of Selected Shield When in Master Mode (i.e., after pressing a Neighbor Select key) the man-in-place keys are used to manually operate the selected shield. When the key is pressed, the function is activated. When the key is released, the function is released.

A-key

Shield Lower

B-key

Shield Advance

C-key

Shield Set

D-key

Lower to parameter “Advancing Pressure” and then advance while continuing to lower.

E-key

Tip Up

#-key

Tip Down

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+/key

Baselift

1-key

Conveyor Push

In-Shield Automatic Keys These keys control automatic functions in-shield when no other shield is selected (i.e., when in Idle Mode, not in Master Mode).

Positive Set Automatic key (PSA) 2-key

Pressing this key toggles the PSA function On or Off on this shield. When PSA is toggled On, the shield may begin to set, depending on the leg pressure at the moment.

Locking Push key

3-key

Pressing this key activates the Locking-Push feature on this shield. Last Auto is posted as “Manual Push”. If the key is pressed again, the Locking Push feature will be stopped.

In-Shield Automatic Functions on Selected Shield From Master Mode (i.e., after selecting a shield using a Neighbor Select key) these same keys are used to control the in-shield automatic functions on the selected shield.

Positive Set Automatic key (PSA) 2-key

Pressing this key (holding is not required) causes the selected shield to trigger its Positive Set function which will attempt to set to the target pressure. This is a convenient way to set the shield after manually lowering and advancing. Last Auto is posted as “Manual PSA”.

Locking Push key

3-key

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Pressing this key (holding is not required) activates the Locking-Push feature on the selected shield. Last Auto is posted as “Manual Push”. If the key is pressed again while still in Master Mode, the Locking Push feature will be stopped on the selected shield.

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Group Select Keys The Group Select keys only function as part of a three-key sequence that begins with a Group Function Key, such as SRB, Bankpush, Pullback, or Batch Advance and ends with the Start key. The exact function differs with each Group Function. By itself, the Group Select key is not valid.

F-key

Select a group of shields to the left for control by the previously selected Group Function.

G-key

Select a group of shields to the right for control by the previously selected Group Function.

Group Function Keys In the data entry mode the Group Function keys are treated as number keys and used to enter values. From the idle mode these keys are the first key in the three-key sequence to begin a group automatic function.

4-key

First key used in starting a Conveyor Pullback.

6-key

First key used in starting a conveyor Bankpush.

7-key

First key used in starting a Batch Advance.

9-key

First key used in starting SRB, the full-face automation.

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Number keys In Data Entry mode, the number keys are used to enter the numbers from 0-9

Menu Navigation Keys The K thru R keys (light blue) are the Menu Navigation keys that are used to move through the various menu displays.

From the default display, this is the “go back” key: it returns to the most recent display that was being shown before the 4s timeout occurred.

K-key

From any other display, it moves through the menu structure to the previous section and eventually to the default menu.

When entering numerical values, this keys functions as a backspace key.

L-key

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This key moves up through the menu structure to the previous display in the current section.

Note: By pressing the “L” while holding “M” (or vice versa) the display will be frozen and will not timeout after 4s.

M-key

This key moves down through the menu structure to the next display in the current section.

N-key

The specific function depends on the display that is shown.

Generally, this key is used to turn locking functions Off or activate Auxiliary functions when held.

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P-key

R-key

The specific function depends on the display that is shown.

Generally this key is used to turn locking functions On, activate Auxiliary functions when held, or toggle an option (e.g., On and Off). It is also used to trigger other commands facewide (e.g., clear errors, activate PSA facewide, etc).

This key moves through the menu structure into the next section when one is present.

Note: Pressing the R-key while holding the K-key (or vice versa) causes an immediate timeout to occur just as if 4s had passed.

Other Keys

5-key

From Idle Mode, this key is used to initiate the Umbrella Lock by pressing and holding for 3 seconds. The Umbrella Lock zone can be moved by touching this key on a shield inside the Umbrella Lock zone. To cancel the Umbrella Lock, just hold the key for another 3 seconds.

8-key

From any mode other than Data Entry Mode, this key provides accesses to a multi-line display of text that describes the display currently visible display or parameter.

0-key

Enter key

In most cases this key provides a shortcut to force the display timeout without having to wait the full 4s.

It is also used in conjunction with the 9-key to move the SRB position when SRB is active and running in the Manual mode.

When the display shows a numerical parameter, pressing the Enter Key changes from the Idle Mode to the Data Entry mode.

From the Data Entry mode, the Enter key is used to finalize the parameter value.

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The Stop key is used to cancel all shield actions in a local area.

The area size is adjustable using the parameter “Stop Key Grp”. In the effected area…

Any active automatic functions are cancelled.

Any active manual control is cancelled if either the Master or Slave shield is in the Stop area.

Stop key

No automatic or manual functions are allowed to begin for 3 more seconds; this is the Stop-key time.

In SRB, if the shield is behind the shearer position and has not yet been triggered to ASQ, it will skip the next SRB-commanded ASQ. This key is also used to stop SRB when it is active. The 9-key must be pressed first, then the Stop key.

Start key

The Start key is valid from the Master Mode (where it commands the selected shield to begin an ASQ) and from the Group Function Mode (where it sends the start command for the particular group function). It is also used in resetting the system (see page ). In any other case, the Start key is invalid.

MENU CONTROL Navigation The menu system uses a multi-level method similar to Windows programs. The operator will normally begin by pressing the Menu Right key to enter the menu structure. The main menu options are then accessed using the Menu Down and Menu Up keys.

Drop-down style menu system

From any display lines with colons (e.g., :Automatic Functions:) the Menu Right key is pressed to enter the submenu. In the submenus, the Menu Down and Menu Up keys move through the items in that menu. Additional submenus (e.g., :Legs Lower :) may exist, as indicated by the colons; pressing the Menu Right key enters that submenu.

Pressing the Menu Left key moves back to the previous submenu header. For example, from the line “some other line”… :AutoSequence: line 1 line 2 another line : Leg Lower : line X line Y © Caterpillar

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some other line ... pressing the Menu Left key moves the display to : Leg Lower :. Pressing it again moves the display to :Autosequence:. If it is pressed again, the display moves to the default display.

From the default display, the Menu Right key begins the process of navigating the menu structure and the Menu Left key restores the previously timed-out display (see the Go Back Feature below).

Freeze Display Feature If the Menu Up and Menu Down keys are pressed at the same time, the display will be frozen – it won’t revert to the default display when Key-time expires. To use this, the operator must scroll to the desired line and hold the last key (Menu Up or Down) and then press the other one.

+ freezes the display!

Go-Back Feature Pressing the Menu Left K-key after Key-time expires and the display reverts to the default display makes the display “Go Back” to the line that was previously displayed. This only affects the display; it does not restore the previous action. For example, when the timeout happens midway through a three keystroke process, the Go Back feature will restore the display line but the keystroke process must be entered again from the beginning. Or, if the timeout happens while in Master Mode (operating a Slave shield), the Go Back feature will not re-select the Slave shield.

If there is no valid “previous line”, then the Go Back key is not valid.

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K-key goes back to previously shown display

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Parameter Changing Parameter changing can only occur from the Idle Mode while displaying a parameter.

Numeric parameter with password (ex: “Bankpush Delay *100”) This parameter has a password so it works like this: Press Enter display shows “Password ?”

Press password keys – ex: 1234, display shows “Password ?!!!!”

Press Enter display shows “Bankpush Delay ?”

Press number keys for new value – ex: 110, display shows “Bankpush Delay Press Enter to finalize display shows “Bankpush Delay

?110”

*110”

Numeric parameter without password ex: “ASQ Lowering Time

*700”

This parameter does not have a password so it works like this: Press Enter display shows “ASQ Lowering Time ?”

Press number keys for new value – ex: 710, display shows “ASQ Lowering Time Press Enter to finalize display shows “ASQ Lowering Time

?710”

*710”

Text parameter with password ex: “Contact Advance

ON”

If this parameter has a password it works like this: Press Menu Green Arrow display shows “Password ?”

Press password keys – ex: 1234, display shows “Password ?!!!!”

Press Enter display shows “Contact Advance

ON”

Press Menu Green Arrow display shows “Contact Advance

OFF”

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Text parameter without password ex: “Contact Advance

ON”

This parameter does not have a password so it works like this: Press Menu Green Arrow display shows “Contact Advance

OFF”

The parameter is automatically finalized without pressing any other keys

Local / Global Parameters Local parameters are parameters which can be set differently on each shield. When the value is changed, it only changes in the shield control on which the operator is working.

Sensor Status parameters, for example, are local parameters that allow a particular sensor in an individual shield to be enabled or disabled.

Global parameters are parameters which are always the same on all shield controls.

When the value is changed from one shield control, all other controls receive the new value also.

ASQ Initial Lowering Time is an example of a global parameter.

Parameter Locking Parameter locking provides a way to lock a parameter so that it can only be changed with a hardware key. The hardware key resembles a coding plug, such as the one found in the Server. To lock or unlock a parameter, or change a locked parameter's value, plug the parameter locking key into the B2 port on the back of a PMC-R.

When the key is installed in the B2 port, a global parameter can be locked or unlocked by scrolling through the menu to the desired parameter and pressing the 5-key. The locked-status is passed to all PMC-Rs on the face causing the parameter to be locked or unlocked on every PMC-R.

To toggle parameter locking press

The A-key light indicates whether a parameter is locked or not. When viewing a parameter on the PMC-R, the A-key will be lit if it is locked and unlit if it is not.

Attempting to change a locked parameter when the key is not installed will cause the following display to appear: 15

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Cannot change value.

Parameter is locked!

SAFETY FEATURES Local Lockout Button

The large black button on the PMC is for that shield only. When it is pressed the power will be removed from the driver board that is connected to this PMC and the display will show “Locked”. This will prevent any power from going to any of the solenoids on this shield. When the Lockout button is pressed, both of the neighbor shields will be “soft-locked”. This makes then unable to perform any manual or automatic function through the control system.

Quickstop Button

The large red button located on the front of the PMC is the Quickstop button. When it is pressed, all of the PMCs in the network will de-energize any active solenoids and will not energize any additional solenoids. All PMCs will show the Quickstop location.

Pressure Dump Feature The pressure dump feature is designed to remove hydraulic pressure from the face when a Quickstop button is pressed.

A hydraulic dump valve is operated by the PLC system based Dump valve on data sent from the PMC-R server through the PMC-P. connected to PLC During normal operation, the PMC-R instructs the PLC to dumps when energize the dump valve and hydraulic fluid flows to the face.

Quickstop is When the face is connected and operating normally, pressing a pressed.

Quickstop at any face PMC-R or on the Server instructs the Uses data from PLC to release the dump valve. This will cause the flow of Server to PMC-P to hydraulic fluid from the pump to the face to be blocked and PLC hydraulic supply pressure from the face to be dumped.

To reduce wear on the pump system, the PLC should unload the pumps when it releases the dump valve. This is a function of the PLC program that must be ensured by the mine! © Caterpillar

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The data connection between from the PMC-R server to the PLC is as follows: Server → PMC-P → Ethernet → PLC Correct programming of the PLC should be confirmed by unplugging the data connection coming from the C1 port on the Server. Within 2s, the PLC should respond to the loss of data by releasing the dump valve. This is a function of the PLC program that must be ensured by the mine for safe functioning of the system !

Correct operation of this safety system should be checked at the start of every shift by pressing the Quickstop button on the Server and confirming that the dump valve is released!

Resetting the System Clearing a Quickstop by pulling all Quickstop buttons out will not cause pressure to be immedi ately restored to the face; further actions are required.

When the system is ready to be reset the following display will be seen on the server and all face PMC-Rs:

#129 SYSTEM TRIPPED! 317 105>I 100% 180

To reset the system,

Pressing the Start key will cause the following display to be shown:

+

#129 SYSTEM TRIPPED! Reset System (P) Pressing the P-key will cause every PMC-R to give a single warning beep; three seconds later all PMC-Rs will give another single warning beep and the dump valve will be re-energized.

Redundant Link (Intelligent) The Quickstop system supports an optional redundant connection from the Server at the headgate to the end shield at the tailgate via 2 PMCP devices, power line modems, and use of the existing lighting power cable that runs for the full length of the face (a second option is to run fiber cable down to the tailgate PMCP). If the network is split and is operating in two separate halves, then the two network halves communicate the Quickstop information through the redundant link and automatic functions are allowed within each half, although not across the break. When this link is operating properly, the “R” key's light will be lit on all of the PMC-Rs. If the connection is not working the R key's light will not be lit and automatic functions will not work if there is a network break on the face. The Server is already connected to a PMC-P in the Headgate box. The very end shield will connect to a PMC-P via the E2 port. The PMC-P will be located in an XP box, usually located on the Taildrive frame.

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The displays on the PMC-Rs will show a network split, so to set the dump valve, you must scroll up to get to the screen “System tripped (p)”.

The PMC-P at the tailgate will need to have the “IP” address of the PMC-P configured on the serial port that connects to the E2 port of the tailgate shield.

PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_START=1 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_BAUDRATE=115200 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_PARITY=2 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_STOPBITS=1 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_PRIORITY=10 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_ACDACK=0 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_HALFDUPLEX=0 PMCP_CONFIG_SERADAPT_TTYS#_ARGS=”--IPAdress” The IP address would be the IP address of the head gate PMC-P.

Conveyor Prestart with Visual Warning This feature will cause all the shield controls to ring out prior to the start-up of the face conveyor. Shields with numbers ending with 5s and then the 10s will flash their “White” led, alternating back and forth for the duration of the warning. This feature is dependent on information from the PLC, therefore the connection from the Server to the PLC must be maintained for this function to work. If that connection has failed there will be another audible alarm and the displays will show that the PLC connection has been lost. The PLC should not allow the conveyor to start during the absence of this connection. Note: PLC programming is required for this feature to work.

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Conveyor Overload There is a parameter that is used to warn you if the conveyor is getting overloaded.

This parameter is located in the Configuration> Conveyor Push parameters. A warning is sent to the shields if the conveyor load exceeds this value. Usually this is a percent of load based off the motor currents of the conveyor. The status of the load can be seen at any shield location by pressing the 1 key. The warning will consist of an audible alarm and all the shield's displays showing “Conveyor Overload” in the Shearer Safety Zone. The white lights will flash off and on for the length of the Shearer Safety Zone starting from the shearer position and moving out to the end of the shearer zone. The purpose of this warning is to get the shearer operators attention in hopes they will slow down the shearer until the load gets below the parameter set value. Until this is achieved the warning will happen every 30 seconds.

Umbrella Lock

The purpose of the Umbrella Lock is to provide a way to move across the face without being in areas of shield movement and Umbrella lock travel without disrupting the automation. In the Umbrella Lock zone, safety zone! no shield advance or pullback is allowed; all other functions are allowed.

Controlling the Umbrella Lock The Umbrella Lock is activated by pressing and holding the Umbrella key while in the Idle Mode. When it is first pressed, the display will show “To set ulock hold for 3s or press Enter”.

To move the Umbrella Lock zone, momentarily press the Umbrella key at any point within the current zone. This will cause the Umbrella Lock zone to center itself on your position, releasing some shields from the zone and adding other shields to the zone. Also, the display will give instructions on canceling the Umbrella Lock.

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Hold for 3s or press Enter to activate Umbrella Lock.

Press to move Umbrella Lock

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If the key is held for 3s or the Enter key is pressed following the Ulock key, the Umbrella Lock will be cancelled.

Hold for 3s or follow with the Enter key to de-activate Umbrella Lock

The size of the Umbrella Lock zone is set by parameter "Umbrella Lock Distance".

When the zone is activated or moved, the set number of shields on each side becomes part of the active Umbrella Lock zone.

The display will indicate if the Umbrella Lock zone runs into another Umbrella Lock zone or the end of the face. The display also shows how many more shields are included in the Umbrella Lock zone.

Active Umbrella Lock Displays These display lines are shown as the default display; line2 of the display will continue to show the normal sensor and shearer position information.

Display Help Text #129 ULOCK !!!

Umbrella Lock is active; this is the center shield.

#129 ULOCK >X more

Umbrella Lock is active here and X shields to the right.

#129 ULOCK Overlap

This shield is in two umbrella lock zones; zones cannot be cleared or moved from this shield.

Umbrella Lock Messages These displays are shown when the Umbrella Lock zone is initiated or moved. They only display for Key-time and then they go away.

Display Help Text Umbrella activated.

Not for maintenance!!

Umbrella activated.

For travel only!!

Umbrella Lock is not intended for maintenance; use the black Local Lockout.

Umbrella is intended only for traveling across face; not for maintenance.

When shields are first included in the Umbrella Lock zone, a short audible warning will sound.

When moving the Umbrella Lock zone causes some shields to be released (i.e., no longer within the zone), those shields will provide an audible warning that the Umbrella Lock no longer covers those shields. This warning is longer than the new-Umbrella Lock warning and the Umbrella Lock restrictions are not actually released until the warning sound is completed.

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Maintenance Lock The Maintenance Lock is a modified Umbrella Lock in which no automatic or remote functions of any kind are allowed to operate. While active, only single man-in-place manual functions will be allowed.

Controlling the Maintenance Lock The Maintenance Lock is activated by pressing the Umbrella key while in the Idle Mode and then pressing and holding the Star key for 3 seconds. When the Star key is pressed, the display will show "Hold for 3s to activate maintenance lock".

+ Hold Star key for 3s to activate Maintenance Lock.

When the Maintenance Lock is active all the shields in the zone will show the location of the shield where it was activated. It can not be moved and can only be released from the shield where it was activated. Attempting to release it from another shield will cause a message to be posted instructing you to go to the shield where it was activated.

From the shield where the Maintenance Lock was established, pressing the Umbrella key and then holding the Star key for 3 seconds will release the Maintenance Lock.

+ Hold Star key for 3s to activate Maintenance Lock.

Active Maintenance Lock Displays These display lines are shown as the default display; line2 of the display will continue to show the normal sensor and shearer position information.

Display

Help Text

#129 Maint.LOCK !!!

Maintenance Lock is active; this is the center shield.

#135 Maint. Lock #129

Maintenance Lock is active here but can only be released at #129

Maint. Lock !! Must be at #129 to cancel.

When pressing the Umbrella key from a shield other than #129

When the Maintenance Lock zone is initiated, a short audible warning will sound.

When the Maintenance Lock is canceled, the shields will provide an audible warning that the Maintenance Lock has been released. This warning is longer than the 21

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warning that occurs when initiating a Maintenance Lock zone. Restrictions are not actually released until the warning sound is completed.

Stop Key

The Stop key provides operators a way to stop currently active shield functions within a local area. For example, if the headgate operator starts an ASQ on shield #1, he can press the Stop key to stop the ASQ without affecting operations on the entire face.

Pressing the Stop key cancels all currently active automatic and manual (Master/Slave) operations in-shield and for (X) shields on each side. There is a parameter “Stop key Grp” that determines how many shields are affected. The shields affected will display “Stopped by #xxx” for 4s; no functions are allowed during this time. However, new functions can start after the 4s time expires.

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FLASHING LIGHTS The flashing light feature is an option that is only available with the Integrated Lighting System in which the area lighting luminaires connect to the PMC-R brass mounting bar for power and control. During the Autosequence, the lights will flash to warn the operators that shields are moving. This is a safety feature and must be maintained.

Lights are installed on every shield which provides a highly visible in-shield warning when the shield is advancing. If the in-shield light cannot flash, the ASQ will fail and post an error (err: "ASQ ERROR luminaire blink failed"). Non-functional lights can be identified on the VCU.

When the shield is not doing an Autosequence, the light is solid white.

“SOLID WHITE” When the shield is Autosequencing it will switch to the Red color and flash all the time it is prewarning or active in the Autosequence.

“FLASHING RED”

When a shield is selected and being operated manually by using the man in place keys it's LED will be solid Red.

“SOLID RED”

Critical ASQ error messages will cause the light to blink. See ASQ Critical Errors below.

“FLASHING WHITE”

This shield will be unable to complete an ASQ. The “luminaire blink failed” error will be posted when the ASQ fails.

“LIGHT IS OUT”

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Aborted

ASQ CRITICAL ERRORS

Advancing Pressure

These ASQ errors are considered critical because they indicate that the shield failed to advance completely. When these errors occur, the light will blink white 4 times every 10 seconds for 60 seconds total. This is meant to notify operators in the area that the shield has not advanced properly. After 60 seconds, the blinking will stop and the light will stay solid white; the error will remain in the PMC-R.

Advance failed Adjacent shield locked Network No ram Shield in Use Pressure Invalid Luminaire blink failed

Shearer Signaling The ability to flash the shield lights can be used for signaling the shearer operator.

From any shield on the face or the server, pressing the Star key will bring up this display:

# SHR Signal Blinks 1 Blinks(N) Send(P) Pressing the N-key will increment the number of blinks up to a maximum of 9. If the N-key is pressed again the count rollover back to 0. Once the desired number of blinks has been set, pressing the P-key will send a message to the shields around the shearer position causing them to blink the light the specified number of times. The blink is a white-off-white blink with a short “off” time.

While the message is being sent, a status display will be shown:

# SHR Signal Status Attempting to sgnl...

And once confirmation is received that the lights did blink as commanded, the status changes:

# SHR Signal Status Shr Signal Complete!

If for some reason, such as a broken network cable, the confirmation is not received for 20s, the status will change to this:

# SHR Signal Status Shr Signal Failed!

Until the status changes to either “Complete” or “Failed”, another attempt to signal the shearer can not be made.

The shearer signal status display will timeout; when this happens pressing the Star key will bring the status display up again. © Caterpillar

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The meaning of the number of blinks is something that operators on the longwall must agree to among themselves. Typical uses would be to signal that the shearer needs to slow down or that the shearer may now resume normal cutting speed.

SINGLE SHIELD CONTROL Adjacent manual operation This method of operation uses the single Shield Select keys and the man-in-place keys.

This selects the shield to your right and lowers it from the roof until the A-key is released.

This selects the shield to your left and advances it toward the conveyor until the B-key is released.

Adjacent automatic operation This is how single adjacent shields are manually selected and triggered to automatically advance.

This selects the shield to the right and starts the Autosequence on that shield. This causes the shield to do a complete cycle: lower, advance, and set.

This selects the shield to the left and starts the Autosequence on that shield. This causes the shield to do a complete cycle: lower, advance, and set.

Remote Control A remote shield, up to 5 shields away, can be selected and operated as if it is an adjacent shield. Following is an example. Once the correct number has been reached, press “Enter” and the selected shield will start to beep.

Key

Display

Notes Master Mode is activated in-shield; Slave Mode is activated on left neighbor shield.

Display shows Auxiliary Functions line.

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“Remote Control < 1”

The Adjacent shield is no longer selected. Now ready to select a remote shield.

“Remote Control < 2”

Now offering to select the shield that is 2 shields away.

“Remote Control < 3”

Now offering to select the shield that is 3 shields away.

Display shows Auxiliary Functions line.

Ready for manual operator of remote shield. If operator is on #50 on a Right Hand face, shield #47 is selected. On a Left Hand face, it would be shield #53.

Once a remote shield has been selected, the man-in-place keys will operate the shield functions manually or the Start key can be pressed to trigger an Autosequence on the selected shield.

AUTOSEQUENCE Overview The Autosequence function is responsible for the automated shield advance. The following features are included: Prewarning Flipper retract Leg lower Sideseal Retract Baselift Tip action Advance Leg set Sideseal Extend Ram push Flipper extend © Caterpillar

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Start Options ASQs can be started manually, by Batch Advance, or by SRB. ASQs are not allowed if… … the network is broken … the shield is locked … a neighbor shield is Locked … the shield has a Solenoid Driver error … the shield is within an Umbrella Lock or Maintenance Lock If the ASQ is allowed, Last Automatic Function text will be posted as “Manual ASQ”, “Batch ASQ”, or “SRB ASQ”.

Prewarning / Active Display The ASQ active display is immediately activated. It will retain the default line2 (showing sensors values, etc) while line1 will show “! ASQ ! ” followed by the “ASQ Step” - 14 characters max. that indicate the primary action at the moment.

Restrictions The standard restrictions apply, except for the Umbrella Lock and Key-time restrictions, which are handled differently within the ASQ operating logic.

In addition, ASQs cannot be started and will be aborted if the inshield parameter "ASQ Status" is not Enabled.

Parameter “ASQ Status”

If the ASQ cannot start because a neighbor shield is locked, an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR adj shield locked").

If the ASQ is aborted due to the standard restrictions, an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR aborted").

If the ASQ start command is received while Key-time is active, the ASQ will wait up to 10s for Key-time to expire. If it does, the ASQ proceeds normally; if not, the ASQ stops and posts an error (err: "ASQ ERROR operator on shield").

Umbrella Lock interaction The ASQ will be paused if an Umbrella Lock occurs during the ASQ or the ASQ occurs during the Umbrella Lock. In the first case, the ASQ will immediately go to the Final Set Step, and then to the Umbrella Lock Pause step. In the latter case, the ASQ will begin with the Umbrella Lock Pause step.

Detailed Operating Logic There are various steps which are adjustable and selectable to provide the operator with very flexible control of the Autosequence. The chart on the next page shows the relationship between the steps. Details for each step follow the chart.

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Autosequence Chart

List of Steps The following Autosequence steps define the actions of the ASQ. Some steps could be skipped depending on the configuration of the shield because some functions may © Caterpillar

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not exist. Also, some steps may run concurrently with other steps. The ASQ Begin step is always the first step triggered. When a step completes, it triggers one or more other steps.

ASQ Begin First Prewarning Adjacent Shield Interlock Second Prewarning Flipper Retract Initial Lowering Extra Lowering Baselift While Lowering Pre-Baselift Advance Delay Tip Up or Tip Down Ready To Advance Baselift While Advancing Advancing Advance while Setting Initial Set Sideseal Extend Final Set Conveyor Push Refill Flipper Extend

ASQ Begin If the shield ram stroke is not turned Off under the Sensor Status menu section and is less than the target stroke plus 2 percent, the ASQ will stop and post an error (err: "ASQ ERROR shld already advanced").

Target stroke is set by parameter and by Wedge Advance logic.

If the shield is a transition shield, it is not allowed to advance until the adjacent shield on the gate-end side has advanced. If this does not happen within 60s, the ASQ stops and posts an error (err: "ASQ ERROR neighbor shld not adv").

If the above conditions are successfully met, the First Prewarning Step is triggered.

First Prewarning The ASQ Step display shows “ * WARNING * ”.

The First Prewarning is a 1.5s prewarning utilizing the internal warning light and beeper and also the connected KH led-based light.

After this step, the Adjacent Shield Interlock Step is triggered.

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Adjacent Shield Interlock Before the ASQ continues, messages are exchanged with the neighbor shields to make sure that neighbor shields are not attempting an ASQ at the same time. This interlocking process prevents any shield from beginning an ASQ if the adjacent shield is already ASQing.

The adjacent shield interlock is not released until the active ASQ has started the Initial Set step.

For this step to complete, at least one neighbor shield must have a leg pressure reading that is greater than the 100 bar or must have both leg pressure sensors disabled. If more than 20s pass without this occurring, the ASQ will stop and post an error (err: "ASQ ERROR adj pressure too low").

After this step, when neighbor shields have been successfully locked, the following steps are triggered: Second Prewarning

Second Prewarning The Second Prewarning lasts for 1.5s. The prewarning actions started in the First Prewarning continue during the second prewarning and throughout the rest of the ASQ. After this step, the Flipper Retract Step is triggered.

Flipper Retract To ensure that the flipper does not interfere with the shield advance, the Flipper Retract feature provides the option of retracting the flipper prior to lowering the shield.

The Flipper Retract option is an On/Off option set by parameter “Retract Flipper“. If set to Off, no action is taken.

If set to On, the Flipper Control function is commanded to retract the flipper and the ASQ Step display shows “flipper ret”. See the Flipper Control function for details of the flipper retract action.

Parameter “Retract Flipper”

If the Flipper Control function fails to successfully retract the flipper, the ASQ stops and posts an error (err: "ASQ ERROR flipper failed to ret").

If the Flipper Control function successfully retracts the flipper, the following steps are triggered: Baselift While Lowering Initial Lowering Side seal retract

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Baselift While Lowering This is an optional feature controlled by parameter “Baselift During Lower” which is set to On or Off. If set to Off, no action is taken. If set to On, the Baselift function is activated during the Initial Lowering. (Baselift While Lowering is triggered at the same time as Initial Lowering and ends when Initial Lowering ends.)

Parameter “Baselift During Lower”

The end of Baselift While Lowering triggers no other steps.

Initial Lowering Initial Lowering is not optional – it always occurs. The leg lower function is activated.

The ASQ Step display shows “legs lower”. The end of Initial Lowering is determined by several parameters.

Parameters “Advancing Pressure”

For the Initial Lowering to be successfully completed, the leg pressure reading(s) must fall below (or equal to) the value given by parameter “Advancing Pressure” within the time given by parameter “Initial Lowering Time”.

If parameter “Contact Advance” is On, the Initial Lowering is complete as soon as the leg pressure requirement is met. If “Contact Advance” is Off, the leg lower action continues for the full time and the leg pressure reading(s) are evaluated at the end to ensure the requirement is met.

“Initial Lowering Time”

Parameter “Contact Advance”

If the leg sensor is invalid or turned Off under the Sensor Status menu section, the lowering will be based on time regardless of the “Contact Advance” parameter.

If Advancing Pressure is not reached, then the ASQ terminates and posts an error (err: “ASQ ERROR adv press not reached”) and, to ensure roof support is maintained, triggers the Final Set Step.

During the initial lowering, if the first 1s passes with no substantial change in leg pressure, the lowering function will be cycled off for 0.5s and then restarted. This is only allowed to happen once. The 0.5s of “off” time counts against the “Initial Lowering Time”.

Stuck-valve detection

If Initial Lowering ends without error, it triggers the following steps: Pre-Baselift Tip Up or Down Advance Delay Extra Lowering

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Extra Lowering Extra lowering provides for additional roof clearance by continuing the leg lower function during the shield advance.

If parameter “Extra Lowering Time” is set to 0, the feature is effectively switched Off, the leg lower function is deactivated immediately and Extra Lowering ends.

Parameter “Extra Lowering Time”

Otherwise, the leg lower function remains active until the Extra Lowering Time expires or until Initial Set begins. At that time, the leg lower function is deactivated and Extra Lowering ends.

The end of Extra Lowering triggers no other steps.

Pre-Baselift The Pre-Baselift feature allows for a minimum time period of baselift prior to the shield advance. This is only necessary if the baselift was not activated during the Initial Lowering (i.e., parameter “Baselift While Lowering” is set to Off) but is desired during advancing (i.e., parameter “Baselift While Advancing” is On). If this is the case, then this time applies: the baselift function will be activated for a time specified by parameter “Pre-Baselift Time” (which may be 0). The function is not released at the end of this step.

Parameters “Baselift While Lowering” “Baselift While Advancing” “Pre-Baselift Time”

The end of Pre-Baselift triggers the Ready To Advance Step.

Tip Up or Tip Down The Tip Up or Tip Down feature provides optional tip action Parameters after lowering but before advancing. Headgate shields will tip "Headgate Tip Down down to avoid the roof bolts. The time of this tip down is given Time" by parameter “Headgate Tip Down Time”. All other shields will tip up. The time of the tip up is given by parameter “Tip “Tip Up Time” Up Time”. Either of these parameters may be set to 0 to eliminate the associated tip action.

If Contact Advance is On, then this parameter value will be displayed as “X by Contact Advance” and the tip-up action will not occur. When Contact Advance is switched Off, then the “Tip Up Time” parameter will revert from “X by Contact Advance” back to the numerical value.

The end of Tip Up or Tip Down step triggers the Ready To Advance Step.

Advance Delay The purpose of advance delay is to allow for additional roof clearance after contact advance has terminated the initial lowering step. This allows the ASQ to take advantage of Contact Advance’s more precise control and faster cycle times while still providing some additional roof clearance prior to advance. Advance Delay is only used when Extra Lowering time is greater than 0 and Contact Advance is On. The delay occurs during the Extra Lowering time while the shield is continuing to lower. © Caterpillar

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The time of the delay is set by parameter “Advance Delay Time”. If the parameter is set to 0, the feature if effectively turned Off.

Parameter “Advance Delay Time”

It is only a delay – no additional functions are activated. The end of the Advance Delay triggers the Ready To Advance Step.

Ready To Advance The Ready To Advance step is used to trigger the rest of the ASQ after the completion of all of the following steps which trigger it: Pre-Baselift Advance Delay Tip Up or Tip Down.

The Ready To Advance step activates no functions and adds no delay. After Ready To Advance has been triggered by all three of the above steps, it ends and triggers the following steps: Advancing Baselift While Advancing

Baselift While Advancing Baselift While Advancing is triggered along with the shield advance to activate the baselift function during the advance if the parameter “Baselift During Adv” is On. It remains active until the Initial Set step begins or the ram stroke reaches (or falls below) the value set by parameter "Baselift Drop Stroke".

The end of this step triggers nothing else.

Parameters “Baselift During Adv” "Baselift Drop Stroke"

Advancing The Advancing step activates the advancing function and ends when the ram stroke reaches the target advance stroke or when the limiting time is reached. The ASQ Step Display will show “* Advancing *” The limiting time is set by the parameter “Maximum Advancing Time”.

The target advance stroke is usually determined by parameter “Advancing Tgt Stroke” which is usually set to a low number, the minimum being 2.

If a wedge command has been entered, the target stroke will be determined by the wedge calculation. See the Wedge Advance section on page 43 for more details.

Parameters “Maximum Advancing Time” “Advancing Tgt Stroke”

If the ram stroke does not drop by at least 5% every second, an error is posted (err: “ASQ ERROR slow advance”), the Advancing Step ends and the Relowering Step is triggered.

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If the Advancing Step ends due to the limiting time, an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR 1st advance timeout"), the Advancing Step ends and the Relowering Step is triggered.

If the ram stroke reaches the target stroke, the Advancing Step ends, the shield advance function is deactivated if the target stroke is greater than 2%, and the following steps are triggered: Advance while Setting Initial Set

Relowering The Relowering step is the first step in the ASQ retry logic which is activated when the Advancing step is unable to successfully advance the shield.

The shield advance function is deactivated. (Baselift and waterspray functions are left in their existing state.)

If parameter "Retry Count" is 0, then the Relowering Step ends and the following steps are triggered: Advance while Setting

Parameter "Retry Count"

Initial Set If this is the Nth retry where N is given by parameter "Tip Down on Retry", the Tip Down function will be activated for a time given by parameter "Tip Down Time" and the ASQ Step display will show "Tip Down".

Remaining actions in the Relowering step do not occur until the Tip Down Time has expired.

Parameters "Tip Down on Retry" "Tip Down Time"

The Lowering function is then activated and the ASQ Step display will show “*Relowering*”.

The relowering step is time limited by the parameter "Relowering Time".

Parameter "Relowering Time"

The end of the Relowering step triggers the Readvancing step.

Readvancing The Readvancing step stops the lowering function and activates the advancing function. The ASQ Step display will show “*ReAdvancing*”.

If the ram stroke reading reaches the target advance stroke, the Readvancing step ends and triggers the following: Advance while Setting Initial Set

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If the limiting time given by parameter "Maximum Advancing Time" is reached the Readvancing step will trigger the Relowering step.

Parameter "Maximum Advancing Time"

Advance While Setting This feature allows the advancing function to remain active during the Initial Set to prevent the shield from sliding backwards as roof pressure increases.

If parameter “Advancing Tgt Stroke” is set to 2, then this step keeps the advancing function active until the end of the Initial Set step; if it is set to 3 or greater, then the program assumes it really is supposed to stop short of a full advance and the advance function is shut off. Once the function is deactivated, the step is completed.

Parameter “Advancing Tgt Stroke”

The end of this step triggers nothing else.

Initial Set This step activates the leg set function and sets the shield until contact with the top is reached. The ASQ Step display will show “Setting”.

This step ends when the leg pressure reading reaches 50 bar or when the limiting time is reached. If the leg pressure reading is switched Off in the Sensor Status menu section, then this step will be limited only by the time parameter.

The limiting time for the initial setting is the total time that the leg lower function was active during the ASQ. The baselift function is deactivated at the beginning of this step.

Adjacent-shield interlocks are released when this step starts. See Adjacent Shield Interlock step.

The set function is deactivated at the end of this step only if the step ends due to the limiting time, except when there is no active leg sensor.

The end of this step triggers Final Set Conveyor Push Refill

Final Set The Final Set step is responsible to set the shield to the target setting pressure. The ASQ Step display will show “Setting”.

If the leg set function is not active, this step waits for 0.5s and activates it. This will happen if the Initial Set step times out and deactivates the function.

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The leg set function remains active until the leg pressure reading reaches parameter “Final Set Pressure” or until the limiting time is reached. If the leg pressure reading is switched Off in the Sensor Status menu section, then this step will be limited only by the time parameter.

Parameters “Final Set Pressure” “Final Set Time”

The limiting time is set by parameter “Final Set Time”.

If the Final Set Time expires before the Final Set Pressure is reached, an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR set press not reached").

The set function(s) are deactivated at the end of this step.

Normally, the end of this step triggers the Flipper Extend step. *If this state was triggered by an Umbrella Lock, then an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR pause – umbrella lock") and the end of this step triggers the Umbrella Lock Pause step.

Conveyor Push Refill This step activates the conveyor push function for a short time period set by parameter “ram refill time”. If the time is set to 0, the feature is effectively switched off.

This feature closes the clevis pin gap at the conveyor to keep the pan from moving backwards when nearby shields advance or when the shearer passes.

Parameter “ram refill time”

The end of this step triggers no other steps.

Flipper Extend The Flipper Extend option is an ON/OFF option set by parameter “Extend Flipper”. This is a global parameter and does affect all the shields on the face. If set to Off, no action is taken. If set to On, the Flipper Control function is commanded to extend the flipper and the ASQ Step display shows “flipper ext”. See the Flipper Control function for details of the flipper extend action.

There are local parameters that will prohibit all flipper functions or by adjusting the parameter “HG Cancel Flip Extend” or parameter “TG Cancel Flip Extend”, located in the ASQ parameters, a number of shields in the gate areas can be prevented from extending the flipper during an Autosequence.

Parameter “Extend Flipper”

Parameters “HG Cancel Flip Extend” “TG Cancel Flip Extend”

The end of this step is the end of the Autosequence.

Umbrella Lock Pause This state posts an error (err “ASQ ERROR paused - umbrella lock”).

This state exits when the Umbrella Lock is removed or when the limiting time expires.

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If this step ends due to the limiting time, the ASQ stops and an error is posted (err: "ASQ ERROR abort - umbrella lock").

If this step ends because the Umbrella Lock is removed, it triggers the First Prewarning step.

Errors ASQ ERROR main hyd pressure low ASQ paused because the main hydraulic pressure was too low.

ASQ ERROR paused – umbrella lock Umbrella Lock caused ASQ to pause; will resume if umbrella removed soon enough.

ASQ ERROR abort – umbrella lock ASQ aborted because Umbrella Lock remained more than 90s.

ASQ ERROR aborted ASQ aborted by Quickstop, Lockout, Stop key, etc.

ASQ ERROR shld already advanced ASQ did not begin because this shield appears to be advanced (see parameter Advancing Tgt Stroke).

ASQ ERROR neighbor shld not adv ASQ aborted because transition shield didn't advance within 60s.

ASQ ERROR adj pressure too low Adjacent shield leg pressure too low. At least one neighbor shield must have at least one leg pressure reading of 100 bar or more.

ASQ ERROR flipper failed to ret Flipper failed to completely retract prior to leg lower.

ASQ ERROR adv press not reached Legs did not lower enough for adv to begin; see parameters Advancing Pressure and Initial Lowering Time.

ASQ ERROR slow advance Shield advancing too slowly.

ASQ ERROR 1st advance timeout Shield not fully advanced before parameter Advancing Time expired.

ASQ ERROR advance failed The shield failed to advance; check Retry Count, Relowering Time, Readvance Time.

ASQ ERROR set press not reached Legs did not reach Final Set Pressure within Final Set Time ASQ ERROR adj shield locked Black lockout button is pressed on adjacent shield.

ASQ ERROR flipper failed to ext Flipper failed to completely extend after legs set.

ASQ ERROR network ASQ aborted because of broken net.

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ASQ ERROR no ram sensor ASQ was trying to wedge advance but didn't have a usable ram sensor reading.

ASQ ERROR operator on shield ASQ aborted because an operator was on the shield pressing keys.

ASQ ERROR leg pressure invalid One or both legs are invalid. Replace or turn off sensor.

ASQ ERROR luminaire blink fail ASQ not allowed unless able to blink KH luminaire.

Parameter Summary ASQ Status Enabled, Disabled Enables or Disables ASQ in this single shield.

Retract Flipper ON, OFF Option to retract flipper at beginning of ASQ. Baselift During Lower ON, OFF Activate the baselift function while lowering the legs.

Initial Lowering Time 200-1000 Length of time to allow for legs lower at start of ASQ. Advancing Pressure 50-150 Legs must get below this pressure to allow the shield to advance.

Contact Advance ON, OFF Option to begin advance as soon as legs reach advancing pressure.

Extra Lowering Time 0-1000 Continue lowering legs during advance for this amount of time.

Pre-Baselift Time 0-200 If Baselift During Lower is Off and Baselift During Advance is On, this sets the length of time for baselift to activate before advance begins.

Tip Up Time 0-100 Length of time that line & tailgate shlds tip up after lowering before advancing.

HG Tip Down Group 0-5 Number of shields at HG that will tip down during ASQ. Headgate Tip Down Time 0-100 Length of time that headgate shields tip down after lowering before advancing.

Advance Delay Time 0-300 Only when Contact Advance is On and Extra Lowering is > 0; delay advance for this time to allow extra roof clearance before advance begins.

Baselift Drop Stroke 0-80 Drop baselift when ram stroke reaches this value.

Baselift During Adv ON, OFF Option to baselift during shield advance.

Maximum Advancing Time Time allowed for shield advance. © Caterpillar

0-1500 38

Advancing Tgt Stroke Sets how far shld will advance.

0-100

Retry Count 0-3 How many times shield will retry after first attempt to advance.

Tip Down on Retry 0-3 Sets which retry the shield will tip down on.

Tip Down Time 0-200 Length of time shield will tip down on retry.

Relowering Time Length of leg lower on retries.

0-500

Final Set Time 0-2000 Length of time after roof contact that setting continues while trying to reach Final Set Pressure.

Final Set Pressure 0-350 Target leg pressure that ASQ attempts to reach.

Ram refill time 0-150 Length of time for ram push fct to stay active at end of ASQ to tighten clevis connection.

Extend Flipper Option to extend flipper at the end of ASQ.

ON, OFF

HG Cancel Flip Extend 0-20 Sets # of shields at headgate that will NOT extend flipper during autosequence.

TG Cancel Flip Extend 0-20 Sets # of shields at tailgate that will NOT extend flipper during autosequence.

Next Advance Tgt Stk 0-100 Next stroke for advance to stop if programmed to do a wedge advance HG Seq First Shield 1-15 First shield to advance in the HG Sequence Group HG Seq Last Shield 1-15 Last shield to advance in the HG Sequence group.

TG Seq First Shield 1-15 First shield to advance in the TG Sequence Group TG Seq Last Shield 1-15 Last shield to advance in the TG Sequence group.

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GROUP AUTO FUNCTIONS Some of the commonly used group functions can be accessed using the group function hot keys. First the Group Function key is pressed first followed by a Group Select key. The function is then activated by pressing the Start key.

Press >

Then >

Then >

Results Selects a group of shields to the right and triggers an Autosequence on each. The batch mode determines the sequence of movement.

Parameter “Group size” determines how many shields will be selected.

Selects a group of shields to the left and triggers a conveyor pullback on each. The shields will continue to pullback until the target stroke is reached or they timeout.

Selects a group of 10 shields to the immediate left and triggers all of them to push the conveyor to the Bankpush “Tgt Stroke” parameter or until they timeout. Pressing the F-key twice will cause 20 shields to be selected. The push starts with the farthest shield and travels toward the nearest shield.

This direction can be reversed by pressing the N-key (red up arrow). The direction is indicated by an arrow on the display.

Starts SRB with the shearer moving to the right.

Selects a group of shields to the left and does a manual conveyor pullback on each. As long as the last key is held the shields continue to pullback stopping only when the target stroke is reached.

Other group functions are activated by scrolling to the appropriate line using the Menu Navigation keys and then pressing the Group Select key and the Start key.

Batch Advance Batch Advance is the Group Automatic function that allows the operator to advance an adjacent group of shields efficiently. Last Auto Fct is posted on each shield as “Batch ASQ”. © Caterpillar

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Operator Display and Keystrokes Press >

Then >

Then >

Results Selects a group of shields to the right and triggers an Autosequence on each. The batch mode determines the sequence of movement.

Selects a group of shields to the left and triggers an Autosequence on each. The batch mode determines the sequence of movement.

Keystroke Details The operator presses the Batch Adv key to see the Batch Advance display (or manually scrolls to Group Automatic Fcts -> Batch Advance display).

: Batch Advance : xxx d yyy typestring “xxx” and “yyy” are the beginning and ending shield numbers that are selected. “d” is the direction indicator (< or >). The direction determines whether xxx or yyy is the beginning or ending shield. The direction is only visible in sequential & rabbit modes since it does not apply to standard mode. “xxx” and “yyy” are invalid (~~~) when the Batch Adv key is first pressed; they are filled in when the Group Select key is pressed. Typestring will show the mode of batching that is selected. The values will revert back to invalid when Key-time expires after the Start key is pressed. “typestring” is the Batch Advance Mode. Mode options are described below.

The operator must choose a group of shields to the left or right using the Group Select keys. When the Group Select key is pressed, the beginning and ending shield numbers will appear on the Batch Advance display. The number of shields selected is determined by Batch Advance parameter "Group Size".

Parameter “Group Size” I want to pull the shields to my right so…

If Group Size is 5 and the operator is on shield 100 selecting shields on the tailgate side, then shields 101 through 105 will be selected.

When the Batch Adv key is pressed, the direction will be set so that the shield farthest away from the operator pulls first. It can be toggled using the Menu Red Arrow key.

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to toggle direction © Caterpillar

The Menu Green Arrow key toggles the typestring between Sequential, Rabbit, and Standard mode. The Mode options are described below.

After reviewing the selected shields, the direction, and the mode, press the Start key to start the Batch Advance.

to toggle mode Everything looks good so…

Prewarning / Active Display After the Start key is pressed, every shield in the selected group will display the ASQ Active display and begin prewarning (for more information, see Prewarning / Active Display in the ASQ Section on page 27). But the ASQ is not triggered yet; the Batch Advance logic triggers the ASQs based on the batch mode as described below.

Operating Logic & Modes Sequential Mode In Sequential mode, the Batch Advance triggers the Autosequence function one shield at a time; the direction indicator identifies which shield starts the process. Each shield fully completes its ASQ before the ASQ is triggered in the next shield.

Sequential Mode is subject to the parameter "Batch Advance Max Time" setting.

Any shield that is not triggered within this time will post an error (err: "BATCH ERROR Timed Out").

Rabbit Mode Rabbit mode triggers the ASQs in every other shield, one at a time, waiting for one shield to begin advancing before triggering another shield. This mode is faster than sequential mode while still retaining excellent roof support in the batch area.

Standard Mode This is the fastest mode and is the mode that is normally used. However, this mode places the highest demand on the hydraulic supply system and provides less roof support during the batch operation than the other modes. The other modes will seldom be used but may help in adverse roof conditions or times when hydraulic pressure or volume is reduced.

Standard mode triggers all even-numbered shields first (all together), waits for 1s and triggers all odd numbered shields (all together). The purpose of the delay is to allow the even number shields to begin the Autosequence first. The Autosequence Interlock logic will prevent the odd shields from beginning to ASQ until the even shields have finished.

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Enable / Disable Options Batch Advance has no enable / disable options. However, individual shields can be restricted from Batch Adv operation by the Batch Status local parameter.

Restrictions Batch Advance is subject to the standard Automatic Function restrictions. In addition, Batch Advance cannot be started if it is already running.

Errors BATCH ERROR Timed Out! Batch Advance Max Time is too short or ASQs are too slow.

Parameter Summary Grp Size 2-10 Number of shields selected when Group Select key is pressed.

Max Time 1000-3000 Max time allowed for all ASQs in Batch to complete.

Batch Status Allowed, Not Allowed Determines if shield is allowed to be involved in a Batch Advance.

Wedge Advance The Wedge Advance feature allows the operator to set an area of the face for wedge advance which will occur in the future. The operator selects the shields to be included, and the target stroke for the first and last shields in the group. The shields don't actually move at this time; they are just designated for wedge advance the next time that something causes them to ASQ.

Operator Display & Keystrokes To set a wedge, the operator scrolls to Group Automatic->Set Wedge Advance display:

: Set Wedge Advance : #bbb,xxx #eee,yyy bbb and eee are the beginning and ending shields that are selected. xxx and yyy are the target stroke for the beginning and ending shields. (100% means the shield will not attempt to advance at all; 0% means the shield will attempt to advance completely.)

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If the operator likes the values shown, it is only necessary to press the Start key and the Wedge Advance command is sent to the face. The shields in the selected wedge area will all show "-Wedge Advance" on the top line. This means that the wedge has been queued and the partial advance will occur on the next ASQ. The beginning and ending shield selections and the target stroke settings are adjustable by scrolling right from the Wedge Advance display (Menu Right key) to reveal the Wedge Advance parameters. The values are then entered as normal parameters (using the Enter key and number keys).

After the parameters are entered, the Menu Left key will shift the display back to the Wedge Advance display and the Start key is pressed to trigger the Wedge Advance.

To cancel all Wedge Advances that have been set anywhere on the face, the operator scrolls to the Wedge Advance display and into the Wedge Advance parameters to the “Clear All Wedges (N)” display. When the Menu Red Arrow key is pressed, all wedges are cleared.

Hmm, looks good...

Wedge Advance Queued

Hmm, does not look good…

Manually enter parameter values, then….

+ Wedge Advance Queued Hmm, I want to cancel the wedges…

Clear All Wedges (N)

Prewarning / Active Display Setting a Wedge Advance does not cause any prewarning to activate. It does post a default display to indicate that a Wedge Advance is queued. Line2 will continue to show sensor values; line1 will show "#87 -wedge advance" for example.

Operating Logic When the operator presses the Start key to set the Wedge Advance, a message is sent from the operator’s shield to the "beginning" shield in the Wedge Advance. From there a message is passed toward the "ending" shield. Each shield calculates its own Wedge Advance target stroke and activates the Wedge Advance default display.

Wedge Advance can be "overlayed" with any other function. That means that once the wedge command has been entered, the ASQs can be activated by Batch Advance, SRB, or adjacent control. In all cases, the ASQ will follow the pending wedge advance target stroke. After the ASQ occurs, the wedge is no longer queued, the wedge advance indication is cleared from the display, and subsequent ASQs will advance the shield normally.

If a Wedge Advance is already set and a new wedge command is received, the new command takes precedence. © Caterpillar

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Enable / Disable Options There are no enable / disable options for the Wedge Advance feature.

Restrictions Since wedge advance is not a feature that actually moves shields, the normal restrictions do not apply.

Errors This feature does not generate any errors.

Parameter Summary Beginning Shield 1-310 First shield in the wedge advance area.

Beginning Shld Stroke 0-100 How far the first shield will advance.

Ending Shield 1-130 Last shield in the wedge advance area.

Ending Shield Stroke 0-100 How far the last shield will advance.

Batch Pullback Batch Pullback is the Group Automatic function that allows the operator to pull the conveyor backwards in a controlled way. Batch Pullback works in a group of shields adjacent to the operator. Last Auto Fct is posted on each shield as “Pullback”.

Operator Display & Keystrokes Press >

Then >

Then >

Results Selects a group of shields to the left and triggers an automatic conveyor pullback on each. Pullback will continue until the target stroke is reached or they timeout.

Selects a group of shields to the right and triggers a manual conveyor pullback on each.

Pullback will continue until the target stroke is reached or the key is released.

Keystroke Details The operator presses the Pull Back key to see the Batch Pullback display (or scrolls to the Group Functions Column to the Batch Pullback display).

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: Batch Pullback : xxx d yyy stk% “xxx” and “yyy” are the beginning and ending shields that are selected. “xxx” and “yyy” are invalid (~~~) when the Pull Back key is first pressed; they are filled in when the Group Select key is pressed. The values will revert back to invalid when Key-time expires after the Start key is pressed. “d” is the direction indicator (< or >). The direction determines whether xxx or yyy is the beginning or ending shield. “stk%” is the target stroke percentage, set by Batch Pullback parameter “Tgt Stroke”.

The operator must choose a group of shields to the left or right using the Group Select keys. When the Group Select key is pressed, the beginning and ending shield numbers will appear on the Batch Pullback display. The number of shields selected is determined by Batch Pullback parameter "Group Size".

If Group Size is 10 and the operator is on shield 100 selecting shields on the tailgate side, then shields 101 through 110 will be selected.

Parameter “Group Size”

Pressing the Red Arrow key toggles the direction, changing which end of the group will start pulling first. to toggle direction Automatic Mode To start the pullback operation in automatic mode, the operator just presses the Start Key. (After Key-time expires and the screen reverts to the default display, the beginning and ending points shown on the Batch Pullback display will revert back to invalid (~~~).

Manual Mode To start the pullback operation in manual mode, the operator presses and holds the Pull Back key. When the Pull Back key is released, the pullback action immediately stops. If the key is pressed again before Key-time expires, the action will start again.

Hmm, I want to pull the shields to my right so…

+ or maybe I should use manual pullback, so…

+

In both modes, the pullback action will stop at the target stroke.

Prewarning / Active Display When the pullback direction is selected (via the Group Select Left or Right key) the selected shields will prewarn and display the Conveyor Pullback display. The display 46 © Caterpillar

will retain the default line2 (showing sensors values, etc) while line1 will show "! CPULL! " followed by text that indicates the current action.

Operating Logic After the direction is selected and the Start key is pressed (or the Pull Back key is held), the prewarning sounds and the CPull-active display is shown.

The Batch Pullback logic will ensure that no shields in the selected group will be delayed by current reservation (i.e., each shield will pre-reserve enough current to activate the pullback valve) and waits until at least 3s of prewarning time has passed.

If 10 seconds passes without being able to pre-reserve current, the pullback will terminate and the operator’s shield will post an error (err: "PULLBACK ERROR current reservation").

The shields are then triggered consecutively, based on the direction indicator. The delay between triggering shields is set by parameter “Delay Time” under Configuration->Conveyor Pullback.

Parameter "Delay Time"

When the pullback function is triggered, the prewarning sound is muted but remains active as long as the pullback function is active.

If the manual mode is being used, when the operator releases the Pull Back key, the pullback action will stop.

Parameter "Tgt Stroke" sets the target stroke for the pullback. The conveyor will be pulled to this stroke value except at the ends of the group where the Conveyor Pullback protection logic will taper the pullback to avoid overstressing the conveyor and ram connections.

Parameter "Tgt Stroke"

Conveyor Pullback Protection The Conveyor Pullback delta protection allows the shield to only pullback 10% more than the neighbor shields.

Example: 20 shields are selected to the left to do a pullback. The target stroke was set to 50%. The shield at the far end could pull back only to 90% because the next shield is outside of the pullback area. The next shield in the pullback area can pull to 80%, the next to 70%, etc. The same would happen on the end nearest to the operator. This could mean that only certain shields in the middle of the group would reach their target stroke of 50%.

When delta protection stops the pullback, it is only temporary; the pullback logic is still triggered but the hydraulic function is deactivated and the pullback status display changes to "< delta" or "delta >" depending upon which neighbor shield triggered the delta protection.

As soon as the ram stroke difference falls to 5%, the pullback resumes. Delta protection does not suspend the Conveyor Pullback Timeout feature.

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Delta protection 10% difference in strokes allowed

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If the target stroke is set greater than 20%, a valid ram reading is required. If the ram reading is invalid or turned Off under the Sensor Status menu section, an error is posted (err: "PULLBACK ERROR invalid ram sensor"). Shields within parameter "Abort Dist" on either side that are part of the pullback will be aborted and will post an error (err: "PULLBACK ERROR aborted by #xxx"). The Abort Dist parameter is under Configuration->Conveyor Pullback.

Parameter “Abort Dist”

"Shield Up" protection Shield Up protection is designed to protect the conveyor from damage during the conveyor pullback operation. If a shield has been advanced, pulling the conveyor across that shield will break something in the ram/conveyor connection. Shield Up protection will prevent the pullback from occurring in this situation.

Conveyor Push has "Shield Back" protection – Conveyor Pullback has "Shield Up" protection!

At the beginning of the pullback action, if a shield has a ram stroke that is more than 20% less than either of the adjacent ram strokes, it is assumed that the shield has been advanced. It will post an error (err: "PULLBACK ERROR shield is advanced"); shields within parameter "Abort Dist" on either side that are part of the pullback will be aborted and will post an error (err: "PULLBACK ERROR aborted by #xxx"). This check only happens at the beginning of the pullback action.

Shield Set to Roof At the beginning of the pullback action, the shield should be set to the roof as indicated by an active leg pressure reading of 100bar or more. If this requirement is not met, an error will be posted (err: "PULLBACK ERROR low leg pressure") and shields within parameter "Abort Dist" on either side that are part of the pullback will be aborted and will post an error (err: "PULLBACK ERROR aborted by #xxx").

If the leg sensor is inactive (turned Off under the Sensor Status menu section), the pullback will be allowed outside the Shearer Safety zone; but inside the Shearer Safety zone the error will be posted.

This check only happens at the beginning of the pullback action. It is intended to protect against causing the shield to advance instead of pulling the pan back due to the lack of roof pressure.

Conveyor Pullback Timeout The conveyor pullback is always limited in duration. Parameter "Max Time" found under Configuration->Conveyor Pullback sets the maximum time period the pullback will remain active. If the pullback times out before reaching the target stroke, an error will posted (err: "PULLBACK ERROR pullback timeout").

Parameter "Max Time"

Snake Area To keep the snake area of the pullback from beeping and showing "delta" for a long time, if the ram stroke doesn’t change for more than 5s, the pullback function is 48 © Caterpillar

terminated; no error is posted if shield is within 10 shields of the end of the pullback area.

Enable / Disable Options Batch Pullback has no enable / disable options.

Restrictions Batch Pullback is subject to the standard Automatic Function restrictions. Additionally, an active ASQ will prevent Batch Pullback from being triggered and will abort an already-active Batch Pullback.

Errors PULLBACK ERROR invalid ram sensor Pullback stopped due to invalid ram sensor.

PULLBACK ERROR aborted by #xxx Pulback aborted by msg from another shield.

PULLBACK ERROR Shield is advanced Pullback aborted because this shield already advanced.

PULLBACK ERROR pullback timeout Pullback failed to complete in time; chk Conveyor Push Time.

PULLBACK ERROR low leg pressure Pullback aborted due to insufficient leg pressure.

Parameter Summary Tgt Stroke 0-100 Tells Batch Pullback how far to pull in percent.

Group Size 1-30 Sets number of shields selected for pullback.

Abort Dist 3-5 Distance on each side that will abort if a shield is already up.

Max Time 2000-9000 Max time in hundredths of a second for pullback to complete.

Start Group 0-5 Number of shields that will activate at the same time at the start of the conveyor pullback.

Delay Time 0-1000 Delay between each of the shields activating in the conveyor pullback after pullback start group is active.

Bankpush The Bankpush function allows the operator to push the conveyor in a controlled way in any area of the face no matter where the operator is located.

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The operator can activate the Bankpush function in two different ways. The operator can manually enter the start and end points (this allows a push to be started at any location on the face) or the operator can use the adjacent-bankpush feature and select a group of 10 or 20 adjacent shields for the bankpush.

Shields that are part of a bankpush post "Bankpush" as the Last Auto Fct. !Caution: It is NOT recommended to push where the shearer is located due to the stress it may put on the shearer.

Operator Display & Keystrokes Press >

Then >

Then >

Results Selects a group of 10 shields to the left and triggers conveyor push on each. Push will continue until the target stroke is reached or they timeout.

Selects a group of 10 shields to the right and triggers conveyor push on each. Push will continue until the target stroke is reached or they timeout.

+

Selects a group of 20 shields to the right and triggers conveyor push on each. Push will continue until the target stroke is reached or they timeout.

Triggers conveyor push based on existing parameter values shown in the display. Often the values are entered by the operator just prior to using this key combination by scrolling right after pressing the Bank Push key and manually changing the values.

Keystroke Details The operator presses the Bank Push key to see the Bankpush display (or scrolls to the Group Functions Column to the Bankpush display).

: Bankpush : xxx d yyy stk% “xxx” and “yyy” are the beginning and ending shields that are selected. “xxx” and “yyy” may be invalid (~~~) when the Bank Push key is first pressed; they are filled in when the Group Select key is pressed. The values are retained and do not revert back to invalid when Key-time expires after the Start key is pressed. © Caterpillar

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“d” is the direction indicator (< or >). The direction determines whether xxx or yyy is the beginning or ending shield. “stk%” is the target stroke percentage, set by Bankpush parameter “Tgt Stroke”.

Pressing the Red Arrow key toggles the direction, changing which shield pushes first. to toggle direction Hmm, looks good...

If the operator likes the beginning and ending shield selections shown and the target stroke value, it is only necessary to press the Start key and the bankpush operation will be triggered on those shields.

Batch Operation Rather than manually entering the start and end points, from the Bankpush display the operator can use the Group Select keys to select a group of 10 shields to one side. When the Group Select key is pressed, the Begin and End parameters will be changed and the change will be seen on the Bankpush display. If the same Group Select key is pressed again, the group size will be extended from 10 to 20 shields.

To start the Bankpush operation, the operator just presses the Start key.

Hmm, instead of entering parameters, I just want to choose 10 shields to the left

+ or maybe 20 shields…

+

+

Prewarning / Active Display When the operator presses the Start key the selected shields will prewarn and display the Bankpush Active display. The display will retain the default line2 (showing sensors values, etc) while line1 will show " ! BPUSH ! " followed by text that indicates the current action.

Operating Logic Following the initial 3s of prewarning, the push action will begin at the one end of the group and travel toward the other, depending on the direction indicator.

The Bankpush logic simultaneously triggers the Conveyor Push action on a group of shields at the beginning of the selected bank. The remaining shields will be triggered one at a time.

The operator should select a Bankpush group that completely overlaps the snake left by the previous push. For example, if the operator is 10 shields away from the closest shield that has pushed, activate a push that reaches back 20 shields ensures that all shields get pushed completely and a bow is not left in the face.

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The number of shields triggered simultaneously at the beginning of the Bankpush is determined by parameter "Bankpush Start Group" in Configuration->Conveyor Push.

Parameter "Bankpush Start Group"

After that, to allow for the smoothest possible push, the shields are triggered one at a time as soon as the previously triggered shield has pushed half way to it’s delta; if that cannot be determined because the ram sensor read is invalid or the sensor is turned Off under the Sensor Status menu section, then a half-second delay is used.

Parameter "Tgt Stroke" sets the target stroke for the bankpush.

The conveyor will be pushed to this stroke except at the ends of the group where the Conveyor Push function will taper the push to avoid overstressing the conveyor and ram connections.

Parameter "Tgt Stroke"

Enable / Disable Options There is no enable / disable options for Bankpush itself. However, the parameter “Conveyor Push Function” under Prohibit Actions can be used to prevent a single shield from activating the push function. The Bankpush action will pass over this shield and continue operating the other shields in the normal manner.

Restrictions Bankpush is subject to the standard Automatic Feature restrictions.

Errors The Bankpush function will not generate any errors. Note that the Conveyor Push function that is triggered by Bankpush can generate a number of different errors.

Parameter Summary Beginning Shield 1-310 First shield to push when Bankpush is started.

Ending Shield 1-310 Last shield to push when Bankpush is started.

Tgt Stroke 1-100 Tells Bankpush how far to push in percent.

Bankpush Start Group 1-10 Number of shields that will be triggered simultaneously at the beginning of the Bankpush.

Conveyor Push The Conveyor Push function is an in-shield function that pushes the pan while ensuring that no damage occurs. Conveyor Push can be triggered in-shield, by Bankpush, by SRB or by the Endgate Push feature.

Caution: To prevent damage to the shearer DO NOT PUSH CONVEYOR WHERE SHEARER IS LOCATED. © Caterpillar

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Operator Display & Keystrokes The locking push is a manual push function initiated by the operator to lock the push on. There will be a 3 second prewarning before the valve will activate. The beeper will continue to beep while the valve is active. Usually the only limit is the Conveyor Push Timeout. The display will show "Lock Push: time:xxx" where xxx is the time (in seconds) remaining for the push.

In-shield Locking Push To activate the conveyor push on only one shield the operator can press the Locking Push key (3-key). There will be a 3 second prewarning before the valve will activate.

The beeper will continue to beep while the valve is active.

There are two different modes of operation for this push Target Stroke or Time.

to make single shield push (3s prewarn)

Target Stroke If parameter “Locking Push Key” is set to “For Stk”, then the conveyor push function will attempt to push to the target stroke set by parameter “Locking Push Tgt Stk”. Both of these parameters are under Configuration->Conveyor Push. Line2 will continue to show sensor values; line1 will show "# 87 LockPush tgt: 98” for example.

Parameters “Locking Push Key” “Locking Push Tgt Stk”

Time If parameter “Locking Push Key” is set to “For Time” then the conveyor push function will attempt to push for a time period set by parameter “Max Time” under Configuration->Conveyor Push.

Parameter “Max Time”

Endgate Push The operator can trigger a push of the gate shields by pressing the Bank Push key twice and then pressing start.

BankPush GateEnd ...press Start

+

+

This only works from the first twenty shields for the Headgate and the last twenty for the Tailgate push.

The active display will show "Gate Push: delta >", "Gate Push: < delta", or "Gate Push: active" as appropriate.

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Prewarning / Active Display The top line of the display will indicate what triggered the Conveyor Push (SRB, GatePush, LockPush or Bankpush). Conveyor Push updates the current action information on the display to show what is happening: active - actually pushing delta - waiting on an adjacent shield to push farther gateend - waiting for other gateend shields to push so the gate pushes evenly Last Auto Fct will be posted as "Manual Push", "SRB Push", "Bankpush", or "Endgate Push".

Operating Logic The Conveyor Push feature offers several methods of protection to prevent damage to the equipment.

Shield Back protection Shield Back protection is designed to protect the conveyor from damage during the conveyor push operation. If a shield is left back (not advanced) pushing the conveyor will break the relay bar or clevis connection. Shield Back protection will prevent the push from occurring in this situation.

At the beginning of the push action, if a shield has a ram stroke that is “delta” + 10% more than either of the adjacent ram strokes, it is assumed that the shield has been left back.

O/S will post an error (err: "PUSH ERROR shield back"). Shields within a distance set by parameter "Abort Dist" (under Configuration>Conveyor Push) on either side that are pushing will be aborted and will post an error (err: "PUSH ERROR aborted by #xxx").

“Conveyor Push Delta” “Abort Dist”

This check only happens at the beginning of the push action, when Conveyor Push is triggered.

Because Shield Back protection depends on the ram stroke readings of the shield and its neighbor shields, the “Push Protection” parameter is provided to define what action to take when a ram sensor is invalid. See the following section.

Push Protection Parameter The parameter “Push Protection” (under Configuration>Conveyor Push) controls how the Shield Back protection is applied. There are three different setting for the parameter:

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Parameter “Push Protection”

FULL

“Full” protection means that sensors are required. If a shield or either neighbor has an invalid ram sensor then the shield is treated as if it is back because the ram strokes can not be compared.

If a ram sensor is turned Off using the local “Ram Position” parameter under the Sensor Status menu section, then the Push Protection for that shield is effectively reduced to “Partial” as described below.

Parameter “Ram Position”

PARTIAL

“Partial protection” allows Push Protection to operate when a shield and the neighbor(s) both have valid, “On” ram sensors.

If either shield has an invalid or “Off” ram sensor then no error is posted; it is just assumed that pushing will not cause a problem.

NONE

“None” means that Push Protection is completely disabled. The push is allowed to continue without checking to see if a shield has been left back.

Adjacent "Delta" Protection To provide a conveyor snake that is more gentle than the mechanical limits of the conveyor, Delta Protection is provided.

Delta protection can be enabled or disabled using the parameter “Delta Protection” under Configuration>Conveyor Push.

Parameter “Delta Protection”

During the push action, a shield will stop pushing if the ram stroke exceeds either neighbor by parameter “Conv Push Delta”. When delta protection stops the push, it is only temporarily suspended. The hydraulic function is de-activated and the push state string changes to "< delta" or "delta >" depending upon which neighbor shield triggered the delta protection. Once the neighbor shield push catches up by parameter “Conv Push Delta(hys)”, the push resumes.

Parameters “Conv Push Delta” “Conv Push Delta(hys)”

For example, with “Conv Push Delta” set to 20 and “Conv Push Delta(hys)” set to 5: •

the push will suspend when it reaches 20% if the neighbor is still at 0%

•

when the neighbor reaches 5%, the push will re-activate

While the shield is “delta-ed” the Conveyor Push time continues to run.

Conveyor Push Timeout The conveyor push is always limited in duration. Parameter "Max Time" under Configuration->Conveyor Push sets the maximum time period the push will remain active.

55

Parameter "Max Time"

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Target Stroke The target stroke feature stops the conveyor push at a pre-determined ram stroke reading set by the function that triggered the push (Locking Push key, Bankpush, Endgate Push, or SRB). If the push times out before reaching the target stroke, an error will be posted. (err: "PUSH ERROR conveyor push timeout").

Endgate Even-push Feature The Endgate Even-push Feature is designed to make gate shields pushing evenly so the drive frame is not twisted. At each end of the face, there is a parameter to define a control shield that determines how far the other shields can push; and there is a parameter to determine how many shields at the endgate are subject to this restriction.

The Endgate Even-push Feature only applies to automatic modes of conveyor push.

Parameters “Headgate Push Ctl” and “Tailgate Push Ctl” (both under Configuration->Conveyor Push) define which shield is the controlling shield at each end of the face.

If set to 5, then the first 4 shields will not push until the 5 one is ready to push.

Parameters "Headgate Push Ctl" th

“Tailgate Push Ctl”

Parameters “Headgate Push Group” and “Tailgate Push Group” define the number of shields at each endgate that will be controlled by this feature.

If “Headgate Push Ctl” is 5, all shields that are in the Headgate Push Group cannot push more than 10% greater than the controlling shield, which is number 5. If one of these shields has a sensor that is invalid or turned Off, that shield just pushes for time. This would work the same for the tailgate end of the face but with respect to the Tailgate Push Group.

Parameters “Headgate Push Group” “Tailgate Push Group”

If the controlling shield or the adjacent shield (on the mid-face side) has a ram sensor that is invalid or turned Off, the controlling shield will be shifted towards mid face until an acceptable controlling shield is found. Once the controlling shield has shifted, it does not shift back until power cycles or the Headgate Push Ctl is changed.

When this feature has paused the push action, the Conveyor Push action text on the top line will show "gateend –".

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Triggering Method Affects Operation Which safety and control methods are used depends upon how the conveyor push was triggered.

Trigger Push Mode Notes Applies:

In-shield Locking Push key Adjacent Locking Push key

Manual

Conveyor Push Timeout Target Stroke Timeout Target stk (optional) Does not apply: Shield back protection Delta protection Applies:

SRB BankPush

Automatic

Endgate Push

Shield back protection Delta protection Endgate even-push Timeout Target Stroke

Enable / Disable Options Parameter “Conveyor Push Function” under Prohibit Actions can be used to enable or disable the conveyor push function in an individual shield. This parameter is a local parameter and only affects a single shield. If the function is Not Allowed, Bankpush actions will pass over this shield and continue operating the other shields in the normal manner.

Parameter "Conveyor Push Function"

Restrictions Conveyor Push is subject to the standard Automatic Feature restrictions. An additional restriction that will prevent Conveyor Push from starting and will cause it to abort is an active ASQ.

Errors PUSH ERROR invalid ram sensor Push stopped due to invalid ram sensor.

PUSH ERROR aborted by #xxx Push aborted by msg from another shield.

PUSH ERROR shield back Push aborted because this shield left back.

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PUSH ERROR conveyor push timeout Push failed to complete in time; check Conveyor Push Time.

Parameter Summary Push Protection Full, Partial, None Options for protecting conveyor: Full is best option.

Delta Protection On, Off This determines whether the delta action is allowed during the push cycle.

Abort Dist 1-6 Distance on each side that will abort if a shield is left back.

Max Time Max time for push to complete.

2000-9000

Bankpush Start Group 1-10 How many shields that will come on at start of Bankpush.

Locking Push key For Time, For Stroke Lock-Push Key works for time or stroke.

Locking Push Tgt Stk 1-100 Sets target stroke for Lock-Push key.

Headgate Push Ctl 1-10 Number of HG shields that push evenly at the same time. If set to 5, then #5 controls the HG push.

Headgate Push Group 1-20 Number of HG shields that are not allowed to push farther than the ‘HG Push Control’ shield.

Tailgate Push Ctl 1-10 Number of TG shields that push evenly at the same time. If set to 5, then 5th shield from TG controls the TG push.

Tailgate Push Group 1-20 Number of TG shields that are not allowed to push farther than the shield that is ‘TG Push Control’ from the TG.

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Batch Flippers The Batch Flippers feature allows the operator to activate the flipper functions, either retract or extend, in a controlled way in an area of the face adjacent to the operator's location.

Operator Display & Keystrokes Press

, then

Results

Scrolls into Group Automatic Fcts and down to Batch Flippers. Since there is no hot key for Batch Flippers, this is the only way to get there!

as necessary

or

Selects shields to the left or right; the number of shields selected depends on the parameter “Group Size” under the Batch Flippers Section.

(optional)

Toggles the direction indicator

(optional)

Toggles the action between “EXT” and “RET”

(required)

Starts the Batch Flippers operation on the selected shields, triggering the selected action on each.

Keystroke Details From the default display, the operator scrolls right twice and down until reaching the Batch Flippers display.

, then

as necessary

: Batch Flippers : xxx d yyy typestring “xxx” and “yyy” are the beginning and ending shields that are selected.

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“xxx” and “yyy” will be invalid (~~~) when the Batch Flippers display is first shown; they are filled in when the Group Select key is pressed. The values revert back to invalid when Key-time expires. “d” is the direction indicator (< or >). The direction determines whether xxx or yyy is the beginning or ending shield. “typestring” is either “EXT” to activate flipper extend or “RET” to activate flipper retract.

The operator must use the Group Select keys to select a group of shields to one side. When the Group Select key is pressed, the Begin and End values shown in the Batch Flippers Display will change and the direction indicator will change.

The number of shields selected is determined by parameter “Group Size” under the Batch Flippers Section.

Pressing the Red Arrow key toggles the direction, changing which end of the group will start the flipper function first.

I want to select shields to the left

Parameter “Group Size”

to toggle direction

Pressing the Green Arrow key toggles the flipper action between “EXT” and “RET”. to toggle action Looks good...

Finally the operator reviews the selected shields and action option and then starts the Batch Flipper group by pressing the Start key.

To change the number of shields selected by the Group Select key, the operator must scroll right from the Batch Flippers display and change parameter “Group Size”.

Parameter “Group Size”

Prewarning / Active Display When the operator pressed the Start key the selected shields will prewarn and display the Batch Flippers Active Display. The display will retain the default line2 (showing sensors value, etc.) while line1 will show “! FLIP !” followed by text that indicates the current action – either “RETRACT” or “EXTEND”.

When the prewarning expires the operating logic actually triggers the function. The above screens do not change and a muted prewarning sounds for the duration of the function.

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Operating Logic The Batch Flipper feature operates in a wave, where shields are triggered to activate a group with a slight delay between each of them.

The Batch Flipper Active display is removed anytime the Batch Flipper feature is cancelled or when it completes.

Enable / Disable Options The Batch Flipper feature is always available on all shields. However, the singleshield Flipper Feature may be disabled for a number of reasons. See the Flipper Feature section.

Restrictions Batch Flipper is subject to the standard Automatic Function restrictions. Additionally it cannot be initiated if already doing a Batch Flipper action.

Errors There are no Batch Flipper errors although the single-shield Flipper Feature may generate errors when Batch Flipper causes it to be triggered.

Parameter Summary Group Size 3-10 Number of shields selected by Batch Flipper operation.

Auto Flippers The Auto Flipper feature triggers the single-shield Flipper Feature around the shearer automatically as it travels across the face, retracting ahead of the shearer and extending behind the shearer.

Operator Display & Keystrokes There are no keystrokes to operate the Auto flippers - just turn it on as follows: At the Auto Flippers line, move to the right with the Menu Right key. The first two parameters are “Retract Flippers” and “Extend Flippers”.

Parameters “Retract Flippers: On” “Extend Flippers: On”

When either parameter is set to On, the flippers will respond to the shearer position as it moves, whether it be the IR or Serial position. Auto Flippers does not respond to the Manual position.

Prewarning / Active Display The default display has no indication that Auto Flippers is enabled.

When Auto Flippers triggers a flipper retract or extend, the affected shield will prewarn and display the Flippers Active Display. The display will retain the default line2 (showing sensors value, etc.) while line1 will show “! FLIP !” followed by text that indicates the current action – either “RETRACT” or “EXTEND”.

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When the prewarning expires the function will be activated. The above screens do not change and a muted prewarning sounds for the duration of the function.

Operating Logic Setting the Auto Flippers Zone The “Auto Flippers Zone” is comprised of all shields from (parameter) Auto Flipper Begin to (parameter) Auto Flipper End. Setting these parameters to 1 and to the number of shields on the face means that Auto Flippers will control the flippers on all of the shields.

Parameters "Auto Flipper Begin” “Auto Flipper End”

To exclude some shields in the headgate, set Auto Flipper Begin to a higher number.

For example, if Auto Flipper Begin is set to 5, Auto Flippers can not trigger flipper actions on the first 4 shields. Auto Flipper End can be used to exclude shields in the tailgate in a similar manner.

Retracting flippers The number of flippers that retract ahead of the shearer is determined by parameter “H>T Retract Zone” or “T>H Retract Zone”, depending on the direction of travel.

Parameters "H>T Retract Zone” “T>H Retract Zone”

This number of flippers will be retracted ahead of the Auto Safety Zone on the leading end of the shearer. (The Auto Safety Zone is set by SRB parameters “Auto HG Safety Zone” and “Auto TG Safety Zone”.)

Extending the flippers A safety zone is required behind the shearer to prevent flippers from extending too close to the shearer drum so that the shearer can be backed up if necessary.

This distance is determined by the setting of either the H>T or T>H Extend Safe Zones, depending on direction of travel.

Parameters "H>T Extend Safe Zone” “T>H Extrend Safe Zone”

The zone starts immediately after the SRB HG or TG Auto Safety zones.

Enable / Disable Options The Auto Flipper feature is always available on all shields. However, the single-shield Flipper Feature may be disabled for a number of reasons. See the Flipper Feature section.

Restrictions Auto Flippers function is subject to the standard Automatic Function restrictions.

Errors There are no Batch Flipper errors although the single-shield Flipper Feature may generate errors when Batch Flipper causes it to be triggered. © Caterpillar

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Parameter Summary Retract Flippers On, Off This determines if the Flippers will automatically retract in front of the shearer as it moves.

Extend Flippers On, Off This determines if the Flippers will automatically extend behind the shearer as it moves.

Auto Flippers Begin 1-254 This is set to the first shield on the HG end that will be involved with the Auto Flippers.

Auto Flippers End 1-254 This is set to the last shield on the face that will be invloved with the Auto Flippers.

H>T Retract Zone 5-15 This determines how far ahead of the Auto TG Safety Zone that the flippers will retract as the shearer travels to the Tailgate.

H>T Extend Safe Zone 0-15 This determines how many shields behind the HG Auto Safety Zone that will not allow the Auto Flippers to extend.

T>H Retract Safe 5-15 This determines how many shields behind the Auto HG Safety Zone that the flippers will retract as the shearer travels to the Headgate.

T>H Extend Safe Zone 0-15 This determines how many shields behind the TG Auto Safety Zone that will not allow the Auto Flippers to extend.

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SHEARER RUNNING BATCH (SRB) Shearer Running Batches (SRB) is the full-face automation feature of the PMC-R control system. The basic concept of SRB is to trigger ASQs between the shearer drums and following the shearer; and also to push the conveyor in the area following the ASQs. Both Bidirectional and Unidirectional SRB can be supported.

The primary inputs into SRB are the shearer position and the Primepoint.

Shearer Position The shearer position is measured in shields. (i.e., the shearer is at shield #55) It can be supplied one of three ways: Manual Shearer Tracking The operator follows the shearer up and down the face, pressing a key to tell the system where the shearer is located. The key does not have to be pressed on every shield – typically every 5th shield is sufficient. However, this results in a choppy shearer position that doesn't move smoothly from one shield to the next and will typically trigger several shields to advance at the same time. This is inefficient use of the hydraulic system capability and will result in reduced system pressure across the face.

The automated tracking systems provide a smooth position flow and typically trigger one shield at a time, occasionally activating a second shield to keep pace with the shearer. It is recommended that an automatic tracking system be used.

Infrared Shearer Tracking Infrared tracking uses the internal PMC-R infrared receiver to detect the signal from the shearer-mounted infrared transmitter. This is the simplest system for automatic shearer tracking; it has no calibration issues and has proven to be reliable. The most frequent issues with infrared tracking are operator interference (i.e., standing in front of the transmitter), transmitter/receiver angles in snake areas, and excess buildup of dust on the transmitter or receivers.

Because it requires only the addition of a simple IR transmitter on the shearer, IR tracking is frequently used with non-Caterpillar shearers. It is also used as a backup to serial tracking on Caterpillar shearers.

Serial Shearer Tracking Serial tracking uses a data connection to pass data from the shearer to the shield controls. The shearer determines its position and passes the data to the PMC-Rs. It is more difficult to commission because it uses several data connections at the headgate.

However, serial tracking provides the most accurate measurement of shearer position.

It also provides the ability to implement anti-collision options and other options that require the shields and shearer to communicate to each other.

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Serial tracking requires an accurate and reliable tracking system within the shearer.

With Caterpillar shearers, the position calculation is very reliable and provides for superior operation of the longwall.

The tracking mode is chosen by switching any SRB Tracking parameter to “ON”. When SRB is not active, pressing the P-key will change the status of the tracking mode parameter that is selected. When the selected one is switched on, the others will switch to “Off”.

Parameter “Serial Tracking” “Infrared Tracking” “Manual Tracking”

While SRB is active, the tracking mode cannot be changed from an automatic mode (serial or IR) to manual; however, if the active position and the operator are in the area which will be in the automatic shearer safety zone, then the tracking mode can be switched from manual into an automatic mode. This allows the operator to use manual tracking to catch up to the shearer and then switch to automatic tracking.

Primepoint The Primepoint is generated internally by the SRB logic and shared with all PMC-Rs across the face; it is the farthest shield from the shearer that has not yet completed its ASQ. In practice, the Primepoint is what activates the shield ASQs. This is the main diagnostic point for SRB and is shown on the default display when SRB is active.

Mining Cycle Overview Bidirectional In Bidirectional Mode, the shields are advanced and a full push follows on both the head-to-tail and tail-to-head passes. To complete the bidirectional cutting cycle, a double cut must be performed at both the headgate and tailgate.

Operator Display & Keystrokes From the default display, the operator presses the SRB key to begin the process of activating SRB, reactivating SRB, or putting a new manual shearer position into the system.

The SRB key

Newstart An SRB Newstart is a fresh start of the SRB face automation logic. It causes SRB to generate a new Primepoint based on the location where the operator enters the newstart command. It is different than an SRB Restart!

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SRB Newstart

An SRB newstart can only be done if the SRB key’s LED is flashing and at least one of the Group Select keys.

must be flashing!

or

Press

to see

must be flashing!

SRB FACE AUTOMATION To start, press Start.

(If the display shows instructions for an SRB Restart, it is still possible to do a Newstart by continuing with the following instructions.)

Press

to see

SRB FACE AUTOMATION Confirm shearer dir.

When using Infrared or Serial Tracking, the shearer direction must be confirmed by pressing the Group Select key that matches the shearer direction. The shearer must be moving, not stopped, for this to be successful.

In manual tracking mode, the direction supplied by the operator is assumed to be the correct direction.

Press

or

to see

WARNING! SRB STARTED!

When the direction is confirmed, all shields in the SRB Area (defined by parameters "Beginning Shield" and "Ending Shield") will "notice-beep" and will show the SRB Start Warning display message.

Parameters "Beginning Shield” “Ending Shield”

When SRB is active, the 9-key’s led will be lit solid.

Restart An SRB Restart reactivates SRB so that it picks up where it previously left off. This is different than an SRB Newstart! The Primepoint is retained and the system will correctly advance and push shields so that no additional operator intervention is required.

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A Restart should be done when the state of the longwall has not changed since the time when SRB was canceled. This is usually the case when SRB has been canceled by a network break, Quickstop, or because SRB was switched off.

An SRB Restart can only be done if the SRB key’s LED is flashing and the P-key is flashing.

SRB Restart must be flashing!

must be flashing!

Press

to see

SRB FACE AUTOMATION To restart, press (P).

At this point, the operator can choose to do an SRB Restart or Newstart. Just because a Restart is allowed does not prevent a Newstart from being done. If a Newstart is desired, the keystrokes described in the Newstart section should be followed.

To continue with the SRB Restart, press the P-key as follows: Press

to see

WARNING! SRB STARTED!

When the Restart is selected, all shields in the SRB Area (defined by parameters "Beginning Shield" and "Ending Shield") will "notice-beep" and will show the SRB Start Warning display message.

Parameters "Beginning Shield” “Ending Shield”

When SRB is active, the 9-key’s led will be lit solid.

Entering a Manual Position A new manual position can only be entered if the Star key” is flashing. It will only flash on 6 shields ahead of the existing position until the turn point is reached. Then it will flash on 6 shields in both directions so that the position can be moved in the opposite direction.

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Manual Position Change

must be flashing!

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SRB : * to chg pos, Stop Key to stop SRB.

Press

to see

Press

(The display does not change.)

Pressing the Star key (0-key) moves the manual position to the operator’s shield. To confirm this and mark the shearer position, the Jumbo LED, immediately above the IR receiver window will be lit.

Stopping SRB Press

Press

to see

SRB : * to chg pos, Stop Key to stop SRB.

(manual tracking mode)

or

SRB FACE AUTOMATION To stop, press Stop.

(IR or serial tracking mode)

to see

SRB Cancelled

Pressing the SRB key and the Stop key is the recommended way to stop SRB if there is no emergency.

Shields that have been triggered will complete their Autosequence so they will not be left off the roof.

SRB can also be canceled by pressing the Quickstop button on any face PMC-R. In this case, all shield movement stops immediately.

When SRB is canceled, all shields in the SRB Area (defined by parameters "Beginning Shield" and "Ending Shield") will "notice-beep" and will show the SRB Canceled display message.

Parameters "Beginning Shield” “Ending Shield”

Prewarning / Active Display When Starting When SRB is started, each shield within the SRB Area will "notice-beep" and post this display:

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When Active When SRB is active the SRB key (9-key) led will be lit.

There are several possible default displays that indicate SRB is active and display other information. In all cases, the default line 2 is retained showing the leg pressures, ram stroke, and shearer position.

#187 SRB active PP=166

#155 SRB ShZone PP=142

#118 SRB active -wedge

# 47 SRB ShZone -wedge

This display from shield 187 shows that SRB is active and the Primepoint is at shield 166.

This display from shield 155 shows that SRB is active, shield 155 is in the shearer zone, and the Primepoint is at shield 142.

This display from shield 118 shows that SRB is active and shield 118 is part of a pending wedge advance zone, meaning that it will not completely advance on its next ASQ. This display from shield 47 shows that SRB is active, shield 47 is in the shearer zone, and shield 47 is part of a pending wedge advance.

When Stopping When SRB is canceled, each shield within the SRB Area will "notice-beep" (shorter than the Starting notice-beep) and post this display:

SRB Cancelled!

Setting up the Safety Zones Operator Safety Zone The operator safety zone only functions when SRB is operating using Infrared or Serial Tracking.

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Two safety zones are established based on the shearer position. One zone covers the headgate drum and a few shields on the headgate side of the shearer; the other zone covers the tailgate drum and a few shields on the tailgate side of the shearer. Shields can not advance automatically in the Operator Safety Zones. If a shield needs to be moved while in the safety zone, it must be moved by Parameters using the man-in-place keys from a nearby shield. This "Auto HG Safety Zone” provides a safe area for the shearer operators and prevents collisions between an attempted shield advance “Auto TG Safety Zone” and the shearer. This zone is established by setting the “HG Drum Distance” parameters “Auto HG Safety Zone”, “Auto TG Safety Zone”, “HG Drum Distance”, and “TG Drum Distance”.

“TG Drum Distance” All shields in the Operator Safety Zone will show “OpZone” on the display.

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Manual Safety Zone When SRB is operating using manual tracking, the operator is establishing and moving the shearer position by pressing keys.

The shields will advance to within a certain distance from the shearer position set by the operator. That distance is determined by the parameter “Manual Safety Zone”. If this is set to 2, then there will be 2 shields between the operator and the shields that advance.

Parameter “Manual Safety Zone”

When running in this mode there is no safety zone around the shearer to protect the operators. The shield operator will determine how close to the shearer that the shields are allowed to advance by determining when and where to enter a new shearer position. Any automatic functions are allowed around the shearer. As can be seen from the picture below, increasing the size of the manual safety zone allows the operator to move further toward the center of the machine and still advance shields in the same location in relation to the drum or shearer operator. This is very flexible and will allow the operator to stand at a preferred location to stay out of the dangers of the shearer and the dust.

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Conveyor Push Distance Behind Advanced Shields After shields advance, the conveyor must be pushed. There must be some distance between the shields that are not advanced yet and the shields where the conveyor is pushing.

This is so the pushing effect of the conveyor will not move the relay bars on a shield that is not yet advanced. If this happened it could possibly cause a pan connection pin to become overstressed. This distance is set by SRB parameter “Push Dist Behind Prime”.

Parameter “Push Dist Behind Prime”

The picture below gives an example of setting the “Push Dist Behind Prime” to 6 while in the manual tracking mode of SRB. This would cover shields 48 through 44 in the drawing, with 43 being the shield closest to the shearer that is pushing.

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Delayed or Reverse Pushing Sometimes there is a need to delay or push in the opposite direction from normal.

This could be for conveyor loading issues or maybe to cause the conveyor and shields to eventually move from the Tailgate toward the Headgate or Headgate to Tailgate.

There are parameters that will allow the operator to do either of these. To delay the push when going H>T, set the H>T Push Trig Shld to a higher number. If, for example, it is set to 150, then the push will not be triggered until the position gets to 150 and the Primepoint is caught up to this point. To delay the push when going T>H, set the T>H Push Trig Shld to a lower number so it doesn't start until the shearer position is closer to the HG. To push in the opposite direction from normal which makes the conveyor move towards the opposite end, enable the reverse push in the desired mining direction by setting either H>T Push Reverse or T>H Push Reverse to ON. The delay point must be set to a location farther down the face. If the delay point is not far enough away there will be no reverse effect. When the shearer is traveling toward the Push Trig Shld, the normal conveyor push which follows behind the shearer does not occur.

Once the shearer passes the Push Trig Shld and that shield is far enough behind the shearer that it would normally push then a push is started from that point and moving away from the shearer which is the opposite direction of the normal push. The other shields past the Push Trig Shld will push at the normal time and in the normal direction.

SRB Gate Operation Leaving the Gate End When SRB is operating and the shearer is in the gate end preparing to cut to the other gate, there is an area designated to allow the shearer to move back and forth to cleanup without causing any shields to be triggered to move. The size of this cleanup area is set by SRB parameters “HG Cleanup Area” and “TG Cleanup Area”.

Parameters “HG Cleanup Area” “TG Cleanup Area”

When the SRB shearer position moves out of this area at the endgate the shields will start to move. Only shields that are out of the shearer safety zone will be triggered. It is important to make sure that all persons are out of the endgate area when leaving the cleanup area with the SRB position.

In the Manual SRB mode, when the operator moves the position out of the cleanup area all shields will be triggered that are separated from the operator by a distance set by the SRB parameter “Manual Safety Zone”.

1. Below is an example of the HG cleanup area set to 10 and the Auto HG and TG Safety Zones set to 5. When the position gets to 11, shields 1 through 5 are out 73 © Caterpillar

of the safety zone and will begin to advance. Because adjacent shields are not allowed to be off the roof at the same time, shields 1 through 5 will not all advance at the same time. Instead, alternate shields will advance simultaneously, followed by the remaining shields.

Entering the Gate End When cutting out at the endgate, the shearer needs to reach a reference point so that the program knows the shearer is ready to change directions and go to the next turn point.

For the headgate, this reference point is set by parameter “HG Turn Point”. Setting this parameter to 7 means the shearer position has to reach shield 7 or less every time it cuts out at the headgate.

Parameter "HG Turn Point”

For the tailgate, this reference point is set by parameter “TG Turn Point from TG”. Setting this parameter to 5 means the shearer position has to reach the 5 th shield from the end of the face every time it cuts out at the tailgate.

Parameter "TG Turn Point from TG”

The best way to determine these values is to tram the shearer to the stop points at each end and then set the parameter 2-3 shields towards mid-face. For example, when going into the head gate, if the shearer reaches number 7, then set the “HG Turn Point” to 9. This way the turn point will always be reached.

When the SRB position reaches the HG or TG Turn Point, then the shield system is ready for the shearer to travel back to the next turn point in the mining cycle. The next © Caterpillar

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turn point will be the double cut setting when in Bidirectional mode or the turn point at the other endgate in the unidirectional mode.

The picture below represents the tailgate of 175 shield face. Several things can be seen in this picture: ● Parameter “TG Turn Point from TG” is set to 5 which positions the turn point at shield 171. The shearer has actually gone one shield farther then necessary to shield 172 so the shield system is ready for the shearer to turn around and go back the other direction. ● Parameter “Auto HG Safe Zone” is set to 6 so the closest shield that has advanced is #165, leaving the Primepoint at shield 166. ● Parameter “TG Cleanup Area” is set to 8; when the shearer turns around and leaves the cleanup area (i.e., position becomes 167) the system will begin trying to advance the tailgate shields. If parameter “Auto TG Safe Zone” is set to 6 also, then shields 173 through 161 will be in the shearer zone when the position is at shield 167; this means that initially only 175 and 174 will be triggered to advance.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle SRB parameter “Cycle” must be set to “BIDI” to use SRB in a bidirectional cutting cycle.

Parameter “Cycle”

When using the bidirectional cutting cycle, the shearer cuts the entire top and bottom coal, full depth, as it travels in both directions. In both directions, the shields are advanced and the conveyor is pushed. When the shearer reaches the endgate, a double cut is required to keep the gates even with the rest of the face.

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Bidirectional Cutting Cycle Beginning at Headgate The bidirectional cutting cycle can begin with the shearer at either the head or tail end of the face. The picture below shows the shearer at the HG ready to start. The shearer is already in the coal; the coal face has a snake at the headgate. The shields and conveyor are completely straight and completely pushed.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Initial Position

The picture below shows that the shearer has just left the HG Cleanup Area as it cuts towards the tailgate and SRB has triggered the headgate shields to advance.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 1 – Leaving HG

Once the shearer has moved far enough and enough shields have advanced, the conveyor push will begin following. The amount of conveyor push is determined by SRB parameter “H->T Push Stroke”.

Parameter “H->T Push Stroke”

In the picture below, the shearer is in mid-face, the shields behind the shearer have advanced, and the conveyor push is following.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 2 – Cutting to Tail

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The picture below shows the longwall state when the shearer reaches the tailgate.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 3 – Shearer in TG

The shearer then turns and cuts back into the snake area. As the shearer leaves the TG Cleanup Area, SRB will begin to trigger shields to advance following the shearer until all of the shields have been advanced.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 4 – Cut Back to Snake

The conveyor push will follow the shield advance as shown in the picture below.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 5 – Cut Back to Snake

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When all of the shields have been advanced, the push will come closer to shearer to ensure that the pan is pushed straight as soon as possible.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 6 – Ready to Double Cut TG

The shearer can now cut back into the tailgate as shown below.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 7 – Shearer in TG

The system is now ready for the shearer to cut back to the headgate. This the same position as Step 1 shown above except it is reversed: the shearer is in the TG instead of in the HG.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle Beginning at Tailgate Following are pictures representing the bidirectional cutting cycle starting at the tailgate.

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 1 – Leaving TG

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Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 2 – Cutting to Head

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 3 – Shearer in HG

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 4 – Cut Back to Snake

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 5 – Cut Back to Snake

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Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 6 – Ready to Double Cut HG

Bidirectional Cutting Cycle – Step 7 – Shearer in HG

Gate-area Shield Re-advance This feature allows up to 15 shields at the gate end to be readvanced every pass after the conveyor finishes pushing to provide improved roof support if needed. The number of shields that readvance is set by parameters HG Readvance Group and TG Readvance Group in the HG and TG Area Options of the SRB parameters.

Parameters "HG Readvance Group” “TG Readvance Group”

Restrictions SRB is not subject to the standard restrictions; however, the actions that SRB triggers are subject to the restrictions defined for each type of action.

SRB cannot be initiated and will abort (err: "SRB FACE AUTOMATION aborted") for a Quickstop and for an Incomplete Network.

Parameter Summary Serial Tracking To run Serial tracking change this value to On. If Manual or Infrared are selected it will change this option to Off.

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Infrared Tracking To run Inrared tracking, change this value to On. If Serial or Manual are selected it will change this option to off.

Manual Tracking To run Manual tracking, change this value to On. If Infrared or Manual are selected it will change this option to off.

Beginning Shield 1-30 First shield on face that SRB will control.

Ending Shield from TG 1-30 Number of shields from TG that marks last shield that SRB will include. (1 means last shield; 2 means next to last shield, etc.)

H->T Asq All, None Toggle ASQ options for head-to-tail pass.

H->T Push Mode All, None Toggle push options for head-to-tail pass.

H->T Push Stroke 10-100 Set target push stroke for head-to-tail pass.

H->T Push Trig Shld 1-310 Begin pushing when shearer reaches this shield. Set high to delay push.

H->T Push Reverse On, Off Reverse the push once the shearer reaches the Trig Shield and follow normally from that point; most useful when H->T Trig Shld is set high.

H>T Push Protection Full, Partial, None Set level of conveyor protection during SRB push for H->T pass.

T->H Asq All, None Toggle ASQ options for tail-to-head pass.

T->H Push Mode All, None Toggle push options for tail-to-head pass.

T->H Push Stroke 10-100 Set target push stroke for tail-to-head pass.

T->H Push Trig Shld 1-310 Begin pushing when shearer reaches this shield. Set low to delay push.

T->H Push Reverse On, Off Reverse the push once the shearer reaches the Trig Shield and follow normally from that point; most useful when T->H Trig Shld is set low.

T>H Push Protection Full, Partial, None Sets the level of push protection when mining from the tail to the head running SRB. This does not affect the bankpush protection.

Manual Safety Zone 0-10 Distance away from shearer position that first shield ASQs. 81

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Auto HG Safety Zone 2-15 Dist away from shearer pos that first shield ASQs (on HG side).

Auto TG Safety Zone 2-15 Dist away from shearer pos that first shield ASQs (on TG side.)

HG Drum Distance Distance from tracking point to HG shearer drum. This determines where shields will begin pulling over the shearer when cutting to the HG and the last point where shields can pull over the shearer when cutting to the TG. TG Drum Distance Distance from tracking point to TG shearer drum. This determines where shields will begin pulling over the shearer when cutting to the TG and the last point where shields can pull over the shearer when cutting to the HG. Push Dist Behind Prime 1-15 Dist that separates ASQs and conv push.

HG Cleanup Area 5-20 Size of HG area where shearer can move without triggering ASQs. HG Turn Point 1-25 Set to lowest shield number that shearer will reach every time it cuts out at HG. HG DoubleCut Point 10-40 Shield number that shearer must come to on HG double cut.

HG Readvance Group 0-15 How many HG shields will readvance after the HG push.

Start Push at Shield # 1-30 First shield at HG that SRB is allowed to push.

TG Cleanup Area 5-20 Size of TG area where shearer can move without triggering ASQs. TG Turn Point from TG 1-25 Number of shields from the TG that marks the point the shearer will reach every time it cuts out at the TG. TG Dblcut Pt from TG 10-40 Number of shields from the TG that marks the point the shearer must come to on TG double cut.

TG Readvance Group 0-15 How many TG shields will readvance after the TG push.

Max # of ASQs 3-30 Limit on number of ASQs that SRB will trigger behind the shearer.

Ram Refill @ Shearer On, Off Option to activate conveyor push around the shearer.

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PRESSURE PAUSE The Pressure Pause feature uses one or more mainline pressure sensors across the face to monitor the hydraulic system and prevent functions from being triggered if there is insufficient main pressure. It is recommended that several sensors be installed across the face. Shields will use data from the closest sensor to prevent activation of functions when pressure is low.

Parameter Low-Pressure Pause under Configuration->Pressure Monitoring enables or disables this feature. Parameter Main Pr. Min (bar) sets the minimum acceptable mainline pressure. If pressure falls below this level, functions will not be triggered.

Parameter "Low-Pressure Pause” “Main Pr. Min (bar)”

On all shields, when mainline pressure reported by the nearest mainline pressure sensor is low, the M-key led will be lit.

If an ASQ attempts to activate during a low-pressure situation, an error will be posted (err: "ASQ ERROR delayed pressure low") and the ASQ will wait up to 30s. If sufficient pressure returns the ASQ will continue; if not, another error is posted err: “ASQ ERROR low mainline pressure”) and the ASQ terminates. While waiting, the ASQ default display shows "Low Pressure" and a unique 4-on / 1-off fast beep prewarning is heard SRB, Bankpush, and Batch Adv will not attempt to trigger ASQs or Conveyor Push when main pressure is low.

The Pressure Pause feature also uses one or more return pressure sensors across the face to monitor the hydraulic system and prevent functions from being triggered if there is high return pressure. It is recommended that several sensors be installed across the face. Shields will use data from the closest sensor to prevent activation of functions when pressure is high.

Parameter High-Ret. Press, Pause under Configuration->Pressure Monitoring enables or disables this feature. Parameter Return Pr. Max (bar) sets the maximum acceptable return pressure. If pressure rises above this level, functions will not be triggered.

Parameter "High-Ret Press.

Pause” “Return Pr. Max (bar)”

On all shields, when return pressure reported by the nearest return pressure sensor is high, the N-key led will be lit.

If an ASQ attempts to activate during a high return-pressure situation, an error will be posted (err: "ASQ ERROR delayed high-ret press ") and the ASQ will wait up to 30s. If return pressure drops low enough the ASQ will continue; if not, another error is posted err: “ASQ ERROR high return pressure”) and the ASQ terminates. While waiting, the ASQ default display shows "High Return" and a unique 4-on / 1-off fast beep prewarning is heard 83 © Caterpillar

SRB, Bankpush, and Batch Adv will not attempt to trigger ASQs or Conveyor Push when return pressure is high.

DIAGNOSTICS Diagnostic displays are provided in the Diagnostics section of the menu for use by operators and Caterpillar service personnel. Some displays are hidden and are not detailed in this specification.

Details for each visible line are given in the Parameter and Display Glossary at the end of this manual.

CST DECLUTCH The CST declutch menu shows the stutus of the CST clutches, whether they are clutched or declutched. This menu also gives the option to declutch the conveyor (press the N-key) or clutch the conveyor by pressing the P-key. The hot key to get to the CST Declutch menu is by pressing the 1-key twice.

Note: This menu is only for mines operating CST gearboxes on the face conveyor.

An example of the clutch declutch menu.

CST Clutch (Dclutched) Dcltch Cltch The status of the clutches is in the parenthesis. Press the N-key to declutch and press the P-key to clutch the conveyor.

The next menu down gives the status of the motors, whether they are released or no release coming from the PMC-D system.

Motor Release Status Released This menu shows the motors are released.

ERRORS Errors are viewed on the PMC-R by scrolling to the Error Messages section of the menu or by pressing the E-key.

The top line of each error indicates the Error Type, the second line is the Error Text.

Help text is available for each error by pressing the Help key while viewing the error message.

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Clearing Errors When an error is being viewed, the Enter key can be pressed to clear the error. To clear all errors on the face, press the E-key while viewing errors and the “clear errors” command line from the Service section of the menu will be displayed; then press the P-key as indicated.

Error List Below is a list of the error messages that might show on the PMC-R. The help text that is available by pressing the Help key is also shown.

System Error Invalid Main Press Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Coding Plug System Error Invalid Return Sensor Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Emulsion In Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Emulsion Out Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Water In Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Shield Water Out Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Shearer Water Out Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Invalid Leg Sensor << Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Invalid Ram Sensor Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Invalid Flipper Sensor Indicated sensor went invalid; could be intermittent.

System Error Bidi L Break >>> A data break occurred for at least one second on the A1 Bidi port.

System Error Bidi R Break <<< A data break occurred for at least one second on the F1 Bidi port.

System Error Keyboard A key was held for more than 60 sec. May be stuck. Change the PMC. System Error Solenoid Driver A failure has occurred in the solenoid driver; change the driver.

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System Error Program Version This PMC-R has the wrong program version compared to the neighbor PMC-Rs. Destroy the wrong program and let the PMC-R reload from an adjacent unit.

System Error Global Param Mismatch This PMC-R has different global parameters than the connected neighbor PMC-Rs. This should correct itself automatically within 2 minutes; or use “Send global parameters” in the Service section from a unit with the correct parameters.

System Error No Solenoid Driver No solenoid driver detected! Connect solenoid driver to clear this error. If one is connected, replace the cable, the driver, or the PMC-R. System Error No Net Number PMC-R has no network number; check connections between here and Server or number manually by pressing # and Enter.

System Error Data Lost – Bidi L >> Accumulated lost messages on A1 port exceeded limit set by Configuration parameter Max Allowed Data Loss. Probably cable fault; maybe this PMC-R or adjacent PMC-R fault.

System Error Data Lost – Bidi R << Accumulated lost messages on F1 port exceeded limit set by Configuration parameter Max Allowed Data Loss. Probably cable fault; maybe this PMC-R or adjacent PMC-R fault.

System Error Lamp Comms fault to attached luminaire.

System Error Low Battery PMC-R’s internally battery is defective and cannot hold parameter values; replace PMC-R. System Error Full Function Buffer >> REPORT THIS TO CATERPILLAR! System was unable to send a message when needed to A1 port due to internal software error.

System Error Full Functions Buffer << REPORT THIS TO CATERPILLAR! System was unable to send a message when needed to F1 port due to internal software error.

ASQ ERROR Paused – umbrella lock Umbrella Lock caused ASQ to pause; will resume if umbrella removed soon enough.

ASQ ERROR aborted ASQ aborted by Quickstop, Lockout, Stop key, etc.

ASQ ERROR shld already advanced ASQ did not begin because this shield appears to be advanced (see parameter Advancing Tgt Stroke).

ASQ ERROR neighbor shld not adv ASQ aborted because transition shield didn't advance within amount of time alloted. © Caterpillar

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ASQ ERROR adj pressure too low Adj shld leg press too low. At least 1 adj shld must be more than Initial Set Pressure parameter.

ASQ ERROR flipper failed to ret Flipper failed to completely retract prior to leg lower.

ASQ ERROR adv press not reached Legs did not lower enough for adv to begin; see parameters Advancing Pressure and Initial Lowering Time.

ASQ ERROR slow advance Shield advancing too slowly.

ASQ ERROR 1st advance timeout Shield not fully advanced before parameter Advancing Time expired.

ASQ ERROR advance failed The shield failed to advance; check Retry Count, Relowering Time, Readvance Time.

ASQ ERROR set press not reached Legs did not reach Final Set Pressure within Final Set Time.

ASQ ERROR abort – umbrella lock ASQ aborted because Umbrella Lock remained more than 90s.

ASQ ERROR adj shield locked Black lockout button is pressed on adjacent shield.

ASQ ERROR flipper failed to ext Flipper failed to completely retract after legs set.

ASQ ERROR invalid leg pressure ASQ stopped due to invalid leg reading.

BATCH ADV ERROR batch timeout Batch Advance Max Time is too short or ASQs are too slow.

PUSH ERROR shield back Push aborted because this shield left back.

PUSH ERROR aborted Push aborted by msg from indicated shield.

PUSH ERROR conveyor push timeout Push failed to complete in time; check Conveyor Push Time.

PUSH ERROR invalid ram sensor Push stopped due to invalid ram sensor.

PUSH ERROR leg pressure Push failed due to leg pressure below 100 bar.

CVP ERROR drive cyl raise failed Lift Jack Integration was in FULL mode and 20 second timer expired before getting response from chain tensioner that lift jack was raised.

PULLBACK ERROR invalid ram sensor Pullback stopped due to invalid ram sensor.

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PULLBACK ERROR below transfer press Pullback stopped due to not reaching transfer pressure.

PULLBACK ERROR pullback timeout Pullback failed to complete in time; check Max Time.

PULLBACK ERROR aborted Pullback aborted for indicated shield.

POS FLP RET ERROR Aborted Positive Flipper Retract aborted by maint. lock, umbrella lock, shearer zone, Stop key, Quickstop, broken net, or by an ASQ being triggered.

POS FLP RET ERROR Not Retracted Positive Flipper Retract failed to successfully retract the flipper in the time allowed by parameter Retract Time.

FLIPPER ERROR Aborted Flipper function aborted by lockout, solenoid driver problems, shearer zone, or umbrella lock.

FLIPPER ERROR Timeout Flipper function took too long.

PSA ERROR timeout PSA could not get legs back to trigger pressure.

SRB ERROR IR position lost Shearer IR transmitter signal was lost for 5 minutes.

SRB ERROR IR position jump The IR shearer position jumped by more than 4 shields.

SRB ERROR serial position lost Comms to shearer has been down for 3s or more.

SRB ERROR Serial position jump The serial shearer position skipped one or more shields.

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PMC-R SYSTEM COMPONENTS PMC-R Single Control Unit (SCU)

Each roof support shield is equipped with a MSHA-approved Intrinsically Safe PMC-R SCU which is the heart of the electro-hydraulic control system. The SCU receives the sensor data from its support such as pressures and positions. It compiles this data and determines the required commands for the individual functions to be executed by the electro-hydraulic control valves. The PMC-R is able to control and monitor all the functions of the support. It is also the interface between user and the machine.

The PMC-R is constructed with a housing of stainless steel which is hermetically sealed by design. The housing is a seamless enclosure that incorporates a flange against which the keyboard and emergency stop/lockout module are mounted utilizing fasteners located on 30mm centers. To ensure water tightness the flange has an oring seal that is rated for up to 3 bar external pressure. At the rear of the unit the connector plane for interfacing to I/O devices and electronic accessories is triple o-ring sealed. The rugged enclosure provides extended life, protection against external abuse, and enhances maintainability.

Driver Board

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The solenoid driver module (SDM) is the interface between the PMC-R and the solenoid valves. It utilizes OS4 connectors which provide one o-ring seal on the female connector and two o-ring seals on the OS-4 cable end to protect the electrical contacts form moisture and corrosion. The SDM has 11 outputs which connect to the dual solenoid valves enabling it to control up to 22 functions. The offset connector near the center provides the data and power connection to the PMC-R control unit. Unused ports must be protected with brass caps.

The SDM has 3 led lights in the lower right corner to indicate the status of the board.

The first led indicates that 12 volts is being supplied to the board. It should be lit except when the PMC-R Lockout button is pressed. The second led flashes consistently to indicate that data is being received from the PMC-R. If data is not being received the light be on steady or will blink at a slow rate (appx. once per second). The third led is lit when any solenoid output is active.

Brass Bar The brass bar bolts directly to the shield or to a bracket assembly and supports the PMC-R and all of the cables.

The 2 SKK28 connectors provide the connection to the neighbor PMC-Rs and replace the SKK24 connectors normally referred to as A1 and F1. There are 10 SKK24 mounting positions that are used for sensor cables. The female SKK24 gear mount connector at the lower left is provided for connection of the KH luminaire (light).

Reference the shield layout drawings provided later in the manual for sensor connection details.

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Isolation Adapter

The isolation adapter is an MSHA-approved Intrinsically Safe device used to separate the power groups and prevent intermingling of power between shield power groups.

There must be an isolator in the network between every power supply box and the next power supply box to maintain MSHA compliance. The isolator is housed in a stainless steel box and sealed with a silicone potting compound. Although power does not pass through the isolator, data is passed through by using optical components in the internal circuit. The cable coming from the red painted end of the isolator always connects to the PMC-R A1 Bidi port which is on the bottom row of connectors on the same end as the red Quickstop button. If the isolator is installed backwards, there will be a broken network at this location.

SKK24 Hose Cable The SKK-24 Hose Cable is a mine-duty cable constructed with an armored hose conduit, internal wiring, and a four-wire connector on each end. A brass staple-lock fitting is used to mechanically secure the connection; the brass ends allow approximately 355 degrees of rotation.

This cable is used to connect all pressure and stroke sensors to the PMC-R.

SKK28 Hose Cable The SKK28 Hose Cable is similar to the SKK24 hose cable except that it uses a larger diameter conduit hose and it provides an eight-wire connector at each end. This cable is used for the “Bidi” connection between PMC-Rs. The additional conductors in the SKK28 cable allow it to carry sufficient current to power the luminaires that are connected to the PMC-R brass bar. This eliminates separate shield-to-shield lighting cables.

If the system was delivered with yellow shield-to-shield cables then these must be used for the shield-to-shield connection to maintain MSHA compliance!

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Pressure Sensor

The pressure sensor developed for the PMC-R is an MSHA-approved Intrinsically Safe device with low power consumption and the strength to absorb extremely high pressure spikes without sustaining damage. This sensor can measure hydraulic pressures up to 600 bar with 5% accuracy and can withstand pressures up to 1000 bar.

The hydraulic connection is a DN10 staple-lock fitting that is usually connected directly to the leg check assembly on the shield.

The sensor is electrically connected to the PMC-R using an SKK24 hose cable. The cable provides both the power and signal connection between the PMC-R and sensor.

The cutaway view above shows the SKK24 electrical connection on the left and the DN10 hydraulic connection on the right.

An amplifier integrated into the pressure sensor housing ensures that in the measuring range of 0 - 600 bar the respective output voltage of 0.5 – 4.5V is generated, as shown below:

Pin Assignments 1: 12v dc 2: Signal (0.5–4.5v dc) 3: No connection 4: Ground

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Reed Rod

The measurement of the ram position is done by a “reed rod” which provides a position measurement over the entire cylinder stroke length. The reed rod is incorporated within the advance cylinder. A magnet is built into the hollowed piston and surrounds the reed rod, moving along the length of the reed rod as the cylinder is extended and retracted. Measuring accuracy is 4mm.

Electrical Data: output signal = 0.5 - 4.5v dc supply voltage

= 8 – 18v dc

The small 4-pin connector on the reedrod connects to an adapter that converts it to an SKK24 female connection. The connection to the PMC-R is then made with a standard SKK24 hose cable. The adapter is staple locked into the ram cylinder.

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CONFIGURATION DRAWINGS Shield Layout (Face)

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Shield Layout (Face with sideseal)

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Headgate Area

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The Server PMC-R is responsible for numbering all of the shield PMC-Rs and integrating the shield system with other systems via the PMC-P. The Server PMC-R also provides control of the dump valve. See Pressure Dump Feature on page 16.

The Visualization Computer Unit (VCU) monitors and records information from the shields so the user can monitor the longwall operation, change settings, and review data to identify maintenance requirements and better understand the operation and utilization of the longwall system. By making changes to various parameters, it is possible to trigger shield movement – caution is required!

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Group Layouts The following pictures show the layout of the PMC-R power connections and the electrical hardware involved. There is a chart to show where the isolators are to be placed as well as all the power supplies. Generally the power groups across the face are the same size; the two groups at each end may be different..

The Server must be powered by its own power supply; there must be an isolation adapter located on the first face shield between the shield PMC-R and the Server PMC-R. To ensure compliance with the MSHA Intrinsically Safe approval, power supplies and isolators should be installed as shown in the print.

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Left Hand Face Configuration

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Right Hand Face Configuration

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DISPLAY GLOSSARY :Default Displays: Following are the displays that can appear on the PMC-R as the default in different situations. #123 Shearer Zone Default display: this shield is in the shearer safety zone #123 -Wedge Advance Default display: shield is in wedge advance group #123 -Tapered Push Default display: shield is in tapered push group #123 -Wedge -Taper Default display: shield is in wedge advance group and in tapered push group #123 BTP Lockout Btp Control lock button is pressed.; no push allowed on these shields. #123 SYSTEM TRIPPED! Default display: system is tripped; to reset system, press Start key and then P key. #123 SERVER LOCKED! Default display: Can't set up dumpvalve because server is either locked or has no SDM or an SDM error and therefore can't activate valve. #123 FILTER LOCKED! Default display: Can't reset system because filter station is either locked or has no SDM or an SDM error. #123 Network! SRV-150 Default display: network is broken - communications is successful over range shown.

Probably caused by broken shield to shield cable or network params are set wrong. #123 No Net Number Default display: SCU has no network number due to invalid parameter settings in Configuration->Network section or due to faulty cabling. Can be numbered manually using DEnter. #123 No Network 101

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Network is not correctly established. Check network parameters in Configuration->Network section.

SRVR BTP Station Lost Unrecognized signal from Belt Tailpiece Control. #123 < ULOCK 4 More Umbrella Lock is active here and X shlds to the left. #123 ULOCK > 6 More Umbrella Lock is active here and X shlds to the right. #123 ULOCK !!!

Umbrella Lock is active; this is the center shield. #123 ULOCK Overlap This shield is in two umbrella lock zones; zones cannot be cleared or moved from this shield. #123 Maint. Lock !!!

Maintenance Lock is active, centered on this shield. #123 Maint. Lock # Maintenance Lock is active, started & centered from the indicated shield. #123 Sol Driver Error Solenoid driver has indicated a fault. Clear Solenoid Driver error to correct using E-key and Enter. If it happens again, replace solenoid driver, cable or PMC-R. #123 No Solenoid Drvr No solenoid driver detected! Connect solenoid driver to clear this display. If one is connected, replace cable, driver, or PMC-R. #123 Stuck Key! A key is stuck on PMC-R keyboard. Replace PMC-R. #123 Soft Locked!

Because a neighbor shield lockout button is pressed, this shield is soft locked - not allowed to activate any solenoids. #123 LOCKED Large black lockout button is pressed on this PMC-R. No functions can occur on this shield; no functions are allowed on neighbor shields. #123 QUICKSTOP #100 © Caterpillar

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Large red quickstop button is pressed somewhere on face. No shield functions are allowed until button is pulled back out. #123 ! SLAVE ! - ##122 This shield is in slave mode - being controlled by the indicated shield. #123 LockPush 30s Locking Push Fct is active, pushing for time set by param Max Time under Configuration, Conveyor Push. #123 LockPush tgt:85 Locking Push Fct is active, pushing to tgt stroke set by param Locking Push Tgt Stk under Configuration, Conveyor Push. #123 GatePush status Gatepush Fct is active, pushing shields that are near the endgate. The number of shields is set by parameter Headgate Push Ctl and Tailgate Push Ctl under the Configuration -> Conveyor Push menu section. Status shows 'active' when valve is On or 'gateend-' when valve is off and waiting for the Push Ctl shield to catch up. The Push Ctl shield is the shield that is exactly the distance from the endgate set by the Push Ctl parameter. #123 ! BSpray ! status Shield is part of Bank Waterspray operation. #123 ! POSITIVE SET !

Positive Set is actively setting the legs. #123 ! POS FLIP RET !

Positive Flipper Retract is actively retracting the flipper. #123 ! CPULL ! status Shield is part of a Conveyor Pullback operation. #123 ! BPUSH ! status Shield is part of Bankpush operation. #123 ! FLIP ! status Shield is part of a Batch Flipper operation << Different Pgm! >> This PMC-R has a different program than both neighbor PMC-Rs. Different Pgm! >> This PMC-R has a diff program than the neighbor PMC-R over there>>> 103

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<< Different Pgm! This PMC-R has a diff program than the neighbor PMC-s over there<<< << Diff. Params! >> This PMC-R has different global parameters than both neighbor PMC-Rs. This should correct itself within 1 minute.

Diff. Params! >> This PMC-R has different global parameters than PMC over there >>>. This should correct itself within 1 minute. << Diff. Params!

This PMC-R has different global parameters than PMC over there <<<. This should correct itself within 1 minute.

Diff Params from #142 This PMC-R has different global parameters than the PMC-R indicated. ~~~ No Net Number SCU has no netnumber. Fix connection between this location and server or number manually by pressing the #-key end Enter and then entering the correct shield number. #123 Shield Type Error Shield type parameter and coding plug (B2 port) do not match. Shield is not operable because the program does not know what type of shield this is.

ERROR - SDM Appl.

Solenoid driver has wrong program internally. Driver must be reprogrammed.

ERROR - SDM Loader Solenoid driver has wrong program internally. Driver must be reprogrammed.

ERROR - Display Appl.

SCU display board has wrong program internally. Display board must be reprogrammed replace PMC-R. ERROR - Display Loader SCU display board has wrong program internally. Display board must be reprogrammed replace PMC-R. ERROR - Wrong System!!

Wrong firmware program! Load new firmware or replace PMC-R. ERROR - Wrong Booter!! © Caterpillar

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Wrong booter version is installed. Load new booter or replace PMC-R. ! ASQ ! status Default display: ASQ is active! #123 Broken Net --> Default display: data connection has failed or network parameters are set wrong. #123 <-- Broken Net Default display: data connection has failed or network parameters are set wrong.

•:Group

Automatic Fcts:

Section for automatic functions that operate on groups of shields.

••:Bank Waterspray:

••1 > 150 (spray type) Bank Waterspray: scroll right to see parameters or press grp select key to select a group then Start-key to start. Toggle spray type selection with P key; swap begin & end shield with N key.

•••Beginning Shield

Range: 0-300

Def: 1

Range: 0-300

Def: 1

Options: Can+Lemn, Curtain, >> Side, << Side, <<&>> Side

Def: Can+Lemn

First shield of Bank Waterspray operation.

•••Ending Shield Ending shield of Bank Waterspray operation.

•••Spray Type Selection

Toggle which sprays will be activated - canopy, curtain, etc.

•••Max # of Sprays Active

Range: 1-50

Def: 5

Range: 100-6000

Def: 500

# of sprays that will be on at the same time.

•••Spray Active Time How long each spray will be activated.

••:Batch Flippers:

•• 95 < 99 RET Batch Flippers: scroll right to see parameters or press grp select key to select group then Start-key to start. (toggle RET/EXT with P key; swap begin and end shield with N key) 105

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•••Group Size

Range: 3-10

Def: 7

# of shields selected by group select keys F and G.

••:Bank Push:

•• 1 < 172 80 Bankpush: press R to see parameters or F/G to select group and Start-key to start. (swap direction with N key) •••Beginning Shield

Range: 1-310

Def: 1

Range: 1-310

Def: 1

Range: 10-100

Def: 100

First shield for Bankpush operation.

•••Ending Shield Ending shield for Bankpush operation.

•••Tgt Stroke

Sets stroke which Bankpush will attempt to reach (in percent). Ex: set to 90 will push pan almost all the way.

••:Batch Pullback:

•• 26 < 30 20% Batch Pullback: scroll right to see parameters or press grp select key to select group then either Start-key to start automatic pullback or press & hold Pullback key (4) for manual pullback. Swap begin and end with N key. Last value is stroke reading where both autopullback and manual pullback will stop.

•••Tgt Stroke

Range: 0-100

Def: 10

Stroke which Batch Pullback will attempt to reach.

•••Group Size

Range: 1-30

Def: 5

# of shields selected by group select keys F and G.

••:Batch Advance:

•• 26 > 30 standard Batch Advance: scroll right to see parameters or press grp select keys to select group then Start-key to start. (swap begin & end with N key; toggle batch type with P key) •••Group Size

Range: 2-10

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Def: 4

•••Max Time

Range: 1000-6000

Def: 3000

Max time allowed for Batch Advance to trigger all ASQs; only has effect in Rabbit and Sequential.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

•••Batch Status

Local setting that makes Batch Advance either Allowed or Not Allowed.

••:Set Wedge Advance:

••#1,0 #50,100 Wedge Advance display: Press Start Key to set the Wedge Advance based on values shown; then next time shields advance they will lineup evenly between first and last shield # shown and stroke settings shown. Scroll right to adjust values shown and also see other parameters. The example shown will setup a wedge advance for shield #1 to advance all the way (0% target stroke) and shield #50 to not advance at all (100% target stroke); all other shields will advance so they are in a straight line between #1 and #50.

•••Beginning Shield

Range: 1-310

Def: 1

Range: 0-100

Def: 0

First shield for Wedge Advance operation.

•••Beginning Shld Stroke

Desired stroke for first shield in Wedge Advance operation (in percent; 10 means shield will pull almost all the way in) •••Ending Shield

Range: 1-310

Def: 1

Range: 0-100

Def: 0

Last shield for Wedge Advance operation.

•••Ending Shield Stroke

Desired stroke for last shield in Wedge Advance operation (in percent; 10 means shield will pull almost all the way in) •••Clear All Wedges •••Facewide (N) Press N to clear all Wedge Advance settings on the face; this sets parameter Next Advance Tgt Stk in ASQ section to 0 on all shields.

••:Set Tapered Push:

••#100,0 #180,100

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Tapered Push display: Press Start Key to set the Tapered Push based on values shown; then next time shields push (either Bankpush or SRB Push) they will push evenly between the first and last shield # shown and stroke settings shown. Scroll right to adjust values shown and also see other parameters. The example shown will setup a Tapered Push for shield #100 to push to 0% and shield #180 to push to 100%; all shields in between will push so the conveyor is tapered evenly between 100 and 180. Other shields on the face will push to the normal Bankpush or SRB Push target strokes.

•••Beginning Shield First shield for setting up Tapered Push.

•••Beginning Shld Stroke Desired target stroke for first shield in Tapered Push (in percent; 100 means shield will completely push the conveyor).

•••Ending Shield Last shield for setting up Tapered Push.

•••Ending Shield Stroke Desired target stroke for last shield in Tapered Push (in percent; 100 means shield will completely push the conveyor).

•••Clear All Taper Pushes •••Facewide (N) Press N to clear all Tapered Push settings on the face; this sets parameter Next Push Target Stk in Configuration, Conveyor Push section, to 100 on all shields.

•:Single

Auto Fcts:

Section for automatic functions that act on individual shields.

••:Positive Set Auto: Feature to keep shields set tight by monitoring leg pressures and activating set function when leg pressure drops.

•••Send Facewide Command ••• OFF ON Press N key to disable PSA on all shields facewide; press P key to send PSA ON command facewide - this will enable PSA on all shields unless local PSA Status parameter is set to Off. •••PSA Status

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

Local setting that make PSA either Allowed or Not Allowed; when not allowed the only way to activate PSA on this shield is to change this parameter! © Caterpillar

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•••Min Pressure

Range: 80-500

Def: 80

Below this pressure, PSA is not allowed to activate; this prevents PSA from setting a shield that is intentionally off the top.

•••Trigger Pressure

Range: 100-500

Def: 280

If leg pressure is above Min Pressure and below this pressure, PSA will activate the leg set function and attempt to reach Set Pressure.

•••Set Pressure

Range: 180-500

Def: 325

PSA tries to set shield to this pressure.; PSA will stop setting when both legs have reached this pressure.

•••Setting Time

Range: 500-5000

Def: 850

PSA tries this long to set shield.; leg set function stays active no longer than this value when trying to reach Set Pressure.

•••Wait Time

Range: 500-5000

Def: 500

Waiting time between setting attempts.; if Set Pressure is not reached, it will wait this long and then it may try again.

•••Max # of Attempts

Range: 0-3

Def: 3

Number of setting attempts PSA is allowed to make after being triggered. Each setting attempt lasts until Set Pressure is reached or until Setting Time expires. If Set Pressure was not reached, PSA will try again after Wait Time expires until all attempts have been used. If unable to reach set pressure after all attempts, then if both legs are above Trigger Pressure, PSA resumes monitoring; if pressure could not even reach Trigger Pressure, PSA posts an error & disables itself (2-key blinks).

••:Flipper Fcts: Section for flipper control parameters.

•••Extend Pos

Range: 10-186

Def: 90

Range: 200-2500

Def: 900

Angle that flipper extend tries to reach.

•••Extend Time

Max time for flipper extend to reach Extend Pos. •••Retract Pressure

Range: 100-450

Def: 160

Pressure reading that indicates flipper has fully retracted.

•••Retract Pos

Range: 7-180

Def: 7

Angle that flipper retract tries to reach.

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•••Retract Time

Range: 200-3500

Def: 2500

Max time for flipper retract to reach Retract Pos. •••:Positive Flipper Ret: Feature to keep flipper fully retracted.

••••PFR Status

Options: Not Allowed, Allowed, Error

Def: Not Allowed

Local setting that makes PFR either Allowed or Not Allowed; when not allowed the only way to activate PFR on this shield is to change this parameter!

••••Send Facewide Command •••• OFF ON Press N key to disable PFR on all shields facewide; press P key to send PFR ON command facewide.

••••Max Position

Range: 25-50

Def: 30

If flipper position angle exceeds this value, PFR will not activate; this allows flippers to be extended on purpose; if using flipper for mechanical lifting during maint, PFR must be Off! ••••Trigger Position

Range: 15-40

Def: 20

PFR triggers when flipper leaks off to this position. If flipper position is less than Max Position and more than this value, PFR will activate retract function and attempt to reach Target Position.

••••Target Position

Range: 7-180

Def: 10

PFR will stop retracting when flipper position reaches this value.

••••Retract Time

Range: 200-3500

Def: 2500

Max time for PFR to reach Target Position or Target Pressure.

••:AutoSequence: Automatic Sequence to lower, advance and set shield; also has options to most other shield functions during the sequence.

•••ASQ Status

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

Local setting that makes ASQ either Allowed or Not Allowed; when not allowed, the only way to activate ASQ on this shield is to change this parameter!

•••Retract Flipper © Caterpillar

Options: OFF, ON 110

Def: OFF

If On, flipper will be retracted at start of ASQ; retract is based on parameters Retract Time and Retract Pressure or Retract Pos. Options: OFF, ON

•••Baselift During Lower

Def: ON

If On, baselift function is activated during leg lower.

•••Initial Lowering Time

Range: 200-1000

Def: 200

Length of time to allow for legs lower at start of ASQ; legs must reach Advancing Pressure during this time.

•••Advancing Pressure

Range: 50-150

Def: 150

Legs must get down to this pressure or less during Initial Lowering time or shield advance is not allowed and ASQ will fail.

Options: OFF, ON

•••Contact Advance

Def: ON

When Contact Advance is On, the Initial Lowering stops as soon as the legs reach Advancing Pressure. Generally, the leg lower function will be released and the shield advance function activated immediately. To continue lowering for some time while the shield is advancing, set Extra Lowering Time greater than 0. To allow some of the extra lowering to occur before activating the shield advance function, also set Advance Delay Time greater than 0. For faster ASQ & less fluid use, set to Contact Advance to On; for better baselift & less top contact set to Off. For some of both Set Contact Advance to On, Extra Lowering Time to 100300 and Advance Delay Time to 50-100.

•••Extra Lowering Time

Range: 0-1000

Def: 50

Continue lowering legs during advance for this amount of time.

•••Pre-Baselift Time

Range: 0-200

Def: 50

If Baselift During Lower is Off and Baselift During Adv is On, then baselift will be activated for this long before advance is started. This delays the advance and makes the ASQ longer.

•••Tip Up Time

Range: 0-100

Def: 65

After Initial Lowering, shield will tip up for this length of time; not allowed if Contact Advance is On. (Only for line and tailgate shields. See HG Tip Down Group parameter.)

•••Tip Up Time ••• X by Contact Advance This line is seen instead of the normal Tip Up Time parameter display (above) when Contact Advance is On. Tipping up after the initial leg lower is not allowed when Contact Advance is On. Switching Contact Advance to Off will restore the normal Tip Up Time display.

•••HG Tip Down Group

Range: 0-5

Def: 3

After Initial Lowering, this number of headgate shields will tip down instead of tipping up; used to avoid hitting roof bolts with canopy.

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•••HG Tip Down Time

Range: 0-100

Def: 100

Length of time for tip down action (after lowering before advancing) in area set by HG Tip Down Group.

•••SideSeal Retract

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Range: 0-1000

Def: 50

Option to retract side seals during ASQ. •••SideSeal Retract Time

Time to retract side seals during ASQ and on one touch auxiliary function.

•••SideSeal Extend

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Range: 0-1000

Def: 50

Option to extend side seals during ASQ. •••SideSeal Extend Time

Time to extend side seals during ASQ and on one touch auxiliary function.

•••Advance Delay Time

Range: 0-300

Def: 0

Only when Contact Advance is On and Extra Lowering is > 0; delay advance for this time to allow extra roof clearance before advance begins.

•••Baselift Drop Stroke

Range: 0-80

Def: 0

Drop baselift when shield reaches this stroke while advancing; used to reduce chance of shield toes hitting cable trough on conveyor.

•••Baselift During Adv

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Option to activate baselift while shield is advancing; if this is On and Baselift During Lower is Off, then Pre-Baselift Time applies.

•••Maximum Advancing Time

Range: 0-1500

Def: 450

Maximum time allowed for shield advance. This should be set to approximately twice the time normally required for a shield to fully advance. The shield advance normally stops when the ram stroke reading reaches the target stroke set by parameter Advancing Tgt Stroke. This time setting is for cases when the ram sensor is invalid or ignored.

•••Advancing Tgt Stroke

Range: 2-100

Def: 3

Shield stops advance at this ramstroke reading. This is usually set on 2 so shield will advance completely but not error-out if the ram stroke reading doesn't go completely to 0.

This can be set to higher numbers to partially advance shields.

•••Retry Count

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Range: 0-3

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Def: 2

Sets number of retries that will be made if shield fails to advance to Advancing Tgt Stroke within time set by Maximum Advancing Time; retries consist of more leg lowering for time set

by Relowering Time and another advance attempt limited by Max Readvance Time. To avoid failed ASQ, recommended min for this parameter is 1. To avoid excessive lowering, recommended max for this paraemter is 2.

•••Tip Down on Retry

Range: 0-3

Def: 3

Sets which retry attempt will also activate tip down function to reduce roof contact; ex: if set on 2 then second retry attempt will operate tip down function for Tip Down Time before readvancing.

•••Tip Down Time

Range: 0-200

Def: 10

Length of time for tip down function activated by Tip Down on Retry parameter.

•••Relowering Time

Range: 0-500

Def: 200

Length of time for leg lower function as part of retry. The leg pressure readings are not used this is a time-only function!. If this time is set too high and the Retry Count is too high, the shield could lower completely to pan line. The recommended setting is 100-200.

•••Final Set Time

Range: 0-2000

Def: 500

Length of time after roof contact (50 bar) that setting continues while trying to reach Final Set Pressure.

•••Final Set Pressure

Range: 0-350

Def: 320

Leg pressure desired at end of ASQ; leg set function will stop when this pressure is reached.

•••Ram Refill Time

Range: 0-150

Def: 30

Length of time for ram push fct to stay active at end of ASQ to tighten clevis connection.

Activates once legs reach 50 bar. Typically set to 25 - 50.

Options: OFF, ON

•••Extend Flipper

Def: OFF

Option to extend flipper at end of ASQ; extend function is controlled by Extend Time and Extend Pos parameters.

•••HG Cancel Flip Extend

Range: 0-20

Def: 14

Sets # of shields at headgate that will NOT extend flipper during autosequence.

•••TG Cancel Flip Extend

Range: 0-20

Def: 7

Sets # of shields at tailgate that will NOT extend flipper during autosequence.

•••Next Advance Tgt Stk

Range: 0-100

Def: 0

Overrides Advancing Tgt Stroke on next ASQ; usually 0 - it gets set to calculated number when a Wedge Advance is programmed.

•••HG Seq First Shield

Range: 1-15 113

Def: 3 © Caterpillar

Shields between HG Seq First Shield and HG Seq Last Shield pull sequentially, beginning with HG Seq First Shield. This allows gate shields and transition shields to be advanced in correct order. If there are 3 actual headgate shields and 1 actual transition shield, HG Seq First Shield should be set on 3 and HG Seq Last Shield should be set on 5 so that #3 pulls first, followed by #4 and finally #5. This prevents #5 from pulling before #4 and prevents #4 from pulling before #3. #1 and #2 can pull in either order since they are both gate shields.

This does allow #1 and #3 to pull at the same time. If this is not desirable, HG Seq First Shield can be set on #1 then shields 1 - 5 will all pull sequentially.

•••HG Seq Last Shield

Range: 1-15

Def: 5

Range: 1-15

Def: 3

See description above.

•••TG Seq First Shield

Shields between TG Seq First Shield and TG Seq Last Shield pull sequentially, beginning with TG Seq First Shield. This allows gate shields and transition shields to be advanced in correct order. Both values are measured as the number of shields from the tailgate instead of actual shield numbers. If there are 3 actual tailgate shields and 1 actual transition shield, TG Seq First Shield should be set on 3 and TG Seq Last Shield should be set on 5 so that the third shield from the end pulls first, followed by the fourth and finally the fifth from the end.

•••TG Seq Last Shield

Range: 1-15

Def: 5

See description above.

•:SRB

Face Automation:

Section for SRB parameters. SRB is face automation that advances and pushes shields automatically based on shearer position.

••Serial Tracking Track shearer based on data provided from shearer. Can only be switched from Off to On. To switch Off, toggle another tracking mode to On. ••Infrared Tracking Track shearer based on IR transmitter mounted on shearer. Can only be switched from Off to On. To switch Off, toggle another tracking mode to On. ••Serial Tracking Type Use this parameter to switch between CAT and Joy shearer type communication to the PLC. PMCP = CAT. PLC = Joy ••Beginning Shield

Range: 1-30

Def: 10

Range: 1-30

Def: 10

First shield on face that SRB will control.

••Ending Shield from TG © Caterpillar

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# of shields from TG that marks last shield that SRB will include. (1 means last shield; 2 means next to last shield, etc.)

Options: BIDI , UNIDI

••Cycle

Def: BIDI

Toggle between UniDi or Bidi SRB cycle. Bidi expects double cuts at each end; UniDi expects no double cut at either end.

••:H->T Options: Parameters for head-to-tail pass.

Options: NONE, ALL

•••H->T Asq

Def: ALL

Toggle ASQ options on H->T pass for unidirectional mode.

•••H->T Push Mode

Options: NONE, ALL

Def: NONE

Range: 10-100

Def: 98

Toggle push options on H->T pass.

•••H->T Push Stroke

Set target push stroke for H->T pass. Ex: if set on 40, pan will stop pushing when ramstroke reads 40.

•••H->T Push Trig Shld

Range: 1-310

Def: 1

Begin pushing when shearer reaches this shield. Set high to delay push.

Options: OFF, ON

•••H->T Push Reverse

Def: OFF

Reverse push once shearer reaches Trig Shield and follow normally from that point; most useful when H->T Push Trig Shld is set high.

Options: NONE , PARTIAL, FULL

•••H->T Push Protection

Def: FULL

Set level of conveyor protection during push for H->T pass.

Options: OFF, ON

•••H->T Pull Over Shearer

Def: ON

Enables shield autosequences over the shearer during the H->T pass in addition to the normal ASQs behind the shearer. If this is On, shields advance over the shearer and any that fail will be tried again behind the shearer, before the push.

••:T->H Options: 115

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Parameters for tail-to-head pass.

•••T->H Asq

Options: NONE, ALL

Def: ALL

Toggle ASQ options on T->H pass for unidirectional mode.

•••T->H Push Mode

Options: NONE, ALL

Def: NONE

Range: 10-100

Def: 98

Toggle push options on T->H pass.

•••T->H Push Stroke

Set target push stroke for T->H pass. Ex: if set on 20 and pan is already at 40, it won't push at all because it is already past 20.

•••T->H Push Trig Shld

Range: 1-310

Def: 192

Begin pushing when shearer reaches this shield. Set low to delay push.

•••T->H Push Reverse

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Reverse push once shearer reaches Trig Shield and follow normally from that point; most useful when T->H Push Trig Shld is set high.

•••T->H Push Protection

Options: NONE , PARTIAL, FULL

Def: FULL

Set level of conveyor protection during push for T->H pass.

•••T->H Pull Over Shearer

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Enables shield autosequences over the shearer during the T->H pass in addition to the normal ASQs behind the shearer. If this is On, shields advance over the shearer and any that fail will be tried again behind the shearer, before the push.

••Manual Safety Zone

Range: 0-10

Def: 1

Distance away from shearer position that first shield ASQs when using manual tracking..

••Auto HG Safety Zone

Range: 3-15

Def: 3

For serial or IR tracking, # of shields on HG side of shearer position that are in shearer safety zone. No automatic functions can occur in this area. Must be 3 more than HG Drum Distance if Pull-Over-Shearer option is included.

••Auto TG Safety Zone

© Caterpillar

Range: 4-15

116

Def: 4

For serial or IR tracking, # of shields on TG side of shearer position that are in shearer safety zone. No automatic functions can occur in this area. Must be 3 more than TG Drum Distance if Pull-Over-Shearer option is included.

••HG Drum Distance

Range: 0-7

Def: 2

Distance from tracking point to HG shearer drum. This determines where shields will begin pulling over the shearer when cutting to the HG and where shields will stop pulling over the shearer when cutting to the TG. Must be 3 less than Auto HG Safety Zone.

••TG Drum Distance

Range: 0-7

Def: 2

Distance from tracking point to TG shearer drum. This determines where shields will begin pulling over the shearer when cutting to the TG and where shields will stop pulling over the shearer when cutting to the HG. Must be 3 less than Auto TG Safety Zone.

••Push Dist Behind Prime

Range: 1-15

Def: 5

# of shields after ASQs before SRB pan push will happen. This keeps push from overrunning ASQs. ••Push Delay Time

Range: 50-500

Def: 50

Shield-to-shield delay for the delayed/reversed SRB push.

••:HG Area Options: Parameters for SRB operation in HG area.

•••HG Cleanup Area

Range: 5-20

Def: 17

Size of HG area where shearer can move (cleanup) without triggering ASQs. •••HG Turn Point

Range: 1-15

Def: 10

Set to lowest shield number that shearer will reach every time it cuts out at HG. Usually 8 to 10.

•••HG DoubleCut Point

Range: 10-40

Def: 22

On HG double cut, shearer must come back at least this far. Usually set around 25 or 30.

•••HG Readvance Group

Range: 0-15

Def: 0

Sets how many HG shields will readvance after HG push.

•••Start Push at Shield #

Range: 1-30

Def: 10

First shield at HG that SRB is allowed to push. Used to prevent SRB from pushing headgate automatically.

••:TG Area Options: Parameters for SRB operation in TG area.

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•••TG Cleanup Area

Range: 5-20

Def: 10

Size of TG area where shearer can move (cleanup) without triggering ASQs. Set to # of shields, not a shield number. Ex: set to 10 for a 10 shield area no matter how long face is.

•••TG Turn Point from TG

Range: 1-15

Def: 6

# of shields from TG that marks the point shearer will reach every time it cuts out at TG. Usually 6 to 10.

•••TG DblCut Pt from TG

Range: 10-40

Def: 20

On TG double cut, shearer must come back at least this far. Value is number of shields, not a shield number. Usually 27 to 33.

•••TG Readvance Group

Range: 0-15

Def: 0

Sets how many TG shields will readvance after TG push.

••Max # of ASQs

Range: 3-30

Def: 5

Limit on number of ASQs that SRB can have running at once.

••Ram Refill @ Shearer

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Option to activate conveyor push around shearer if pan is fully pushed.

••Snake Location

Options: HEAD, TAIL

Def: TAIL

UniDirectional snake location - HG or TG. Shields in the snake will push 100% after ASQ. ••Snake Advance

Range: 0-40

Def: 20

The number of shields that advance in the snake area for a unidirectional cutting cycle. If all shields are being advanced when cutting from the snake-end of the face to the other end, then this parameter does not matter. But if shields are being advanced when cutting from the other end to the snake end, then this parameter must be set high-enough to allow the snake to be pushed. This value should be at least 6 greater than the Snake Push parameter.

••Snake Push

Range: 0-30

Def: 15

The number of shields that attempt to push 100% to create the snake for a unidirectional cutting cycle. If not advancing all shields when cutting from the snake-end of face to other end, then make sure this value is at least 6 less than Snake Advance parameter.

•:Auto

Flippers:

Section for Auto Flipper parameters. Auto Flippers can retract flippers ahead of shearer and/ or extend flippers behind shearer, based on shearer position. © Caterpillar

118

Options: OFF, ON

••Retract Flippers

Def: ON

Enable or disable retracting of flippers ahead of shearer.

Options: OFF, ON

••Extend Flippers

Def: ON

Enable or disable extending of flippers behind shearer.

••Auto Flipper Begin

Range: 1-254

Def: 30

First shield on face that Auto Flippers will control.

••Auto Flipper End

Range: 1-254

Def: 165

Last shield on face that Auto Flippers will control. Set to actual shield number.

••H->T Retract Zone

Range: 1-15

Def: 4

# of shields ahead of shearer safety zone that will retract flipper on H->T pass.

••H->T Extend Safe Zone

Range: 0-15

Def: 1

For H->T pass, # of shields behind shearer safety zone before flipper extend occurs. Flipper extend function occurs immediately following these shields.

••T->H Retract Zone

Range: 1-15

Def: 4

# of shields ahead of shearer safety zone that will retract flipper on T->H pass.

••T->H Extend Safe Zone

Range: 0-15

Def: 1

For T->H pass, # of shields behind shearer safety zone before flipper extend occurs. Flipper extend function occurs immediately following these shields.

•:Prohibit

Actions:

Section for parameters that enable or disable individual functions on this shield only.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••Baselift Function Enable or disable baselift function.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••Tip Functions Enable or disable tip up/down functions.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••SideSeal Functions Enable or disable sideseal functions.

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Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••Main SideSeal Fcts Enable or disable main sideseal functions.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••Flipper Functions

Enable or disable flipper extend/retract functions.

Options: Def: Allowed Not Allowed, Allowed

••Conveyor Push Function Enable or disable conveyor push function.

•:Sensor

Status:

Section for parameters to enable or disable individual sensors on this shield only.

••Leg Pressure

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Enable or disable leg pressure sensor.

••Ram Position Enable or disable ram position sensor.

••Flipper Position Enable or disable flipper position sensor.

••Main Pressure Enable or disable mainline pressure sensor.

••Return Pressure Enable or disable return line pressure sensor.

••Tip Pressure Enable or disable tip pressure sensor.

•:Service: © Caterpillar

120

Section for service related actions ••clear errors facewide •• (P) Clear errors facewide by pressing P key.

••boot pgm to neighbor •• << >> Use N or P to send program from this PMC-R to the neighbor PMC-R. This unit will reset and send the program.

••boot program facewide •• (P) Use P key to send program to all other PMC-Rs. This unit will reset and send the program.

••PMC reset •• (P) Use P key to reset this PMC-R. ••destroy program •• (P) Use P key to destroy program in this PMC-R. It will then try to pick up program from a neighbor. Never necessary on face unless PMC-R reports that it has a different program!

••Send global parameters •• (P) Transmit all global parameters from this PMC-R to all other PMC-Rs. Should never be necessary since program will keep all global parameters identical across face.

••Display Brightness •• - + Use N and P keys to decrease or increase display brightness in this PMC-R. ••Calibrate Beeper ••-only this shield (P) Use P key to calibrate this beeper. Beeper will activate continuously for several seconds and will cycle through various pitches to find the loudest one.

•:Configuration: Section for configuration parameters.

••:Conveyor Push: Section for Conveyor Push configuration parameters.

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•••Push Protection

Options: NONE , PARTIAL, FULL

Def: FULL

Toggle level of conveyor push protection: full (assumes invalid ram cannot push), partial (assumes invalid ram can push), none (doesn't care - just pushes). FULL is recommended.

•••Delta Protection

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Enable or disable delta protection which doesn't allow any shield to push too much farther than another. This reduces stress in conveyor connections. ON is recommended.

•••Conv Push Delta

Range: 5-20

Def: 10

Conveyor push will pause when the stroke gets this far ahead of a neighbor.

•••Conv Push Delta(hys)

Range: 2-15

Def: 5

Conveyor push will resume after pausing when the neighbor push that was behind catches up by this much.

•••Abort Dist

Range: 1-6

Def: 5

Conveyor push is not allowed within this distance from a shield that is not advanced.

•••Max Time

Range: 2000-18000

Def: 3000

Sets max time allowed for conveyor push to finish. If it does not finish within this time, it posts a timeout error.

•••Bankpush Start Group

Range: 1-10

Def: 3

Number of shields that are triggered immediately at beginning of Bankpush. Others activate one at a time after a delay.

•••Locking Push Key

Options: For Time, For Stk

Def: For Stk

Select whether the Locking Push Key (3 key) operates for time or pushes to a specific target stroke.

•••Locking Push Tgt Stk

Range: 1-100

Def: 98

The target stroke for the Locking Push Key (3 key).

•••Headgate Push Ctl

Range: 1-10

Def: 6

Num of HG shlds that push evenly at same time; pressing 6-6-Start in headgate triggers this number of HG shields to push. Ex: if set to 5 then #5 controls the HG push.

•••Headgate Push Group

Range: 1-20

Def: 6

Num of HG shlds that are not allowed to push farther than the 'HG Push Control' shield.

•••Tailgate Push Ctl © Caterpillar

Range: 1-10 122

Def: 5

Num of TG shlds that push evenly at the same time; pressing 6-6-Start in tailgate triggers this number of tailgate shields to push. Ex: if set to 5 then 5th shield from TG controls the TG push.

•••Tailgate Push Group

Range: 1-20

Def: 10

Num of TG shlds that are not allowed to push farther than the shield that is 'TG Push Control' from the TG. •••Next Push Target Stk

Range: 0-100

Def: 100

Overrides normal target stroke on next conveyor push (Bankpush or SRB Push); usually 100 - it gets set to calculated number when a Tapered Push is programmed.

•••Overload Alert Enable

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Range: 0-140

Def: 100

Enable or disable the conveyor overload alert.

•••Overload Alert %

When the PLC reports a conveyor load percentage equal to or higher than this parameter, a facewide Conveyor Overload alert will be triggered.

•••Overload Alert Delay

Range: 0-3000

Def: 500

Time to wait when conveyor load goes over max %% load before tripping alert.

••:Conveyor Pullback: Section for Conveyor Pullback configuration parameters.

•••Abort Dist

Range: 3-5

Def: 3

Distance on each side that will abort if a shield is already up.

•••Max Time

Range: 2000-9000

Def: 3000

Max time for pullback to complete. If not complete within this time, a timeout error is posted.

•••Start Group

Range: 0-5

Def: 2

Number of shields that will activate at the same time at the start of the conveyor pullback.

•••Delay Time

Range: 0-1000

Def: 0

Delay between each of the shields activating in the conveyor pullback after pullback start group is active.

••:Network: Section for Network configuration parameters.

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•••Server Connected

Options: NO, YES

Def: YES

Toggle option for a PMC-R server connection. If set ton ON, the server should have a 10k coding plug. If set to OFF, shield #1 must have a 10k coding plug in order to number shields.

•••Face Direction

Options: LEFT, RIGHT

Def: RIGHT

Toggle face direction. This will be set automatically if there is a server.

•••Number of Shields

Range: 1-310

Def: 186

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Options: Face Shield, SS Shield

Def: Face Shield

Range: 2-310

Def: 310

Set # of shields on face.

•••Shield Group 1 Type Toggle shield type for 1st shield group.

•••Shield Group 2 Type Toggle shield type for 2nd shield group.

•••Shield Group 3 Type Toggle shield type for 3rd shield group.

•••Shield Group 4 Type Toggle shield type for 4th shield group.

•••Shield Group 5 Type Toggle shield type for 5th shield group.

•••Shield Group 6 Type Toggle shield type for 6th shield group.

•••Shield Group 2 Begin

Beginning shield # of the 2nd shield group on the face. © Caterpillar

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•••Shield Group 3 Begin

Range: 3-310

Def: 310

Beginning shield # of the 3rd shield group on the face.

•••Shield Group 4 Begin

Range: 4-310

Def: 310

Beginning shield # of the 4th shield group on the face.

•••Shield Group 5 Begin

Range: 5-310

Def: 310

Beginning shield # of the 5th shield group on the face.

•••Shield Group 6 Begin

Range: 6-310

Def: 310

Beginning shield # of the 6th shield group on the face.

•••Max Allowed Data Loss

Range: 1-200

Def: 20

Max # of messages that can be lost in neighbor comms before posting error message System Error - Data Lost.

Options: OFF, ON

•••HG Comms Thru PMC-P

Def: ON

Communicate to VCU through PMC-P (On) or through direct connection to VCU computer (Off).

Options: 57600, 115200

•••PMC-P Comms Data Rate

Def: 115200

Toggle data rate to PMC-P. •••HG Red. Bus Shield #

Range: 1-MAX_FACE Def: 3

Shield number near headgate that has redundant bus connection to a shield near tailgate.

•••TG Red. Bus Shield #

Range: 1-310

Def: 258

Shield number near tailgate that has redundant bus connection to a shield near headgate.

••:Current Reservation: Section for Current Reservation parameters. Current Reservation is part of the MSHA IS approval; it regulates the amount of current drawn by solenoids to prevent possibility of ignition.

•••HG Group 2 Begins

Range: 1-17

Def: 3

Shield number where second power group begins on headgate end of face.

•••HG Group 3 Begins

Range: 1-17

Def: 7

Shield number where third power group begins on headgate end of face.

•••Standard Groups Begin

Range: 1-33 125

Def: 7 © Caterpillar

Shield number where next (fourth) groups begins. This group and all groups across the face must have the same number of shields.

•••Standard Group Size

Range: 4-16

Def: 5

Size of standard power group across the face. Headgate and tailgate can have special sizes but normal groups across the face must be same size.

•••TG Group 1 Begins

Range: 30-310

Def: 182

Shield that begins first nonstandard size group in tailgate.

•••TG Group 2 Begins

Range: 30-310

Def: 183

Shield that beigins second nonstandard size group in tailgate.

•••TG Group 3 Begins

Range: 30-310

Def: 184

Shield that beigins third nonstandard size group in tailgate (this is start of last power group on face).

••:Pressure Monitoring: Section for Pressure Monitoring parameters.

•••Main Pr. Min (bar)

Range: 100-250

Def: 150

Min pressure acceptable for main pressure. If lower than this then Pressure Pause feature will pause all face automation if Low-Pressure Pause is set to ON. •••Return Pr. Max (bar)

Range: 20-50

Def: 30

Max pressure accetable for return pressure. If higher than this, face will be QuickStopped if High-Ret. Press. Trip is set to ON. •••:Pressure Pause: Section for Pressure Pause parameters.

••••Low-Pressure Pause

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Toggle option to pause face automation when mainline pressure is low.

••••High-Ret. Press. Pause

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Toggle option to QuickStop the face when the return line pressure becomes too high.

•••# of HG shlds w/ light

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Range: 1-10

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Def: 3

Number of HG shields that all have a light. Only matters if the light installation parameter is set to EVEN or ODD. •••# of TG shlds w/ light

Range: 1-10

Def: 3

Number of TG shields that all have a light. Only matters if the light installation parameter is set to EVEN or ODD.

••Umbrella Lock Distance

Range: 5-15

Def: 10

Umbrella lock covers this number of shields on each side of initiating shield.

••Stop Key Group

Range: 10-310

Def: 10

Distance in shields that the Stop key will affect on each side of the shield where it is pressed ••First AuxFct Display

Range: 1-30

Def: 1

Sets which line is shown when a neighbor shield is selected. This is set according to the number at the beginning of the desired line. Scroll up or down to see other lines.

Options: OFF, ON

••Baselift with B/D key

Def: OFF

Toggle option to have baselift activate whenever the B or D key is being used to advance a shield.

••Push Lock Release Time

Range: 0-400

Def: 400

Shields that have a hydraulically latching push function require that the shield advance function be activated briefly to release the push function. This parameter determines how long the advance function is activated for this purpose.

Options: NO, YES

••Belt Tailpiece Station

Def: NO

Global parameter to toggle option for Belt Tailpiece station connected to Server to control HG push.

Options: Ext Voltage, Min Ext Voltage, Bidi Comm Voltage

••PMC-R Vltg Rpt to VCU

Def: Ext Voltage

Determines how PMC-R reports voltages to VShield.

••Coal Height (inches)

Range: 20-240

Def: 84

Range: 2000-60000

Def: 8700

Coal height in inches.

••Coal Dens. .01 lb/cuft Coal density in 0.01 lbs/cu.ft.

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••Lite Set

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

Lite Set prevents the ASQ and PSA functions from setting the shield to high pressures.

Setting pressure is limited to the Lite Set Pressure parameter which follows. Lite Set is a local parameter that is enabled or disabled on individual shields. C-key hotkey provides a shortcut to this parameter.

••Lite Set Pressure

Range: 20-200

Def: 75

Options: OFF, ON

Def: OFF

See description above.

••Datalogger Comms

Enable ZBus to Zbus comms between shield SCU and datalogger. Comms can only be confirmed on the datalogger.

••Shr Lum Blink Sgnl

Options: OFF, ON

Def: ON

Turn ON or OFF option for 1-9 white/off blink signaling at the shearer operators from any unit on the face using the * key ••Conveyor Prestart Time

Range: 600-3000

Def: 800

Overall length of time for the conveyor prestart warning. During this time the beepers sound and lights alternated every second between 10, 20, 30 and 15,25, 35, etc.

•:Diagnostics: Section for Diagnostic displays.

••:Static Info: ••:PMC-R Power Info: Section for PMC-R Power Diagnostics.

•••PMC-R Input Voltage •••1210cV min:1120cV OK Shows the input voltage being fed to the PMC-R Bidi port, and the minimum of this value.

The voltage will be classified as 'OK' if it is between 11 and 12.5 volts, 'HIGH' if above 12.5 volts, and 'LOW' if below 11 volts. The min value can be reset by pressing the Enter key.

Note: the value is shown in centivolts so 1220 means 12.20 volts.

•••PMC-R Power Use •••1390mW max:1400mW OK

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Shows the power being used by the core PMC-R circuits and the max of that value. The power level will be classified as 'OK' if it is between 1360mW and 1460mW, 'LOW' if below 1360 mW, and 'HIGH' if above 1460mW. The max can be reset by pressing the Enter key.

Note: the value is shown in milliwatts so 1360 means 1.36 watts.

•••PMC-R Driver Current •••10mA max:120mA OK Shows the current draw of the solenoid driver and the max detected value. It includes the solenoid current and current for anything connected to E1 and E2 ports. 'LOW', 'HIGH', and 'OK' levels are calculated based on the sensors the program is configured to have and on the valves that are active at any given time. The max value can be reset by pressing the Enter key. Note: the value is shown in milliamps so 250 means 0.25A. •••PMC-R Sensor Current •••13mA max:14mA LOW Shows the current draw of the sensors connected to the B, C, and D ports; and the max of that value. The current draw is classified as 'OK', 'LOW', or 'HIGH' based on the number of sensors the program is configured to have. The max value can be reset by pressing the Enter key. Note: the value is shown in millliamps so 125 means 0.125A.

••:PMC-R Network Comms: Section for PMC-R Network diagnostics.

•••Current Active Network ••• Shows this units number, the number of the beginning unit in the network, and the number of the end shield in the network. Number may also be designator SRV for Server or FLT for filter station.

•••Previous Network ••• begin:SRV end:180 Shows most recent broken net data; useful to find out where the network was broken after an intermittent break.

•••Status Buffers •••>>6 15<< Shows the number of status buffer messages received in the previous 1s from the five shields on each side. Each shield sends a status message 3 times per second so normally this should be 15 +/- 1. If there are only two shields on one side then there would only be about 6 messages received every second.

•••Bidi Comms Error Count ••• <<0 0 >> Number of corrupted messages received on bidi communication ports since last power-on.

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••:KH Luminaire: Section for luminaire diagnostics.

•••Model: 24 4Col+White •••Status: 3 Retest (P) Shows the luminaire model that is attached and communicating with the PMC-R. Possible values are None, White, RedWhite, Signal, 4Col+White and Invalid. Status is ~~-invalid, 3available, 4-unavailable, 5-blinking. This is checked every 30s. To re-check, press the P key.

•••Lum Test •••(P) Press P to trigger a test of the available luminaire blink and color options.

••:Sensor Diagnostics: Section for sensor related diagnostics.

•••Face Shield •••CodePlugValue is 1 Shows shield type and code plug value.

•••Leg Pressure min/max •••10/330 12/345 Shows leg pressure min and max readings that have occurred since the last ASQ or since power-up or since being cleared by pressing Enter or using the 'Reset Min/Max Values facewide'.

•••Main Pressure 255 bar •••src:5 min:145 bar Shows the nearest available mainline pressure reading and the shield that is reporting the value; also shows the minimum pressure reading that has occurred. (The minimum value is reset if the pressure falls below 30 bar and then rises to 200 bar again. This prevents the minimum from always showing 0 because the pumps were off.)

•••Return Press. 15 bar •••src:6 max:22 bar Shows the nearest available return-line pressure reading and the shield that is reporting the value; also shows the maximum pressure reading that has occurred.

•••Tip Pressure 200 bar •••src:25 max:225 bar Shows the nearest available tip pressure reading and the shield that is reporting the value; also shows the maximum pressure reading that has occurred. © Caterpillar

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•••#123 Ret Avg8/Max18 •••Below 24bar:100% ••:ASQ Cycle Times: Section to view ASQ cycle times for this shield.

•••Cycle Time 1 •••(most recent) 9 Cycle time of the most recent ASQ. Measured from the beginning of legs-lower until legs-set causes leg pressure to reach 50bar.

•••Cycle Time 2 •••10 Cycle time from previous ASQ. •••Cycle Time 3 •••18 Cycle time from 3rd ASQ in history.

•••Cycle Time 4 •••7 Cycle time from 4th ASQ in history.

•••Cycle Time 5 •••8 Cycle time from 5th ASQ in history.

••:State Machines: Section for State Machine diagnostics - mostly useful to programmers. The first number is the history position. Use N and P keys to change the history position. Pressing the P key moves back in time, increasing the history position; pressing the N key moves forward in time, decreasing the history position. When the history position is 0, the next three numbers are the current state, the previous state, and the state before that. If the history position is 1, the next three numbers are the previous state and the two states before that.

•••Autosequence #0 ••• 0 40 35 •••Bankpush #0 ••• 0 3 2 •••Conveyor Push #0 ••• 0 9 2 131

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•••Conveyor Pullback #0 ••• 0 8 1 •••Flipper Ctl #0 ••• 0 7 2 •••Positive Set #0 ••• 3 2 1 •••Luminaire Ctl #0 ••• 3 2 1

••:Shearer Data: Section for Shearer Data diagnostics.

•••Shearer Pos •••IR: 45>, Ser: 45> Shearer position as detected by IR tracking and serial tracking (i.e., data comms with shearer). Measured in shields.

••:Lines: Section to view line position in hex for conveyor line, shield line, etc. Mostly for programmers.

•••Conveyor Position •••00001AF4 •••Shield Position •••00001676

••:External Comms: Section for external communications diagnostics.

•••Redundant Bus Status •••OK Redundant bus connection from near-tail shield to near-head shield is either OK or Down.

•••Server-Vshield Comms •••OK Comms between server and Vshield (VCU program) is either OK or Down.

•••Server-Shearer Comms •••OK © Caterpillar

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Comms between Server and CAT Shearer through the PMC-P is either OK or Down. If using another shearer brand, comms is only possible via PLC so this line always shows Down.

•••:PLC Communications: Section for PLC communications diagnostics.

••••Data rec'd from PLC ••••YES Indicates whether any kind of data was received from the PLC in previous 2s.

••••PLC Data Format OK ••••YES Indicates that data with a valid CRC was received during previous 2s.

••••Reply to data-read ••••command received YES Indicates that a reply to a data-read command was received during previous 2s.

••••Reply length is ••••correct YES Indicates that a data-read reply with correct length was received during previous 2s.

••••Valid PLC Table ••••Version YES Indicates that a data read reply with correct length, a changing shearer 'heartbeat' and with the correct table version was received during previous 2s.

••••Shearer activity ••••indicator OK YES Indicates that a data read reply with correct length and indicating a changing shearer 'heartbeat' value was received during previous 2s.

••••Table ver in PLC:1 ••••Table ver expected:1-7 Shows table version received from PLC and table version expected by PMC-R.

••:Last Auto Fcts: All of the lines in this section report a previous function that was activated. The value for each will be one of the following: Batch Advance, Batch ASQ, SRB ASQ, SRB ASQ Restart, SRB ASQ Readvance, Manual ASQ, Manual Push, SRB Push, Bankpush, Endgate Push, Pullback, Pos. Flip Ret, Bank Spray, Positive Set, PSA Manual Set, Flipper Ret, Flipper Ext, BackFlush, Wedge ASQ.

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•••Last Auto Fct •••1) PSA Manual Set Shows the most recent automatic function triggered.

•••Last Auto Fct •••2) Pullback Shows the 2nd most recent automatic function triggered.

•••Last Auto Fct •••3) Bankpush Shows the 3rd most recent automatic function triggered.

•••Last Auto Fct •••4) Manual ASQ Shows the 4th most recent automatic function triggered.

•••Last Auto Fct •••5) NONE Shows the 5th most recent automatic function triggered.

••:System Status: The System Status section is only visible on the Server. Several lines are provided to display different status information about any shield on the face. The shield selection can be changed by entering the value or by using the N & P Keys to shift the selected shield number.

•••# 27 psa+cvp+asq-bat+ •••CPU+bpu+srb+ For the selected shield, shows which modules are Off, Ready, or Active in the selected shield. As shown, all modules are enabled but not active except asq which is disabled and conveyor pullback which is active.

•••# 27Prop L:310 R:280 ••• Ram: 95 For the selected shield, shows the leg pressures and the ram stroke. If there is a flipper sensor it is shown also.

•••# 27 Conv Position •••00001AF4 For the selected shield, shows the conveyor position value that is used to plot the position on the VCU. •••#27 Shield Position •••00001676 © Caterpillar

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For the selected shield, shows the shield position value that is used to plot the position on the VCU.

••Last Ringout Reason ••Invalid PP Thrown Shows reason for the last facewide ring out that alerts when SRB has aborted for an internal error. Possible values are as follows: Shearer Zone Died, Invalid PP Rec'd, Invalid PP Thrown, Shear State Mismatch, SRB Restarts Killed, SRB Started, SRB Stopped, U-Lock Released, Umbrella Lock Set. ••Last Stop Key ••Pressed at #123 Tells the shield location where the Stop Key was most recently pressed.

••Conveyor Loading •• 97% OVERLOAD Shows conveyor loading value retrieved from PLC (in percent).

••Reset Min/Max ••Values Facewide (P) Press P to reset all diagnostic min/max displays facewide.

•:CST: Section for Controlled Start Transmission ••CST Clutch (Declutched) ••Dcltch Cltch Press N-Key to disengage clutch or P_Key to engage clutch. Clutch status as received from PLC is in parenthesis.

••Motor Release Status •• Released Motor release status as received from PLC

•:Message

Displays:

These are the messages that may be displayed on the SCU in certain conditions. These lines can not be found using the Menu Keys.

••Not Selectable!!!

••PMC in use 135

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The shield is not selectable for the reason shown. The reasons possible are as follows: It's not a shield, QuickStop, It's Locked, No Solenoid Driver, Solenoid Driver Err, Locked Neighbor, maintenance lock.

••In Use! No manual ctl.

••Press Start for ASQ. The shield is not selectable because it is currently in use (i.e., somebody pressed a key in the previous 4s). Pressing Start will queue as ASQ which can begin once key-time has expired and the SCU is in the idle mode again.

••SRB FACE AUTOMATION ••To start, press Start.

This display occurs during the 3-key process of starting SRB. When the SRB Key (9) is pressed (first key required), the operator is prompted to press the Start Key (second key required) with this display.

••SRB FACE AUTOMATION ••Confirm shearer dir After pressing the SRB Key (9) and the Start Key, the operator is prompted to complete the process by confirming the shearer cutting direction using the F or G Key. ••SRB FACE AUTOMATION ••To stop, press Stop.

When SRB is running in either Serial or IR tracking mode, pressing the SRB Key (9) will prompt the operator to stop SRB by pressing the Stop Key (S). This is the recommended way of stopping SRB because it allows any active ASQs or pushes to finish and does not dump the dump valve.

••SRB : ** to chg pos, ••Stop Key to stop SRB. When SRB is running in manual tracking mode, pressing the SRB Key (9) will prompt the operator Stop SRB by pressing the Stop Key (S) or to enter a new manual position by pressing the *-Key (0). This display is only seen if the operator is in the area where a new manual position is allowed, generally six shields ahead of the current position.

••#123 ••WARNING! SRB STARTED! This display is seen on all SCUs when SRB is started.

••#123 ••SRB Cancelled This display is seen on all SCUs when SRB is cancelled.

••SRB FACE AUTOMATION ••To restart, press (P).

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If an SRB Restart can be done, this display will be seen when the operator presses the SRB Key (9). If the operator desires to do an SRB Newstart, instead of pressing the P key, press the Start Key. ••To set ULock hold 3s ••or press Enter The Umbrella Lock feature creates a safe travel way to allow operators to move through areas where shields would normally be moving without altering the mining cycle. Pressing the Umbrella Key (5) for 3s activates the Umbrella Lock Zone; it extends on both sides of initiating shield. In this zone, shields can push but not advance. If a shield in the Umbrella Lock Zone is triggered to ASQ, the ASQ is paused; if the Umbrella Lock Zone is removed from the shield soon enough, the ASQ will then become active and advance the shield. This lets people move through areas where shields should be moving without danger and without screwing up the mining cycle.

••To clear ULock hold 3s ••or press Enter When the Umbrella Lock Key (5) is pressed on the center shield of the Umbrella Lock Zone, this display prompts the operator to hold the key for 3s to cancel the zone. Removing the Umbrella Lock Zone may allow shields to complete a previously triggered advance. There is a notice beeper sound throughout the zone and a 3s delay before any ASQs will start, in addition to the normal ASQ prewarning.

••Umbrella activated.

••Not for maintenance!!

Umbrella lock is for travel only - not maintenance. For maintenance, the shield should be locked out using the PMC-R's black lockout button, and the maintenance lock should be used. Maintenance lock is setup by pressing 5 and then holding the 0 key. The shield should also be isolated hydraulically during maintenance.

••Umbrella activated.

••For travel only!!

Umbrella lock is for travel only - not maintenance. For maintenance, the shield should be locked out using the PMC-R's black lockout button, and the maintenance lock should be used. Maintenance lock is setup by pressing 5 and then holding the 0 key. The shield should also be isolated hydraulically during maintenance.

••Umbrella overlapped ••with another!

This display is seen if the operator tries to start a new Umbrella Lock Zone at a shield that is immediately adjacent to an already existing Umbrella Lock Zone.

••Hold for 3s to set ••maintenance lock After pressing the Umbrella Lock key momentarily, press and hold the 0 key (star) for 3s to set a Maintenance Lock. In the Mainentance Lock Zone, only adjacent deadman functions are allowed. The Maintenance Lock Zone cannot be moved like an Umbrella Lock Zone.

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••Hold ** key for 3s to ••cancel maint lock When the Umbrella Lock Key (5) is pressed on the center shield of a Maintenance Lock Zone, this display prompts the operator to hold the key for 3s to cancel the Maintenance Lock Zone. The Maintenance Lock can only be cancelled from the middle shield where it was initiated.

••Maint. Lock!! Must be ••at #35 to cancel.

Pressing the Umbrella Lock Key (5) on any shield of a Maintenance Lock Zone except for the middle shield will cause this display and inform the operator which shield is the middle shield where the zone can be cancelled.

••Cancelled from 35!!

When the Stop key is used to cancel actions on the face, all affected shields will show this display for several seconds indicating which shield sent the cancel command.

••BankPush GateEnd •• ...press Start Pressing the BankPush Key (6) twice in the endgate area causes this display to prompt the operator to press the Start Key to start the endgate push function.

••#100 SYSTEM TRIPPED! ••Reset System (P) This display appears when the operator pressres the Start key from the default SYSTEM TRIPPED display. To reset the system and send an indication to the PLC, press the P key. A short beep will travel across the face; 3s later the server will reset the system and another short beep will travel across the face.

••#123 ••Allow Pump Loading (P) This display appears when the operator presses the Start key from the default PUMPS UNLOADED display. To allow pumps to begin loading again, press the P key. A short beep will travel across the face; 3s later the server will command the headgate PLC to allow pumps to load and another short beep will travel across the face.

••Must now use Start and ••P to reset system.

You must now press Start and then P rather than Stop and P to reset system. You may now press the Start key and then P key to reset the system directly from this screen.

••SRB Not Started ••Too close to endgate!

This display occurs when the operator attempts to start SRB near the endgate with a cutting direction into the endgate. © Caterpillar

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••SRB Cancelled ••IR Position Jump!

The IR shearer position jumped too far so SRB was cancelled as a safety precaution. This is because several shields in a row did not 'see' the IR transmitter, probably due to dirty receivers or a dirty transmitter.

••SRB Not Allowed ••IR Position Jump!

If an SRB start is attempted while there is an IR Position Jump error posted, this display will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start.

••SRB Readvance ••Select Direction Holding the SRB Key (9) and pressing the R-Key (for Readvance) is the first step in setting an SRB Readvance Zone into the face. This display prompts the operator to press either the F or G Group Select Key to indicate to which side the SRB Readvance Zone is desired.

When that is done, the next display will be seen.

••SRB Readvance ••Mark Beginning (P) After completing the previous steps in setting an SRB Readvance Zone, this display prompts the operator to press the P Key to mark this shields as the beginning of the SRB Readvance Zone. The operator can then walk up to 10 shields in that direction and hold the SRB Key (9) and press the R-Key (for Readvance) to bring up the next display.

••SRB Readvance ••Cancel(N) Start(P) At this display the operator can press the N-Key to abort the process of setting an SRB Readvance Zone or press the P-Key to finish the process: all shields in the zone will then be readvanced by SRB on the following number of passes set by parameter SRB Zone Readvance Ct. ••SRB Cancelled ••Serial Position Jump!

If the shearer position as received on the data link skips too many shields while SRB is active, this message will be seen to explain why SRB cancelled.

••SRB Not Allowed ••Serial Position Jump!

If an SRB start is attempted while there is a Serial Position Jump error posted, this display will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. Clear the error locally by pressing the EKey (for Errors) and then clearing the Serial Position Jump error by pressing the Enter key when viewing the error. Then, when SRB is started, the error will be cleared across the face.

••SRB Not Started-HG Turn ••Pt not in Cleanup Zone 139

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If an SRB start is attempted and the parameter HG Turn Pt is not inside the HG Cleanup Area, this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. The HG Turn Pt must be inside the HG Cleanup Area.

••SRB Not Started-TG Turn ••Pt not in Cleanup Zone If an SRB start is attempted and the shield identified by parameter TG Turn Point from TG is not inside the TG Cleanup Area, this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. The turn point shield must be inside the TG Cleanup Area.

••SRB Not Started-Dbl Cut ••Pt in HG Cleanup Zone If an SRB start is attempted and the parameter HG DoubleCut Pt is inside the area defined by parmeter HG Cleanup Zone, this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. The double cut point cannot be inside the cleanup zone.

••SRB Not Started-Dbl Cut ••Pt in TG Cleanup Zone If an SRB start is attempted and the shield identified by parameter TG DblCut Pt from TG is inside the TG Cleanup Zone, this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start.

The double cut point cannot be inside the cleanup zone.

••SRB Not Started ••UniDi w/ ASQ both dir!

If an SRB start is attempted and the SRB Cycle is parameter is set on UniDi (or that is the only mode available) and the parameters H->T Asq and T->H Asq are both set on 'ALL', this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. In UniDi SRB, shields are only advanced in one direction.

••SRB Not Started-Unidi ••2nd push < 1st push!

If an SRB start is attempted and the SRB Cycle parameter is set on UniDi (or that is the only mode available) and the parameters H->T Push Stroke and T->H Push Stroke are set so that the push which happens after the ASQ has a target stroke greater than the other push, this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. In UniDi SRB, the push that occurs following the ASQs must have a smaller target stroke than the push that occurs when cutting the other direction.

••SRB FACE AUTOMATION ••No Commands Allowed.

This display appears when the SRB Key (key 9) is pressed but there is no SRB command which can be executed at this time and location on the face (such as starting or stopping SRB or moving the position).

••SRB NotStarted:Auto HG ••Safety Zone Too Small

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If an SRB start is attempted and the Auto HG Safety Zone parameter is less than the HG Drum Distance + 3 then this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. This ensures the HG operator has at least a 3 shield safety zone.

••SRB NotStarted:Auto TG ••Safety Zone Too Small If an SRB start is attempted and the Auto TG Safety Zone parameter is less than the TG Drum Distance + 3 then this message will occur to explain why SRB is refusing to start. This ensures the TG operator has at least a 3 shield safety zone.

••Auto Flip Not Allowed ••Shearer Position Jump!

Automatic flipper retract or extend cannot be enabled if there is a shearer position jump error.

The error must be cleared first.

••Shearer Simulation ••Choose shearer dir Press either F or G key to choose direction of simulated shearer.

••Cannot change value.

••Parameter is locked!

The hardware key must be used to change or unlock this parameter.

••**Conveyor STARTING** Conveyor is getting ready to start. (This information is received from the HG controls.)

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