ThermoCheck Windows USER MANUAL Revision 1.6 Copyright © 2000-2004 Escort Data Logging Systems Ltd.
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Contents Introduction 1 Getting Started 3 ThermoCheck Keypad Overview What You Will Need, to Use the Software Installing the Software Navigating the Software Configuration Options Connection Battery Replacement Setting Up a Database 3 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 Products Processes or Locations Database Orientation Database Item Order Product Specifications, Alarms and Delays Templates Uploading a Database Command Summary Setting Up Corrective Actions 11 12 15 16 18 19 19 20 22 Introduction Creating Corrective Ac
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Introduction The ThermoCheck is a portable, handheld temperature meter and temperature measurement storage device that facilitates the validation of quality control specifications for temperatures of products at various stages of production and storage. Product descriptions and process/location descriptions can be stored in a database within the unit. Maximum and minimum temperature specifications for each process/location of products are stored in the database.
To use the ThermoCheck you will need to install the ThermoCheck software (please refer to Chapter 2, Installing the Software for more information about installing the software) onto a computer so that a ThermoCheck can be configured. To configure a ThermoCheck so that it will be able to take readings a Database will need to be uploaded in to the ThermoCheck (please refer to Chapter 3, Setting Up a Database for further information about creating and uploading a Database to a ThermoCheck).
Getting Started To use the ThermoCheck to record temperature readings, the unit will need a database configured, linking products, process/location and product specifications. You can configure a database in the unit with the user software. To turn on the ThermoCheck press any key on the ThermoCheck's Keypad. Additionally, the connection of external power, and connection to a computer's serial port will turn the ThermoCheck on.
OFF STORE Turns the ThermoCheck off (unless the ThermoCheck is currently off, in which case pressing any button will turn the ThermoCheck on). Instructs the ThermoCheck to record a reading for the currently selected product at the currently selected process/location “ENTER” Selects the current item (product, process / location or setup option) on the display. Deselects the last item selected (from pressing ENTER).
What You Will Need, to Use the Software Installation of the software requires 9.4 megabytes of free disk space, plus an additional 5.8 megabytes of free hard disk space during the installation process. In order to use the ThermoCheck for Windows software, you will need an IBM-compatible PC with at least one free serial communications (COM) port, a 386, or better, processor and at least 8 megabytes of memory, running the Windows 9x, NT, 2000 (or later) operating system. Installing the Software 1.
Navigating the Software When the software starts, there are five items on the menu bar. These five menus will give you access to the various functions of the software: File Allows opening, saving, closing and printing of ThermoCheck data reading files and opening and saving of database configuration files. Edit Provides commands for editing database information, such as product and process/location details, and some selection commands for readings information.
Configuration Options It is recommended that you first configure the software to ensure that the communications port that the ThermoCheck is connected to matches the communications port that the software communicates with. The default is the first serial communications port, COM1. You can change the communications port setting by selecting Options from the Edit menu. This will launch the Options dialog box.
Connection To get the ThermoCheck to successfully communicate with the software, you will need to connect the interface cable to a serial communications port on your PC. If you select Get Database from the ThermoCheck menu, you will see a progress bar at the bottom of the program window, indicating how far through the process the software is. When the process is complete, a database window will appear on the screen.
Battery Replacement Your ThermoCheck requires two (2) AA batteries to operate. You can use either alkaline or rechargeable (for example, NiCd or NiMH) batteries, however please remember that you must NEVER attempt to charge alkaline batteries. To insert the batteries: 1. Remove the ThermoCheck battery cover by placing the unit face down, removing the two screws, and then lifting the cover free. 2.
Setting Up a Database In order to use the ThermoCheck, you need to create a product database. Databases link individual products with the processes/locations of their production at which you may want to monitor temperature. In addition, you can define upper and lower specification limits and alarm conditions, at each of the processes/locations involved in a product’s production, to match quality control specifications. Databases can only be created and modified by using the ThermoCheck software.
The database window has panel buttons for products, processes/locations, users, and the ThermoCheck’s settings. When you click on each one of these panel buttons, you will be able to change the settings for that category in the panel that is revealed.
All product names must start with a capital letter and the software will ensure that each product does start with a capital letter. Product names can not be blank (empty) and therefore the software will ensure that no products are created without a valid name. The Products panel lists products, displaying each product’s available processes/locations in a list under the product name.
Process/Locations Panel in the Database Window You can expand the list of processes/locations to show the different products under each process/location: • by pressing [+] when the process/location you want to expand is selected, • or by left clicking with the mouse on the plus symbol beside the process/location name. As with the products panel, you can hide a list of products under a process/location, if it is visible, by clicking on the minus symbol beside the process/location name.
You can change a product or process/location name by: • typing the new name directly into the appropriate field on the left, • selecting the current name, clicking on it with the mouse, and typing the new name, • or pressing [F2] when a product or process/location is selected, and typing the new name. When you are editing a product or process/location name, and you wish to revert back to the original name, you can press [Esc], and the original name will be restored.
Database Orientation In addition to entering product and process/location details, the software allows you to specify whether the database is to be primarily oriented around products, or processes/locations. This setting determines whether the operator of the ThermoCheck chooses the product first, and then the process/location, or alternatively, the process/location and then the product. Note that some versions of the ThermoCheck do not support modification of the database orientation.
Database Item Order The software allows you to: • manually define the order of each of the items in the database, or • have the database items automatically sorted in alphabetical order. These options are controlled via the Manual Order checkbox in the Products and Processes/Locations panels. Please note that not all versions of ThermoCheck support these options.
To move a product up or down within the list of products: Ensure that the products panel is currently displayed and the Product first button is down. Ensure that manual order is enabled, by checking Manual Order. Select the product you wish to move.
Product Specifications, Alarms and Delays You can enter specification limits for each of the products you have defined, at each critical process/location, in either the Products panel, or the Processes/Locations panel. An upper specification is the maximum allowable temperature for a product at a given process/location, and a lower specification is the lowest allowable temperature at the given process/location.
Templates When you have set up a database, you can also save it to a Template file, for future use. To do this, select Save or Save As from the File menu. Type in the name of the file you want to save the template database as, and click Save. Template files typically have a .tlf extension. You can open these files by selecting Open from the File menu. Once a file is opened, you can alter it to the present requirements.
Command Summary Below follows a summary of useful commands available for setting up and editing a product and process/location database. The keyboard shortcuts for menu items are included. Products Panel [Left-mouseclick] [Ctrl-P], [Ctrl-N] [Ctrl-L] [Insert] [Insert] [Delete] [Delete] [F2] [+] [-] [*] [/] [Esc] [Ctrl-Page Up] [Ctrl-Page Up] [Ctrl-Page Down] [Ctrl-Page Down] Page 20 Selects a product or process/location. Adds a new product. Adds a new process/location.
Processes/Locations Panel [Left-mouseclick] Selects a product or process/location. [Ctrl-L], [Ctrl-N] Adds a new process/location. [Ctrl-P] Adds a new product. [Insert] If there is no selection, or a process/location is selected, a new process/location will be added. [Insert] If a product is currently selected, a new product to the current process/location will be added. [Delete] If a process/location is currently selected, then this selected process/location will be deleted.
Setting Up Corrective Actions Introduction Corrective actions are used to prompt the user to perform certain actions when the readings to be stored are not within specification and records which action the user has selected to perform. Creating Corrective Actions To include corrective actions for various products, first add the corrective action meanings to the “Corrective Action” panel.
Corrective Actions Panel in the Database Window Assigning Corrective Actions Once you have created the corrective actions to be assigned to various products, select the Products panel or the Processes/Locations panel. Select the product and process/location that you want to assign one or more corrective actions to and you will notice that now the corrective actions are listed in the corrective actions list box for each item.
Assigning Corrective Actions to Database items Command Summary [Left-mouseclick] [Ctrl-R] [Insert] [Delete] [F2] [Esc] Page 24 Selects a corrective action. Adds a corrective action. If there is no selection, or a corrective action is selected, a new corrective action will be added. If a corrective action is currently selected, then this selected corrective action will be deleted. Allows the name of a selected corrective action to be changed.
Setting Up a User List Setting the ThermoCheck up to include user information is optional. The advantage of setting up a user list in the unit is that reading information stored in the ThermoCheck will also include the name of the user who performed each reading. When a user list is defined in the unit, a user must be logged on before any readings can be taken. Only one user may be logged on at any one time.
Users Panel in the Database Window Adding and Removing Users The method for adding users is much the same as that for adding products or processes/locations. You press the [Insert] key in the Users panel, and then type the name (or other descriptive text) of the user. You can also add a user by selecting New or New User from the Edit menu. User names can not start or finish with spaces, so if a user name is created with leading spaces, for example, then the software will remove all the leading spaces.
User Options When a user is selected, their password and PIN code are shown in the panel next to the user list. For security and privacy reasons, PIN codes and passwords are displayed as a series of asterisks. The PIN code identifies the user currently operating the ThermoCheck. Therefore PIN codes must be unique to each user and no two users may have the same PIN code. A PIN code is made up of up to eight digits.
Command Summary [Left-mouseclick] [Ctrl-U] [Insert] [Delete] [F2] [Esc] Page 28 Selects a user. Adds a new user. If there is no selection, or a user is selected, a new user will be added. If a user is currently selected, then this selected user will be deleted. Allows the name of a selected user to be changed. When editing a user name, restores the original name. If the user has just been added, deletes the item.
Customising the ThermoCheck Customising With the Software If you click the Settings button in the database window, the configuration settings panel will become visible. Any changes you make to these settings will not take effect until the database is uploaded to the ThermoCheck.
General Information This box displays general information about the ThermoCheck, including the serial number, product code and battery status. Note that the serial number, product code and battery status will only be displayed if the database was downloaded from a ThermoCheck. You can also type in a description here, which will be displayed at the top of the screen when the unit is powered up (once the database has been uploaded to the ThermoCheck).
Date and Time You can adjust the ThermoCheck’s internal time clock with the options in this box. If you click Match computer date and time, the unit’s time clock will be set to match your PC’s internal clock. Note that this will only occur if the settings are uploaded to the unit (with the Set Database command). Select the No change option if you do not want to have the ThermoCheck’s clock updated.
Customising Without Using the Software If you press the SETUP key when the unit is turned on, the current state of the configuration options will be shown on the display. This setup screen gives access to some of the options available in the Configuration Settings panel of the database window of the software. The available configuration options are: Contrast This is the same as the Contrast setting in the Display Controls box. Light Backlight off time delay.
Using the ThermoCheck Using the ThermoCheck for the First Time If your ThermoCheck is turned off, you can turn it on by pressing any key on the keypad, or by attaching external power, or by connecting a computer. When a ThermoCheck is powered up, the battery voltage, along with the firmware version, will be shown on the display.
been installed in the unit, a user will need to log on before a reading can be recorded (see Logging On and Logging Off below). The database orientation affects the process of selection of products and processes/locations for recording readings. If the database process/location oriented, a process/location (the primary key) is selected first and then a product under that process/location (the secondary key) is selected before a reading is taken.
Once you have made a selection of a product and a process/location, the screen will display: • the currently selected product and process/location, • the current date and time, • the current reading of the temperature probe, • and, if a user list is installed in the unit, the current user’s name. If at this stage you want to select a different secondary item, under the current primary item, you can do so with the left and right arrow keys.
Logging On and Logging Off If there is a user list installed in the unit, you will need to log on to identify yourself before a reading can be taken. If no users are currently logged on, you can do this by pressing the key or the key, which will bring up the log-on screen. Only one user may be logged onto a single ThermoCheck at one time, therefore logging a new user on to a ThermoCheck will log the previous user off. It is optional to install a user list to the ThermoCheck.
Accessing Data Stored in the ThermoCheck Downloading Readings To download the reading information stored in the unit, select Get Readings from the ThermoCheck menu. If users are defined in the unit, you will be prompted to enter a username and password. If the user name and the password are valid, the reading information will be downloaded from the ThermoCheck. The retrieved data will be displayed and listed in a new window. Viewing Listed Readings The list window displays each reading as a row in a list.
At the top of the list window is a menu, which allows you to specify how data is grouped. There are five options: View ungrouped Select this option to view the values in a list, which can be sorted by any of the column headings. Group by Product Select this option to display a separate sub-list of readings for each product. Group by Process/Location Select this option to display a separate sub-list of readings for each process/location.
At the top of the graph window there are three buttons, which allow you to control whether out of specification readings are shown on the graph: • the button with the red arrow determines whether above-specification readings are included: if it is down, above-specification readings will be shown on the graph; if it is up, they will not be displayed.
If the topmost data window is a list, the Print dialog will be launched, allowing you to specify exactly what data you want to print, and how to print it. The options available in the Print dialog box are: • If there are multiple printers available on your PC, you can choose from available printers with the drop down Printer menu. • You can specify a certain type of grouping of the readings on the printout, or choose to print the data ungrouped, with the drop-down View to print menu.
