Step 1: Assess the Project with an On-site Visit To understand the extent of work requirement and to provide an accurate costing for the project requires an initial site visit to: ·          confirm the automation/control requirements in detail ·          identify any existing components that will need to be replaced ·          compile the technical data ·          establish the extent of work required both on and off site to effect installation ·          take photos of the installation site for future reference. Prior to your visit, download the P0810 On-site Assessment Form and the P0811 Job Costing Form (See right hand panel) and familiarise yourself with their content. Completing these two forms will help you to prepare a schedule of estimated timing and estimated costs of installing an iCON controller.	Tips: ·       Careful attention to detail on this initial site visit will save time, money and avoid surprise complications later – check what can be prefabricated off site (such as mounting brackets) and note what tools will be required. ·       Don’t forget to check and record customer expectations of accuracy and productivity from the iCON installation. ·       Any existing transducers and actuating devices need to be very carefully scrutinised; experience suggests that re-using old equipment in the installation of an iCON Application can often lead to poor performance and prove costly in terms of time spent trying to minimise any such old equipment problems. If in doubt, replace transducers and DC or AC motor drives. Similarly, if existing devices do not comply with current technical standards or the relevant documentation detailing such information is missing; replace them with ‘known quantities’.  ·       Maximise the off-site work. Experience shows that any work done off-site will be of better quality, more accurate and less costly than on-site work.
Step 2: Setting the Schedule of Estimated Timing and Estimated Costs Once the site visit is completed, you can check on this website to identify the most suitable iCON software application and the iCON hardware requirements. Estimate the probable time frame for acquiring components, any pre-fabrication work and the install itself. Calculate the total cost of the project, which includes the iCON purchase costs, the cost of any other components to be replaced and likely installation charges and finalise the P0811 Job Costing Form. You are now in a position to give your client a proposal for completing the project.	·       With all equipment selected and the outboard items known and detailed, physical attributes such as cabinet sizes and power supplies can be calculated. Decisions about cabinets and how to mount equipment and where will have a direct bearing on the project end-result. These choices impact on the time required to wire the job, efficiency of operation and even the professional appearance of the completed installation. Experience has shown that it is better not to cram too much equipment into existing cabinets. Unless there is ample space in the existing cabinet and separation rules can easily be maintained, we recommend installing a new cabinet (see the iCON Hardware webpage). A new cabinet offers the dual benefits of being able to be fitted out and then tested off-site. ·       Both the P0810 On-site Assessment Form and the P0811 Job Costing Form may need to be revised several times during the project in order to track costs and times etc. So we suggest you create a hardcopy Project File, where all forms and documents for the project are filed in chronological order, building from the back of the folder towards the front.
Step 3: Preparing for the Installation On receiving the purchase order from the customer, the engineer needs to reassess the project: ·         Revisit the site with both forms – the P0810 On-site Assessment Form and the P0811 Job Costing Form - to double check equipment requirements, outboard hardware options, technical data and the schedule of tasks and tools required. Re-confirm the costs and timing schedule. ·         Order product and component requirements. ·         Instigate off-site prefabrication work. ·         Compile the technical data required for cabinet internal layout etc. ·         Itemise the tools and components required to successfully complete every component of the install and co-ordinate other tradespeople to minimise delays on-site. ·         Assemble and study these documents:- Þ     Sample Wiring Circuit (Relevant sample wiring circuits are provided for each application and can be downloaded from that iCON Application page on this website) Chose the sample circuit that most closely reflects your requirement and modify as necessary. Note: For the Sample Wiring Circuits, applications being used with the Short Board are identified as P0807 followed by the relevant Application number and applications being used with the Full board are identified as P0808 iCON followed by the relevant Application number.   Þ     Wiring Schedule. (Relevant wiring schedules are provided for each application and can also be downloaded from the iCON Application page on this website) Again, modify as necessary. Note: For the Wiring Schedules, applications being used with the Short Board are identified as P0812 followed by the relevant Application number and applications being used with the Full board are identified as P0813 iCON followed by the relevant Application number. Þ     The Operator’s Manual for your particular iCON Application (download from the Application page on this website). Þ     The P0810 On-site Assessment Form and the P0811 Job Costing Form. ·         Assemble all iCON components, all other components and any pre-fabricated work, plus a full set of tools required to complete the installation.	·       We recommend using colour coded cables. It is good practice to use a multi core cable of 4 and 12 core shielded. If you can standardise the use of the cable type and colour used for each specific terminal for the iCON connections, accuracy and efficiency of install will be optimised as the number of such installations increases. Although the circuits differ, the wiring standard and colour coding remains the same for all applications.
Step 7: The Installation The usual order for proceeding is: ·         Install all the mechanical devices, such as electrical cabinets, transducers and actuators. ·         Wire interconnections from the outboard equipment (terminated first), then effect terminations into the iCON controller. Follow your modified wiring schedule, mark off each wire as it is terminated and record each wire number and colour in the Wiring Schedule document. ·         Re-check every termination and mark off the wiring schedule a second time.	·       Double checking wiring terminations prior to power up is essential.
Step 8: Testing and Commissioning If the above steps have all been completed thoroughly, the installation should have been completed smoothly and efficiently The usual testing procedure is:    ·         Prior to power up, check all outboard equipment such as actuators and relays for extra hidden parts such as flyback diodes etc. As such parts are incorporated in iCON; any in the outboard equipment should be deleted. ·         With all iCON connectors unplugged, power up. Measure 24V at the iCON power plug; if within tolerance, power off and fit CON 7 and CON 8 if using an iCON Full Board or CON 3 and CON 4 if using an iCON Short Board. ·         Apply power again and monitor the 24V supply. If still within tolerance, check that the HMI Touch Screen is operating. iCON will upload the HMI Touch Screen operating system first (about 3 minutes). ·         When the iCON HMI Touch Screen is operating, power down and plug all connectors into iCON. ·         Power back up and using the Maintenance screens check all I/O points for correct operation. Refer to the Operator’s Manual for test procedures.  ·         Ensure that Emergency Stop systems and limit switches are operational; then check other inputs, outputs, actuators, valves and relays. All such testing should be done with the machine tool itself “safe”; i.e. with the main motors (pumps etc) isolated and not powered.	·       Experience tells us that during this test phase one should not proceed to the next point to test until the current point under test is operational to specification. It can then be signed off on the wiring schedule and the next point tested. Thus when the last point is tested, all points should then be operational to specification.
To complete the commission: ·         Your iCON controller has default parameters set. Before commencing operation, check the defaults with the Set-up Parameter Definitions at the end of the Operator’s Manual. ·         If they seem reasonable, start each axis of the machine in JOG mode and set the JOG parameters to run the machine at the appropriate speeds and accuracies. ·         Now run the machine in AUTOMATIC Mode, fine tuning the parameters as required.	·       Various procedures are available to assist in fine tuning of the velocity algorithms. See the relevant application page for application specific procedures and the Generic Procedures page on this website for other procedures.
Step 10: Handover and Warranty At handover, all aspects of iCON install and operation should be identified, demonstrated and shown to be fit for purpose. Upon completion of this demonstration, there should have been sufficient running time to validate the parameter settings and a permanent record of the specific settings for each parameter of each axis should be recorded in the Set-up Parameters section at the end of the Operator’s Manual. The customer should be given all relevant documentation, including: ·         The PO810 On-site Assessment ·         Your completed Wiring Diagram, derived from the iCON Sample Wiring Circuit ·         The completed Wiring Schedule ·         The bound copy of the Operator’s Manual that was provided with your iCON purchase, with the completed Set-up Parameter’s pages.   Generally, the completion of handover is signified by the customer’s acceptance of the installed iCON system and the initiation of commercial operation using the iCON controller.
The customer will usually expect your or any contractor’s warranty period to begin as soon as commercial operation begins. Generally warranty issues are set by the contract or by legislation. These are matters for you as the contractor to consider. However, the 12 month warranty offered by System Electronics Pty. Ltd. begins immediately after purchase and delivery. Hence, you should note that our warranty and your warranty period may differ somewhat, if there is a time lag between your purchasing the iCON and your installing it.	·       We recommend you read and consider the equipment warranties offered by System Electronics Pty. Ltd., which can be found on the Standard Terms of Warranty page on this website.