KCS v10 – Samples Report and Scales Guide

Lignomat USA Ltd.

2010-05-20 mbd

Purpose

The KCS Samples Report provides a convenient method of using oven dry test sample
readings with your kiln control system.

If you need help adding or using this feature beyond the guide below, please contact
Lignomat technical support.

Features

1) Use a spreadsheet to record and calculate sample readings.

2) Attach a Sartorius or Ohaus scale to your PC to read sample weights directly into
the spreadsheet (optional).
3) Use the calculated MC values to feed the Average MC Override function of your
kiln control system (optional).

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Requirements

1) KCS v10.207 or later software installed on your PC.

2) Serial Port - A standard serial port is required if you want to attach a scale to the
PC. If your PC does not have a serial port built-in, you can use a USB to Serial
Converter. These are available in most computer electronics stores or directly
from Lignomat.
3) Sartorius or Ohaus scale with a serial port cable. Contact Lignomat for details.

If you are not attaching a scale to the PC, skip to the User’s Guide section below.

Serial Port Configuration

If you are using a USB to Serial Converter, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installing the port and it’s drivers. Configure the device to use a port number between
COM1 and COM8. Make sure this port number does not conflict with the serial ports
used to communicate with your kiln controllers.

1) Use the Windows Device Manager to determine which built-in or USB serial port
you will use. Make sure this serial port is not already used by another device.
2) You will need to add a setting to the Windows Registry to tell the KCS which port
the scale is attached to. On your KCS v10 CD, there is a registry merge file to
help you do this. Find a ScalePort.REG file in the Setup Samples folder or obtain
this file from Lignomat.
3) Copy this file from the CD to your Windows desktop.
4) Right-click this file, and select Edit from the menu. This will open the file in
Notepad.
5) Change the scale port number to match the serial (COM) port you will use. For
example, if you will use COM2, edit the line to read: "ScalePort"="2".
6) Close Notepad and save the changes.
7) Now double-click the file and you will be prompted to merge the file into the
registry. Click Yes to allow this merge.

Scale Configuration

If you purchased the scale through Lignomat, it will be pre-configured and tested. No
further changes are necessary besides assembling the scale, plugging in the power, and
connecting the scale to the PC using the supplied serial cable.

If you obtained the scale elsewhere, follow the scale manufacturer’s instructions to
configure the scale as follows:

• Data Protocol SBI standard version

• 9600 Baud, Odd parity, 7 Data bits, 1 Stop bit, Hardware handshaking
• Manual output after stability
• 16 character raw format

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User’s Guide

To access the Samples Report:

1) Start the KCS program.

2) Open the Individual Kiln Status of the desired kiln.
3) From the Operations menu, select the Samples item. This will open the Samples
Report spreadsheet.
4) When first using the spreadsheet, you should fill in the header information with
some descriptions of the kiln charge – like the Date Loaded, Kiln Number,
Species, and Thickness.

Across the bottom of the spreadsheet you will see columns labeled S-1 through S-20.
This is where you can record readings from up to 20 samples, one per column.
For each of these samples you can record a species in the row above it – this is useful if
you have a mixed charge.

For each sample, you must record the oven sample wet weight, the oven sample dry
weight, and the kiln sample green weight. You can use whatever measurement units you
like, but you must be consistent. Lignomat pre-configures scales to send readings in
grams. Once you enter these values, the program will calculate the oven sample moisture
content and record it in the MC% row of the sample column.

1) Click in the spreadsheet cell next to the weight to enter – oven dry, oven wet, or
green.
2) Type in the weight and press Enter.

OR

3) Place the sample piece on your scale and wait for the reading to stabilize.
4) Click the Read Scale menu item.
5) Click OK to accept the value.

Once these initial values are entered for each sample, you can begin to record daily
readings. You can also record more than once per day or only every few days.
Typically, a daily recording is required since a MC% Loss per day is needed for the
Average MC Override function.

1) Click the Add menu item. Two new rows will be added to the bottom of the
spreadsheet. The first row added will show the date and time. The second row
added will show the current temperature and EMC% in the kiln.
2) In the date and time row added, click the cell (column) for the sample you want to
weigh. Then either type the weight or read the scale as explained above.

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 3) The program will calculate the current MC% of the sample in the row below the
weight. The second number will show the MC% loss from the previous reading.
This MC% loss from the previous read (usually daily loss) can be used to verify
that your schedule is progressing as expected.
4) Repeat this process for each sample.

IMPORTANT: Once you have entered your daily readings, you must save this data.
This is done by clicking the Save menu item. If you do not do this, the data will be gone
the next time you open this samples report.

Printing

You can print the report by clicking the Print menu item. This will print the sample
report to the system default printer in landscape mode.

Set Average MC

The Set Average MC function lets you use the calculated sample moisture contents to
feed the Average MC Override function of the kiln control system. Click the Set Avg
MC menu item to access this function.

You will be shown the latest moisture contents from the samples report. You can select
which of these sample readings should be used to calculate an average by selecting them
in the Active column.

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 1) Press Enter or double-click in the Active column next to the sample to select.
2) The Average MC % will be recalculated after each selection.
3) Enter an expected MC % Loss per day in the MC % Loss per day box.
4) When you click OK, these values will be sent to the Average MC =Override
function and it will be activated.

See the Average MC Override Guide for more information.

Local Save and Local Open

The Local Save and Local Open menu items are useful only in a networked environment
where several laptop PCs are used to record sample data, which is then collected by a
main kiln control system server. In cases where the laptop PCs are not always connected
to the network, the Local Save function can be used to temporarily save sample reports
locally. Once a network connection has been re-established, the Local Open function is
used to recall the sample report, which can then be saved to the kiln control server.

Closing

Clicking the Close menu item or the Windows close button closes the samples report
spreadsheet. Remember to save your changes first by clicking the Save menu item.