Expert and Specialist Alpha controllers can be managers (leaders) to twenty-three other Advanced or Node Alpha controllers or QPM Cordless tools (if the Expert or Specialist is a wireless version). An Ethernet cable connection between them creates a multiple spindle system. The lead Alpha controller manage all I/O connections and ladder logic for the multiple spindle system.

Advanced Alpha controllers can be managers (leaders) to one other Advanced or Node Alpha controller. The lead Alpha controller manage all I/O connections and ladder logic for the multiple spindle system.

The lead and trailing controllers are connected via a standard Ethernet cable to their Ethernet ports, or via IEEE 802.11b/g/n for a QPM Cordless Tool. They must follow all the same addressing requirements on this Spindle Network that a standard Ethernet network requires. For QPM Cordess Tools follow the pairing instructions in the QPM Cordless Tool manual otherwise to connect an Advanced and Node controllers to the lead controller connect the Ethernet cable as follows:

Expert and Specialist Alpha controllers, when used as a lead controller, do not require any setting to be changed to recognize a trailing spindle. Using the keypad or Alpha Toolbox on the trailing controller set the Obtain IP Address From Network parameter to YES, this is set to YES by default. Exit and save the setting. Next connect the lead controller to the trailing controller, at that point the lead Expert or Specialist will then provide the IP Addresses to the trailing controller.

Advanced controllers, when used as a lead spindle require manual pairing of the lead and trailing spindle, connect the Ethernet cable as shown.

Using the keypad, or Alpha Toolbox, on the leading (Advanced) and trailing (Advanced or Node) controller set the Obtain IP Address From Network parameter to NO. Then enter an IP Address and Subnet Mask values for both controllers. Remember to keep the IP Addresses similar but not exactly the same while keeping the Subnet Mask values the same. Type the IP Address of the lead controller into the LEAD IP ADDRESS parameter of the trailing controller. Exit and save the setting.

Once the trailing controller connects to the lead controller the user must acknowledge the addition. The lead controller will display the Add New Spindle dialog box. Select the spindle number for the added controller. Before acknowledgement the trailing controller trying to connect will: • flash the red, green and yellow status lights on the controller and the tool • flash the QPM light on the face of the controller and • display the Identify Spindle message window.

Press the Yes interactive menu button to accept the new spindle connection. Press the No interactive menu button to decline the new spindle connection. After connection the lead spindle will add the new spindle as a tab on the run screen. It will also add and select the ALL tab to show both spindles’ run screen on the lead controller.

See section “2.7 Display” on page 27 for a description of the elements on the run screen. Each spindle must be programmed individually. The ony way to copy programming from one spindle to another is to Export a Jobs file from one controller and Import it to another. To program the spindles from the keypad press the right or left arrow keys to select the desired spindle tab and program as normal. See section “3 Programming” on page 38. The All tab provides the SETUP interactive menu button. The User, Regional and Clock settings for all controllers move here. These settings are global for all controllers in the multiple spindle systems. On connection, or when they are changed, the lead controller’s users and passwords will overwrite the trailing controllers’ users and passwords to match. When the trailing spindle is disconnected it will retain the lead spindle’s users and passwords. Alpha Toolbox will also display all spindles on its Home screen.

See Section “4.3 Editing Parameters” on page 100 to edit the parameter via Alpha Toolbox. Once a specific controller is connected the lead controller will remember it. If the trailing spindle gets disconnected then reconnected there is no need to acknowledge the connection again. However, if a trailing controller is removed (forgotten) and a different controller is attached the different controller must then be acknowledged before it is added to the system. If a trailing controller is offline or disconnected the spindle’s tab on the lead controller’s display will turn red. The lost spindle’s display on Alpha Toolbox will turn red as well. When the spindle comes back online the red will turn to the normal color.

Use the right arrow to select the tab with the disconnected spindle. The color change to red and shows a ”Spindle Communication” Fault to make it obvious that the trailing spindle is not connected.

The lead controller’s QPM logo will blink if it had a trailing controller connected and the trailing controller goes offline or is disconnected. The trailing controller’s QPM logo will blink if it has a value in the Master IP Address parameter and is not connected to a controller with the specified IP Address.

Forget the trailing spindle to stop the logo from blinking on the lead controller. Delete any values in the Master IP Address in the trailing controller to stop the logo from blinking. See section “8.2 Disconnect” on page 177.

When the multiple spindle mode is no longer required remove the Ethernet cable between the two controllers. On the lead spindle navigate to the trailing spindle tab by pressing the right arrow while on the run screen. The disconnected spindle run screen is red. Press the FORGET interactive menu button to delete the trailing spindle connection. The Spindle Delete message appears. Press the Yes interactive menu button to delete the spindle.

The spindle deletes and the run screen will return to a normal single spindle run screen if that was the only trialing spindle. On the trailing spindle delete the values in the Master IP Address parameter, EXIT and save.

Many fastening situations require that two or more fasteners are secured simultaneously which even out the distributed clamp loads on each of the fasteners in the assembly. In a tool control controller such as the Alpha, this is known as synchronization. Expert, Specialist, Advanced, and Node Alpha controllers can synchronize its tool operation with other Alpha controllers over the spindle network so that they start each step of a multi-step strategy at the same time. QPM Cordless B-Series tools cannot be synchronized with other tools. The tools are synchronized so all spindles complete a given step before continuing on with the subsequent step(s).

When multiple Alpha controllers are synchronized, the tool strategy parameters are the same for each. This allows each fastener in the assembly to be driven to the final target in the same manner at a controlled pace. For each step to be synchronized the Delay Between Steps parameter must be greater than zero for each controller.

To synchronize the Alpha controllers simply assign a START input on the lead controller and configure the Spindle number as ALL.

• Never connect the SPINDLE port to a plant network.

The lead controller in a multiple spindle system can communicate to a plant network via the embedded protocols, see section “3.1.3 COMMUNICATIONS Menu” on page 60. The lead controller will collect and transmit the

fastening cycle data after each fastening cycle from each controller in the system via the selected protocol.

Connecting the multiple spindle lead Expert, Specialist, or Advanced controller to a facility network using the ETHERNET port. Use customer’s supplied values and enter the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Gateway into the lead controller.

If required setup parameters for embedded protocols under Setup>Communications.

Data for each fastening cycle is entered as a line in the fastening cycle record in each controller in the system for its own spindle. However, when a system is ran in Synchornized mode the fastening cycle records get an additional column labled Mult ID. This Multi ID is the same in each spindle in the muti-tool system for the same fastening cycle ran. This allows the user to correlate the same run in each file.Operation The fixtured tools must be started with a remote start switch connected to the START input of the lead Alpha. The lead controller will apply a start to the synchronized trailing spindles in the system. When the remote start switch is depressed all tools will start. All tools will run the first step in the selected Job/ Task. Once each tool has completed the first step it will stop and wait for all tools to finish the step. If all tools finished the step OK then all tools start the next step in the multi-step strategy. This process continues until all steps are complete or any tool times out or is stopped or aborted. All multi-step rules still apply in that the tool must meet the programmed OK window to move on to the next step. If a tool fails a step it will stop which causes all other tools to stop immediately. Once they stop the In-Cycle indicator on the run screen will go away and a SYNC shutoff code is indicated for all controllers except the one that failed to complete a step OK. All tools will be stopped immediately if any single tool is stopped due to an abort event.

When in synchronization mode any Reverse, Job Select, Task Select or PartID input from any of the synchronized spindles will cause all spindles to react to the input. All spindles are required to maintain the same number of accumulated bolt count. If one spindle has a bolt count different from the other the controllers will not run from the START:ALL input. Individual spindles must be ran in recovery operations to get all spindles on the same bolt count to continue or reset the Job to recover.