Electronic Registration

Configuration Tables | Electrical | Mechanical | Service Notes

Six-Pin Electronic Registration allows the Master Control Electronics (MCE) firmware to detect correct registration of the metal printing plate to the registration pins on the imaging drum. An electrical circuit is completed by the metal printing plate touching two registration pins at the same time.

The operator of a manual machine, or the load mechanism of an automatic machine, slides the printing plate into the open leading edge clamp during the load sequence. If the plate size and location are correct, the plate will contact one driving pin and the correct sensing pin. The firmware will detect the correctly positioned plate, and go to the next step in the load process.

Service Notes

• The probe assembly on the backbone can be replaced if the spring probes are damaged. Individual probes can also be easily replaced by gently pressing the probe into its socket.
• The spring probes that make the electrical connections between the backbone and the drum are rated for more than 2 million cycles and were chosen because they are sealed against dust. However they can be easily bent if accidentally pushed sideways or hit by a solid object.
• The contact block on the drum or the points of the probes may wear from repeated contact.

Mechanical

The electrical connection between the drum and backbone is made with pogo-pin spring probes mounted on the backbone, which contact the contact block mounted on the home end of the drum. There are six spring probes, one for each registration pin.

The probe assembly is the mounting block that holds the six spring probes, their wiring, and a connector on the backbone.

Three of the six registration pins are drive pins (pins 1, 2, and 4), and the other three are sensor pins (3, 5, and 6). Only one drive pin is active at a time. Any one of the sensor pins can be triggered if contact is made through the printing plate to the active drive pin. Only an active drive pin can provide a current path for a sensor pin.

The four pins used in 4-pin registration have the same connections as pins 1, 2, 5, and 6 of the 6-pin configuration. This connection scheme allows the electronics and cabling to work for both 4-pin and 6-pin registration without alteration.

Diagnostic LEDs are provided for 24V DC, 12V DC, the three drive pins, and the three sensor pins.

Electrical

Small circuit board to provide isolated 12V DC and to contain the driving and sensing circuitry that interfaces the registration pins to the MCE.

Connect between the MCE and 6-Pin Registration Board, and between the 6-Pin Registration Board and the Probe Assembly.

• 24V DC is provided by the MCE to power the Six-Pin Registration Board. The 24V DC is isolated from the registration pins by a 12 Volt isolated DC-to-DC converter.
• Current between pins (through registered printing plate) < 3 mA.
• Resistance from one registration pin through the printing plate to the other registration pin can be as high as 500 kOhm.

Three relay driver outputs on the MCE are used to select which driving pin is active. They are isolated from the registration pins by opto-couplers.

• Three electronic registration sense inputs on the MCE are used to detect registration. They are isolated from the registration pins by opto-couplers.
• There are no sensors other than the sensing circuits of the Six-Pin Registration Board and the MCE.
• There are no other actuators required because the probe assembly sits on the backbone and engages whenever the leading edge clamps are opened.

Probe, Pin, and Signal Configuration Tables

4 pin registration, not dual-plate capable

Table definitions...

6 pin registration, dual-plate capable

Table definitions...