Applies to

• 3244 Platesetter 
• 3244 Trendsetter 
• VLF Platesetter
• Trendsetter VLF

Error Number

Component

Problem 

Symptoms 

1. You notice that the roller sensor, trailing edge clamp sensor, or leading edge clamp sensor is masked.
2. Timeout errors are reported, including:

• 15079 ALE: timeout moving leading edge cylinder.htm
• 15082 ALE: timeout moving roller cylinder

In most cases the actuator will move with no problems at all unless the cylinder is very bad. The "time engine" command may help, but you should do a manual check as described in the procedure.

Workaround 

Causes

If any of the sensors are already masked, there was probably a problem at some point. Check the cylinders carefully. The sensor names are shown in the following table. For the Platesetter and Trendsetter 3244, 0 means enable and 1 means disable. All of the other machines use 1 for enable, and 0 for disable.

If the sensors are masked AND the machine is experiencing any of the following problems, one of the cylinders may be bad.

• plate flyoff errors
• plates jamming during load and unload
• plates not seated against the drum resulting in a small image growth in the main scan direction (less than 1 mm)
• focus errors
• edge detect errors
• dropped trailing edge clamps
• skewed images
• banding on certain areas of the plate

Solution

1. Use the time engine command, capture the text, and save it as a text file in E:\Service. Someone may have saved a "time engine" capture file previously. If so, compare the results. Refer to the engine timing specifications on your service cd.
2. Although the sensors are probably OK, it is quick and easy to check them. There are 4 reed switches per backbone. Two sense when the cylinders are extended, and two sense when the cylinders are retracted. Check them to make sure that the screws are not loose and that the wires are not damaged. Inspect the magnets for loose screws as well. You can use diagnostic commands to read the sensors to verify that they are working and that the machine can read them. The reed switch tester (10-3622B) can also be used to verify the switches. If diagnostic commands won’t read the switches, but the reed switch tester indicates that they are OK, the fault is probably in the wiring or the LUE/Engine satellite board.
3. Check the timeout values and ensure that they are set to default.
4. Press the blue button on the air solenoid and activate the actuator a few times. Ensure that it moves smoothly, and that both cylinders move at the same speed. If one cylinder moves too slowly, the backbone will bind, particularly on 3244 engines.

Note: The trailing edge clamp cylinders on VLF engines are intentionally adjusted so that one cylinder moves slightly faster than the other. The time difference between the two cylinders should be less than one second.

5. Inspect the cylinder shaft while the cylinder is extended. It should be shiny and clean. If you can see black marks on the cylinder shaft, it indicates that the seal is worn out and the cylinder must be replaced. Double check the cylinder using the procedure described in Step 8 below.
6. Check the air pressure to the cylinder using the air pressure tester (93-0005A). The roller cylinders and the TEC cylinders have a separate pressure regulator. The trailing edge clamp cylinders should be 40 psi, and the roller cylinders should be 30 psi. Note that the roller pressure may be as low as 15 psi to prevent roller marks on delicate plate emulsions. Older 3244 Platesetters have two separate pressure regulators for the TEC cylinders, so check the air pressure on both TEC cylinders. The regulators are located on the hose tray along the lower front of the engine. If there is no hose tray, the engine is newer-style, and a single regulator will be located on the air bulkhead. If you change the air pressure, run "time engine" again and adjust as necessary.
7. Check for air leaking past the cylinder piston seals. If there is a leak, you should hear air hissing from the bulkhead exhaust port when the machine is idle. You won’t be able to tell which cylinder is leaking. Most of the time, the leak will stop momentarily when you push the blue button on the solenoid that is connected to the leaky cylinder.

Warning: Don't push the button on the TEC lock/unlock solenoid unless the clamps are already on the drum!

You can further isolate which cylinder is bad by disconnecting the air hose on the low pressure side of the cylinder. For example, if the cylinder is extended, the black hose will be on the low pressure side. Check to see if any air is coming out of the cylinder. Re-connect the hose, extend/retract the cylinder, and check the other side. This is not an exhaustive test, so the cylinder may still have a leak.

8. Use the "putclamp" diagnostic command to put the TECs on the drum. Switch off the air to the machine. Open up the speed control valves on the cylinder to be tested. Count the number of turns so that you can return it close to the original setting when you are done. Disconnect the backbone from the cylinder rod end (the screw and nut are non-metric) and move the cylinder in and out by hand. It should move fairly easily and it should feel smooth for its entire travel. A bad cylinder will be difficult to move, and it may feel sticky over certain parts of its travel. If in doubt, perform the same check on another cylinder to see how it feels.
9. There is a possibility that one or both of the speed controls are plugged. If you suspect this, carefully remove the speed control with a wrench. They are made of brass and it is very easy to break them in half, so be careful. Test the cylinder by hand again and see if there is any difference. It should be much easier to move the piston now that there is a wide hole where the speed control was. You can test the speed control by blowing through it, or by connecting it to an air hose and blowing compressed air through it. Use teflon tape or Loctite 545 sealer on the threads when you put the speed control back on.
10. If the actuator error was on the trailing edge clamp, inspect the clamps for damage. Mis-aligned or damaged TECs will cause actuator errors since they can prevent the TEC backbone from moving all the way down.
11. Verify that the drum positions are correct for the TEC park position, and LEC position.

See also 

• Diagnosing pneumatic cylinder problems
• 3244 engine actuator errors
• Potential problems with roller cylinders
• ALE: timeout moving roller cylinder (error number 15082)
• ALE: timeout moving roller cylinder (error number 15551)
• ALE: timeout moving leading edge cylinder (error number 15079)
• ALE: timeout moving leading edge cylinder (error number 15550)
• ALE: timeout moving trailing edge cylinder (error number 15547)

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