Trendsetter VLF - Master Processor Electronics (MPE)

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Master Processor Electronics (MPE)

Description

This is the controller for the Trendsetter VLF. Major functions of the board are:

Microcontroller - It uses a 68332 microcontroller
Flash memory - The MPE firmware is loaded into the flash memory. This firmware controls the operation of the Trendsetter VLF. Loading new firmware is done via the diagnostic serial port. The programming voltage for the flash memory is generated on the MPE board. Note that there are two versions of MPE boards, 512K flash (10-0733A) and 1 meg flash (10-0733B).
EPROM memory - This is used while the firmware in the flash is being updated. Entering the reset boot command on the diagnostic port resets the machine and force the microcontroller to run the firmware in this EPROM. The flash can then be erased, and re-programmed with updated firmware.
Note: If the reset boot command cannot be issued for some reason (corrupted flash, etc.), there is an alternate way to do this: install a jumper on W610 and press the red reset button on the edge of the MPE.
Non-volatile memory - This battery-backed memory contains the operating parameters used by the Trendsetter VLF. This is also used by the machine to keep track of plates in the machine. Non-volatile RAM is used for this in case there is a power failure while plates are on the drum, picker, table, etc. When power is restored, the machine will still know if there is still a plate on the drum.
Serial communication controllers. The serial communication controllers are used to communicate with the diagnostic port, the Allegro workstation serial port, the dongle, the laser controller (HRX heads), and the thermal head interface. RS-232 signal levels are used for the HRX laser controller, diagnostics, and workstation. The thermal exposure head interface is RS-422.
Encoder interface. The encoder tracks drum speed, direction, and position of the drum. A cable from the encoder connects to the backplane, bringing the signals to the MPE. A digital PLL is used to phase lock the main-scan write clock (sclock) to the motion of the drum.
SPI interface - The serial peripheral interface (SPI) is a facility built into the MCU which the CTP system uses to communicate with remote "satellite" peripherals. It is a full-duplex, three-wire synchronous serial interface which also includes eight address lines which identify which register on which satellite is being accessed. the MPE is the "master" and the satellites are the "slaves". This allows the MPE to communicate with the engine. The line drivers are actually mounted on the ALE board.
Safety loop - The door safety switches and the abort switches connect to the MPE board. The line from the door switches passes through the MPE and is used to power the shutter (HRX heads) or the thermal laser diode power supply relay. When an ABORT switch is pressed, the firmware will shut down all movement in the machine as quickly as possible. The door safety loop will also be broken, under firmware control.

Part Number

10-3692B

Note: Prior to ECO B830, the MPE board was 10-0733B. The two boards have the same functionality.

Firmware

The “new” MPE board (10-3692A) needs firmware version 1.02 or higher.

The new board supports E-series Xilinx chips. Support for these chips in the Trendsetter VLF began at firmware 1.02. Support for FDPE boards was also supposed to be included at this release, however, this functionality was found to be buggy and was not fixed until version 1.04. Thus, if a system has ordinary DPE boards and you want E-series Xilinx chip support, firmware version 1.02 is fine. Otherwise use at least version 1.04. (Note that anything over 1.04 will require a thermal head firmware upgrade.)

Connectors

Connector	Description	Cable Name	Part number
P1	96 PIN, DIN, RIGHT ANGLE
P2	96 PIN, DIN,RIGHT ANGLE
P3	96 PIN, DIN,RIGHT ANGLE

Fuses

Fuse	Part Number	Connector	Rating (A)	Type
F222	13-3269	soldered - no connector	.75	Polymer current protector

Indicators

Light	Color	Description	Details
DS105	GREEN	+5 V PWR	+5V OK
DS106	RED	+5 V LOW	Illuminated if +5Vsupply is low or if RESET pushbutton is pressed. Does not light for any other type of reset condition.
		RESET	Illuminated for all types of reset conditions.
		NOT RDY	Power cycling or resetting will cause this to be illuminated. CPU firmware turns it off when system is deemed ready for normal operation. Remaining lit is indication that firmware may not be executing.
		LCA FLT	Illuminated shortly after power up or reset. Turned off once both LCAs on MPE are loaded properly.
DS108	YELLOW	DOOR	Illuminated if the DOOR+ signal (accessible on card cage backplane) is grounded or open circuit. Normally, DOOR+ is driven to +12 volts to indicate that all doors are properly closed.
		ABORT	Illuminated if the ABORT+ signal (accessible on card cage backplane) is grounded or open circuit. This indicates that an ABORT switch was pressed. Normally, ABORT+ is driven to +12 volts to negate the abort condition.
		ALERT	Firmware controlled to indicate an operator alert condition. This will be on when the machine is suspended.
		SPARE	Not used.
DS109	YELLOW	WS RXD	Flickers with serial data transmitted from MPE to the workstation. If workstation and MPE are communicating properly, this light will flash at least once per 30 seconds (approximately).
		EH TXD	Flickers with serial data transmitted from exposure head electronics to MPE. If workstation and MPE are communicating properly, this light will flash at least every few seconds.
		NEWLINE	Illuminated when NEWLINE/ testpoint is low. Off when NEWLINE/ testpoint is high. Refer to the NEWLINE test point description below.
		IMAGING	Illuminated when IMAGING/ testpoint is low. Off when IMAGING/ testpoint is high. Refer to the IMAGING test point description below.
DS111 PLLERROR DS112	YELLOW	+3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4	These lights indicate how well the PLL is tracking drum motion. Normally, 2-4 lights in the centre should be on while the machine is plotting. The outer ones should never come on. For testing, use the drum spin command to spin the drum, and the plot on command to turn on the PLL.

Test points

Test Point	Description	Details
TP101	GND
TP112	SCLOCK	Stroke clock is the main-scan pixel clock. It is a square wave digital signal whose frequency during plotting is specified in Hertz by: drum_circumference dot_pitch * drum_speed / 60* where drum_circumference is in inches, dot_pitch is DPE output resolution in pixels per inch, and drum_speed is in rpm. Note that DPE output resolution may be double the RIP resolution due to pixel replication techniques (eg. dot_pitch could be 1600 dpi for an 800 dpi RIP resolution).
TP113	TACH A	One of the two phases from the external tach encoder subsystem. It is a digital square wave input whose frequency in Hertz is normally determined by: drum_speed 150* where drum_speed is in rpm (see SCLOCK). The correct relationship between TACH A, TACH B, and TACH I is described in the tach encoder alignment procedure.
TP114	TACH B	Identical to TACH A, but 90 degrees out of phase.
TP115	TACH I	The index pulse from the external tach encoder subsystem. It is a digital input which pulses high once per drum rotation where the index point on the tach encoder is located. The frequency in Hertz is normally determined by: drum_speed / 60
TP116	STACH	Synthesized tach is a digital signal generated by the PLL and should appear to mimic TACH A during plotting.
TP117	IMAGING/	Digital signal which is low when plate is being exposed. Its timing is identical to NEWLINE/.
TP118	NEWLINE/	Digital signal which is low during imageable part of drum rotation (note "imageable" as opposed to "imaged"). Valid only during plotting. The frequency of this signal is the same as that of TACH I. The low time in seconds is determined by: max_image_size 60 / drum_circumference / drum_speed* where max_image_size is specified in inches. See SCLOCK for drum_circumference and drum_speed. The falling edge of NEWLINE/ is delayed from the rising edge of TACH I by a duration specified in seconds approximately by: mscan_offset 0.06 / drum_circumference / drum_speed* where mscan_offset is the total image offset (in inches) in the main-scan direction. See SCLOCK for drum_circumference and drum_speed.
TP119	RUN/	A digital signal which is low for those drum rotations in which imaging is to take place. IMAGING/ is asserted based on RUN/. Transitions occur shortly after the rising edge of NEWLINE/.
TP120	ANALOG	For engineering purposes only.
TP121	+5 V	Digital power supply.
TP122	GND	Ground
TP215	GND	*Note: the rest of these signals are not along the edge of the board, and are used for in-house testing only.*
TP221	AGND
TP406	GND
TP500	GND
TP521	GND
TP708	GND
TP718	GND
TP3131	32 MHZ
TP3132	POS_EQ/
TP3133	IRQ_SCS/
TP3141	IRQ_PWR/
TP5121	SCLOCK64
TP5131	TP_SCS
TP5141	MD_CLK
TP5151	SPARE0
TP6131	TP_MSS/
TP6141	IRQ_MSS/
TP6151	STARTEN/
TP6152	SCLOCK8
TP6153	ENDSCAN
TP6154	DEADSCAN/
TP6155	SPARE1
TP6171	MD.AN+
TP6181	NOT USED