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MINIKEY User Manual 

Introduction 

Page 12 of 66 

 

HSA SYSTEMS  

 

When you create a layout, it is a blank piece of paper. 

When you place an object on your layout, content will be created at the same time 
and the two will be linked together.  

NOTICE: On MiniKey you cannot from the controller link multiple 
content to textual objects. This is ONLY possible for barcodes! 
Objects linked to multiple content from software will print but can’t be 
edited. 

 

There are 3 types of objects. 

 

Text objects 

Displays content as text or numbers. 

Barcode objects 

Displays content as barcode. 

Graphical objects 

display a logo, a line or a box. Not linked to a content 

 

There are 4 types of content. 

 

Content  type 

Meaning 

Static text 

A static text is content that is the same on every print. 

Counter 

Counters increment every time the start sensor is activated. 

Date/time 

Displays the date and/or time based on the system clock. 

Shift Code 

Displays content based on time/day 

System Variable 

Display content based on controller / layout properties 

Indentifier 

Application identifier for EAN 128 barcode. 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Contents for MiniKey

Page 1: ...MiniKey User Manual ENGLISH Updated for MiniKey firmware version 1 91 January 2014 ...

Page 2: ...he product please read the manual carefully Please also refer to Manual Content Installation Manual Technician s guide to installation of this product Quick Guide Technician s guide to setting up this product Remote Communication for the Mini series Commands for ethernet and RS232 connections MiniDraw for HSAJET MINIKEY MiniKey Optional software for creating and uploading print jobs This manual co...

Page 3: ...oltage 100 240 VAC Follow the wiring instructions in the installation manual carefully Wrong wiring could destroy the controller unit Shut down MINIKEY properly before turning off the power supply Power loss during normal operation may result in memory card write failure and data loss Do not clean controller with strong solvents Do not let liquids get in touch with any electrical parts The MINIKEY...

Page 4: ...ur layout 18 How to create a new layout 18 Create a new layout based on another 20 How to delete a layout 20 Add content to your layout 22 Text objects 23 Barcode objects 27 Graphical objects 30 Prompts 35 How to preview your layout 37 Edit the message 38 Edit object properties 38 Change print settings 39 How to setup your print head s 43 How to setup input and output 46 How to test your equipment...

Page 5: ...e 57 How to upload Layout and resources from USB 57 How to export log files to USB 57 How to update firmware 58 Using databases 59 Database limits and possibilities 59 Database layout 59 Using database print 60 Reference Section 62 List of date formats 62 List of system events 63 Overview of Connectors 64 Data Exchange 66 Support 66 ...

Page 6: ...of pens Up to 4 pens max 2 physical heads Printing speed depending on resolution 35 m min at 600 dpi Resolution Variable in print direction in 18 steps from 75 to 2400 dpi Manual row select Print length up to 2700 mm Interface Integrated Keyboard Documented protocol for remote operation Ethernet and RS232 External PC software MINIDRAW for creation of print jobs This software is supplied on the CD ...

Page 7: ...on Page 7 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Navigation The MINIKEY has a flat menu with direct access from Keys At any time you can switch to a new function by Keypress notice you need to exit menus by green checkmark to save changes you have made ...

Page 8: ... menu previous menu Does NOT cancel addition of an object Changes between symbol Keyboard and normal Keyboard Symbol Keyboard contains characters in other encodings ex Cyrillic Greek depending on font selected Next character should be upper case Press twice to activate CAPS LOCK Insert a SPACE character Also used to toggle menu items and icons at bottom ENTER Change values in selected menu item se...

Page 9: ...ts down controller Create a new stamp directly selected from list of stamps visually Create a new text object and directly edit it Create a new counter object and directly edit it Create a new date time object and directly edit it Create a new logo object and directly edit it Common navigation icons At the bottom of each screen a menu with navigation shortcuts can be found Save changes and proceed...

Page 10: ...g SYMB will change between ENGLISH and SYMBOL keyboard Which symbol keyboard that displays depends on the language choice Number keys will toggle between printed values Numbers are last Example 5 key will toggle j k l 5 A long press will always give a number DEL will delete a character to the left SPACE will insert a blank SHIFT will change to upper case for one keypress Press again to lock Press ...

Page 11: ...ues but not known in advance a list is shown Example list of objects fonts and files Move to selection with arrow keys and press ENTER The first 9 values can be accessed directly using number keys What are layout object Content On the MINIKEY layouts objects and content constitute your print job It is important to understand the difference The following will explain Your layout is like a white pie...

Page 12: ...e edited There are 3 types of objects Text objects Displays content as text or numbers Barcode objects Displays content as barcode Graphical objects display a logo a line or a box Not linked to a content There are 4 types of content Content type Meaning Static text A static text is content that is the same on every print Counter Counters increment every time the start sensor is activated Date time...

Page 13: ...Max 50 fonts altogether on controller Number of locales in one layout Language files 5 locales Max 50 locales altogether 50 language files altogether String length Object content name 15 characters Content 127 characters Printing speed Frequency of print head 15 kHz Resolution is variable so maximum speed depends on chosen resolution Theoretical maximum speed in 75 x 300 dpi close to 600 m min 600...

Page 14: ...e shown when you start the controller Graphical login is default When graphical login is enabled all user accounts on the unit will be represented by an icon The default user account is admin The default password is 1234 It is recommended to change the default for security reasons If more than 8 user accounts have been setup a scroll bar will appear To login in press an icon to select a user accou...

Page 15: ... and go back to select another user account How to load and print a layout Press the MSG button Press ENTER on Select job Select a layout from the list You can create use a subdirectory if you wish to organise the files The layout will load and you will return to main menu Press RUN Key to enter print mode ...

Page 16: ...s in total for this job Timer How long time the print mode has been active If a database is active the current record number and time remaining of database print is also displayed Cartridge maintenance While in print mode it is possible to perform certain cartridge functions Press 1 4 to work with respective cartride Notice only needed numbers are defined so as example if only 2 cartridges are def...

Page 17: ...old ENTER to purge Press ESC to return to print mode menu Emergency cancel of remote control During remote control and while in print mode it is normally not possible to use keyboard functions The remote control can be interrupted using SHIFT ESC Then login with user password ...

Page 18: ...s the MSG button To create a new layout press new Shortcut 1 Press filename to enter a file name for the new file Enter a new filename in the text field Press ENTER to finish You can use maximum 7 characters for the file name To change active directory press active directory Active directory is where your file will be saved on the internal memory card Each directory level can contain 50 entries ...

Page 19: ...creen Enter new directory name Press ENTER to continue On the next screen you have changed location to the new directory The new directory name will be shown at the top of the screen Press the green check mark to return to the previous screen Press ENTER to finish Now your file will be created and will be the active file It will be empty no objects and will have parameters based on the machine par...

Page 20: ...ge if you want to create a new layout using the settings from another layout Select New based on Shortcut 4 Select source layout Enter name for the new layout Press the green check mark to continue The MINIKEY will automatically save your new layout to the internal memory card How to delete a layout Press the MSG Key To delete a layout select delete Shortcut 5 Select a layout to delete ...

Page 21: ...MINIKEY User Manual Manage your layout Page 21 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Press Yes to confirm Notice that if you delete the active current layout it will still remain in memory and can actually be saved again ...

Page 22: ...s how to add content to your layout As detailed above there are 3 types of objects text barcode and graphics Text and barcode objects can contain one of the different content types The procedure for adding objects with content is the same for text and barcode objects and will only be described in detail for text objects ...

Page 23: ...eated for each content type Property Description Name Descriptive name must be unique to the layout and cannot be empty X Position in the print direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel Y Position in the vertical direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel If the object is positioned outside the can...

Page 24: ...t Page 24 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Text object with static content Static text will not change automatically and acts like a label in the message You can enter the text content at last line Property Description Text String content maximum 127 characters ...

Page 25: ...isplayed Example Digits 3 Max 1000 Counter will display 998 999 000 001 Lead in What should be in front of current value Select either Zero displays 000123 Space displays 123 Nothing displays123 Step value Counter increments With a setting of 3 the counter will display 0 3 6 9 12 Step count How many times the counter is repeating This is independent from the message repeat set in the layout settin...

Page 26: ...tered that is not on the list is interpreted literally such as comma full stop dash etc Also strings that are in quotes are interpreted literally Locale Determines long and short names for days and months Press locale and select a locale file from the menu The MINIKEY contains locales for different languages Offset Select a different date and time than the one set by your system clock You can make...

Page 27: ...u are only allowed to add the object if the resulting string is valid for the barcode symbology chosen If f ex 12 characters numbers only is expected you are not allowed to add a string or a longer shorter number Properties Press BARCODE button Select content to add in barcode As an example static text content is selected here Enter parameters Parameters are described below Press green check mark ...

Page 28: ...8 structure Checksum Change calculation of the check sum for the chosen barcode type Modules Multiplication of barcode size 1 is the smallest possible size barcode Module size cannot be smaller than font size otherwise the human readable font will not be readable Recommended module size is 6 or above Ink Spacing Add extra space between the black bars to compensate for ink bleeding into the printed...

Page 29: ...MINIKEY User Manual Add content to your layout Page 29 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Select add identifier Set ID code to 1 Select Add static Select Enter text ...

Page 30: ...01 is defined as n02 13 1 check digit Select ok to enter barcode setup menu Symbology must be set to EAN 128 or DataMatrix GS1 Press green check mark to finish Graphical objects Logos Press the LOGO button In the graphics menu press the New logo button Enter parameters Parameters are described below ...

Page 31: ...direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel Y Position in the vertical direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel Logo Press logo to select a logo currently stored on the MINIKEY Logo files must be 2 colors maximum for best result To upload new logos to the MINIKEY please install the MiniDraw softwar...

Page 32: ...dth Select the line width Available for both lines and rectangles Fill Fill the rectangle or not Available only for rectangles The MINIKEY has a maximum capacity of 10 graphical objects logos lines boxes in one layout MAX 50 altogether Lines Parameter list lines Property Description Name Descriptive name must be unique to the layout and can not be empty Graphic Type Chose between logo line or box ...

Page 33: ...to your layout Page 33 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Property Description Width Select the line width Available for both lines and boxes The MINIKEY has a maximum capacity of 10 graphical objects logos lines boxes in one layout MAX 50 altogether ...

Page 34: ...me must be unique to the layout and can not be empty X Position in the horisontal direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel Y Position in the vertical direction starting from upper left corner The distance is set in current units mm inch pixel Size Either half 150 pixel high pen or 300 pixel high 1 pen Size is scaled correctly according to content...

Page 35: ... the icon using space and arrow keys Edit prompt parameters Parameters are described below Press green check mark to continue Prompt parameters Property Description Active To activate the prompt select on Requires validation When this option is set to on the prompt cannot be accepted before a user with validator status has entered his password Please refer to the chapter on user accounts Question ...

Page 36: ...sition and jumped over in input Example Mask NN S NN S NN Visible 00 00 00 Input 123456 Result 12 34 56 Use prompts at print start Prompts are used when you start print mode You will be asked to enter the values for each of the content where you have activated prompts Depending on the prompt view mode selected in Settings Screen Prompt display you may see the prompts as one of the following Appear...

Page 37: ... that has the role VALIDATOR activated Enter password for that user If login is succesful the checkmark is again the green accept icon Press it and print starts now with prompts validated Notice that if the user that starts print mode is ALSO a validator the prompts will automatically be validated by that user and no validation screen will appear How to preview your layout The preview is always sh...

Page 38: ...isting message Edit object properties Use this method to edit existing content based on a list of object names An alternative and perhaps simpler method is to select the object from the preview screen red border then select object properties icon Press the TEXT button Select a text from the list of active text objects Make the required changes Parameters are described above ...

Page 39: ... right are crucial in order to get a good looking printout Please also refer to installation manual Enter setup To enter setup press the SETUP Key How to edit Machine parameters Machine parameters are where the setup related to printout is stored Please refer to installation manual for a detailed explanation of parameters To edit machine parameters select machine Length ...

Page 40: ...s selected firing of the nozzles is synchronized with the encoder pulses Velocity This value must be set if print mode is set to velocity Please make sure the velocity equals the speed of your media and that your media moves with a constant speed during printing Speed is entered in meters minute Position This value must be set if print mode is set to position The value entered here is the encoder ...

Page 41: ...ndless is selected the controller will continue printing as long as the photo cell input is active Buffer mode The buffer is a location in the controller memory that holds data waiting to be printed when printing of other data is in progress You can choose between the following settings Unlimited buffer The controller will keep as many messages in buffer as possible Choose this option for best per...

Page 42: ...f the window to be the back edge of the media Thus the back edge of the window will trigger the sensor again If you are printing on medias of equal length you can enter the media length as your start block distance and set the end block distance to 0 However this is not possible if you are printing on medias of various size If that is the case your start block distance should be a little longer th...

Page 43: ...ettings here must very accurately match your physical hardware configuration Choose Head Setup in the settings menu Shortcut 2 The MiniKey can use one or two physical heads head 1 connected to the side head 2 to the back which each may be off 1pen or 2pen Inside head setup choose the physical head to edit properties Print head options Head size The type of the physical head This can be a 1 pen sta...

Page 44: ...l mirror the image vertically Select this option if the head is printing from the other side of the conveyor Mirrored This option will make the head print in reverse mirror Use this option if the print media is transparent like f ex a web or clear plastic Pen Voltage and Fire pulse width These settings can greatly influence the quality of your printout Please refer to settings in the Quick start m...

Page 45: ... row in the first pen to the first nozzle row in the second pen This is typically a distance off 600 pixels Overlap The number of nozzles that are turned off Will compensate for a small overlap of nozzles Ink supply Size ml How much ink at 100 full is available to this pen Ink warning level Change this setting if you want the MINIKEY to display a warning when the ink level measured in is low Ink l...

Page 46: ...g Print buffer empty Set when the sensor is activated in user managed buffer mode without any messages in queue Pen status warning The pen power is off For each input select one of the following Property Description Off Input is ignored Purge A signal will cause the printer to purge Start stop print A signal will initiate printing The printer will stop printing if printing is in progress Spit enab...

Page 47: ...tings menu Shortcut 5 On this screen you will find the start switch the encoder plus the input and output channels When a signal is ON the light bulb will light up Example Activate your start switch If the controller receives a signal from the start switch the light bulb will light up Start your conveyor If the controller receives a signal the lightbulbs encoder a and encoder b will start flashing...

Page 48: ... short firing of all channels typically few drops per channel very fixed period of time Select spit between prints to fire a few nozzles between each print Property Description Interval Number of seconds between each spit Burst size Number of times each nozzle fires Select sensor spit to spit every time the photocell is triggered Property Description Distance How far from the photocell you want th...

Page 49: ...MINIKEY User Manual Change print settings Page 49 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS ...

Page 50: ...tem settings have influence on the look and feel of the controller but not directly on the printout This is where users are edited the menu language is changed and clock and network settings are changed Edit user accounts In the settings menu select system Shortcut 3 Select users in the system menu Shortcut 6 ...

Page 51: ...ed Admin The user can change any parameter and access all menus File access The user can load files saves file and add new files Object access The user can edit objects and content Parameter access The user can change parameters in the settings menu Load access The user can only load and print layouts Icon Select an icon to display when graphical login has been selected If you want to create a new...

Page 52: ...nguage to use for the MINIKEY interface Press a language name to switch to that language You will return to the main menu with the new language in effect If your language is not on the list you can make your own HSA SYSTEMS provides the tools necessary to upload a new language The language is tied to a locale which determines the characters available in the symbol type keyboard ...

Page 53: ...NIKEY will search the network for a DHCP server to automatically obtain an IP address netmask and gateway To add an IP address manually select off IP address Standard settings for IP access Works just like with a PC network Typical settings are IP 192 168 1 10 Netmask 255 255 255 0 Gateway 192 168 1 1 Netmask Gateway Port This port is used when the MINIKEY is operated by remote control File port P...

Page 54: ...l login user accounts shown as icons Text Login enter username and password or No Login Brightness Select screen brightness 0 100 Log Level What data is saved to the internal log file Choose between none minimum normal or maximum log level A detailed list is in the reference section Unit Measurement units Choose between mm inch or pixel Item Selection Click to change will allow you to edit the par...

Page 55: ...is entered in your local format which will depend on menu language chosen Current time Current time in your area hh mm ss Use DST If set to on the controller compensate for Daylight Saving Time DST on The date when Daylight Saving time starts DST off The date when Daylight Saving time ends Objects with date time content are synchronized with the system clock therefore it is important that the sett...

Page 56: ...MINIKEY User Manual How to change system settings Page 56 of 66 HSA SYSTEMS Display system info Select info in the system menu Shortcut 1 ...

Page 57: ...print jobs and save them to USB please refer to the MiniDraw Manual How to export log files to USB Two log files are stored on the internal memory card The content of the data log is stored in one logfile The log file format is defined from MiniDraw There are 3 different log levels Please refer to the section Screen settings You will find a list of systems events in the reference section The logfi...

Page 58: ...files from USB UPDATE directory inside to the USB Key Insert memory stick in MINIKEY Wait for a list of files to display on the MINIKEY you must be logged in as admin to see this Load mkupdate tsc script and confirm When asked recycle power You can also update firmware from your PC via an Ethernet connection The procedure is described in MiniDraw manual Next install the software MiniDraw and follo...

Page 59: ...io records Remember where print was stopped and continue on next record also after power off Prevent operator from re printing same data Use same content multiple places Print content in non English languages ANSI encoded Traditional database functions are not available though You cannot search select evaluate repeat or skip data The idea is to allow the database function to be simple to use Datab...

Page 60: ...of the static text edit menu is listed Database content Default is OFF Press ENTER here to set to ON Shortcut 7 This will make 2 more menu options appear database field and database separator Field is a toggle for 1 5 Separator a single character which can be anything that is not used for content Example if semi colon is needed in content choose another character such as or It is possible to assig...

Page 61: ... is for security reasons When the database print is completed all records used the print mode will be stopped You can NOT start print mode again with this layout and the same database Again this is for security reasons Refresh data To start printing again re insert USB and upload database It is here assumed that the data is actually refreshed The controller cannot check if the data is actually the...

Page 62: ...ce leadin dd Day of month 2 digit ddd Short name for day such as mon for Monday dddd Full name for day such as Monday d Number of weekday start of week as per language file is number 1 j Day of year 1 digit J Day of year 3 digits h hh Hour 1 or 2 digits n nn Minute 1 or 2 digits s ss Second 1 or 2 digits Notes 1 Month names depend on the locale selected 2 Month Day names are capitalized according ...

Page 63: ... Create object with content Minimum Remote log out Normal Edit object content Minimum Starting print Normal Delete object text Minimum New file Normal Edit shift content Minimum Load file Normal Delete shift content Minimum Load file to print queue Normal Change font Minimum Delete file Normal Change locale Date time Minimum Load file template Normal Edit logo Minimum Renaming file Normal Save fil...

Page 64: ...0 240 VDC Recommended equipment 2 Print head 2 SUB D 15 pin female 3 External start sensor SUB D 9 pin female 4 Encoder SUB D 9 pin female Optional equipment 5 USB connection for loading jobs USB 6 Ethernet connection for remote control and transfer RJ45 female socket 7 RS232 connector SUB D 9 pin male For wiring diagrams on connectors please refer to installation manual ...

Page 65: ...e 0 5A SMD Fast acting The value of the fuses is related to the power available from the PCB Use only 0 5A if you need more power you must use an external power supply F1 and F2 are located on the inside of the MiniKey right behind the USB connector You can buy the fuses from HSA or locally if you choose locally make sure you get the right fuses warranty does not cover replacement of burned PCB s ...

Page 66: ...A SYSTEMS Data Exchange Please refer to Remote Communication with MiniTouch MiniKey Support For product support please contact HSA SYSTEMS Customer Service department HSA SYSTEMS CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT Phone 45 66103401 Email hsasupport hsasystems com ...

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