Years ago we added the Shear Encoder Distance 2 parameter. The feature requires an Encoder Switcher to switch between two encoders based on a sensor at a known distance from the Shear, the Shear to Encoder Distance. This feature assumed that both Encoders and Encoder wheels were identical.

In practice no two encoder wheels are identical. At the time customers were happy with the scrap savings that the two encoder system provided but they are now experiencing some part quality issues due to the variation in the encoder wheels.

We have added a second Resolution parameter to allow the resolution of the second encoder to be different. The parameter defaults to zero. Setting it non-zero enables the second resolution, otherwise both encoders are assumed to be identical. It becomes visible when the second Shear Encoder Distance is enabled.

If the length passed the shear is less than minus Shear to Encoder Distance, Encoder counts are assumed to be coming from the second encoder. The ratio between the two resolutions is used to convert encoder counts assumed to be coming from the second encoder to counts equivalent to what the first encoder would produce.

This approach preserves the operation of all other features relying on the resolution of the first encoder.

Since Resolution 2 is used to convert Encoder Counts to Encoder 1 resolution it is not possible to calibrate Resolution 2 directly. The best way to calibrate the Resolution2 parameter is to force the Encoder splitter to use Encoder 2 and Run parts as if using Encoder 1. Save the initial correction factor and resolution for Encoder 1. Calibrate normally. After good parts are being produced, multiply the correction factor by the Encoder 1 resolution and save that value into Resolution 2. Restore the original Encoder 1 resolution and correction factor. Remove the wiring that is forcing the selection of Encoder 2.

!!!!Calibrate Trim cannot be used and does not correct Encoder 2.

!!!!Changing Resolution 2 will not change Length Passed the Shear like Changing Resolution does. This is because Resolution 2 is used to convert encoder counts from Encoder 2 into counts as if they came from Encoder 1, as they come in. Changing Resolution 2 will adjust how new encoder counts are treated not existing ones.

We have a potential customer who wants to program one line item for all of the parts they may produce in one day. They expect to produce about 17000 but we have traditionally limited the maximum Qty to 9999.

We would prefer to add one extra digit and allow values up to 99,999. However that would require changing the size of the variables used to store and manipulate Qty, Done and other internally used variables. This would be very risky due to the likelyhood of missing the size change on temporary variables or one of the arguments or return values for functions and methods used to manipulate and use these fields.

We can very safely allow the maximum Qty to go up to 32767 which is the maximum value that can be stored in the 16bit signed integers that are used today.

The UART version is being bumped to 3.44 to allow Eclipse to know if it can use the larger upper limit.

Changes were made to Increase Qty, Remake and Decrement Qty to handle the larger upper limit on Qty.