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GateKeeper Conveyor - Daily Operations

This guide covers the procedures for starting up, monitoring, and shutting down GateKeeper Conveyor during normal production operations.

Start-of-Day Checklist

Perform these steps at the beginning of each production shift, or after any unplanned downtime.

1. Verify the Computer is Powered On

  • The GateKeeper computer should be powered on and displaying the Windows desktop or the GateKeeper application.
  • If the computer is off, press the power button and wait for Windows to boot. At kiosk-configured sites, GateKeeper may start automatically.

2. Launch the Application (if not already running)

  • Double-tap the GateKeeper Conveyor shortcut on the desktop
  • Wait for the application to load and initialize hardware (10-15 seconds)
  • What you should see: The main screen appears, the status bar turns green, and the status text reads "Status: Hardware initialized - Ready"

3. Check Hardware Status

  • Look at the status text in the center panel
  • Green status / "Hardware initialized - Ready" = All hardware is connected. Proceed to step 4.
  • Orange status / "Hardware warnings: [device list]" = One or more devices did not connect. See "Handling Hardware Warnings" below.

4. Verify Stack Lights Respond (Optional)

For a thorough check:

  1. Tap the wrench button to open the diagnostics panel
  2. Check the Green checkbox -- verify the green light turns on physically
  3. Uncheck Green, check Red -- verify the red light turns on
  4. Tap All OFF
  5. Close the diagnostics panel

5. Reset Counts

  • Tap the Reset Counts button in the right panel to start fresh for the new shift
  • What you should see: Pass, Fail, and Total counts all return to 0

6. Start Validation

  • Tap the Validation Toggle to switch it to "Validation On"
  • What you should see: The toggle LED turns green, the status text shows "Status: Validation Active - [Mode]", and the mode label shows the active mode

For Teasdale sites: Validation can be turned on, but scanning will not begin until a production job file arrives in the import directory. The screen will show "Waiting for pallet..." in the pallet progress area.

For CargillRfid/CargillSalt sites: Validation can be turned on, but it requires production data from the Matthews interface or file import before successful validation can occur.

  • Send a test item through the conveyor
  • What you should see: A result appears in the center panel (PASS or FAIL) and a new entry appears in the history list
  • If the test scan fails, verify the failure reason is expected (e.g., test item may intentionally not match production data)

Normal Operation Monitoring

During production, line operators and supervisors should periodically check:

Watch for Consecutive Failures

If multiple items fail in a row, the system may automatically stop the conveyor (depending on site configuration). Common causes:

  • Wrong production job loaded
  • Labels printing with incorrect data
  • RFID tags not encoding correctly
  • Camera alignment shifted

If you see a pattern of failures, check the failure reasons in the history list.

Monitor Counts

The pass/fail/total counts in the right panel give a quick picture of line performance. A normal ratio depends on the site, but a sudden spike in failures warrants investigation.

Check for Error Messages

If the status bar turns red and shows "Status: Error:", note the error message and take action:

  1. Check if validation is still running (is the toggle still on?)
  2. Open the diagnostics panel to check hardware connections
  3. If the error resolves on its own after a scan or two, it may have been transient
  4. If the error persists, see the troubleshooting guide

Teasdale Mode: Pallet Operations

Teasdale sites have additional pallet-tracking operations during the shift.

Starting a New Job

  1. The production system sends a job file to the import directory
  2. GateKeeper detects the file and loads the job automatically
  3. The pallet progress label updates: "Pallet 1 of [N] | Case 0 of [M]"
  4. Scanning begins -- each passing case increments the case count

Pallet Completion

When all cases for a pallet are scanned, GateKeeper: 1. Shows a pallet completion dialog 2. Prints pallet labels (if BarTender is configured) 3. Automatically advances to the next pallet

Completing a Partial Pallet

If a pallet will not reach its full case count (end of production run, quality issue, etc.):

  1. Tap the Complete Partial Pallet button (orange button, only enabled when at least one case has been validated on the current pallet)
  2. Confirm the action in the dialog that appears
  3. The system treats the partial pallet as complete and advances

Printing Additional Labels

If extra labels are needed for a pallet:

  1. Tap the Print Additional Labels button (blue button, only enabled during an active pallet)
  2. A numeric keypad appears -- enter the number of additional labels
  3. Tap OK to send the print request to BarTender

Pausing and Resuming a Job

If production needs to pause (break, shift change, equipment maintenance):

  1. Tap the Pause Job button
  2. The current job state is saved to disk
  3. Validation stops automatically

To resume: 1. When the application restarts (or after the pause), if a saved job state exists, the Pause/Resume button shows "Resume Job" 2. Tap Resume Job to continue from where you left off 3. The pallet progress resumes from the saved state

Midnight Rollover (Teasdale)

At Teasdale sites with midnight rollover enabled, a warning dialog appears a few minutes before midnight (the exact timing is configurable). This alerts the operator that a date change is approaching, which may affect validation of date-sensitive barcodes. Acknowledge the dialog to dismiss it.

End-of-Day Procedures

1. Wait for Current Items to Complete

Let any items currently on the conveyor finish scanning.

2. Stop Validation

Tap the Validation Toggle to switch it to "Validation Off."

3. Note the Final Counts (Optional)

If shift reporting is required, note the Pass, Fail, and Total counts before resetting.

In most deployments, GateKeeper should be left running overnight. The application and hardware maintain their connections and are ready for the next shift without a restart.

If the site requires shutting down the computer overnight: 1. Close the GateKeeper application (Alt+F4 or close button, if not in kiosk mode) 2. Shut down Windows normally

Handling Hardware Warnings at Startup

If the status bar shows orange with "Hardware warnings: [device list]":

Camera Offline

  1. Check that the camera is powered on (look for indicator lights on the camera)
  2. Check the network cable connection between the camera and the network switch
  3. Restart the GateKeeper application after verifying the physical connection
  4. If the camera still does not connect, check the hardware troubleshooting guide

RFID Reader Offline

  1. Check that the RFID reader is powered on
  2. Check the network cable connection
  3. Restart the GateKeeper application
  4. If it still does not connect, check network settings (IP address, port 5084)

Arduino Controller Offline

  1. For USB (serial) connections: Check the USB cable. Try unplugging and re-plugging it.
  2. For network (TCP) connections: Check the Ethernet cable and verify the controller is powered.
  3. Restart the GateKeeper application
  4. If it still does not connect, verify the connection string in the configuration

Starting Up After an Unexpected Shutdown

If the computer lost power, crashed, or the application was force-closed:

  1. Power on the computer if needed
  2. Launch GateKeeper Conveyor
  3. Check the hardware status (see Start-of-Day Checklist above)
  4. Teasdale sites: If a job was in progress when the shutdown occurred, check if the Pause/Resume button shows "Resume Job" -- if so, tap it to resume from the saved state. If no saved state exists, the job will need to be re-sent from the production system.
  5. Run a test scan to verify everything is working
  6. Start validation

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