GateKeeper Conveyor - Diagnostics Panel Guide¶
The Diagnostics Panel is a floating window that provides hardware testing controls and system monitoring. It is the primary tool for verifying that hardware is working correctly.
How to Access the Diagnostics Panel¶
- On the main application screen, locate the wrench icon button in the top-right corner of the top bar
- Tap the button to open the diagnostics panel
- The button turns green when the panel is open
- Tap the button again (or the X on the panel) to close it
Note: The diagnostics panel does not require a PIN. It is accessible to anyone who can see the application screen. The controls inside are designed for testing and will override normal stack light behavior while the panel is open.
Important: While the diagnostics panel is open, the normal stack light reinforcement timer is paused. This means stack light changes you make in the panel will stay as you set them until you close the panel. When you close the panel, normal stack light behavior resumes automatically.
Panel Layout¶
The diagnostics panel window is titled "Hardware Diagnostics" and is organized into several sections from top to bottom.
Stack Light Controls (Top Left)¶
Three checkboxes that control the physical stack light on the conveyor:
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Green (checkbox) | Turns the green stack light on or off |
| Yellow (checkbox) | Turns the yellow stack light on or off |
| Red (checkbox) | Turns the red stack light on or off |
Check a box to turn that light on. Uncheck it to turn it off. Multiple lights can be on at the same time.
Signal Controls (Top Right)¶
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Horn (button) | Sounds the horn/alarm for 500 milliseconds. This is a one-shot action -- tap it and the horn sounds briefly. |
| Reject (checkbox) | Turns the reject diverter signal on or off. Use with caution -- this activates the physical reject mechanism on the conveyor. |
| Stop (checkbox) | Turns the machine stop signal on or off. Use with caution -- this may stop the conveyor belt. |
All OFF Button (Left)¶
A button labeled "All OFF" that turns off all outputs at once: all stack lights, reject signal, and stop signal. Use this to quickly reset everything to the off state.
Pin Wizard Button (Right)¶
A blue button labeled "Pin Wizard..." that launches the Pin Configuration Wizard. This is used by installation technicians to discover and configure Arduino pin mappings. See the Pin Configuration Wizard section below for details.
Status Label¶
A small italic text area below the controls that shows the result of your last action. Examples:
- "Ready" -- No action taken yet
- "Green light ON" -- You just turned the green light on
- "Horn sounded (500ms)" -- You just sounded the horn
- "Arduino not connected" -- The Arduino controller is not connected (action failed)
- "Error: [message]" -- Something went wrong
"For testing only" Warning¶
A small red italic label reminding you that these controls are for testing purposes only, not for production operation.
Cognex Camera Outputs Section¶
This section appears below the stack light controls and provides direct control over Cognex camera digital output pins. It is used at sites where cameras control stack lights or other hardware directly (like Hormel Barron).
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Camera (dropdown) | Selects which camera to control (if multiple cameras are connected) |
| Pin 0 - Pin 3 (checkboxes) | Toggles individual digital output pins on the selected camera |
| All OFF (button) | Turns off all four output pins at once |
A note at the bottom reads "Note: State may be inverted" -- this means at some sites, turning a pin "on" in the software actually turns the physical output off, and vice versa. This is a hardware wiring consideration.
RFID Poll Monitor Section¶
This section shows RFID reader diagnostic information:
| Label | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Poll Cycles | Number of inventory poll cycles performed |
| Tags Processed | Number of RFID tags processed |
| Poll Rate | How many polls per second the reader is performing |
Note: At the current software version, RFID monitoring is disabled in the diagnostics panel for performance reasons. The labels will show "DISABLED" and a note explains that RFID monitoring is disabled for performance. This is expected and does not indicate a problem with the RFID reader itself.
Using Diagnostics for Troubleshooting¶
Verifying Stack Lights Work¶
- Open the diagnostics panel
- Check the Green checkbox
- What you should see: The green light on the physical stack light tower should turn on
- If nothing happens, the status label will show "Arduino not connected"
- Uncheck Green, then check Yellow, then Red, verifying each one lights up
- Tap All OFF when done
If the status label shows "Arduino not connected", the controller hardware is not communicating with the software. Check: - Is the Arduino powered on? - Is the USB cable or network cable connected? - Is the correct connection string configured in settings?
Testing the Reject Mechanism¶
- Open the diagnostics panel
- Check the Reject checkbox
- What you should see: The reject diverter mechanism should activate (you should hear or see it move)
- Uncheck it immediately -- leaving reject on will divert all items on the line
- If nothing happens, check the Arduino connection and reject pin configuration
Testing the Horn¶
- Open the diagnostics panel
- Tap the Horn button
- What you should see: A brief alarm/horn sound
- If no sound, the horn may not be installed at this site (not all sites have horns)
Testing Camera Outputs (Cognex sites)¶
- Open the diagnostics panel
- Select the camera from the Camera dropdown
- Toggle Pin 0 through Pin 3 one at a time
- What you should see: The physical outputs on the camera (such as stack lights wired through the camera) should activate
- Tap All OFF when done
Pin Configuration Wizard¶
The Pin Configuration Wizard is an 11-step guided process used during initial site installation to discover which Arduino pins control which outputs. It is not needed during normal support operations.
When would you use it? - When setting up a brand new conveyor installation - When the Arduino controller or wiring has been replaced
How it works: 1. Tap the "Pin Wizard..." button in the diagnostics panel 2. The wizard opens with Step 1: Connection Verification 3. Steps 2-8 guide you through discovering each output pin (green light, yellow light, red light, alarm/horn, reject signal, machine stop, system ready) 4. Step 9 discovers the input trigger pin 5. Step 10 verifies all discovered pins 6. Step 11 saves the configuration
Each output discovery step asks you to select a pin number, then toggles it on and off so you can physically verify which output it controls. If the Arduino controller is not configured at the site, the wizard will show "Arduino controller is not configured in this deployment."
Cancelling the wizard: If you tap Cancel, a confirmation dialog appears. Any unsaved configuration is lost. All pins are turned off when the wizard closes.
Common Diagnostics Panel Messages¶
| Message | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| "Ready" | Panel opened, no action taken | None |
| "Green light ON" / "Green light OFF" | Stack light toggled | None |
| "Horn sounded (500ms)" | Horn test successful | None |
| "Arduino not connected" | Cannot reach the Arduino controller | Check USB/network cable and power |
| "Camera [name] not connected" | Cannot reach the selected camera | Check camera network cable and power |
| "No camera selected" | Tried to use camera outputs with no camera in dropdown | Wait for cameras to connect, then reopen panel |
| "Pin [N] -> ON" / "Pin [N] -> OFF" | Camera output pin toggled | None |
| "Error: [message]" | An exception occurred | Note the message and escalate if needed |
Where to Go Next¶
- PIN Entry -- How to access settings (PIN-protected)
- UI Guide -- Main screen reference
- Daily Operations -- Normal operating procedures