Lauer Starline LCA 300/320/325 Text Display Application Guide

B3: Key code (Bit0~2 is the encoding of keys 1~7, Bit6=Shift key state, Bit7=internal function activation flag)

B4~B5: LED control (each key LED is controlled by two bits: OFF/ON/flashing/reverse flashing)

B6: Data recording/language selection (Bit0=0 selects record 1,=1 selects record 2)

B7: Message mode and priority enable (see below for details)

B8: Printer control (LCA 325, Bit0 triggers hard copy, Bit1 enables message printing)

B9: Idle text number (0~255)

B10~B137: Message area (1024 message bits, corresponding to message text 0~1023)

B138~B255: Variable area (for users to define actual and preset values)

4.2 Message bits and text

Each message bit corresponds to one message text (up to 1024 messages). The conversion rule between message bit address and text number is: bit b of even address a corresponds to message number a × 8+b; bit b of odd address a corresponds to message number (a-1) × 8+b+128. For example, byte 34.2 corresponds to message 202. When the PLC displays message position 1, the corresponding message text is immediately displayed; If reset to zero, the text will disappear.

4.3 Variable Area

B138~B255 (and unused message areas) can be used to define variables. Variables are divided into actual values (read-only) and preset values (editable and written back to PLC). Variable formats include BIT, STRING, BCD, BIN, VBIN, WORD, TIMER, ASCII, etc.

Detailed explanation and application examples of variable formats

5.1 BIT Variables

Associate two strings with the 0/1 state of a certain bit. For example, address 160.1 defines VAR1, displaying "WITH" when Bit=0 and "WITH" when Bit=1. Multiple BIT variables can be embedded in the same message text to achieve state combination display.

5.2 STRING Variables

Map 256 values (0~255) of a byte to 256 strings. For example, for the STATUS variable at address 163, a value of 0 indicates "SETTING UP", 1 indicates "SINGLE STEP", 2 indicates "SEMI-AUTMATIC", 3 indicates "MATIC", and so on. After embedding this variable in the message text, the display text can be automatically switched based on the PLC byte value.

5.3 BINARY Variables (BIN/VBIN)

Convert binary values in PLC to decimal display. Support:

BIN-1 (byte) and BIN-2 (word): unsigned numbers

VBIN-1/VBIN-2: signed numbers

Can set integer, decimal, minimum/maximum values, and leading zeros display. For example, if a temperature variable (address 255) is defined in VBIN-1 format, with 2 integers and 1 decimal place, and a range of -128~+127, the corresponding PLC value will be displayed in the form of "25.5 ℃".

5.4 BCD Variables

Split the BCD encoded bytes in the PLC into 1-2 digits for display. Suitable for displaying values from BCD dip switches or encoders. For example, combining address 159 (low 4 bits) and 160 (high 4 bits) to display as two digits.

5.5 ASCII Variables

Directly display ASCII codes in PLC bytes as characters. Suitable for displaying text information such as operator name and batch number. Each address 163~166 stores one ASCII character, which is displayed as a 4-character name in combination. Note: ASCII variables must be pre-set with non-zero valid values and cannot be 00.

Priority management

LCA 300/320/325 adopts a 5-level priority to determine the display content:

Priority name trigger condition

0 (lowest) idle priority. Display idle text when there are no other activities

1. Information priority message bit triggered and attribute is "Information"

2. Fault priority message triggered with attribute "Fault"

3. Operation priority: Press the EDIT key to enter

4 (highest) editing priority automatically activated when editing variables

Users can control the enable/disable of each priority through B7:

B7.3=0: Enable operation priority; =1 Prohibited

B7.6=0: Information priority enabled; =1 Prohibited

B7.7=0: Fault priority enabled; =1 Prohibited

The message mode is controlled by B7.4~B7.5: 00=display the last message, 01=display the first message, 10=loop display.

Button and LED functions

The LCA equipment is equipped with 7 composite function/control keys and 1 Shift switch key (PLC/LCA).

7.1 External mode (PLC LED on)

The key codes are transmitted to the PLC through B3.0~B3.2 for the PLC program to directly respond to key actions. B3.6 Set to 1 when the Shift key is pressed.

7.2 Internal mode (LCA LED on)

The buttons are used for internal operations:

←/→: Select the operation page; Move the cursor while editing variables

↑/↓: Page up to browse messages/help; Increase or decrease variable values during editing

ENTER: Enter editing mode; Confirm variable modification and write it to PLC

EDIT: Display an overview of the operation page; Exit editing mode

HELP: Display the corresponding help text for the current page

PLC/LCA: Switching between internal and external modes

7.3 LED Control

Each function key is equipped with a green LED, which is controlled by a combination of B4 (ON/flashing) and B5 (anti flashing/ON) to achieve four states: OFF, ON, FLASHING (75% on), and INVERSE FLASHING (25% on). The system status LED includes ERR (Fault/Communication Interruption), PLC (External Mode), LCA (Internal Mode).