Version 2.

0
USERS GUIDE

HYTROL CONVEYOR CO., INC.

© COPYRIGHT 2010—HYTROL CONVEYOR CO., INC.

 Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INSTALLING GENESIS™ ON A PC .................................................................... 3

CONNECTING THE PC TO A ZONE CONTROLLER ......................................... 6
STARTING GENESIS™ ....................................................................................... 7
MAIN SCREEN—DISPLAY MODE ...................................................................... 9
Zone Controller Description.............................................................................11
Current Controller Configuration......................................................................11
Toolbar ............................................................................................................11
Local/Remote Address Bar .............................................................................12
MAIN SCREEN—EDIT MODE ........................................................................... 12
EDITING A CONFIGURATION SETTING .......................................................... 13
SPECIAL LOGIC FUNCTIONS .......................................................................... 14
Special Logic Functions with Standard Zone Controllers ................................14
Special Logic Functions with Enhanced Zone Controllers...............................15
THE MENU BAR ................................................................................................ 18
File Menu ........................................................................................................18
Load Model Defaults....................................................................................18
Load Configuration ......................................................................................19
Save Configuration ......................................................................................19
Controller Menu...............................................................................................20
Clone ...........................................................................................................20
Enable (Disable) Clone Protection...............................................................20
Auto Configure.............................................................................................20
Diagnostic Information… .............................................................................21
Reset Diagnostics… ....................................................................................21
Zone Status Monitor….................................................................................22
Enhanced Menu ..............................................................................................23
IOP Configuration ........................................................................................23
Initialize Addressing and Map ......................................................................24
Map Device Chain .......................................................................................24
Connect to…................................................................................................24
MORE ABOUT REMOTE CONNECTION AND ADDRESSING......................... 25
Help Menu.......................................................................................................26

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Configuring a Zone Controller with

Genesis™ Configuration Software

The EZLogic® PC programming cables with Hytrol’s Genesis™ configuration

software provide access to the full feature set of the EZLogic® zone controller.
The EZLogic® serial programming cable plugs to the auxiliary port of a zone
controller and provides a 9-pin RS232 serial interface to a Windows PC through
a built-in serial port or, by the use of a third-party adapter, through an available
USB port. The EZLogic® USB programming cable provides a direct connection
between the auxiliary port of a zone controller and a USB port on a PC without
the use of a USB-to-serial adapter.

Installing Genesis™ on a PC
The Genesis™ software comes packaged with the PC programming cable. To
install Genesis™ on your PC:
1. . . Insert the Genesis™ installation thumb drive into an available USB port
on your PC.
2. . . If the Genesis™ setup program does not automatically start, use
Windows explorer to navigate to the thumb drive and double-click
“Gen_inst200Full.exe.”
3. . . The installation welcome screen will be displayed. Click "Next."

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4. . . The next screen displayed is the software license agreement. If you

have read the agreement and wish to continue with the installation,
click "I Agree."

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5. . . The next screen provides you with the opportunity to choose the
location to install Genesis™. If you wish to accept the default location,
just click "Next."

6. . . The next screen allow you to select which components to install along
with the Genesis™ application. The following components are
available:
a. Genesis2-- This is the main Genesis™ program. This component
is mandatory and cannot be deselected.
b. Genesis Interface Driver-- This component is the driver for the
Genesis™ USB programming cable. If you have the USB
programming cable and you have not yet installed this driver, then
leave this box checked. If you are using Genesis™ with the Serial
programming cable, or you have previously installed this driver, you
may uncheck this component. NOTE: This driver is NOT a driver for
third-party USB-to-serial adapters. These adapters come with their
own proprietary driver software which must be installed prior to their
use.
c. DotNet 2.0-- If this component is checked, the Microsoft DotNet
2.0 framework will be installed. This component is only required if
you are installing Genesis™ on a computer running Windows XP
that does not have the framework already installed. If you are
installing Genesis™ on a computer running Vista or Windows 7,
leave this box unchecked.

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7. . . When you are finished with selecting the components to install, click
the "Install" button. Follow any on-screen instructions. When the
installation is complete, click "Finish."

Connecting the PC to a Zone Controller

1. . . The method used to connect to your PC is determined by the type of
programming cable you have.
a. If you are using the serial version of the PC programming cable,
connect the adapter cable to an available 9-pin serial port on the
PC. If the PC does not have a serial port, a USB-to-serial adapter
(supplied by others) may be used. NOTE: Install any drivers
required by the USB-to-serial adapter before plugging the cable to
the computer for the first time.
b. If you are using the USB programming cable and you have already
installed Genesis™ and the USB driver, simply plug the cable into
any available USB port on the PC. NOTE: the USB driver for the
programming cable must be installed before plugging in the cable
for the first time. This driver is installed during the Genesis™
installation.
2. . . Connect the other end of the PC programming cable to the auxiliary
port of the desired zone controller.

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Starting Genesis™
1. . . Make sure that the PC is connected to the zone controller and that the
zone controller is powered. NOTE: the zone controller must be
powered by the normal EZLogic® system power or from another 24-27
VDC power source. The zone controller is not powered by the PC
programming cable.
2. . . Start Genesis™ by clicking “Start—Programs—Genesis2—Genesis2"
or by double-clicking the "Genesis2" shortcut on the desktop.
3. . . The Genesis™ startup screen will appear, followed by the following
dialog:

If you are connected to a zone controller, click “Yes”.

4. . . The Genesis™ startup screen will display while the program attempts
to find the zone controller and retrieve information from it. If the
connection is successful, the main program screen is displayed
showing the configuration information from the controller.

If you click “Yes” at the “Connection Status” dialog, but Genesis™ is not able to
read information from the controller, the following dialog is displayed:

This can be caused by one of the following:

• The PC programming cable is not connected to the computer.
• The PC programming cable is not connected to the zone controller.
• There is no power to the zone controller.

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• The drivers for the USB programming cable or the third-party USB-to-
serial adapter have not been properly installed.
• The PC programming cable is damaged.
Genesis™ initially tries to connect to a zone controller using the EZLogic® USB
programming cable. If the USB programming cable is not found, Genesis™
checks each of the available COM ports on the PC until a zone controller is
found. If you connect to a zone controller after starting Genesis™, you may
cause Genesis™ to repeat the zone controller search by clicking the “refresh”
button ( ).
If no zone controller is detected, or if you click "No" at the "Connection Status"
dialog, the following dialog is displayed:

This dialog allows you to start Genesis™ without a controller connected. You
may choose to select to load the default settings for a particular conveyor model,
or you may choose to load a saved configuration file. If you choose "Cancel",
Genesis™ will close.
NOTE: You may load and view conveyor model defaults and saved configuration
files even when there is no zone controller connected to the computer. These
may be edited and saved as new configuration files, which may be retrieved later
for use in zone controllers.

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Using Genesis™
Genesis™ provides an easy-to-use interface to configure the EZLogic® system.
It uses an intuitive “wizard-based” approach to guide the user through the
process using only a few mouse clicks. Genesis™ provides access to some of
the more advanced features of EZLogic®. It also can retrieve diagnostic and
operational status information from a zone controller.
Genesis™ allows the user to:
• Change the settings in a controller
• Save a controller configuration for later use
• Load and use default settings for various conveyor models
• Set “clone protection” to protect a controller from accidental overwriting of
critical settings by cloning
• Check the operational status of a controller
• Retrieve diagnostic information from a controller
Main Screen—Display Mode

Toolbar

Zone
controller
description

Current
controller
configuration

Local/Remote Edit mode

status bar button
(Controller
type display)

Main screen when connected to a standard zone controller

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When Genesis™ is first started and connected to a zone controller, the main
screen comes up in display mode. The following describes each region of the
screen.

Toolbar

Zone
controller
description

Current
controller
configuration

Local/Remote
Tracking
status bar
Parameters
(Controller
type display)
Divert ID

Edit mode
button
Main screen when connected to a tracking zone controller

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Zone Controller Description
This region normally displays the model number of the zone controller. Clicking
the "plus" symbol expands the region to display other information about the
controller, such as the date of manufacture, controller type, etc.

Click to
expand

Click to
collapse

Current Controller Configuration

This region displays the current configuration of the zone controller. This
information updates when a setting is changed or the “refresh” button is pressed.
The configuration settings above the line are included as part of a clone
command, while the settings below the line are not cloned by a standard clone
command. If you are attached to a tracking zone controller, a tracking clone
command can clone the tracking parameters only.

Toolbar
The toolbar provides quick access to most-used commands.

Load a saved configuration file.

Save a configuration file.

Read/refresh settings from the controller..

Clone current settings to all upstream controllers in the chain.

Clone current settings to all downstream controllers in the chain.

Clone current settings to all controllers in the chain, both directions.

Open the controller status monitor window.

Clone tracking settings to all upstream controllers (tracking units only).

Clone tracking settings to all downstream controllers (tracking units only).

Clone tracking settings to all tracking controllers (tracking units only).

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Local/Remote Address Bar
This region displays information about the local and (if present) remotely
connected controller.

Connected to a standard zone controller.

Connected to an enhanced controller that

has not been assigned an address.

Connected to an enhanced controller that

has been addressed (address is 4).

Connected to an enhanced controller locally

(address 4), in process of mapping other
controllers (has found controller address 2).

Connected to an enhanced controller locally

(address 4), connected to an enhanced
controller remotely (address 1).

Main Screen—Edit Mode

Clicking the Edit button on the main screen changes the screen to edit mode.

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In edit mode the configuration parameters are displayed in edit boxes. If the
parameters have not been altered from the current settings in the zone controller
the values are displayed with black text. If a value has been edited, but has not
yet been written to the zone controller, the value is displayed with red text to
indicate that this value does not match the current setting in the controller.

Editing a Configuration Setting

To edit a parameter, double-click in the edit box for that parameter.
This will bring up a configuration wizard for that function. A typical wizard screen
is shown below:

The actual appearance of the wizard screen will vary depending on the function.
Each wizard includes a brief description of the function and it’s settings. In the
example above, the wizard gives you the option of choosing a preset value or of
entering an unlisted value in the box provided.
Most wizards require only one step to select a value. Some wizards, such as the
Loading Zone wizard, require more information from you. These wizards may
have two or more steps to perform to complete them. The wizards lead you step-
by-step through the configuration process.
When the wizard is completed, it closes. The changed value is displayed on the
main screen in red text. Edit other parameters, if desired, by clicking the
appropriate edit boxes and following the associated wizards.
Once all desired changes have been made, click the “Done” button on the main
screen. The displayed settings are written to the zone controller and the main
screen returns to display mode, showing the new settings in the controller.

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Clicking the “Cancel” button returns the main screen to display mode without
writing any of the edited values to the zone controller.

Special Logic Functions

To select and configure a special logic function, click the edit button on the main
screen, then double-click the “Special Logic Function” edit box. One of two
special logic wizards will open, depending on the type of controller to which you
are connected.

Special Logic Functions with Standard Zone Controllers

If you are connected to a standard zone controller, the following wizard screen
appears:

If there is a special logic function already loaded into the zone controller, the
name and description of the function will be displayed on this screen. To select
the function you wish to load, click “Next”. The following screen appears:

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This screen displays a list of the special logic functions available to Genesis™ to
load into a standard zone controller. Highlight the desired function and click
“Select”. This will launch a wizard to allow you to configure the logic function as
required. If you do not highlight a function on the list, clicking “Select” will bring
up a dialog asking if you wish to remove any existing logic function from the
controller. To remove the existing function, click “Yes”.
NOTE: a standard EZLogic® zone controller can only have one special logic
function loaded at one time. Loading a new logic function will overwrite any
existing logic function in the controller.
When the special logic wizard is completed you are returned to the main editing
screen. Clicking “Done” writes the special logic function to the zone controller.

Special Logic Functions with Enhanced Zone Controllers

Enhanced zone controllers have four special function locations that allow an
enhanced controller to have up to four special logic functions loaded at one time.
Some special logic functions designed for enhanced zone controllers may use
more than one function location in the controller.
The special logic wizard for enhanced zone controllers is slightly different from
the one for standard zone controllers:

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The left box on the screen displays a list of the special logic functions available to
Genesis™ to load into an enhanced zone controller. The right box displays the
functions, if any, which are already loaded into the zone controller. The number
to the right of each function is the number of logic locations used by that function.
To add a function to the controller, highlight the function in the left box. A
description of the function is displayed above the box. Click the upper arrow
button. This copies the function to the right box function list. To remove a function
from the right box, highlight that function and press the lower arrow button.
Clearing all functions from the right box will unload all special functions from the
controller.

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Clicking “Next” will open the next wizard screen, which lists all functions you
selected that will require additional configuration from you. Clicking “Continue”
will bring up wizards that allow you to configure the special logic functions as
desired.

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When the special logic wizards are completed you are returned to the main
editing screen. Clicking “Done” writes the special logic function(s) to the zone
controller.

The Menu Bar

The menu bar of Genesis™ provides access to other features of the software.

File Menu
The file menu includes the following choices:

Load Model Defaults

This options allow you to select from a list of Hytrol conveyor models equipped
with EZLogic®.

When you select a conveyor model a default configuration for the conveyor
model is loaded. The main screen is expanded into "Preview Mode" to show the
model defaults next to the current zone controller settings. Any settings that are
different will be highlighted with red text in the Preview display.

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Clicking the "Accept" button will write the model defaults to the zone controller.
Clicking “Cancel” will return the main screen to normal display mode.

Load Configuration
“Load configuration” allows you to open up a saved configuration file.
Configuration files have a “.ezl” extension. Configuration files are shown in
preview mode, similar to model defaults. As with previewing model defaults, any
values that are different from those in the currently-connected zone controller are
shown in red text. This allows you to quickly see what changes will be made if
the configuration file is accepted.

Save Configuration
“Save configuration” allows you to save the configuration displayed on the screen
to a configuration file. It brings up a save file dialog box. You may save the file to
the location of your choice on your computer.
All settings of the current configuration, including any IOP channel selections, are
saved in the configuration file. This is true even if you are not connected to a
zone controller. This allows you to create custom configurations "off line" that you
can later open and write to a connected zone controller.

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Controller Menu
The controller menu contains items related directly to the zone controller.

Clone
This menu choice brings up a submenu listing various clone command options. A
"clone" command causes many of the parameters in the connected zone
controller to be copied, or "cloned," to all other zone controllers in the direction
indicated by the chosen command. The submenu includes the following choices:
• Clone Upstream
• Clone Downstream
• Clone Both Directions
• Clone Tracking Parameters Upstream (tracking controllers only)
• Clone Tracking Parameters Downstream (tracking controllers only)
• Clone Tracking Parameters Both Directions (tracking controllers only)
These choices are also available on the toolbar.

Enable (Disable) Clone Protection

This menu option toggles between enabling and disabling the clone protection
feature of the zone controller. When clone protection is enabled in the controller
a check mark is displayed to the left of this item in the menu.
When clone protection is enabled a zone controller cannot be changed by a
clone command sent by another zone controller. This prevents critical settings in
a zone controller from being accidentally changed. The zone controller will pass
the clone command on to the other controllers in the chain.
The zone controller may still be configured directly.

Auto Configure
Auto Configure is a very useful function when there is a need to replace an
EZLogic® zone controller. When this function is selected the zone controller
retrieves the configuration of one of the two adjacent zone controllers. This

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configuration is then applied to the zone controller. This provides an easy way to
configure a replacement zone controller for your particular application.

Diagnostic Information…
This menu option brings up the diagnostic information screen.

This screen shows information about the zone controller, such as the number of
zone actuations, time since the last communications error, etc. This information
may be used to help troubleshoot problems with a zone controller.
The Save button brings up a save dialog that allows you to save a text file to your
computer. This file includes the zone controller description, the configuration of
the zone controller, and the diagnostic information on the screen.
The Read/Refresh button refreshes the diagnostic screen with data from the
zone controller.
The Reset button will reset all of the diagnostic information in the zone controller
except the “Time ‘powered up’ (lifetime)” and “Number of zone actuations”.
The Close button closes the diagnostics screen.

Reset Diagnostics…
This options brings up a submenu that allows you to choose:
• Reset upstream
• Reset downstream
• Reset both directions

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These commands reset the diagnostics information of the zone controller AND
ALL ZONE CONTROLLERS IN THE DIRECTION CHOSEN. The exceptions are
the “Time ‘powered up’ (lifetime)” and “Number of zone actuations” values.

Zone Status Monitor…

This command (also on the toolbar) brings up the “Status monitor” screen:

The status monitor screen shows a snapshot of the zone controller’s status. The
green and/or red areas represent conveyor zones. The center “zone” represents
the zone where the currently connected zone controller is installed. The other
zones represent the two zones on each side of the connected zone controller.
A “zone” that is red represents a zone that is stopped. A “zone” that is green
represents a zone that is driving. The direction of conveyor flow is “left-to-right”.
The brown rectangles represent cartons occupying the zone in that location.
Other important status information is displayed when needed. This information
includes:
• Drive output shorted/open
• Jam detected
• Low voltage detected
• Zone is infeed, discharge, a slug input point, or a direction input point
• Current direction of flow, singulate/slug status
• The line voltage the zone controller is receiving and the amount of current
it is outputting to operate the conveyor zone.
When connected locally, the “Automatic” option is selected by default. This
causes the status monitor to be updated at regular intervals. A “near real-time”
view of carton movement in the five-zone “window” can be achieved in this

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manner. NOTE: The “Automatic” option is not available when connected to a
zone controller remotely.

Enhanced Menu
This menu is only available when connected to an enhanced zone controller.

IOP Configuration
This menu option brings up the IOP configuration screen:

The IOP configuration screen is used to set up a zone controller to use the IOP
system for control wiring. Clicking on any of the IOP channel dropdowns exposes
a list of choices for inputs and outputs to assign to the channel. This screen is
described in more detail in the “EZLogic® IOP Solutions” manual.

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Initialize Addressing and Map

This system-wide command assigns an address to every zone controller in the
chain. It may be invoked from any enhanced controller in the chain. The zone
controller at the discharge end of the chain is assigned address “1”. All
controllers in the upstream direction are given a number in sequence, with the
last controller on the infeed end receiving the “largest” address.
NOTE: Initializing addressing may take several minutes to complete!

Map Device Chain

This command polls each zone controller and “populates” the “Connect to…”
submenu with a list of all controllers in the chain. This is done automatically when
the "Initialize Addressing and Map" command is selected. The "Map Controller
Chain" command is selected if the conveyor has previously been addressed and
you wish to map the controller chain with re-addressing the controllers.
NOTE: Mapping the device chain may take several minutes!
While Genesis™ is mapping the device chain the status bar will display the zone
controller addresses as they are "found."

Connect to…
This option brings up a submenu. If the zone controller chain has been
addressed and mapped, the submenu will be “populated” with a list of all zone
controllers in the chain.

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Enhanced zone controllers are displayed in the list in normal type, while standard
controllers are “grayed out”. Enhanced controllers may be connected remotely by
clicking the address of the controller on the list. The currently “active” zone
controller will have a checkmark displayed to the left of its address in the menu.
The zone controller that is directly connected to the computer is labeled “local” in
the list. Other zone controllers will be labeled if they are a "Slug Input" point, a
"Directional Input" point, or if they are a "Tracking" type controller.
Standard controllers may not be configured remotely. However, a snapshot of the
status of a standard controller may be retrieved by clicking “Other Address” at the
top of the submenu and manually entering the standard controller’s address.

More About Remote Connection and Addressing

An enhanced controller may be accessed remotely by Genesis™ by clicking or
entering its address. When Genesis™ is connected to a remote controller, the
local address and the remote address are displayed in the address bar at the
bottom of the screen, and the description, configuration, and diagnostic
information displayed are from the remote address.
Using remote connection and addressing with enhanced controllers, you may:
• Configure all settings
• Retrieve diagnostic information
• Retrieve a snapshot of the zone controller’s status using the status
monitor
You may not:
• Perform any “real-time” inputs or outputs
• Use the status monitor for “near real-time” automatic monitoring
• Configure settings or retrieve diagnostic information from a standard zone
controller

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• Monitor the “real time” status of all zone controllers in the chain
NOTE: communicating with a zone controller remotely is rather slow. It may take
several seconds for a command, configuration change, or update request to
reach or return from a remote zone controller.

Help Menu

The help menu includes entries for Help Contents, Help Index, and "About."

The "Contents" and "Index choice will bring up a help file, which contains similar
information to this manual. Clicking "About…" will bring up the following dialog:

If your computer has internet access, you may click the "Check for updates..."
button. Genesis™ will check for any available updates or additions to the

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program. This is a great way to insure that your Genesis™ software is up-to-date
and that you have the latest features.

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HYTROL CONVEYOR COMPANY, INC.
2020 Hytrol Drive
Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401

Phone: (870) 935-3700

www.hytrol.com

EFFECTIVE July 2010