DME VCTB-4000 User Manual

VCTB-4000 Four Zone, 24 Volt DC

Valve Gate Controller

And Accessories VCTBA-01 thru -05

User Manual

D-M-E Company

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SAFETY

D-M-E Company products have been designed to be safe and simple to operate. As with any electronic
equipment, you must observe standard safety procedures to protect both yourself and the equipment.

To Prevent Injuries:

• To avoid electrical shock or fire hazard, do not apply voltage to a terminal that exceeds the range
specified for that terminal.

• To avoid mechanical injury, electrical shock or fire hazard, do not operate this product with covers or
panels removed.

• To avoid electrical shock or fire hazard, do not operate this product when wet.

• To avoid injury or fire hazard, do not operate this product in an explosive atmosphere.

• To avoid burn hazards, do not operate valve gates with operator gates open. Correct hookup of valve

gates should only be performed with all operator guards in place.

• To avoid burn hazards and possible damage to equipment, do not leave hot runner systems at
elevated temperature for extended periods of time. When the mold and machine are not operating,
disconnect the molding machines injection unit from the hot runner system so that pressure may
discharge through the sprue or manifold extension nozzle. Make sure the molding machines purge
guard is in place.

To Prevent Product Damage:

⋅ Do not operate this product from a power source that applies more than the voltages specified.
⋅ Do not apply any external voltage to the injection forward input. Only a contact closure or solid state

relay should be used as an input.

DME RIGHTS

Copyright  D-M-E Company 2004. All rights reserved.

D-M-E Company products are covered by USA and foreign patents, issued and pending. Information in
this publication supersedes that in all previously published material. Specifications and any changes are
reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

D-M-E Company
29111 Stephenson Highway
Madison Heights, MI 48071

D-M-E Company and D-M-E are registered trademarks of D-M-E Company.

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WARRANTY

D-M-E Company warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a
period of three (3) years from the date of shipment. If any such product proves defective during this
warranty period, D-M-E Company, at its option, either will repair the defective product without charge for
parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the defective product.

This warranty shall not apply to any defect, failure or damage caused by improper use or improper or
inadequate maintenance and care. D-M-E Company shall not be obligated to furnish service under this
warranty a) to repair damage resulting from attempts by personnel other than D-M-E Company
representatives to repair or service the product; b) to repair damage resulting from improper use or
connection to incompatible equipment; or c) to service a product that has been modified or integrated with
other products when the effect of such modification or integration increases the time or difficulty of
servicing the product.

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VCTB-4000

Four Zone, 24 Volt DC

Valve Gate Controller

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This manual describes the installation,
operation and servicing of the Valve Gate
Controller.

The VCTB-4000 Valve Gate Controller is
designed to provide time based control of
up to four 24 volt DC valves used to actuate
pneumatic valve gate cylinders. It can also
be used to operate some hydraulic valves.
The VCTB-4000 is small in size so that it is
extremely portable and requires minimal
counter space.

The Controller uses DIN style solid state
timers to provide long life and high
reliability. Each timer is capable of dual time
functions so that each zone can be
programmed with a delay time (timer 1) and
an on time (timer 2). The timers in turn drive
larger solid state relays that are individually
fused against faults.

The Controller is designed to operate from a
wide supply of operating voltages (88 to 264
Volts AC) so that this one device can be

used with almost any available power
source. This also makes it easier to relocate
the controller between different plants or
even different countries. The standard
product offering comes with a 125 volt AC
plug (North American Standard). This plug
may be removed and replaced with any
number of 240 VAC plugs. Units may also
be custom ordered with other plugs, as
required.

A single DB-025 cable connects the
controller to up to four remotely located
valves minimizing required wiring and air
connections, thereby making the molding
environment neater.

DME offers valve and manifold systems that
accept the DB-025 cable directly. For other
systems that have independent valve
connections, breakout boxes are available
that accept the DB-025 connector and
provide a terminal strip for individual valve
connections.

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Test buttons are available for each zone to
assist in determining the correct hookup of
each of the valves.

UNPACKING AND INSPECTION

After unpacking, inspect your controller and
check for any damage that may have
occurred during shipment.

Check for proper operation of power switch
by turning the switch on and off with no
voltage applied.

Check all electrical connectors for visual
damage.

If any damaged is observed, return the
controller to D-M-E for repair or
replacement.

INSTALLATION

You are installing a piece of electronic
equipment, which should not be subjected to
any physical or environmental abuse.
Select a cool, dry, well-ventilated,
environmentally clean location, away from
heat, moisture and liquid carrying lines, i.e.:
water cooling hoses, hydraulic hoses, etc.

Connection of Trigger Signal

Using the cable supplied with the controller,
connect the controller to the injection
molding machine. The best way to
accomplish this is to supply a dry contact
(relay) closure that is triggered by the
injection forward signal of the molding
machine. A solid state relay contact can be
also be used. It should source power from
contact A to contact C.

Alternatively, a limit switch that is operated
from mold closure can be used as the
trigger signal. The limit switch can be
mounted to the tie bar to catch the closing
of the moving half of the mold. It may also
be mounted to the mold to detect contact of
the mold halves.

Contact B of the connector supplies a
ground signal to provide shielding of the
cable assembly.

Connection of Controller to Valves

Use an appropriate length DB-025 cable
with a male connector on one and a female
on the other to connect from the controller
to the valves. The cable must have
conductors with a minimum size of 20
gauge to run hydraulic valves.

Conductor numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 supply
+24 VDC power to valves 1, 2, 3 and 4,
respectively. Conductor 13 supplies ground
to all of the valves.

Connection of AC Power to Controller

The standard offering of the controller is
provided with a 120 VAC connector. The
controller is designed to run from any
voltage between 88 VAC and 264 VAC.
Connect the brown conductor of the power
cable to L1 (or hot), the blue conductor to L2
(or neutral) and the green conductor with the
yellow stripe to ground. Do not operate the

controller without the ground conductor
connected.

NOTE: ALL NATIONAL AND LOCAL
ELECTRICAL CODES MUST BE
FOLLOWED WHEN CONNECTING THIS
EQUIPMENT.

Trigger Signal Connection

Black

Red

A
C
B

OPERATION

Timer Setup

Do not perform this step until all electrical
connections are performed.

Turn controller power on. The timer displays
should illuminate. If they do not illuminate,
see the Maintenance and Repair sections
below.

Each timer unit has two internal timers.
Timer 1 sets the delay between when the
trigger signal is received and the valve is to
open. This is referred to as the “delay”

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