MicroBoards Technology HCL-6000, HCL-8000, HCL, HCL-4000 User Manual

HCL Series

Users Manual

Microboards Technology LLC Version 1.1

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• Introduction

MICROBOARDS TECHNOLOGY, LLC HCL Series

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 5

THE ROBOTIC PLATFORM................................................................................................... 7

THE LCD CONTROL PANEL................................................................................................ 7

MENU OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 8

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGE ACCOUNTS.................................................................... 11

SINGLE MASTER AND MULTI MASTER MODES........................................................... 11

SETTING COUNTERS AND ASSIGNING NAMES........................................................... 12

OPERATION...................................................................................................................... 14

1. Copy ......................................................................................................................... 14

2. Test........................................................................................................................... 17

3. Compare................................................................................................................... 18

4. Test+Copy ................................................................................................................ 19

5. Copy+Compare......................................................................................................... 19

6. Select Burn Speed.................................................................................................... 19

7. Select Source............................................................................................................ 20

8. Master Mode............................................................................................................. 20

9. Erase RW ................................................................................................................. 20

10. Hard Drive Setup .................................................................................................... 21

11. Setup ...................................................................................................................... 24

12. System Utilities ....................................................................................................... 28

13. Loader Utilities........................................................................................................ 30

14. Manage Accounts................................................................................................... 32

15. Shutdown................................................................................................................ 34

TROUBLESHOOTING....................................................................................................... 35

RROR CODES................................................................................................................ 36

E

MENU TREE...................................................................................................................... 38

SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................................. 39

SUPPORTED FORMATS .................................................................................................. 39

TECHNICAL SUPPORT...........................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

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4

• Introduction

MICROBOARDS TECHNOLOGY, LLC HCL Series

Introduction

The Microboards HCL Series autoloader is a reliable, high performance, high speed, standalone, robotic DVD
and/or CD autoloader. With its professional industrial design and simple user interface, it makes your
duplicating experience easier than ever.

With the Microboards HCL Series, you can have a capacity up to 1000 discs, duplicate continuously for 24
hours (even with multiple masters), and get the highest quality duplication, all at an extremely affordable
price.

The Microboards HCL Series includes the HCL-4000, HCL-6000, and HCL-8000, with 4, 6, and 8 drives,
respectively. The number of drives will not affect the overall capacity of the HCL Series autoloader. More
drives, however, will result in increased throughput.

Before you start using this autoloader, please read the following to ensure proper operation:

DVD Duplication Limitations

DVD masters must be copied to blanks of the same capacity. In other words, DVD Dual-Layer must be
copied to DVD Dual Layer, and DVD Single Layer must be copied to DVD Singl e Layer.

DVD +R media does not support Test mode and will be burned if used.

Temperature Warning

If the autoloader was stored in a location where the temperature dropped below 32° F (0° C) within the past
24 hours, leave the autoloader in a warm room with temperatures at least 65° F (19° C) for four hours prior to
powering it on for the first time. Failure to do so may cause irreparable harm and prevent the autoloader from
functioning.

Maintenance

Dust is the number one killer of CD/DVD recording devices. It is very important to operate the autoloader in a
dust free, clean environment. Failure to do so can severely damage your autoloader. We strongly suggest
that you constantly use an Air Duster (Canned Air) to clear off any dust on the surface of the autoloader.

Note: Do not try to use an Air Duster to clean the autoloader while the writer trays are open. In doing so, you
may inadvertently blow dust into the recording device and damage it.

Proper Shutdown

To avoid possible system failures, you need to shut down the autoloader properly. To shut down the
autoloader, scroll to menu 15. Shutdown and follow the instructions on the screen. Not performing this
function increases the risk of damaging the autoloader.

Double Layer/Dual Layer Partition

If you have a 16x speed or higher autoloader with DVD Dual Layer capability, the hard drive partitions are set
to a default size of 9 GB each to accommodate DVD Dual Layer format. If you require more partitions and do
not plan on using DVD Dual Layer media, you can reduce the size of the partitions using the instructions
given in “Partition Size” on page 26. Keep in mind that if you alter the partition size, all previous data/video
stored on the hard drive will be lost and you will only be able to load media with less than 5 GB capacity such
as DVD Single Layer (4.7 GB), CD (700 MB), etc.

Disc Static and Sticky Media

The most common problems when using an autoloader are the disc static and sticky media issues. These
static charge problems cause multiple discs to stick together, resulting in improper operation and more
severely, can shock the robotic arm while loading a disc that causes the system to freeze. Even though the
autoloader has a sticky media separator function to prevent the sticky media, but you should still follow these
steps to prevent sticky media from disrupting your operation and protect your system from disc static charge.

This issue is most commonly seen when you buy a 100 pack of blank discs and insert them into the
autoloader without any treatment. If you have experienced this kind of problem, please do the following to
remove the adhesive static between the discs:

¾ Separate the blank discs before you place them into the autoloader's spindle(s). Separating them will

greatly reduce the static between discs.

¾ If this doesn't achieve the desired outcome, use an air duster (canned air) to blow air around the

circular edge of the blank discs. This process reduces the static between the discs up to 90%. The
amount of air to use depends on factors specific to your environment.

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Disc Placement

Another common problem when using an autoloader is the placement of media onto the spindles. Placing the
media onto the spindles properly can avoid possible picking errors when operating the autoloader. Even
though the autoloader is designed with certain tolerance adjustments to prevent mishandling by the picking
arm, failures may still arise if the spindles are not loaded correctly. All media loaded onto the spindles should
be flat and not slanted at an angle to ensure the picking arm can securely grab the disc with all 3 vacuum
suction heads. Do not load too many discs onto the spindle as well, as this may cause errors in placement
and loading. Diagram 1-1 below demonstrates the proper and incorrect disc placements when loading media
onto the spindles.

Figure 1-1 Disc Placement Illustration

Spindles vs. Bins

The Microboards HCL Series has five spindles for holding CDs and/or DVD’s. Although the manual refers to
them as spindles, many of the messages shown on the LCD display refer to them as bins in order to create
more concise messages. Don’t panic. Spindles and bins are the same.

Microboards Statement Regarding Improper Duplication

Microboards Technology fully supports the right of any business, organization, group, or individual to protect
their property from unlicensed, unauthorized, or illegal duplication.

As a user of our equipment, we expect you to support that right as well.

Microboards Technology is neither responsible nor liable for the infringement of any laws regarding the illegal
duplication of property. Microboards Technology products are in no way intended to encourage or condone
such duplication.

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• Introduction

MICROBOARDS TECHNOLOGY, LLC HCL Series

The Robotic Platform

The Microboards HCL Series autoloader has five spindles (see Figure
1-2) that hold approximately 250 discs each; variations in media
thickness between brands will change the number of discs you can
load at any one time.

Initially, Spindle 1 will be left empty. The robotic arm picks blank discs
from Spindle 2 first, and places the successful copies onto Spindle 1.
Once Spindle 2 is empty, it picks blank discs from Spindle 3, and
places the successful copies onto Spindle 2. It then picks from
Spindle 4 and places onto Spindle 3, and then picks from Spindle 5
and places onto Spindle 4. Reject discs are placed on to the deck
below the drive trays. (Throughout this manual, this area is also
referred as “Reject Area”).

The LCD Control Panel

Figure 1-3 shows the LCD Control Panel. This panel
has a two-line, 20 character LCD display to provide
user feedback. Eight push buttons control the
operation of the Microboards HCL Series. The
functions for these buttons are shown in Table 1-1.

Control Name Function

Up Scroll up through the menu or list.

Down Scroll down through the menu or list.

OK Execute the function. Also called OK in the Menus.

ESC Go back to the previous function.

Copy

Hard

Drive

Single

Master

Multi

Master

Quick key to make a copy. Pressing this key takes you directly to the 1. Copy
menu.

Quick key to access the hard drive utilities. Pressing this key takes you directly
to the 10. Hard Drive Setup menu.

Quick key to change the Master Mode to SINGLE. Pressing this sets the unit in
Single Master Mode without going into the 8. Master Mode menu..

Quick key to change the Master Mode to MULTI. Pressing this sets the unit in
Multi Master Mode without going into the 8. Master Mode menu.

Figure 1-2 Five Spindle Robotic

Duplicator Top

Figure 1-3 LCD Control Panel Layout

View

Table 1-1: Front Panel Controls

7

Menu Overview

This section provides an overview of the menu options. These menu options are explained in detail on the
referenced pages.

Copy page 14

Use the Copy menu or Copy quick key to make CD/DVD copies. Before you start a copy, make sure
you have selected the correct Master Mode.

If you plan to use Single Master Mode, please make sure you have successfully loaded your master
disc to a partition on the Hard Drive.

If you plan to use Multi Master Mode, please make sure you have placed every master disc on top of
the corresponding number of blank discs.

For additional information, see Making Copies in Single Master Mode on page 14 or Making
Copies in Multi Master Mode on page 16.

Test page 17

Use the Test menu to simulate the copy process. With simulation, write once recordable discs such
as DVD-R, or CDR will be reusable. The purpose of simulation is to ensure error free duplication.

Note: Due to physical limitations of the DVD+R recordable format, if you try to simulate DVD+R

copying, you will encounter failure messages.

Warning: If you are using CD/DVD Rewritable discs as your blank media during the simulation, the

content on those discs will be permanently erased.

Compare page 17

Use the Compare function to perform a bit-by-bit comparison between the content of your master
disc(s) in the Hard Drive and the contents of all discs it copied. This ensures that all of your copies
are identical to original master disc(s).

Note: The bit-by-bit comparison will only apply on all DVDs and Data CDs. The readability check

will be applied for other formats like Audio CDs, CD+G, and Video CDs discs due to their lack
of error correction mechanisms.

Test + Copy page 19

Use the Test + Copy menu option to simulate the copying process initially. Then, the autoloader
performs the actual copy process on the blank disc(s) that passed the simulation. For the blank
disc(s) that didn’t pass the simulation, the autoloader will place it/them to the Reject Area.

Copy + Compare page 19

Use the Copy + Compare menu option to make 100% reliable copies. After the copy process is done,
the autoloader automatically compares the copies from the content of your original master disc.

Select Burn Speed page 19

Use the Select Burn Speed menu option to adjust the duplication speed for the various blank disc
formats. For additional information, see Select Burn Speed on page 19.

Select Source page 20

Use the Select Source menu to tell the system where the content of the master disc resides during
duplication. At this point, Hard Drive is the only place where the content of the master disc resides
during duplication. For more information, see Select Source on page 20.

Master Mode page 20

Use the Master Mode menu or Single Master and Multi Master quick keys to select either Single
Master Mode(SM) or Multi Master Mode (MM). For more information on those modes, see Single
Master and Multi Master Modes on page 11. For more information on using the Master Mode menu,
see Master Mode on page 20.

Erase RW page 20

Use the Erase RW menu to erase your Rewritable discs. There are two option s :

¾ Full Erase: This option erases the entire disc, destroying all previously written data in the

process.

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• Menu Overview

MICROBOARDS TECHNOLOGY, LLC HCL Series

¾ Quick Erase: This option erases the index (TOC) of the Rewritable disc, not the data section.

It is much faster than Full Erase. However, the data section is still recoverable. If you prefer
the old content not to be recovered for security purpose, please perform Full Erase.

Hard Drive Setup page 21

Use the Hard Drive Setup menu to perform hard drive-related operations. These options include
loading, renaming, or deleting your images. For more information, see Hard Drive Setup on page 21.

Setup page 24

Use the Setup menu options to control how the autoloader operates. You can scroll between the
various options using the

1. Language

Use this setting to choose the language used to navigate the autoloader. The autoloader
supports English and Spanish menus.

2. Read Error Skip

Normally, when the autoloader encounters a read error while reading the master disc, all the
duplication will be aborted and all the recordable media in the writers will be ruined. However,
if you believe that your master disc has a small, insignificant error due to physical damage,
you can enable this setting to allow the autoloader to skip any read errors that it encounters.
It is ON by default.

Important: This function does not fix errors; it only skips them to continue copying the rest of
the readable data. This function is recommended for Video and Audio duplication purposes.

3. CD Writing Mode

Use this setting to select the mode you would like use to duplicate a CD. There are two
different modes: “Disc at Once” and “Track at Once.” Unless you understand completely what
they mean, we strongly suggest you to set it as “Disc at Once”.

4. Max Audio, VCD & CDG Speed

Due to the lack of an error checking mechanism for Audio CD, Video CD and CD+G format,
duplicating them at too high a speed can cause errors such as glitches and skips. Use this
setting to adjust the maximum duplication speed for Audio, Video CD and CD+G format to
ensure the reliable duplication for such formats.

5. Buzzer

Use this setting to choose whether you want to hear a beep when you press a button and
when a task has been completed.

6. Startup Menu

Use this setting to choose which menu you would like to see first when you turn on the
autoloader.

7. Screen Saver

Use this setting to enable or disable the Screen Saver feature. When this is enabled, a
screen saver is displayed whenever your autoloader has been idle for a long period of time.

8. Counter

Use the Counter menu to enable or disable the Counter feature. The counter tells you how
many discs have been copied and how many discs are left to go during the progress and it
will stop the job once the desired number of copies has been made.

9. AUTOCOPY Enabled

This menu option turns on the hidden 16.AUTOCOPY main menu option.

10. DVD+R Compatibility Mode

This feature allows you to turn the DVD+R High Compatibility Mode feature ON or OFF. The
purpose of this feature is to increase the compatibility of DVD+R media with a broader range
of DVD Video players.

11. Disable Drives

Use this utility to allow the system to disable certain drives/trays when certain drives/trays are
producing high failure rates.

Up or Down button.

System Utilities page 28

1. Disc Info

Use the Disc Info utility to identify the type of blank recordable media. This utility identifies
your blank recordable Media's format, capacity, manufacture ID, and the Media's certified
writing speed.

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2. System Info

Use this menu option to see data about the autoloader and its resources (firmware version,
RAM and CPU).

3. Device Info

Use this menu option to see data about the drives that are installed in the autoloader.

4. Load Default

Use this menu option to reset all of the options back to the manufacturer's default values. You
can use this function if your autoloader is acting abnormally.

5. Update Firmware

Use this utility to update the software in your autoloader. To update, insert the manufacturer’s
Certified Update CD into the 1
Then you can press the

Important: You should not upgrade your autoloader's firmware unless your system is
becoming unstable or you are advised to do so by Tech Support.

st

tray and make sure no other discs are in rest of the trays.

OK button to update.

Loader Utilities page 30

Use the Loader Utilities menu options to access the various utilities built into the autoloader. You can
scroll between the various options using the

1. Drive Alignment

The Drive Alignment menu is used to check the mechanical alignment between the drives
and the robotic arm. See Drive Alignment on page 30 for more information.

2. Spindle Alignment

The Spindle Alignment menu is used to check the mechanical alignment between the
spindles and the robotic arm. See Spindle Alignment on page 31 for more information.

3. Disc Separator

Use this utility to tell the system the number of times for the robotic arm to shake the disc it
picked up from the input spindle in order to reduce the disc sticking issue. See Disc Static

and Sticky Media Issues on page 2 for information about disc sticking issue and Disc
Separator on page 31 for information on using this menu.

4. Z form Maneuver

Use this utility to enable or disable the Z form maneuver. See Z form Maneuver on page 32
for information on using this menu.

5. Alignment Protection

Enabling Alignment Protection makes each drive tray quickly slide in and out after a disc has
been loaded into it. This ensures that the disc sits properly in the disc indentation of the tray
by “shaking” the disc into place. See Alignment Protection on page 32.

Up or Down button.

Manage Accounts page 32

Use this menu option to:

¾ Create user accounts and passwords to prevent unauthorized use of the autoloader.
¾ Edit existing user account information, including name and password.
¾ Delete existing user account(s).
¾ Enable/Disable this feature.

For additional information, refer to Introduction to Manage Accounts on page 11.

Shutdown page 34

Use this menu option to turn off your system. Once you see the “Ready to Power Off” message, you
can safely turn off the machine using the power switch. Turning off your autoloader without
performing this function increases the risk of damaging it.

AUTOCOPY (Hidden) page 26

The AUTOCOPY function simplifies the copy process by allowing you to stack blank media on a
spindle(s), place the master on top of the stack on the first spindle, and press the

16.AUTOCOPY key in the main menu. It will load the content of the top disc of the 1
(master disc) into the Reserved Partition of the Hard Drive and copy it to blank disc(s) below it and
any subsequent input spindles.

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• Menu Overview

OK button on

st

input spindle

MICROBOARDS TECHNOLOGY, LLC HCL Series

Introduction to Manage Accounts

This feature allows the administrator to:

¾ Create user accounts and passwords to prevent unauthorized use of the autoloader.
¾ Edit existing user account information, including name and password.
¾ Delete existing user account(s).
¾ Enable or disable “Manage Accounts”.

Manage Accounts is disabled by default. Prior to activating the “Manage Accounts” feature, the autoloader
recognizes all users as the Administrator.

The pre-defined password for this function is “0000.”
By adding additional users, each individual user has specific settings and only has access to the hard drive

partitions that the individual user loaded to the hard drive. No one else can access their hard drive partitions
other than the Administrator.

For example, if USER 1 logs-in and loads a master disc to hard drive Partition A, when USER 2 logs-in,
USER 2 will not have access to any partitions loaded by USER 1; which includes partition A.

To take advantage of this feature, follow these instructions:

¾ Change the Administrator password. Refer to Edit User Info on page 33 for additional information.
¾ Create a User Name and Password for each authorized person on this autoloader. Refer to Create

User on page 33 for additional information.

¾ Enable the “Manage Accounts” feature by turning on the “Password on Bootup” setting. Refer to

Password on Bootup on page 34 for additional information.

Note: This autoloader comes with a standard license that allows you to create up to 32 users.
However, if you desire to create more than 32 users, please contact Tech Support Service
regarding our special 64 user license pack.

For instructions on how to use “Manage accounts”, see Manage Accounts on page 32.

Single Master and Multi Master Modes

There are two ways to make copies using the autoloader:
Single Master Mode:

This mode requires that a single master disc is loaded onto the hard drive prior to
initiating the duplication process. This mode is ideal if your job involves one or
very few master disc(s).

Multi Master Mode (Batch Mode):
This mode does not require you to manually load your master. Simply place the master disc(s) on top of the
stack of blank discs needed for that particular job of the master disc. This mode is ideal if you have numerous
master discs and fewer copies for each master disc.

The Multi Master mode uses the Reserve partition to temporarily store the content of the current master disc.
Once the task is complete and a new master disc has been detected, the reserve partition's content (the
previous master disc) will be replaced with the content of the new master disc.

You can tell immediately which mode you are in by looking at any of the Copy or Test menus:

Microboards B.30

1. Copy (SM)

The (SM) indicates Single Master Mode, and the (MM) indicates Multi Master Mode.
For example, if you need to make:

¾ 20 copies of job A
¾ 40 copies of job B
¾ 30 copies of job C

Microboards B.30

1. Copy (MM)

Single Master & Multi Master

Quick Buttons

11

Under Multi Master Mode, you would need to follow the steps below:

1. Make sure all of the spindles are empty.

2. Place 30 blank discs for job C on to the first input spindle.

3. Place the master disc for job C on top of those blank discs for job C.

4. Place 40 blank discs for job B on top of the master disc for job C.

5. Place the master disc for job B on top of those blank discs for job B.

6. Place 20 blank discs for job A on top of the master disc for job B.

7. Place the master disc for job A on top of those blank discs for Job A.
When you start the copy operation, the robotic arm will pick up discs from the Input Spindle and place them
into the drives. If any of the discs in the drives contains data, (in this case, that would be the first disc, the
Master Disc for job A) the autoloader will load the entire content of this disc (Master A) into the reserve
partition on the Hard Drive. The subsequent discs from the input bin/spindle will be loaded in the empty
drives.

Once the loading process is completed, the autoloader will start the duplication process for the blank media in
the remaining drives. Master disc A will be picked up from the appropriate drive and dropped on to the Output
Spindle and the empty drive where the master disc was removed will be loaded with the next disc from the
input bin.

If a new master is detected before the previous job is finished, the autoloader will complete the first job,
unload the completed job, and fill the drive trays with blank discs for the next job.

The robotic arm will continue to load media into the drives as the duplicated discs are placed in the Output
Spindles. Once a writer drive (any drive) detects another Master disc, the same process is repeated for the
new Master disc.

Setting Counters and Assigning Names

Two frequently used tasks are setting counters and assigning names to partitions. Directions for these tasks
are given here.

7.1 Setting Counters
The autoloader frequently gives you the option to set a counter so that the machine can keep track of the

number of copies made. Follow these steps when you see a Counter Selectio n Menu:

The Counter Selection Menu lets you set how many copies you want to make

Counter:
No Counter

You can select “No Counter” if you prefer to copy continuously with no interruption. (It will still count the
number of copies, but it will not notify you when to stop.) To select the “No Counter”, simply press the
button when you see the screen above.

Or, you can select “Specify Counter” between 1 to 9999 by pressing the
Specify Counter menu:

Counter:
Specify Counter

Specify Counter:
[0 ] OK?

If you need to specify a number that is less than four digits, fill the leading spaces with zeros (any leading
zeros will be skipped). Examples of four-digit numbers are “0234” (two hundred and thirty four), or “0010”
(ten).

To enter the number, you need to use the

OK button or the ESC button to move the cursor position right or left. Once you've finished, move the

the
cursor to “OK” and press the
one). The 4-digit value would be “0021.”

for your project. The Counter Selection feature tells the autoloader to count
the number of successful copies you have made and stop the job when the
desired number of copies has been reached.

Press the
Counter menu.

To specify the number of copies for your project, you need to enter/input a
four-digit number.

OK button to select this option. You will see the next Specify

OK

Up or Down button to go to the

Up or Down button to select the number for each digit and use

OK button. For example, if you want to specify a counter value of 21 (twenty

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• Setting Counters and Assigning Names