1999/09/20 Caterpillar

5130 (5ZL, 7TJ),
5130B (4CS),
5230 (7LL) Excavators;
784B (5RK) Tractor;
785B (6HK),
785C (1HW),
789B (7EK),
789C (2BW),
793B (1HL),
793C (4AR, 4GZ) Trucks;
854G (1JW) Wheel Tractor;
992G (7HR),
994 (9YF),
994D (3TZ) Wheel Loaders

Reference: Vital Information Management System, VIMSpc99 Users Manual, FEBJ0047

Reference: Service Magazine, July 5,1999; "VIMS-PC V2.4.2 MST Update Available".

Reference: Service Magazine, July 27, 1998; "New VIMS Version 9.3X On-Board Software Available".

Reference: Service Magazine, June 15, 1998; Improved VIMS Configurations Available for Certain Off-Highway Trucks". (9.5X)

Reference: Service Magazine, October 27, 1997; "Updated VIMS Configurations Available for 793C Off-Highway Trucks". (9.5X)

Reference: Service Magazine, July 7,1997; "New VIMS Version 9.3X On-Board Software Available".

Reference: Service Magazine, July 30,1997; "New VIMS Version 9.4X On-Board Software Available".

Reference: Service Magazine, April 28, 1997; "Major Enhancements and Recommendation Effective with New 9.3X Software Available for Vital Information Management System (VIMS)".

Reference: Service Magazine, June 17, 1996; New Configuration Software Developed for Off-Highway Trucks". (7.X)

Reference: Service Magazine, March 25, 1996; "Large Hydraulic Excavators VIMS Software". (6.8X)

Reference: Service Magazine, March 25, 1996; "Off-Highway Trucks VIMS Software". (7.X)

VIMSpc99 is a stand-alone replacement for all versions of VIMS-PC, Information System Builder and Caterpillar Common Services System service tool software programs. VIMSpc99 utilizes the Microsoft Windows(r) (95/98/NT) operating system and is year 2000 compliant. VIMSpc99 will ship in place of VIMS-PC V2.X on all new machines upon the release of VIMSpc99.

NOTE: Support for VIMS-PC 2.X will continue through the end of 1999. No updates are planned for VIMS-PC 2.X in 2000 and beyond. The VIMS software support hotline will continue to assist users with VIMS-PC 2.X. However, training on VIMS-PC 2.X will no longer be offered.

The following table contains the part numbers for the VIMSpc99 CD-ROM and User Manual.

New/Improved Functionality

* All machine data is now available to be exported. This allows the user to export data into other software applications such as Microsoft Excel, etc., when the report choices within VIMSpc99 do not provide information in the format that the user needs.

* Data error checking has been improved to minimize the possibility of downloading corrupted data. Failure to download a file may mean VIMSpc99 is unable to download an error-free file.

* All fields of the payload record (i.e. operator ID, transmission shift count, status flags etc.) are now available to be exported. This allows the user to export data into other software applications such as Microsoft(r) Excel, etc., when the report choices within VIMSpc99 do not provide information in the format that the user needs.

* Cumulative and histogram reset information is usable and can be transferred between service tools (computers).

Improved User Features

Relational Database

* A Microsoft(r) Access database is now used to store all machine data.

* The downloaded data files of all machines are stored in a single database file. The user is no longer required to manage individual data files after the data has been merged into the database.

* Data may be merged into the database automatically when downloaded or stored as unmerged files and then merged into the database later to reduce the connect time required on the machine during the downloading process.

* The following database utilities are available:

1. Full Backup - This copies the entire database to a separate drive to provide a recoverable file in case of hard drive problems on the users service tool.

2. Archive - This allows the user to remove files that are not required in the near future and store them in a separate database. This feature allows the user to reduce the size of the VIMS database and retain these older files for future reference.

3. Transfer Features - These features allow the users to share VIMS database files between different service tools (computers).

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The graphical user interface describes how the application software (VIMSpc99) is displayed to the user.

* Caterpillar Common Services System software is no longer required.

* The Information System Builder (ISB) service tool software functionality has been included as a feature of VIMSpc99. Separate ISB software is no longer required.

* The graph generator used with data logger and snapshot recorders now labels up to three parameters on the same graph.

* Snapshot and data logger graphs now provide a zoom feature, selection for line color/style and the additional key graph customization features that are listed here:

1. Font Size

2. Grid Lines

3. Mark Data Points

4. Maximize

* A printable 239-page user manual is included on the VIMSpc99 CD-ROM.

* A detailed on-line help system utilizes information from the user manual.

Reports

* Multiple off-board shift definitions can be defined and used with both loader and truck payload reports.

* Color printing of reports.

* Multiple page reports are now generated with page numbers.

In order to use VIMSpc99 the following hardware and software are recommended:

Recommended PC Configuration

* IBM(r) PC or compatible with Pentium II, 266 MHz processor (MMX recommended)

* 32 Mb RAM

* 2 Gb of available hard drive space

* 12X CD-ROM Drive

* 3.5" 1.44 Mb diskette drive

* Super VGA color monitor or display

* RS232 port with 16550AF UART

* Built in pointing device or mouse

Software

* Microsoft Windows NT (or)

* Windows 98 (or)

* Windows 95

NOTE: VIMSpc99 is not compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1.

The VIMSpc99 program is shipped on one compact disk. The compact disk provides a utility to generate installation diskettes (approximately 21 disks) for computers that are not equipped with CD-ROM drives.

As stated previously VIMSpc99 is a stand-alone program for all VIMS off-board functions. All program functionality is accessible through the VIMSpc99 application window.

VIMSpc99 application window

The application window provides two ways for the user to enter the program:

1. A MENU bar that contains a series of pull-down menus.

2. A TOOL bar that consists of a series of shortcut icons for quick access to frequently used functions.

Pull-Down Menus (Menu Bar)

The "File" menu allows the user to access the functions that are shown in the following illustration.

File Drop-Down Menu

The "Data" menu performs basic communications with the on-board system (VIMS) to access real time data.

Data Drop-Down Menu

The "Report" menu accesses reports that are available in VIMSpc99.

Report Drop-Down Menu

The "Configure" menu is used to communicate with the on-board system to program or change various settings. The "View/Change Configuration" submenu is the user's replacement for ISB.

Configure Drop-Down Menu

The "Setup" menu allows the user to select/configure various settings of the VIMSpc99 off-board system, and define machines in the database.

Setup Drop-Down Menu

The "Help" menu access the on-line Help system and provides version information about the VIMSpc99 database and program.

Help Drop-Down Menu

Toolbar

The toolbar allows quick access to commonly used menu items.

The function of each button of the toolbar is described in the following illustration.

VIMSpc99 and VIMS-PC 2.X Files

Importing Files

VIMS-PC 2.X users may import VIMS-PC 2.X data files into the VIMSpc99 database. However, prior to importing the data files the machine must be defined (added) in the VIMSpc99 database. Refer to the VIMSpc99 on-line help for instruction on adding the machine to the database. After the machine is defined in the database, both individual downloaded data and merged historical data may be imported.

NOTE: Only converted files may be imported. The files must be converted using the version of VIMS-PC 2.X that created (downloaded) the files.

Cumulative or Histogram Files

The cumulative (.cum and .hcm) and histogram (.hst and .hhs) files used by VIMS-PC 2.X do not contain reset information. Therefore, imported VIMS-2.X files cannot account for resets done with VIMS-PC 2.X. For this reason, import only the last download of cumulative and histogram data for each machine.

VIMSpc99 and On-board Software

Due to the many variations of VIMS on-board classes of software, VIMSpc99 has not been tested with all versions prior to 9.0X. VIMSpc99 is not recommended for use with these earlier versions of on-board classes of software. However, the earlier versions of on-board software are expected to function in most cases. If there are incompatibilities it is expected to occur with prognostics files (trends, cumulative and histograms).

NOTE: Refer to the referenced articles for information on updating each machine to the most current class of VIMS on-board software. Configurations can NOT be mixed and matched within a machine model in all cases. For a list of configuration software that is compatible with a given machine, see the referenced articles. If there are still questions on which software to use contact the Caterpillar Product Support representative of the appropriate Business Unit.

Display of 793C Off-Highway Truck Shift Time Histograms

The histogram incompatibilities described in the July 5, 1999 reference article have been addressed with VIMSpc99. The histograms for the 793C (4AR) Off-Highway Truck now displays the information correctly. However, due to the differences in the data that is collected between the 4AR and 4GZ machines, when the histograms are displayed there will be four blank columns in each report. The data for these columns is NOT missing. The histogram simply does not collect data that applies to the blank columns.

VIMS Software Support

VIMS software support hours:

Monday through Friday

7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Central Standard Time (CST)

NOTE: If you call outside of these hours, leave a voicemail message and the support staff will respond to your request the next business day.

Telephone Number: 1-800-290-1808

The support staff can also be contacted via Electronic Mail.

Email Address: METS.Mining@cat.com

VIMS Web Site:

https://mining.cat.comfo_technology_products/

commercial_products.html

NOTE: The VIMS web site contains a Frequently Asked Question Section and other VIMS documentation that is accessible to authorized users.

Read Me File

The information that follows is taken directly from the VIMSpc99 Read Me file.

Installation Notes:

Ignore the messages which say "SEVERE: sscala32.ocx was not registered correctly" or "SEVERE: msdasql.dll was not registered correctly". The program has been successfully installed and can be run after rebooting the computer.

The information on this sheet is available on-line. Click the Start button and select Programs. Select the Caterpillar VIMS option (or the program group you created). Select the VIMSpc99 Read Me option. This file can also be found in the VIMSpc99 install directory (default is C:\Program Files\VIMS) or in the root directory of the VIMSpc99 CD-ROM.

Program Notes: (IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ)

Compact Database: Before compacting, it is critical to check that there is more free hard drive space than the current size of the vims.mdb database file. This space is used during the compaction process as a temporary backup for the vims.mdb file. To do this, start Microsoft Explorer. Select the Data folder in the VIMSpc99 install directory (default is C:\Program Files\VIMS). Examine the size of vims.mdb and the amount of free space existing on the disk drive that holds vims.mdb. The free space must be equal to or greater than the vims.mdb. If not, remove some files from the hard drive before attempting to compact the database.

Known Problems Remaining:

When you start VIMSpc99, a warning message may appear stating that there may be incompatibilities with Microsoft's ODBC drivers. The message occurs because some versions of Microsoft ODBC drivers are incompatible with VIMSpc99. The symptom of the problem is that you may not be able to connect to a machine or import .pcs files, or the Select Machine dialog lists no machines. A utility program has been provided to work around this issue. VIMSpc99 ODBC Driver Management Utility will install a set of Microsoft ODBC drivers that is known to be compatible with VIMSpc99. To use the utility, go to the Caterpillar VIMS program list in the start menu and run VIMS99 ODBC Driver Management. To ensure that VIMSpc99 runs correctly, press the Install VIMS99 ODBC Drivers button. To run other programs, you may need to run the utility and press the Restore System ODBC Drivers button.

When Merging Downloaded Files from a machine that has not been setup in the VIMSpc99 database, an error #1002 "The RDO database connection is not set, please try again" may sometimes occur. If so, you must exit and restart the application. To avoid this, always setup the machine in Setup Machine/Shift before attempting to Merge Download Files.

If you see error #26029 "This operation requires that no other dialogs can be running", but you have no other dialogs in VIMSpc99 open, you must exit the application and restart it. Please contact product support and inform them of the exact sequence of operations you performed before seeing this error.

With some printer drivers, page sizes are not accurately calculated, and some areas of the printout may not paginate correctly. If this occurs to you, please install an updated driver, if available, and call product support and inform them of the problem.

Occasionally an unknown situation causes the Select Machines dialog box grid to malfunction and not display all selected columns of machine information. If this occurs, contact product support to step you through the workaround.

In View/Change Configuration, Data Event reports may drop portions of an event definition when sorted by Master Event or Parameter. This has only been seen on truck configuration files. To work around the issue, do not sort the Data Event report.

In the Data Logger or Snapshot graphical report, the display sometimes locks up so that the buttons do not work. This happens after popping up the customization menu with the right mouse click, followed by repositioning the cursor with the mouse. If this occurs, double click on the graph. The Customization dialog appears. Press the Cancel button twice to restore button operation.

After Installing a Configuration file on the machine, the program automatically disconnects and then reconnects to get the correct configuration information from the machine. If you have selected to Display Machine Status after connection in the System Preferences, an error message "Cannot display modal form" will appear before the "Operation completed successfully" message. If this occurs, you MUST disconnect and reconnect before doing additional machine communications.