If I lose the remote control, how do I secure the receiver?
First cut the receiver supply, then teach the new remote with the procedure in the manual. Confirm with technical support that the old identity is deleted.
The first step is to cut the power to the machine or pull the receiver supply fuse; a receiver with no power cannot process a command even if the lost remote control comes into range. Then pair the receiver again with a new or spare remote control according to the teaching procedure in the user manual. Confirm with technical support whether the operation puts the lost device out of service.
Why distance alone cannot be relied on
A lost transmitter carries on it the identity code taught to the receiver. The device may be out of range at this moment; when it comes back into range the receiver still recognises it and processes its command. For that reason it is not right to rely on merely keeping the lost device physically far away. If you do not know where the remote control is, the risk is still there.
There is a second point as well: the button of the lost device may be crushed and held down in a bag or a toolbox. In that case the remote control, once it comes into range, transmits a command continuously without anyone touching it. Cutting the power closes this scenario too; resting on the assumption that "nobody will use it anyway" is not enough.
What to do, in order
- Immediate measure: switch off the main isolator of the machine or pull the receiver supply fuse. A receiver with no power cannot process a command.
- Record: record the event; which machine, which remote control, when.
- Re-pairing: apply the teaching procedure in the manual with a new or spare remote control. Keep the power circuit isolated during teaching.
- Verification: test all the channels first with no load, then loaded.
- Confirmation: verify with technical support whether teaching again deletes the old identity; if it does not, ask for the alternative method.
Scenario, risk, measure
| Scenario | Risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The remote control is on site, likely to be found | It comes into range and produces a command | Cut the receiver supply, do not energise the machine until the search is over |
| The device has left the site and cannot be found | Unauthorised use | Teach again and confirm that the old identity has been deleted |
| The remote control was found broken or wet | A stuck button, a command of its own accord | Take the device out of service, teach the spare |
| Not handed in at the end of the shift | A gap in the records, a repeated loss | Apply a handover record, consider key switch authorisation |
Where these steps are not enough
- Teaching again does not delete the old identity on every set. If it is not deleted the receiver goes on listening to the old remote control and the only safe solution is clearing the memory on the receiver side.
- If the lost device is defined on another receiver on site as well, you have to secure that receiver too. Plants that keep no records usually do not notice this and believe they have closed the matter by securing only one machine.
- On continuous lines that cannot be de-energised, apply lockout/tagout; a verbal warning is not enough.
- If you have no spare remote control, there is no device to teach with either. In that case the machine is run with the buttons on the panel or with a wired remote control until the new device arrives.
- No software measure takes the place of the wired emergency stop chain of the machine.
Preventive measures make losses rarer in the first place: have the remote controls handed in to a locked cabinet at the end of the shift and keep a handover record; label each device with the machine name; use a neck strap or a belt clip to reduce the risk of dropping it and of leaving it behind. On critical machines add key switch authorisation to block unauthorised use with a second layer. The wired emergency stop circuit of the machine itself has to be kept reachable and in working order at all times. Do not energise the machine while the search is going on and write the situation into the shift handover book; if the second shift opens the panel without knowing the measure the first shift took, the work done goes to waste.
The full topic: Wireless Crane Remote Control Selection Guide