Merlin III Software History Page #1 of 5

Marker(s): TMP6100

Software Item: 64832 Current Revision: v3.20

History
Version 1.00 - 4/17/09
 Initial Release
 TMP6100/470 Ethernet interface with direct control of the TMC470 from Merlin

Version 2.00 - 8/31/09

Feature Changes:
 QR Code and Micro QR Code tools
 Merlin may now be used as a pattern designer and "compile" patterns in the TMC470
for standalone operation
 Now supporting a simulated UNICODE code page for Telesis User Font (tff files) by
truncating to lower byte
 Added Machine/Management for updating the controller with Merlin information (eg.
patterns, blocks, parameters)
 User Hour (%h), User Day (%d) and Alpha Omni S/N (%a) parse flags and editors
 Omni S/N shift, hour and monthly reset options and a single alpha character that
bumps when the S/N wraps
 Increased the Query Text buffer/title count from 10 to 20
Bug Fix:
 Now handling the case where a new tool is being added/inserted and the editor for a
different tool is cancelled
 PAUSE FOR GO no longer erroneously decrementing the batch counter if the Batch
dialog is active

Version 2.10 - 10/14/09

ADDITIONS
 Support for the TMP1700 and TMP3200 marking heads
 LOG tool for writing out to a text file when encountered during the print cycle. File
name and data are variable.
 %p parse flag for including the pattern name in a text-based tool
CORRECTIONS
 Block tool properties only calculated for the editor if a block is available
 Now supporting patterns that were created before instructions were placed in a
separate file
 Large text strings (somewhere around 120+ characters) could cause a crash situation
 Batch prints could cause the system to hangup in a "Printing" or "Parking" state until
aborted and placed back online
 Clicking multiple times in a single location in the visual view while adding a tool
could cause an error
 Merlin III Software History Page #2 of 5

Version 2.11 - 11/12/09

CORRECTIONS
 Now updating linked tools after editor changes to a single field
 Inefficiency introduced recently that would redisplay the entire list view each time a
tool or tools was selected
 Metric conversion being erroneously done on theta coordinates

Version 2.20 - 12/9/09

ADDITIONS
 LOG tool
 Machine/Selected/Preposition to allow marker/auxiliary axes to be prepositioned for
the currently selected tool
 Polyline Assemble/Disassemble
 Visual view "Show Order" option to display the print order on the anchor handle for
each selected tool
 Visual view selections now reflected in the list view
CORRECTIONS
 Now updating linked tools after changes to a single field
 File/New error with objects selected
 Count and S/N file path error when not saving to default pattern path
 Not updating list view after duplicating an object in the visual view with the arrow
keys

Version 2.21 - 2/8/10

CORRECTIONS
 Now able to add a concave three-point arctext tool in the visual view
 Template mode tools no longer shifting the print tool sequence
 Home After Print option race condition
 Unit conversion problem in Setup/Properties for Default Font/Tool settings
 Edit/Center In Window no longer centering at 0,0
 %p pattern title parse flag will now work with Windows file extensions hidden

Version 2.22 - 2/18/10

CORRECTIONS
 Now able to print a closed parenthesis character in text-based tools (eg. UID strings)

Version 2.30 - 4/8/10

ADDITIONS
 TMP6100E marking head now available
CORRECTIONS
 The %p parse flag invalid if the Windows operating system (Explorer) was setup to
hide known file extensions
 "Center In Window" option to no longer center the objects around the 0,0 coordinate
(carry-over from laser systems)
 Metric conversion problem in default tool and font setup
 Merlin III Software History Page #3 of 5

 No longer turning outputs off when closing Merlin. The TMC470 already handles
them
 MACHINE tool defaults updated to match the TMC470
 Fixed a metric conversion problem in the Tool property page for multiple tool
selections
 GOTO tool now handling inactive marker/axis settings
 Now automatically converting existing block (TTB) files for use with the TMC470
controller (TXB)

Version 2.31 - 4/13/10

CORRECTIONS
 Machine/Batch print print/park sequence problem

Version 2.40 - 8/23/10

ADDITIONS
 Ctrl+Q accelerator key for View/Snap
 Ctrl+W accelerator key for View/Grid
 Added POLYLINE support to TMC470 interface
 Optimized TMC470 interface to free up system resources during the mark cycle
CORRECTIONS
 PRINTABLE tool property support for patterns created on older systems
 Now accepting Print Count, S/N and Omni S/N values that are within a newly set
range
 Ignore lower case 'v' when Programmable message type is set to zero since the field
number is provided with the type 'V'
 Omni S/N resets to the lower/upper limit
 Preposition for 3-point arctext tool
 Air pressure metric conversion

Version 2.50 - 11/5/10

ADDITIONS
 Added the maximum Pin Stroke (Standoff) to the pin files for individual control of
this limit
 Electric pin density limited to 80dpi
CORRECTIONS
 On Machine/Park the Z axis moves first when moving up and last when moving down

Version 2.51 - 11/17/10

CORRECTIONS
 Preventing multiple jog dialogs from being activated in the Park property page
 Merlin III Software History Page #4 of 5

Version 2.60 - 12/21/11

ADDITIONS
 1000/400 head/controller - 50mm x 20mm window with no 2D code capability for
Asian market
 Plus option for 2D capability if enabled in the connected controller
 TMP7000 marking head
 "Heartbeat" to detect TMC470 controller disconnect conditions
CORRECTIONS
 TXP file corrections

Version 2.70 - 4/27/12

ADDITIONS
 BM470M Controller option with support for the BenchMark 320 marking head
CORRECTIONS
 TXP file corrections

Version 2.71 - 7/11/12

CORRECTIONS
 Host Extended Protocol message that contains only one or two BCC characters will
respond with a NAK
 TXP file corrections
 Added 'q' to the parse flags dialog to access the query text buffer titles
 Enhancements made to the controller interface

Version 2.80 - 1/10/13

ADDITIONS
 Block file mark option for block that resides in the controller
 Support for TMP1700E and TMP3200E
 %y parse flag for year with century
 Optional UNICODE user font character translation file to condense into a single code
page (eg. UserFontName.txt)
 View/Regenerate available in the Operator level menu and updates buffers from
query.txt file
CORRECTIONS
 Enhancements to controller interface
 Lower case descender not always detected
 Park marker (if setup to do so) on pattern load via the pattern select inputs
 Passwords can now be modified at higher privilege levels and are now case sensitive
 Time/Date refresh
 Omni S/N reset daily at a time other than midnight if system sits idle for more than
one day
 Merlin III Software History Page #5 of 5

Version 2.90 - 7/3/13

ADDITIONS
 Queue tools in the controller as allowed to reduce the delay between marked tools
CORRECTIONS
 Fonts 32 pixels high or 32 pixels wide would not display properly in the visual view
 Wizard did not update the display properly after the Finish button was selected
 Crash situation if a tool was inserted with no tool in the list selected for adding at the
end of the list

Version 2.91 - 7/19/13

CORRECTIONS
 Jog anchor "Current" button now works properly for ArcText3p, Arc3p, Ellipse3p and
Line2p

Version 2.92 - 10/14/13

CORRECTIONS
 Status update from 470 every 20 seconds of idle time
 ArcText and ArcText3p tools not handling the USER font correctly

Version 2.93 – 11/25/13

CORRECTIONS
 Jog anchor “Current” button now works properly for the Z and Theta axes

Version 3.00 - 03/06/14

ADDITIONS
- Added SC3500 head

Version 3.10 - 04/01/14

ADDITIONS
- Added SC2000 head

Version 3.11 – 10/03/14

CORRECTIONS
- Fixed bug where a path and an extension were stripped from a Block file name if they
were not present, which resulted in an empty Block file name
- The MicroQRCode and QRCode tools now support non-unicode pattern files. This
wasn't needed until there was a utility that would convert TMC470 patterns to Merlin
patterns
- Fixed bug where pattern s/n was not being updated in the tools queued up to send to the
controller during a batch print

Version 3.20 - 11/05/14

ADDITIONS
- Added support for the SC2500 marking head