Applies to: Shop Floor Interface · Lista, Kuway, Signifi, AutoCrib, Sielaff and lift cabinets · cloud and on-premise · Admin Portal steps verified on 1.67
What this covers
Fix a cabinet that will not open a drawer, door or location, opens the wrong one, or shows Drawer operation failed, Location opening failed or Cabinet not ready for dispense.
Check these first
These three causes are behind most cases. Each takes a few minutes.
- The PC has lost its connection to the cabinet. Check that the cable between the Shop Floor Interface PC and the cabinet is firmly plugged in at both ends. On a Lista cabinet this is the USB cable to the grey control box (the LEC box). Then compare the port: in Windows, open Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT) and note the number of USB Serial Port (COMx). In the Admin Portal, open the device, then its storage device, and check Communication port. If the numbers differ, set Communication port to the number Windows shows and save. Lista 2023 cabinets and AutoCrib VX500 and VX1000 machines connect over the network instead; see their sections below.
- The cabinet or its controller needs a restart. Close the Shop Floor Interface, switch the cabinet off at the main switch (and the UPS, if there is one), wait a minute, and switch it on again. Restart the PC. Wait until the cabinet has finished its start-up movement before you pick. AutoCrib and Sielaff machines calibrate themselves at power-on.
- Something is in the way. Look for a tool that has fallen out of its shelf, a lid that is not fully closed, a sticker or cable in front of a sensor, or items stocked too far back on a Sielaff shelf. Remove what you find, then try again.
Fixed? You’re done. If not, find what you see in the table below.
Symptoms, causes and fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix | Who can fix it |
|---|---|---|---|
| You can’t log in, and the Shop Floor Interface says the device is locked. | An administrator locked the device in the Admin Portal, or an unlock is waiting for the next synchronization. | In the Admin Portal, go to Data management > Devices and open the device. If the status is Locked, select Unlock device. If it is Waiting for unlock, wait for the device to synchronize. See How to create and manage devices. | Admin |
| Unlock fails with inventory in progress, please finish before unlocking. | An inventory started from the Admin Portal is still open. | Finish or cancel the inventory in the Admin Portal, then unlock the device. If no inventory shows as active, contact support. | Admin, then support |
| Drawer operation failed on every drawer of a Lista or Kuway cabinet. | The PC cannot talk to the cabinet: a loose cable, a changed COM port, or the USB isolator. | Do check 1 above. Then see Lista and Kuway for the USB isolator. | Admin or partner |
| One drawer always fails; the others work. | A fault in that drawer: its module, lid, LED or lock, or the drawer has lost its address. | Test the drawer with the emergency key (see Lista and Kuway). If the key opens it, the lock works and the drawer’s electronics need service. | Technician |
| The Shop Floor Interface freezes during a pick and works again after you unplug and replug the USB cable or restart. | The USB link to the cabinet keeps dropping. | Try the cabinet without the USB isolator, or with one (see Lista and Kuway), and replace the USB cable. | Partner |
| An AutoCrib table or stack does not turn, or turns a little and then goes heavy. | A fallen tool or other object is jammed between the stacks or under the table. | A trained technician opens the machine, looks for the object and removes it. See AutoCrib. | Technician |
| An AutoCrib machine turns but never stops, or shows a calibration error. | A reference sensor, encoder board, loose sensor cable or slack chain. | Restart the machine once (check 2). If it still fails, send support a video of the movement. | Technician or support |
| The cabinet opens the wrong location, for example a few positions further on. | A stack is out of alignment, often after a jam or after the chain jumped a tooth. | Note the location you asked for and the one that opened, and contact support. The offset is corrected on site or remotely. | Support or technician |
| Connection lost. Reconnecting to the Cabinet on an AutoCrib VX500 or VX1000. | The PC’s network adapter to the machine is off, unplugged or reset. | Check that the adapter’s light blinks and that the adapter is listed in Windows Device Manager. See AutoCrib. | Partner |
| Cabinet A not ready for dispense on a Sielaff machine, often after a power cut. | The machine’s controller (PLC) did not start correctly. | Restart the machine (check 2). If the message stays, contact support: the controller is reset remotely. | Support |
| A Sielaff pusher hits a divider, pushes nothing out, or pushes out too many. | Items are stocked too far back, a row is too full, or a sensor is dirty. | Keep every item at least 2 cm from the front, do not fill rows to the back, and clean the light barrier sensors. See Sielaff. | Operator or admin |
| The Shop Floor Interface keeps loading during a pick on a Kardex lift. | The PC has lost its connection to the lift’s own control software. | Restart the lift and the PC. If it happens again, contact support. | Partner, then support |
Lista and Kuway
Lista LPC and LDC cabinets, Kuway and Signifi cabinets connect to the PC by USB on a COM port. Lista 2023 cabinets use an IP address and port instead, set on the storage device.
- USB isolator. Some cabinets have a small USB isolator between the PC and the LEC box. It can cause the connection to drop, and on other sites it is what keeps it stable. If one is fitted, remove it and connect the cable directly. If none is fitted, try adding one. Use the cabinet for a few hours before you judge the result.
- Which COM port to use. Use only the port named USB Serial Port in Device Manager. Ports marked as hidden, or used by a hub behind the screen, are not the cabinet.
- Card reader port. If the site does not use a Coges card reader, leave the Coges COM port empty in the Application Manager. When it is set to the same port as the cabinet, the cabinet stops responding.
- Emergency key. The emergency key sits on the grey communication box under the top of the cabinet. If it opens the compartments, the locks work and the fault is in the communication or in a drawer module. Operators can also use it to get tools out while they wait for a repair.
- Kuway. Check the power cable on the cabinet’s controller board as well as the USB cable. A loose power connector or a failed 24 V power supply gives the same Drawer operation failed message.
Warning: Use only the power adapter delivered with the cabinet. Do not replace it with another charger.
Reprogramming the control box or re-addressing a drawer is done by support. See How to reprogram the Lista control box.
AutoCrib
- Restart first. Unplug the machine, plug it back in and let it calibrate by itself. This clears most calibration errors that have no mechanical cause.
- Tell a jam from a fault. Inside the machine, turn the table and the stacks with the buttons on the controller. If they move freely and evenly, nothing is jammed: the cause is a sensor, an encoder board or the chain, and a technician must look at it. If they go heavy or stop, something is jammed.
- Clearing a jam means opening the machine, looking around the stacks and under the table, and sometimes lifting out a filler stack. Only trained technicians should do it.
- VX500 and VX1000 connect through a network adapter on the PC. Check that its light blinks and that it shows in Device Manager. In the adapter’s power settings, turn off the option that lets Windows switch the device off to save power. A power cut can reset the adapter’s settings; if it does, contact support.
Warning: Keep your hands out of the machine while the table or a stack is moving. The machine does not rotate while a door is open.
Sielaff
- Restart. Switch off the main switch and the UPS for a few seconds, then switch them on again. Wait for the machine to finish starting before you pick.
- Stocking. Keep every item at least 2 cm back from the front edge, leave space at the back of each row, and lay boxes flat. A pusher that hits a divider or pushes nothing out is usually a stocking problem.
- Sensors. Clean the light barrier sensors with a small soft brush. Check that no cable, sticker or label covers them.
- Network on a TB300. The PC has two network adapters. Only the one for the company network may be changed. Changing the internal adapter cuts the PC off from the machine.
Important: Re-measuring or rescanning a Sielaff cabinet removes all item assignments. Note them before you start, and assign the items again afterwards.
Error messages
| Message on screen | What it means | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Drawer operation failed, Open drawer operation failed, L’opération d’ouverture du tiroir a échouée | The SFI sent the open command but the cabinet did not confirm it. | Check 1, then Lista and Kuway |
| Error when opening … drawer for location … | The same failure, with the device, storage device and location named. Send the full text to support. | Check 1 |
| Location opening failed, Operation failed (AutoCrib) | The machine could not reach or open the location: a connection, a cable or an offset. | Check 1 and 2, then AutoCrib |
| Connection lost. Reconnecting to the Cabinet, Cannot establish connection | The PC has lost contact with the machine. | Check 1, then AutoCrib |
| Close the door to continue while the door is closed | A door sensor does not see the door as closed. | Close the door firmly; if it repeats, a technician checks the sensor |
| Cabinet A not ready for dispense, Tbox is not ready | The Sielaff controller is not ready, or an extension cabinet has lost contact with the main one. | Check 2, then contact support |
| Status code 5555 (Sielaff) | The machine is in sleep mode and did not wake, often because a sensor is blocked or communication is filtered by a proxy. | Sielaff sensors, then support |
| Status code 211, There is no distribution (Sielaff) | A sensor sees something in front of the pusher. | Check 3 |
| Vending machine action failed | The SFI could not complete the action on the machine. | Check 1 and 2 |
Works as designed
- Lock and unlock take effect at the next synchronization. Until then the status reads Waiting for lock or Waiting for unlock. Locking a device logs out everyone on it.
- An AutoCrib TX750 does not rotate while a door is open. Close the door to continue.
- Re-measuring a Sielaff cabinet removes all its item assignments. This is needed after shelves or dividers move.
Still not working? Send us this
Open a support request and include:
- Customer short name, Device ID and Storage Device ID (How to find Device ID and Storage Device ID)
- Hardware model and serial number, and whether it is a main or an extension cabinet
- Shop Floor Interface version
- Date and time it happened, and whether it happens on every location or only some
- The exact error message, when it fails
- SFI logs, sent with the support button in the Shop Floor Interface, and remote access (How to set up support partner access)
- What you already tried
Related articles
- How to create and manage devices — device statuses, lock and unlock.
- How to configure storage devices — where the communication port is set.
- How to find Device ID and Storage Device ID — the IDs support asks for.
- How to reprogram the Lista control box — when a Lista cabinet loses its configuration.
- How to use AutoCrib TX750 — locations, doors and manual rotation.
- How to use Sielaff ASK200 and TB300 — measuring and stocking a Sielaff cabinet.
- How to use lift machines (Kardex, Modula, Hänel) — working with lifts.