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Framon Manufacturing

FRA-2001

Computer-Driven Code Machine

Computer Not Included

Shown above is the FRA-2001 connected to a laptop computer. You can operate the 2001 from any Windows-based computer (Windows 95 or higher), desktop or laptop. We suggest a minimum of a Pentium processor, with 8 MB of RAM. The operating system with codes takes up about 30 MB on your hard disk, and installs easily with our setup program. Shown below is the main screen of the program...

From the main screen, you can:

Choose to go to the Manufacturer section, where you can select a manufacturer and enter cuts for a key, add, edit and delete depth & space charts

Select the Codes section, where a code number can be retrieved and a key cut
History is a built-in customer database, where you can save previously cut keys and retrieve them if another is needed
Selecting Machine gives you the ability to adjust the machine's settings, such as depth, spacing, and travel speed
Multi-Key is used with our Masterkey program to originate keys for the system.
The FRA-2001 contains a Configure section, where you can select your preferred key blank number, and a variety of other options.
Key Blanks is a complete key blank cross-reference program.
The question mark button in the bottom left-hand corner turns hints on and off

For our tour, we'll click on the Manufacturers button...

Shown below is the Manufacturer's screen, selected from the main screen by either clicking on the button or pressing Alt-M.

From this screen, you can do any of the following:

Press the Tab button and page through and select a manufacturer's depth & space chart, to cut a key from bitting number

Select Add to add a new depth & space chart
Edit allows you to edit depth & space charts
Clicking on Delete will remove a depth & space chart from the list
Use the Search For: box to find a manufacturer instead of paging through HUNDREDS of listings!
You can always select any of the five top buttons at any time to go to a different section of the program

We'll select this Schlage 5-pin Key...

Shown below is the Key Cutting screen, where we go after selecting which key we want to cut (remember, we chose Schlage 5-pin at the last screen!).

At this screen, we are prompted to enter our cuts (we've already entered the cuts, 76734)

We can also do any of the following:

Press the Cut Type: Plunge button switch to Laser-type cut (profile cutting)

Click on Add To History to add 3 lines of information about this key & keep it on record in the History database
All of the manufacturer's spacing & depth information is listed
The red status bar reads Please install the key blank in the vise - the status bar will let you know what your next move should be.
You can always select any of the five top buttons at any time to go to a different section of the program
You can use the mouse instead of the keyboard to "click" in the cuts - just double click on each cut number in the depths area to input a cut.
Press the Enter button or click on "Cut The Key" to originate the key.

We'll say that we pressed the cut the key button, and right now our machine is making a perfectly-cut Schlage key!

We'll also say that we clicked on Add To History, and added a famous person to our key database. If we want to recall their key cutting information, we can click on History to view it...

Shown below is the History screen, where all of our customers' key information is saved.

At this screen, we can search for our customer by last name. Each listing has complete key cutting information associated with it. By selecting this person, we would be taken right back to the cut the key screen, with the cuts already in the box, and be ready to cut a key!

Next we'll cut a key by code

Shown below is the Codes screen, accessible by clicking on the Codes button or by pressing Alt-C. A complete Reed Code Database is right at your fingertips!

At this screen, we are prompted to enter what type of key we want to search for and the code number...(we've already entered FULL SEARCH and the code, B123)

We have several choices here; in the key type box we can select any of the following:

VEHICLE searches for codes for automobiles, motorcycles, etc.

Select UTILITY to search for cam, file cabinet, and other miscellaneous locks
ILL/CHI DOUBLE SIDED checks for Illinois & Chicago Lock Double Sided keys (yep, you can cut those here too!)
Look in KEY TYPE PADLOCK for Master Padlocks, Yale, Corbin, etc.
For very old autos, look in PRE-60's AUTO
FULL SEARCH will look in every little corner of the database for the code you entered, returning any of the above type keys that match (there are over 4,000 code series, this will give you MANY selections!)

We'll select the 'Century Regal<I> VATS', the 9th line down, and go to the cut key screen.

Shown below is the Key Cutting screen, where we go after selecting which key we want to cut (remember, we chose Buck Century at the last screen!).

Our cuts are already filled in, and we can go ahead and originate our key. This is the same screen used when cutting by Manufacturer, except that we have the code number listed in the upper right part of the panel. Again we can do any of the following...

Press the Cut Type: Plunge button switch to Laser-type cut (profile cutting)

Click on Add To History to add 3 lines of information about this key & keep it on record
All of the manufacturer's spacing & depth information is listed
You can always select any of the five top buttons at any time to go to a different section of the program

Again, we'll say that we pressed the Cut The Key button, and another perfectly-cut key is being generated!

Just like before, we can also add this key to the History database - but that's old news by now! Let's look at some of the REALLY COOL features of the machine...

The screen below is accessed from the Manufacturers section. Clicking on the Add button will bring you to this screen. This screen allows you to enter new information about new keys. If an automaker comes out with a new key, enter the spaces & depths & you can cut the key. Have a master key system that you want to set up using your own depths? Easily done right here...

Many options are available here...

When you enter the Lock Type:, selecting IC CORE will let you enter cuts from tip to bow, instead of bow-to-tip.

When you select the Recommended Cutter from the drop-down list, it will tell the program how wide the cuts should be. The program compares that to which cutter is installed; if the installed cutter has a smaller flat than recommended, it will automatically widen the cuts!
LOADING will tell the user how to gauge the key in the vise (shoulder stop, tip stop, etc.)
By clicking on the Depths button, you will be able to enter all of the cut numbers & depths for the new series
Click on Spacings to enter first cut position, spacing, etc. The program has a "Calc Locations" button - once the spacing & starting cut is entered, the machine will fill in the spacings for you!
Click on the Save button to save the information to disk. It's now part of your Manufacturer's database!

Let's cover some other features of the machine...clicking on the Machine button takes us to another screen...

This screen shows the cutter change screen. Remember, the 2001 automatically widens cuts; it also comes with the standard cutter (FC8445), and two cutters of your choice.

A complete listing of all available cutters is shown; simply use the up & down arrows or your mouse to pick whichever cutter you want to change to and press Enter or double-click. A few interesting features we'd like to point out:

The 2001 keeps a separate profile on each cutter that is in the list. Each cutter is set to the same X & Y home position when the software is installed.

The 2001 uses the same cutter wheels that our #1 & #2 Code Machines use - completely interchangeable.
When changing cutters, you can change the depth of cut and spacing for each cutter. If a cutter has been previously sharpened, you can set its' profile to cut .002" deeper than other cutters. Each time that cutter is installed on the machine, you won't have to reset the machine to cut properly - the program will reset the depth & space for you!
You will also notice that next to each cutter is a running tally of how many keys have been cut on each cutter.
Also notice the buttons down the left side of the screen - Feed Rate, Dwell, Acceleration, and Max Rate can all be adjusted. While we set the machine to what we feel are the best levels for each, they are completely changeable by the user. These settings are also kept in the cutter profiles - if you switch to the Assa cutter, you can have the Feed Rate slow down as well (Assa blanks are somewhat thicker & harder than standard blanks)

Let's look at making adjustments on the machine - with computerized equipment, this could be a very difficult adjustment. With the 2001 & our great programmers, it's about as simple as it can get...

This screen shows how to adjust the depth on the machine...pretty self-explanatory! Click on the Adjust Depth button...

Press the up arrow once to adjust the depth one-thousandths of an inch deeper, or the down arrow to make the machine cut shallower

Spacing is done in the same manner - you NEVER have to play with the machine, only your keyboard!

That covers many of the outstanding & unique features; now some information on that Configure button at the bottom that we keep seeing...

This screen shows the Configuration Menu. You can do many things here; all are explained below...

The Configuration screen is password protected - you'll have to buy a machine to find out what the password is! Here's a run-down on each button:

The 2001 uses a Log-On / Log-Off system. This means that each morning when you start the software up, you will need to log-on. If you don't feel you need a password, it's as easy as pressing the Enter button 3 times. If you decide to use a password, you will have to enter it to use the machine.

The Automatic Log Off Timeout is set to 0. This means that once someone has logged on to the system, they will be logged on all day. For most shops, this will do just fine. For larger shops, different users can be set in the user list so a more experienced user has access to all functions of the machine, and less-experienced users can only cut keys, not make adjustments, etc. With this type of setup, the timeout would be set to 1 (one minute); after one minute, the next user will have to log back on.
Above the Log Off Timeout is the recommended key blank; this is a drop down list, and has listings for all of the major key blank manufacturers.
Above the Timeout is Record Key Blank Usage, Keep User Log, and Metric Mode. The machine will track all users on the machine, what blanks were used, when they logged on & off, and can display information in Metric instead of US.
To the right is View Usage Log - here you can view who used the machine & when.
We will skip the Edit User List for now - we'll detail that screen on the next page.
Change Master Password enables you to change to password required to get into Configure from the default to whatever you like.
Backup History allows you to backup your History database where customer information can be stored. You can also Delete History, and Restore History (bring the History file back in from a floppy disk)

Now we'll take a look at the Editing the User List.....Next!...

This screen shows how to edit the user list.

By editing the user list, you can turn different features of the machine on & off for different users...

This user is named Counter, and the full name is Counter (you can enter your own ID & full name if you wish). There is no password entered for this user. He can simply select his name and press the Enter button or click OK when logging on, and he will have access to all of the features listed to the right. For this user, all features are enabled.

For a less experienced user, we could turn on & off different features. For instance, we could "uncheck" the Modify Manufacturers Data box, Delete Old History, and Adjust Cutting Parameters. These buttons would be grayed-out for this user, so that he could not modify any data in the Manufacturer's database, nor could he delete the History database or make adjustments to the machine.
There is no limit as to the amount of different users you can enter.
If you are setting up a different profile for each user, you can use the "Keep User Log" feature to find out when each person was on the machine

We've pretty much covered the software....on to the particulars of the machine...

Included with the 2001 at time of purchase is the following:

The machine itself, weighing in at 65 lbs. (Computer not included!)

An EASY-TO-READ manual, some say it's the first of its' kind!
A registration card which serves two purposes: a) you get registered with us for new updates, b) you get to pick out two additional cutters for the machine!
Software on a CD is included with the machine - used to install the Reed Code Database and our software program.
One year of free program & code updates
The BEST tech-support in the industry. When you call us, you get LIVE, BREATHING HUMANS on the phone, not answering machines!
Check out our warranty: One-year, parts, labor & freight on EVERYTHING. In addition, the control box carries a lifetime warranty, and the servo motors carry a two-year warranty. All the expensive stuff is covered for at least two years!
The manufacturer's database built into our software has thousands of charts covering almost every cylinder key in use today.
NOTE: The 2001 does not cut Medeco Bi-Axial or Commercial keys...sorry!