A80 CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT 3500 FT DURING AUTOMATION PROBS LEADING TO A FAILURE TO REALIZE ONE ACFT INVOLVED WAS IFR.

Narrative

WHILE WORKING THE SATELLITE F POS; I HAD AN OPERROR BECAUSE OF 2 AUTOMATION PROBS AT OUR FACILITY. THE FIRST PROB WAS THE FLT PROGRESS STRIPS PRINTED OUT AT THE WRONG POS; AND THE SECOND PROB WAS THE ACFT INVOLVED IN THE ERROR DID NOT TAG UP ON MY POS SYMBOL TAG. ATL TWR CALLED ME FOR A RELEASE ON 2 ACFT TO VPC. I ADVISED THEY WERE BOTH RELEASED. (WHEN ACFT DEPART ATL; THE LCL CTLR SCANS A BAR CODE ON THEIR FLT PROGRESS STRIP. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO PRINT OUT A STRIP AT THE APPROPRIATE RADAR POS THAT WILL NEXT WORK THE ACFT. IN THIS CASE; HOWEVER; INSTEAD OF THE STRIP PRINTING OUT AT SATELLITE F; IT PRINTED OUT AT N DEP.) WHEN THE FIRST STRIP PRINTED OUT AT N DEP; THE DEP CTLR CALLED ME AND ADVISED ME HE HAD A STRIP ON A VFR PA28 GOING TO VPC. WHEN THE FIRST ACFT CALLED ME; HE DID NOT HAVE HIS XPONDER ON; SO I HAD TO DEVOTE A LOT OF ATTN TO GETTING THE ACFT RADAR IDENTED. WHEN THE SECOND PA28 DEPARTED; ITS FLT PROGRESS STRIP ALSO PRINTED OUT AT N DEP. THE SECOND ACFT DID HAVE ITS XPONDER ON; HOWEVER; BECAUSE OF AUTOMATION PROBS; THE ARTS TAG CAME UP ON ANOTHER CTLR'S POS SYMBOL. WHEN THE PLT CALLED; HE DID NOT STATE HIS ASSIGNED ALT OR ALT LEAVING. AFTER I MODIFIED THE TAG TO MY SYMBOL; AND VERIFIED THE ACFT'S MODE C; I ISSUED THE ACFT 3500 FT THINKING HE; TOO; WAS VFR. (THIS IS THE ALT VFR ACFT ARE ISSUED OFF OF ATL.) THE ERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE PA28 I THOUGHT WAS VFR FLEW OVER FTY AT 3500 FT WHEN AN IFR ACFT DEPARTED FTY CLBING TO 3000 FT. WHEN THE SECOND PA28 WAS 15 MI NW OF FTY; I NOTICED AN INBOUND IFR FLT PROGRESS STRIP ON THE SUBJECT ACFT. AFTER QUESTIONING THE ACFT; I DETERMINED THE ACFT WAS IFR.