Technical Manual

11
The Interface Board
must be performed thus driving the unit in the hibernation mode. If the unit was
completely switched off due to an extremely low battery level, Q10 would start it up
again only if external power is applied to the power connector (e.g. from a solar pan-
el).
The terminal mode is implemented by means of the built-in UART. No on-board lev-
el drivers are present in order to minimize power consumption; a special adapter ca-
ble that performs the TTL to RS232 level shift and vice-versa is available. By means
of this cable and using the implemented commands, various parameters can be
changed/configured (see also the chapter “Software” on page 34).
2.4. The Interface Board
The interface board assures the connection between the main board described above
and the outside world. It contains the three connectors (
I/O A
,
I/O B
and
POWER
) and
some passive components protecting the pulse inputs. Each of the
I/O
connectors can
accept:
• Three analog inputs;
• One digital Input or Output (its functionality can be switched remotely);
• One pulse counter input.
The
POWER
connectors allows for:
• External supply (battery or any DC source from 5 to 10 volts);
• External charge supply (either a solar panel or an AC adaptor) if an internal
rechargeable battery is used;
• Communication over serial lines, at 19200 baud.
Note: The serial line is TTL compatible, a special adaptor cable must be used to reach the RS-232
levels. If an external battery is used, then the internal battery must be disconnected.