Installation manual

900M050U00  Athena Controls, Inc. 5-1

5. Input Parameters – Required

5.1 Introduction

If you plan to use a thermocouple or RTD input and a unit of measure other than

Fahrenheit (the default), the first step is changing the unit of measure to Celsius or

Kelvin.

Otherwise, the first step when configuring a controller is specifying the input type using

the InPInP (input) menu, then specifying the bias (if any) to be applied to the input, scaling

the input (linear types only), specifying the setpoint range, and setting an input filter value

(if any).

This menu is available only when the security access level is set to CnF9CnF9 (configuration)

or FACtFACt (factory).

5.2 Calibration Must Be Appropriate for Input Type

You do not have to calibrate every new controller. When a controller was ordered,

you specified an input type for which the unit was calibrated at the factory. This is not the

specific type chosen with the input menu tYPEtYPE (type) parameter, such as J

thermocouple, or 0 to 20 mA linear. In the context of ordering the controller, “type” refers

to these choices:

• RTD

• compressed RTD

• thermocouple

• millivolt linear

• volt linear

• current linear input.

The controller was calibrated at the factory for the type of input specified. If you use the

controller with a different type of input, you must recalibrate as described in Section 18

unless you ordered the “Calibrate All” input option.

For example, if you specified when you ordered the controller that you planned to use a

thermocouple as the sensor, then you can use the input menu tYPEtYPE (type) parameter to

choose any thermocouple type: B, C, E, J, K, N, NNM, R, S, T, or Platinel II. The

controller will be calibrated appropriately at the factory. However, if you ordered

thermocouple calibration, but decide to use the controller with an RTD sensor, then you

should recalibrate before using the controller.

The access level in all new 16C, 18C, and 25C controllers is set to CnF9CnF9 at the factory. If you cannot

see the input menu, the access level has been changed to a more restrictive level. Instructions for

changing the access level are in Section 17.

To determine whether the controller in hand was calibrated at the factory for all input types, check the

model number on the label on the controller. The meaning of each character in the model number is in

the installation manual supplied with the controller.