Specifications

Sicon-8 Technical Manual CircuitWerkes, Inc.
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commands or change the state of any of its relays. By default, the Sicon-8 cannot remotely exit from the local mode but, it is possible
to set the Sicon-8 up so that an administrator can remotely toggle the Sicon-8 out of local mode. For additional safety it is
strongly suggested that, in addition to setting the Sicon-8 to Local mode, the remote/local switch on
any transmitter or high Voltage equipment also be set to the local mode.
CAUTION: While the Sicon-8's relays are physically capable of handling 250 VAC, this practice is very dangerous and should
never be attempted. The terminal strips are not designed to shield humans from potentially dangerous Voltages. Contact
with high Voltages can cause serious injury or death. The maximum recommended Voltage for the Sicon-8 is 30V. Switching
of high voltages should only be done externally and in a manner that isolates the voltages from accidental contact with
people.
Surge Protection
Although the Sicon-8 has built-in resistance to voltage changes, we recommend that you use a power surge protector or
line conditioner on the incoming AC line. Lightning strikes and other high surges in voltage levels will damage your Sicon-8
and connected equipment if it is not properly protected.
UPS Standby Power System
We recommend that you connect your Sicon-8 to a battery backup system. While all operating and user parameters are
stored in non-volatile RAM, brownout conditions and lightning indiced spikes can disable or damage equipment. A UPS
helps minimize the risk to the Sicon-8 and has the added benefit that it will then be able to notify you of the power outage
by phone, pager, or data, depending on the configuration of your system.
Connecting your Sicon-8 to other equipment6
The Sicon-8 is equipped with 16 relays organized in 8 channels to provide you with control over your transmitter site
equipment. Each channel consists of a raise/on relay and a lower/off relay. These raise relays are used to turn equipment on or
to raise a given parameter, like power, for instance. Similarly, the lower relays are usually used to turn equipment off or to
reduce the specified parameter. These relays can be used to control any equipment in any way, but it is recommended, for the
sake of simplicity, that equipment is turned on or parameters increased using the raise relays and equipment turned off or
parameters lowered with the lower relays.
The first six channels consist of heavy-duty SPDT relays, rated at 3 A @ 30 VDC or 3 A @ 250 VAC, which operate in
momentary mode. Although these relays are rated to handle up to 250 VAC, it is forbidden to do so due to the dangers
associated with exposing such high voltages. Hazardous voltages must be switched with slave relays or equivalent in
an isolated enclosure that prevents anyone from accidentally making contact with the high voltage. Three contacts are
made available on the back panel for each of these relays, the common line the normally-open and the normally-closed contact.
Channels 7 and 8 each consist of two DPDT relays (one for raise/on and one for lower/off) which can operate in
momentary or latching mode. These relays can tolerate up to 1 A @ 30 VDC or 0.3 A @ 125 VAC (again, connecting high
voltages to the Sicon-8 is dangerous and must not be done.) Since these relays may operate in the latching mode, they
are ideal for use as a simple, stereo, audio switcher. These relays can also be operated in momentary mode, so they can
be used as standard control outputs, as well. All six contacts of each relay are brought out on the back panel barrier strip,
so any and all of their contacts may be utilized.
Once your equipment has been connected to the Sicon-8, insert the push-on connector into the back-panel connector on
the Sicon-8, with the set screws facing up.
WARNING! Double check that you have connected your equipment to the correct Sicon-8 relays. Count the screw
terminals on your depluggable connector to be sure that the wires are in the correct positions and that you have
inserted the connector into the right connector bank. It is recommended that you only unplug one connector at a time
to avoid accidentally swapping them. Incorrect wiring can cause command failure, damage to your equipment or
hazardous operation.