INDUSTRIAL DATA COMMUNICATIONS USER GUIDE PlantLinc™ 5000 PLR5000 Industrial Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Radio Modem It is essential that all instructions contained in the User Guide are followed precisely to ensure proper operation of equipment.
Product User Guide FCC Notification This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions: 1) 2) This device may not cause harmful interference and This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. The device must be operated as supplied by Data-Linc Group.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Table of Contents Page Introduction ..................................................................................................................................3 Loop Back Bench Test.................................................................................................................3 PLR5000 Modem Configuration...................................................................................................5 Main Menu Option (0): Set Operation Mode ........
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide P/N 161-09888-001 DATA-LINC Group 2
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Introduction The PLR5000 transceiver modems are high performance wireless radio modems designed for heavy-duty industrial data communications in the 902-928 MHz license-free band. It employs advanced spread spectrum frequency hopping and error detection technology to achieve very reliable, noise and interference immune operation. An RF data rate of 38.4 Kbps and superior sensitivity provide ultra reliable data integrity at data rates from 1200 to 38.4 Kbps.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide 4. If your system is configured to use a Repeater(s), find the PLR5000(s) marked “REPEATER,” and connect its power supply as with the Master above. The red LED marked “P” (power) on the radio modem should turn on. If your system does not have a Repeater, skip this step. 5. Locate the PLR5000(s) labeled “REMOTE.” Connect the power supply to the PLR5000. The red LED marked “P” (power) on the “REMOTE” radio modem should turn on.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide PLR5000 Modem Configuration The PLR5000 allows you to set several parameters to suit your particular application. All adjustments are done through the PLR5000 setup program, a user interface that eliminates the need for setup diskettes, DIP switch settings or custom software. To access the configuration menu, connect the radio modem to any terminal program with port settings of 19.2Kbaud, 8 data bits, no parity and one stop bit.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (0): Set Operation Mode When item (0) is selected, the Operation Mode Menu appears as shown in Figure 2. The Operation Mode option is used to designate the method in which the particular PLR5000 will be used. The PLR5000 operates in a Master to remote configuration; therefore, any radio modems that are intended to operate together must be set up as such.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide (4) Point-to-Point Remote/Repeater Option 4 allows you to designate the radio modem to act as either a Remote or a Repeater, depending upon the instructions received from the Master for the specific communications session. When a radio modem is placed in an ideal location, this setting offers the flexibility of using that radio modem as an end-point in the communications link (Remote) or to extend the link to a point further (Repeater).
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (1): Set Baud Rate When option (1) is selected, you will be able to change the radio modem’s RS232 baud rate. This is the communication rate between the radio modem and the instrument to which it is connected. It is important to note that this is independent of the baud rate for the other radio modem(s) in the communication loop. For example, PLR5000s may be used in an application to send data from remote process instrumentation to an engineer’s computer.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (2): Edit Call Book The Call Book is an innovative feature in the PLR5000 that offers both security and flexibility in use. The Call Book accomplishes this by allowing the user to determine with which other PLR5000s a given radio modem will communicate, based on the Call Book numbers for both the Master and remote. The radio modem’s Call Book number is encoded in the microprocessor and identified on a label on the modem.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Figure 3: Call Book Menu Shown below are example settings. Please refer to the supplied configuration sheets for your modem’s configuration. Entering or Modifying Numbers in the Call Book Entering or modifying call book numbers in the Call Book is a straightforward process. When in the Call Book menu, select the entry number (0 – 9) you wish to edit. You will be prompted for the new number (formatting is automatic, you do not need to enter the dash).
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Edit Call Book in Multipoint Systems In a multipoint system, the Remotes and Repeaters are not listed in the Master’s Call Book. When establishing such a system, it is necessary only to have the Master’s Call Book number in each Remote’s and Repeater’s Call Book, and to have each Repeater’s Call Book number in the Call Book of each Remote which may potentially communicate through it.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (3): Edit Radio Transmission Characteristics When option (3) is selected in the main menu, the screen in figure 4 appears, which allows the user to modify the radio transmission characteristics of the radio modems. As stated in the warning, these parameters are for the experienced user who has a good understanding of the principles of radio data transmission. They should be changed only after consulting this user guide.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Table 3: Minimum Packet Size Settings (bytes) Setting 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Min Packet Size RF Data Rate =2 16 21 26 32 37 42 48 53 58 64 Setting 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Min Packet Size RF Data Rate =3 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 Table 4: Maximum Packet Size Settings where RF Data Rate=3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 P/N 161-09888-001 0 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 1 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 Maximum Setting 2 3 4 5 40 56 72 88 44 60 76 92 48 64 80 96 52 68 84 100 56 72 88 104
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Table 5: Maximum Packet Size Settings where RF Data Rate=2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 15 20 26 31 36 42 47 52 58 63 1 36 42 47 52 58 63 68 74 79 84 Maximum Setting 2 3 4 5 58 79 100 121 63 84 105 127 68 90 111 132 74 95 116 137 79 100 121 143 84 105 127 148 90 111 132 153 95 116 137 159 100 121 143 164 95 127 148 169 6 143 148 153 159 164 169 175 180 185 190 7 164 169 175 180 185 190 196 201 206 212 8 185 190 196 201 206 212 217 222 228 233 9 206 212 217 222 228 233 238 24
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide (5) RF Xmit Power The PLR5000 offers users the ability to modify the Transmission Power of the radio modem. There are 10 power settings available (1-10) which are roughly linear. Therefore a setting of 10 is full power (or 200 mw) and 1 is 10% power (or 20 mw). For most application power level should be set to 10. (6) Remote Security With option 6 the user may disable the radio modem’s security so it will accept a call from any other PLR5000.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (4): Show Radio Statistics Option (4) in the main menu allows the user to view data transmission statistics, which have been gathered by the Transceiver during the most recent session. Statistics are gathered during each data link and are reset when the next link begins. Ideally, noise levels should be below 30, and the difference between the average signal level and average noise level should be 30 or more.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Number of Disconnects If, during the course of performing a link test, the link between the Master and the Remote is broken, and the radios lose carrier detect, the occurrence is recorded in the Number of Disconnects value. The value indicates the total number of disconnects that have occurred from the time the link test started until the radio was put into config mode. Under normal operating conditions, the number of disconnects should be 0.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Main Menu Option (5): Edit Multipoint Parameters Figure 5: Multipoint Parameters Shown below are example settings. Please refer to supplied configuration sheets for your modem’s configuration. In a multipoint network, it is critical to know how many radio modems are being used as Repeaters. Any radio modem that is used as a Repeater essentially becomes a Master to the Remotes and other Repeaters to which it is communicating.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide beginning to use a back-off algorithm. When the Remote has failed to transmit the packet the number of times specified in Max Remote Retry, it will attempt to transmit to the Master on a random basis. The Retry Odds parameter determines the probability that the Remote will attempt to retransmit the packet to the Master; a low setting will assign low odds to the Remote attempting to transmit and conversely a high setting will assign high odds.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide SubNet ID The PLR5000 series modems offer a SubNet ID system for use in multipoint networks using Network ID. This feature allows the users to dictate what path a given Repeater or remote will use to achieve a link to the network Master. For example, if a Remote modem in a given network has line of sight to the network Master and one or more Repeaters, but only one Repeater is close to that remote, SubNet ID can be used to link that Master with the proper Repeater only.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide PLR5000 Location Placement of your PLR5000 is likely to have a significant impact on its performance. In general, the rule of thumb with the PLR5000 is that the higher the placement of the antenna, the better the communication. In practice, you should also place the radio modem itself away from computers, telephones, answering machines, and other similar equipment. A 6-foot RS232 cable will usually provide ample room for placement away from other equipment.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide PLR5000 Front Panel LEDs The LEDs on the PLR5000’s front panel provide important information the of the radio modems.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Table 8: RS232 Pin Assignments Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Assignment Carrier Detect Transmit Data Receive Data DTR Ground Data Set Ready RTS Clear to Send N/C 7 6 1 2 9 8 3 4 5 DB-9 Female Sample Data Communication Links The PLR5000’s versatility allows data communication links to be established using a variety of different configurations. This, in turn, makes it possible to extend the range of the PLR5000 and communicate around obstacles.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Diagram 3 depicts how a link might be set up using a Repeater. The Repeater may be sitting on a hilltop or other elevated structure to link the Master to the Remote. In this setup, it may be desirable to use an external omni directional antenna on the Repeater; to extend the range Yagi antennas could be used on either or both of the Master and remote. Diagram 3: Point-to-Point with Repeater When a Repeater is used, the RF speed is cut in half, making 38.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Technical Specifications Range* Rated*: 4 miles (6.5 km) RS232 Data Throughput (uncompressed)** 1200 Baud - 38.4 Kbaud RS232 Interface Asynchronous, full-duplex System Gain 129 dB Minimum Receiver Decode Level -106 dBm @ 10-6 raw BER Operating Frequency 902-928 MHz Modulation Type Spread Spectrum, GFSK Spreading Code Frequency Hopping Hop Patterns 15 (user selectable) RF Data Rate 38.4 Kbps / 50.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Troubleshooting “I have two radio modems, one configured as a Master and the other as a Remote. When they are plugged in, the LEDs indicate they are receiving power, and yet they will not connect. Why not?” There are several reasons why this may occur: 1. The radio modems are running at full power and are too close to each other.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide are powered, the Remotes’ Carrier Detect lights should be green. When the Repeater is unplugged, the Remotes should lose contact and Carrier Detect should turn red. “My radio modems have established a solid connection as indicated by the LEDs, yet the application I am running is not transmitting and/or receiving data correctly.” In most cases, this is due to an incompatible port setting on one or both ends of the system.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Technical Support Data-Linc Group maintains a fully trained staff of service personnel who are capable of providing complete product assistance. They can provide you with technical, application and troubleshooting, spare parts and warranty assistance. Our technical staff is based in Bellevue, Washington USA and may be reached at (425) 882-2206 or e-mail support@data-linc.
PlantLinc PLR5000 User’s Guide Appendix A PlantLinc PLR5000 Enclosure Dimensions P/N 161-09888-001 DATA-LINC Group 29
