NL6000 Wireless Modem NL6000 User Manual Rev 1.1 WWW.RFNEULINK.
Copyright Copyright © 2003 by RF Neulink. This manual may be reproduced for distribution with the NL6000 as long as the manual remains intact, in its entirety, with all appropriate Copyright, Intellectual property, and Trademark notices. This product contains intellectual property and copyrighted material owned by RF Neulink.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Product Overview ....................................................................................................... 6 1.1. Features ............................................................................................................. 7 Regulatory Information ............................................................................................... 9 Specifications ........................................................................................
7. 8. 6.3. Serial Connection Setup .................................................................................. 31 Setting the Baud Rate......................................................................................... 31 Setting the Data Bits ....................................................................................... 31 Setting the Stop Bits ........................................................................................ 31 Setting the Transmit Character Timeout .........
Appendix A Diagnosing and Correcting Performance Problems .................................... Setting the Power Value............................................................................................... Setting the Frequency Trim (includes setting Power) ............................................... Setting the Deviation and Balance ............................................................................ Setting the Receive Gain...............................................................
1. Product Overview The RF Neulink NL6000 is an integrated radio modem that provides reliable bidirectional RS-232 data transmissions on a land mobile radio channel. Configurable RS-232, radio, and packet data parameters provide the NL6000 with the flexibility necessary for use in both simple and complex networks. In its simplest configuration, the NL6000 transmits wireless data from one modem to another to send instructions and receive a response.
The NL6000 s powerful and efficient packet communications protocol provides a solution to many of the problems affecting conventional wireless data networks. Bursts of noise, RF interference, inter-modulation, overload, and signal fade can corrupt and interrupt radio data links. The NL6000 eliminates these problems through the use of advanced technologies including sophisticated forward error correction technology.
Single and Multi- Point Addressing An NL6000 can be configured to transmit to a single unit, a group of units, or to broadcast to all units within range. Acknowledgement The NL6000 can be configured to request an acknowledgement (ACK) from the destination modem with each transmission. If it does not receive an ACK, the unit can retransmit a specified number of times.
2. Regulatory Information Notice It is the responsibility of the user of this equipment to obtain the proper FCC license to operate this product on the desired channel of operation. FCC Part 15 This product complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules and regulations (Code of Federal Regulations 47CFR Part 15). It may not be modified without the expressed consent of RF Neulink. Modification of this product could void the user s authorization to use the product.
3. Specifications GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions DC voltage input Operating temperature Number of Channels Number of ID codes Over-the-air (Tx) data rate Serial port baud rates RF input/output connector Data interface Serial interface Mode of operation Frequency control Error control RF Neulink 3.0 in L x 2.6 in W x 1.6 in H Nominal 10-15 VDC -30° C to +60° C 64 65,525 12,000 bps or 22,050 bps 1200 bps, 2400 bps, 4800 bps, 9600 bps, 19.2 kbps, 28.8 kbps, 38.
UHF RADIO SPECIFICATIONS Model Numbers NL6000 Transmission frequencies Current Drain at 12 V: 450-470 MHz & 400-420 MHz IDLE radio channel 0.2 amps Receive 0.2 amps Transmit: 0.5 watts 1.0 amps Transmit: 1.0 watts 1.2 amps Transmit: 2.0 watts 1.6 amps Transmit: 3.0 watts 1.9 amps Transmit: 4.0 watts 2.2 amps Transmit: 5.0 watts 2.6 amps Transmit: 6.0 watts Transmitter: 3.1 amps RF power 1 to 6 watts Modulation 4-FSK with spectral precoder Frequency stability 1.
VHF RADIO SPECIFICATIONS Model Numbers NL6000-VHF (148-174 MHz) NL6000-VHF1 (136-162 MHz) Transmission frequencies Current Drain at 12 V: 136-162 MHz, 148-174 MHz IDLE radio channel 0.2 amps Receive 0.2 amps Transmit: 0.5 watts 1.0 amps Transmit: 1.0 watts 1.3 amps Transmit: 2.0 watts 1.7 amps Transmit: 3.0 watts 2.1 amps Transmit: 4.0 watts 2.4 amps Transmit: 5.0 watts 2.6 amps Transmit: 6.0 watts Transmitter: 2.
4. Hardware Installation and Operation 4.1. Parts Description Figure 3: Parts Description of the NL6000 Part # (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) 4.2. Description Antenna Connector USB Port (used by factory) Tx/Rx LED Power Connector Pwr/USB LED Serial Port (DB9 Connector) Power Connections Connect a 12 VDC power supply to the power connector to provide power to the NL6000. Note: If you want to use an external power amplifier, contact the RF Neulink sales department. 4.3.
The NL6000 is a Data Communications Equipment (DCE) device. Other equipment that can connect to the NL6000 via the serial port fall into one of the following categories: DTE Data Terminal Equipment (computers, mainframes, terminals) DCE Data Communications Equipment (modems, printers, other peripherals) Connect a DTE device to the DB9 connector with a 9-pin male connector wired one-for-one as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Connect a DCE device to the DB9 connector with a null modem cable wired as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6: DTE to DTE Connection 4.4. Antenna Connection You must connect a suitable antenna to the RF antenna connection. This antenna is used for both transmitting and receiving over-the-air messages. Caution: Do not operate the radio modem without an antenna. 4.5. LEDs Table 1 interprets the two LEDs on the NL6000.
The NL6000 comes factory-configured for the broadcast mode of operation and tuned and tested on the default frequency of 464.550 MHz (UHF), 154.6000 MHz (VHF) and 221.5 MHz for the 216-235 MHz band. The NL6000 operates automatically after you properly install the physical units and configure the software parameters. In most networks with more than two units, you must set the MYID and TOID parameters before operation.
If a reliable path does not exist between a remote unit and a base station, you can configure one or more NL6000 units as a repeater to reach the hidden unit. The repeater can work with both simplex and half duplex networks. See Section 5.5 for additional detail on the unique behavior of a repeater unit. You can select from three radio channel transmission modes that provide increasing levels of error control.
Figure 8 shows the use of a wildcard (12FF) to transmit data to multiple units within range of Unit #1 that have a MYID starting with 12 Figure 8: Addressing with Wildcards Figure 9 shows the use of a wildcard (FFFF) to broadcast data to all units within range of Unit #1. Figure 9: Using Wildcards to Broadcast 5.5. Behavior of Repeater Units When configured as a repeater, the unit listens for packets that qualify for repeating in addition to its normal functions.
Consider the following example of a repeater (MYID3000) configured to repeat packets transmitted from a base station (MYID2000) to a hidden remote (MYID4203). Unit MYID3000 is configured with a repeater entry that has a Trigger = TOID and ID = 4203. This entry tells unit MYID3000 to listen for packets that have a destination address of TOID4203. If the repeater receives a packet matching the criteria, it immediately repeats the packet. Figure 10 illustrates this scenario.
Figure 12: Repeat to Multiple Remotes using Wildcard Likewise, it is possible to set up a single repeater entry that will repeat packets received from any member of a group of hidden remotes. In Figure 13, a repeater entry with a Trigger = MYID and ID = 42FF repeats any packet received from the group of remotes matching MYID42FF. Figure 13: Repeat from Multiple Remotes using Wildcard If you plan to use more than one frequency in your network, frequency planning is important when you use repeaters.
In Figure 14, the repeater unit listens on FA for transmissions from both the base station and the remote. The example shows a half-duplex channel between the repeater and base station (FA and FB) and a simplex channel between the repeater and remote (FA only). If the network plan requires more than one repeater unit to reach the hidden remote, you can specify a Transmit Delay (msec) to stagger the transmissions from each repeater. Figure 15 shows a sample network with two repeaters.
• Mobile Data mode Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of each transmission mode Basic Telemetry Enhanced Telemetry Mobile Data Mode Mode Mode Spectral Pre-coding Yes Yes Yes Randomization Yes Yes Yes CRC Yes Yes Yes FEC No Yes Yes Interleaving No No Yes Table 2: Transmission Mode Characteristics To select the best transmission mode for a unit, consider the following factors: • Signal strength between the unit and its destination unit(s) • Reliability of the path between the
it contains the least amount of overhead and the highest percentage of user data in each packet. Basic Telemetry mode provides the highest throughput on a clean channel. However, if there is a transmission error, you will lose the entire packet. Therefore, when using Basic Telemetry mode, use a smaller Maximum Packet Size so that you lose very little user data if an error does occur. In this situation, smaller packets have a better chance of getting through.
Best Choice: Mobile Data Mode Because you expect a corrupt channel, use the mode that has the greatest amount of error control. Mobile Data mode includes three types of error control, Reed-Solomon forward error correction, error detection, and a block interleaver. This mode provides for maximum transmission reliability on a corrupt channel. Since the packet size is large, any data added to the packet to fill the interleaver is insignificant.
5.6.5. Carrier Sense Multiple Access If a unit s transmit and receive frequencies are the same, it may be helpful to enable Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA). This option does not allow transmission of a packet until the channel is free of contention. 5.7. Serial Connection to an I/O Device 5.7.1. Basic Serial Parameters The NL6000 can receive data strings from a variety of I/O devices through its RS232 serial port.
a programming state. If the mode is set to DCD 232, certain I/O devices can wake up when the DCD signal is asserted and turn off when the signal is negated. 5.7.4. Pre- and Post-Data DCD Time Two additional parameters, Pre-Data DCD Time and Post-Data DCD Time, must be set when using the DCD 232 option. The pre-data time value sets the number of milliseconds it takes for the device to wake up after the modem asserts the line.
6. Procedures This section includes step-by-step procedures for configuring all the parameters that control the operation of the NL6000. The procedures are grouped into the following categories: • General Procedures • Radio Network Setup • Serial Connection Setup • Data Setup • Repeater Setup • File Management Configuration of the NL6000 parameters is easy using the menu-driven user interface. When you enter programming mode using the terminal emulator, a Main Menu appears.
6.1. General Procedures Entering Programming Mode Perform this procedure when you need to reset any of the existing configuration parameters for the NL6000. Note: If the Programming Mode is Disabled, you must perform this procedure within five seconds of powering on the unit. 1. Open HyperTerminal or Procomm. 2. Type …// The Main Menu opens. Setting the Program Mode The Program Mode parameter determines when the operator can enter programming mode from operational mode. 1. Select Serial ä Program Mode. 2.
Returning to the Previous Menu Press the ESC key at any time to return to the previous menu. The changes you made up to that point are saved until you leave the Main Menu using Exit, Continue, or Restart. Displaying the Configuration Summary Window Select 1 - Summary from the Main Menu. The summary window appears as in Figure 18.
6.2. Radio Network Setup Setting the Unit Type 1. Select Network ä Unit Type. 2. Select from the following options: 1-Base Configure as a base station. This unit type receives the TOID from the data packet received through the serial port. 2-Remote Configure as a remote. This unit type receives the TOID from its configuration. Setting the Unit ID (MYID) 1. Select Network ä MYID. 2. Enter a unique identification for the unit. The value must be a hexadecimal value between 0001 and FFFE.
6.3 Serial Connection Setup Setting the Baud Rate 1. Select Serial ä Baud Rate. 2. Select a baud rate for the connection between the modem and I/O device. The options range from 1200 to 38400. Setting the Data Bits 1. Select Serial Data Bits. 2. Select the number of data bits per byte sent from the I/O device. The options are 7 or 8 bits per byte. Setting the Stop Bits 1. Select Serial ä Stop Bits. 2. Select the number of number of bits used to designate the end of a byte.
3-DCD 232 In this mode, certain I/O devices can wake up when the DCD signal is asserted and turn off when the signal is negated. If you select this option, the DCD 232 menu appears for you to set the Pre-Data DCD Time and PostData DCD Time. Setting the Pre-Data DCD Time 1. Select Serial DCD Mode ä Pre-Data DCD Time. 2. Enter the number of milliseconds it takes for the device to wake up after the modem asserts the line. The value must be a 3-digit number.
Refer to Section 5.6.1 for more information about each packet mode Setting the Data Rate 1. Select Network ä Data Rate. 2. Select the data rate you want to use depending upon the bandwidth you occupy and your licenses. The available options are 12,000 bps and 22,050 bps. Setting the Request ACKs Option 1. Select Network ä Request ACKs. 2. Select from the following options: 1-Enable When the modem sends data it requests an ACK from the destination modem.
6.5. Repeater Setup Each NL6000 unit may have up to eight repeater entries. Each repeater entry includes a trigger, trigger ID, transmit channel, and transmit delay value. If a unit does not act as a repeater, do not set up any repeater entries. For more information about setting up a repeater unit, refer to Section 5.5 Table 3 shows how to set up the Trigger and ID values for each type of repeater trigger.
Setting the Repeater Trigger ID 1. Select Network ä Repeater ä ID. 2. Enter the value of the trigger ID as follows: • If the Trigger is MYID, type the MYID value of the destination remote unit. The value must be a hexadecimal value between 0001 and FFFE. • If the Trigger is TOID, type the TOID value of the destination base station. The value must be a hexadecimal value in the range 0001 to FFFF. Note: An ID of 0000 and a Trigger of MYID indicates the repeater entry is ignored.
initiate the download at this time, press ESC. There is a delay while the system erases the flash to prepare for the download. 4. When the system prompts you to send the DSP build, initiate the download from the terminal emulator. • If you use Procomm, use the Send ASCII Text option. • If you use HyperTerminal, use the Send Text File option. A message appears with the estimated download time. The estimate is based upon the time it takes using Procomm.
to restore parameters at this time, press ESC. When you press Y, the system erases the current parameter file in flash memory. 4. When the system prompts you to send the parameter file, initiate the restore using the terminal emulator. • If you use Procomm, use the Send ASCII Text option. • If you use HyperTerminal, use the Send Text File option. A success message appears when the restore is complete. 5.
7. Menu Quick Reference 7.1. Main Menu 7.2.
7.3. 7.4.
7.5. 7.6.
7.7. Radio Menu 7.8.
7.9.
8. Other Considerations 8.1. Duty Cycle When the NL6000 transmits data, it generates heat and the case gets warm. If the NL6000 is forced to transmit large amounts of data without a cooling-off period, damage due to excessive temperature can result. There are two considerations: first, limit data transmission time so that the unit will not overheat. Second, limit the duty cycle of data transmission. When operated in still air, the limits in Table 4 apply.
8.2.4. Use a Fully-Wired RS-232 Cable Some RS-232 cables, especially those hand-made, may not have all of the flow control wires connected. If your application supports hardware flow control (RTS/CTS), then ensure that the cable connecting the NL6000 to the host device has all of the wires connected. Refer to section 4.3. 8.2.5.
Appendix A – Diagnosing and Correcting Performance Problems Factory technicians use the procedures in this section for initial modem alignment. After installation, a qualified electronic technician can use these procedures to diagnose and correct performance problems. Only an electronic technician with training in RF radio alignment should perform these procedures. Always perform these procedures using calibrated test equipment.
• Enter the active channel assignment for the radio. The value must be a number in the range 01 64. • Press ESC to return to the Main Menu. 4. Select Diagnostics ä Transmit Continuous Random Data. 5. Set the power value as follows: • Select Power from the Diagnostics menu. • While watching the power gauge, change the power value and check the gauge to see that the power value registers correctly. The value must be a number in the range 0 1023. • Press ESC to return to the Diagnostics menu. 6.
8. Set the deviation value as follows: • Select Deviation from the Diagnostics menu. • While watching the deviation gauge on the IFR, enter 1-Increase Deviation 0.25 dB or 2-Decrease Deviation 0.25 dB until the deviation gauge measures 2.5 kHz for a low data rate or 4 kHz for a high data rate. • Press Ctrl-A or Ctrl-B to save the balance and deviation values as the first or second reference point. • Press ESC to return to the Diagnostics menu.
• Press ESC twice to return to the Main Menu. • Select Exit to save the Receive Diagnostic Mode setting and enter operating mode. Appendix B - Factory Default Parameters The following chart lists the default values set for each parameter at the factory. Use the last column to record any custom values you need to set. Category Radio Parameter Default Value Unit Type Remote MYID 1234 TOID FFFF Active Channel 1 Custom Value Rx Frequency on Active Channel 464.
Index A H acknowledgements, 26 Active Channel, 32 addressing, source and destination, 18 antenna connection, 15 hardware installation, 13 I ID, 37 B L Balance, 48 base station unique requirements, 18 LEDs, 15 C M carrier sense multiple access.
Power value, 47 Pre-Data DCD Time, 34 procedures, 29 Program Mode, 30 serial port connector, 13 setting the active channel, 32 the baud rate, 33 the contention option, 35 the data bits, 33 the data rate, 35 the DCD mode, 33 the flow control option, 33 the maximum packet size, 34 the packet mode, 34 the post-data DCD time, 34 the pre-data DCD time, 34 the program mode, 30 the receive frequency, 32 the repeater transmit channel, 37 the repeater transmit delay, 37 the repeater trigger, 36 the repeater trigger