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Table of Contents
System Startup
Running a Radiator
Adding to the Family Table
Calibration
Taking an Averaged Sensor Out of Service
Backing Up the System
Troubleshooting
References
Contacts
System Startup
In order to use the system, two programs must be running. The first program is called NetCom. This program handles the communication with the hardware, does the report generation, and the heat flow calculations. This program runs in the background. It is normally minimized on the task bar. Be careful not to start two copies of this program. If to copies get started accidentally, kill both of them by right clicking on the task bar icon for it, and selecting close. Then start up just one single copy of NetCom.
The second program, which must be running in order to use the system, is the web browser.
There is also a system service called Apache, which must be running in order to use the system. This system service is started automatically every time the computer boots.
When you login as operator, all the required programs are automatically started.
The main run screen looks like this (clicking on the picture below, goes to the live screen):
Running a Radiator
The first step in running a radiator is to click on the Model link at the top of the page. It will pull up the following page (clicking on the picture below, goes to the live screen):
Select the family number in the drop down list. If the model is not in the table, click on the Family link, and follow the procedure in the next section to add to the family table. Enter the Fin count, Stamp tag info, and run number. Then, hit the Save button. You will be taken back to the main run screen.
Hit the "Start New Test" button.
Set up the system for the 268 air flow speed. Get all other parameters in the proper range, and wait for the system to stabilize. After it does, hit the "Take Data" button. A report is printed for this air speed.
Do the same thing at the other 2 air speeds.
Finally, hit the "Test Summary" button to get the top page for the report.
If you take sample for an air speed, and desire to undo it and collect a new sample, hit the "Erase Data" button. If you want to erase all the data and start the test over, hit the "Start New Test" button.
Adding to the Family Table
Parameters are stored for each radiator model to be tested in the \radiator\cfg\family.dat file, which is an ASCII file. It may be edited with an editor such as notepad. If you use notepad to edit this file, make sure you save it as a raw ASCII file, without enhanced notepad formatting.
You can backup the entire family database by simply copying this file to a CD or Floppy.
Starting with software version 0.2.2, there are also pages in the web interface for editing the family database. This is now the preferred way to make changes to this file.
Click on the family link at the top of any web page to access this function. [ clicking on the picture below, goes to the live screen ]
To make changes to a particular model, type in the changes on the appropriate row of this table. Then hit the Change button. If you make changes to a row, and fail to hit the Change button, the edits will not stick.
To delete a model from the family database, hit the delete button in the corresponding row.
To add a new family number, enter the information on the last line of the form. Then, hit the add button.
Calibration
Hardware devices work in raw units. The calibration coefficients map these raw units into real word engineering units, using a linear fit. Since 2 points determine a line, it takes 2 calibration set points to set up this mapping. It is recommended that you calibrate each device at its lower and upper limits for normal operation. This is to reduce the effects of round-off error in the calibration process. However, the device will still operate over a larger span than it was calibrated within, but it will not be quite as accurate as if a larger range was used during calibration.
You calibrate sensors using the calibrate pages in the web interface. They are grouped together so that multiple sensors may be calibrated at the same time. The groups are accessed from links at the top of each page.
They are as follows
(clicking on a link below, goes to that live screen):
Tina - air inlet temperature sensors
Touta - air outlet temperature sensors
Tother - water temperature sensors, and other temperatures
Pressure - pressure transducers and the water flow meter
Here is the tother group (clicking on the picture below, goes to the live screen):
To calibrate a group of sensors, you must first select the group of sensors to be calibrated by checking the cal checkbox for each sensor to be calibrated. For groups of sensors, which are averaged together, there are a set of helper buttons on the screen to check all the cal checkboxes in the group, and another button to uncheck all the cal checkboxes.
Next you subject all the sensors in the group to a signal source in the lower end of the operation range. You enter the known value of this signal source in the target value text box, and hit the "cal low" button. Next you subject the sensor to a signal source near the upper operation limit, enter the known value of the signal source in the "target value" field, and hit the "cal upper" button. Then, you verify the accuracy of the calibration by subjecting the sensor to multiple signals across the calibration range, and observing the computer's live reading in the "current engineering" text box for the sensor.
It does not matter if you calibrate the low point first, or the high point first. If the water in the bath is already hot, you can do the high point first. If the water in the bath is already cool, you can do the low point first. You can also do the low points on all groups of sensors first, then come back and get the high point for all sensors. By using this method, you do not have to cycle the bath temperature for each group of sensors. You can cycle the bath temperature once for all sensors combined.
You also have complete freedom for calibrating just some of the sensors, all of the sensors, or any other combination of sensors. Just make sure the cal checkbox is checked for each sensor to be calibrated.
You can print out the calibration page for future reference. If for some reason you wanted to go back to the calibration from a printed report, you can just enter 4 numbers for each sensor (raw low, eng low, raw high, and eng high), then click on the "save" button. When manually entering numbers, the cal button does not need to be checked.
All the calibration data is stored in a small ASCII file called \radiator\cfg\cal.par, so to back up the calibration, you just need to copy this file to a CD or floppy. To go back to a previous calibrated state, just move the file back from the backup media to the \radiator\cfg folder.
When you hit the cal low checkbox, then for each sensor with the cal checked, the target value number is moved into the "low Eng" text field. The "current raw" text box values are also moved into the "low raw" text field. When you hit the cal high button, the same operation is applied to the "high raw" and "high eng" text boxes. Each pair of (eng, raw) data points is an endpoint on the calibration line. So, all four of these values fully defines the calibration curve (line).
Taking an Averaged Sensor Out of Service
For the averaged temperature sensors, it is possible to take some of the sensors out of service. This is used in the event that they fail, or fall out of calibration. To take a sensor out of service, go to the calibration screen for that sensor. Just under the sensor \name, there is a drop down list with two options "In Service" and "Out of Service". Select "Out of Service" then hit the save button. If you take a non-redundant sensor out of service, (such as the water flow meter), the system ignores that request since it is not able to function without that sensor.
Backing Up the System
The custom system files are all under the \radiator folder on the main computer. To back up the important files, save this folder and all it's subfolders to the CD Rom drive.
The only dynamic files are in the \radiator\cfg folder. These files are family.dat, and cal.par. These two files are quite small and will easily fit on a floppy. It just takes a couple of seconds to back these files up.
In the event you restore files from a CD Rom, make sure the Read-Only attribute is not set, otherwise the system will not function properly. Go to Explorer, right click on the Radiator folder, and pick properties. Make sure the read-only check box is clear. If you make changes, apply them to all subfolders.
Troubleshooting
The system makes heavy use of Ethernet for communications between components. If there is a network problem, the system will not function properly. There is a 192.168.0.0/24 subnet for communicating between the PC and the PLC. There is also a 192.168.1.0/24 subnet for communicating between the remote I/O and the PLC (in the same enclosure in the inside room). Make sure all the "Link Good" indicators are on. If not, check for bad cables. There is a green indicator light on the PC just below the Ethernet jack, which is the "Link good" light for that side of the link.
You can test connectivity between the PC and the PLC by pinging the PLC at 192.168.0.1
Make sure the "Run" indicator is lit on the PLC. If not, try pushing the switch on the PLC into program mode, then into run mode, then back to the center position. If the run indicator light is still not on, you will have to use the DS32 software to go online with the PLC to find the problem.
If NetCom is not running, numbers on the display will not update. All the text boxes will have a single x character in it. As soon as you start NetCom, the system should come to life.
If multiple copies of NetCom are running that causes problems. You must then stop all copies, and restart a single copy.
If the test will not balance, go into the calibration screens, and scan them for bad sensors.
References
Sensor Wire Color Codes
Conputer Mother Board
PLC User's Manual:
Volume 1
-
Volume 2
Analog Inpu Modules
Ethernet Communications Module
Ethernet Remote Master
Terminator Installation Manual
Water Pressure Transducer
Micrro Motion Water Mass Flow Meter
Honeywell Barometer
Contacts
Keith Beidelman
Beidelman Software
10530 McPhrson
Indianapolis, IN 46280
Tel: (317) 575-8294
Fax: (317) 575-1829
keith@BeidelmanSoftware.com
Client Support Web Site:
http://clients.BeidelmanSoftware.com/visteon
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