BERKSHIRE PRODUCTS PC Watchdog User manual
USB
PC Watchdog
Hardware Manual
BERKSHIRE PRODUCTS, INC
Phone: 770-271-0088
http://www.berkprod.com/
Rev: 2.30
© Copyri ht 2001 - 2011
PC Watchdog is a re istered trademark of Berkshire Products
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1
2. OPERATION ............................................................................................................................................ 3
3. DIP SWITCH SETTINGS ........................................................................................................................ 5
3.1 MODE SWITCHES - SW1 & SW2 ................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 SWITCH #1 - PASSIVE MODE ........................................................................................................................... 5
3.3 SWITCH #2 - ACTIVE MODE ............................................................................................................................ 5
3.4 SWITCH #3 - BUZZER DISABLE ........................................................................................................................ 5
3.5 SWITCH #4 - OVER- TEMP RESET .................................................................................................................... 6
3.6 SWITCH #5 - POWER ON DELA (POD) ......................................................................................................... 6
3.7 SWITCHES #6-8 - WATCHDOG DELA TIME ..................................................................................................... 6
4. SUPPLIED COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................... 7
4.1 INSTALLATION OF SUPPLIED COMPONENTS ........................................................................................................ 7
4.2 USB INTERNAL CONNECTION HEADER ........................................................................................................... 8
4.2.1 INTERNAL MOUNTING .................................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 DRIVER INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................... 8
4.4 AUXILIAR RELA ........................................................................................................................................ 9
4.5 EXTERNAL DIGITAL INPUT (REV-C BOARDS) .................................................................................................. 9
5. LEDS AND BUZZER ............................................................................................................................ 10
5.1 DUAL LEDS ................................................................................................................................................ 10
5.2 SMT USB ACTIVE ..................................................................................................................................... 10
5.3 BUZZER ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
6. WATCHDOG PROGRAMS, DRIVERS AND API ............................................................................ 11
6.1 BPI_WDOG_CONFIG PROGRAM .................................................................................................................. 11
6.2 BPI_WDOG_TICKLE PROGRAM ................................................................................................................... 11
6.3 DRIVERS ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
6.4 DLL & SAMPLE CODE ................................................................................................................................ 11
6.5 WEB SITE DOWNLOADS ................................................................................................................................ 11
7. ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION FILES .................................................................................................. 12
8. APPENDIX A - SPECIFICATIONS ..................................................................................................... 13
9. APPENDIX B - WARRANT ............................................................................................................... 14
10. APPENDIX C - SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT .......................................................................... 15
10.1 CALLING TECH SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................. 15
10.2 PRODUCT RETURNS ..................................................................................................................................... 15
11. APPENDIX D - AGENC APPROVALS ........................................................................................... 16
11.1 FCC - CLASS A ........................................................................................................................................ 16
i
11.2 CE ........................................................................................................................................................... 16
i
1 Introduction
The USB PC Watchdog i an internal device that i u ed to monitor a PC in order to en ure maximum
y tem availability. It ha the following feature :
•Connect to USB port on a PC running Win98, ME, 2000, XP, Vi ta, Win7 including 64-Bit
ver ion .
•Receive power from USB bu .
•Watchdog timer that can be et from 5 econd to 1 hour via DIP witch or 1 econd to 18 hour via
oftware control.
•Monitor the PC USB bu for line activity in the pa ive mode.
•Can be u ed right from the box without any upport program .
•Ha an on-board temp en or to detect fan failure or other over-temp condition .
•Two temperature trip point .
•Trip point can be modified by u er oftware.
•Audible alarm for the temperature trip point.
•Programmable option allow the Watchdog to hold the PC in re et after the upper trip occur .
•Al o ha an active Mode that allow a u er program to have additional control over the Watchdog.
•Two externally vi ible LED how tatu of Watchdog.
•Watchdog ha a econd relay available on an external jack to control other device uch a
triggering an alarm panel.
•New Rev-C ver ion ha u er available digital input for 0.0 to +5.0 input .
•Digital input that can be u ed a external watchdog “tickle” or for edge detection.
•Programmable power-on delay to allow the PC to complete it initialization equence.
•Non-Volatile memory to tore operating parameter .
•Eight byte of non-volatile memory re erved for u er data to implement imple oftware protection
•New: non-volatile memory option to allow low temperature trip point .
1
The late t ver ion of all manual and ample code can be found on our ite at:
http://www.berkprod.com/
If you have any que tion , correction , or feedback about thi manual plea e contact u at:
http://www.berkprod.com/Other_Page /Contact_U .a px
2
2 Operation
Thi device i de igned to monitor PC u ed in critical application uch a : File Server , Voice Mail
Sy tem , ISP y tem , indu trial application , etc. The idea i to make ure the PC i alway available
and running; e pecially for y tem that are not continuou ly monitored.
When the PC i powered up, or after a re et of the PC, the PC Watchdog will wait a pre et amount of
time (2.5 minute tandard) to allow the PC to complete it re et and initialization equence. Thi time
will be referred to a Power-On-Delay (POD). After thi time ha expired, the PC Watchdog will Arm
it elf and tart a watchdog timer running (u er defined time-out period). There i a DIP Switch option
to allow the Watchdog to extend thi time for PC that need additional re-boot time.
Once the Watchdog i ready to arm it elf it will check the DIP Switche and enable up to two
independent operating mode . The e mode can both be active at once. They are:
•Passive Mode – monitor the USB bu for a 32mS polling (interrupt) tran action. Plea e note that
thi mode i no longer recommended.
•Active Mode – require that the ho t communicate with the board via direct communication on a
regular ba i .
Additional DIP Switche are u ed to et the timeout period and temperature mode. If no activity i
detected in Pa ive or Active Mode by the time the Watchdog timer expire , the PC Watchdog will
tart it re et equence on the PC.
The two LED on the Watchdog are u ed for tatu indication. The top LED provide the arming tatu
of the Watchdog by varying the rate at which the LED fla he . When the Watchdog re et the PC it
will turn on the bottom LED and leave it on which provide an indication that at lea t one Watchdog
re et ha occurred, po ibly more. In Active Mode the PC can turn thi LED off and al o get a count of
the number of re et that have occurred. The bottom LED will al o fla h (on or off) once per econd for
a tenth of a econd if a Watchdog timer re et ('tickle”) event occurred in the prior econd.
Note: If you stop your application program or you reset the PC with CTL-ALT-DEL, then e sure to
disa le the Watchdog y unplugging the reset ca le or remove power y disconnecting he USB ca le.
Otherwise it may count down and reset your PC at an inopportune time!
The temperature circuit on the board will monitor the internal temperature of the PC. There are two
tandard temperature trip point available: 46°C (115°) and 56°C (133°F). At the fir t trip point the PC
Watchdog board can activate the Aux relay if the option i elected. It will al o activate an audible
alarm. At the econd trip point the PC Watchdog can optionally activate the re et relay to top the PC
from further proce ing.
There i an option to allow hifting the trip point higher via oftware control. The trip point can be
increa ed in 1°C increment up to 77°C (171°F) and 87°C (189°F).
3
New for Firmware 3.10 and higher:
The temperature circuit on the board can al o monitor the internal temperature of the PC for low
temperature trip point . There are two low temperature trip point available between 30°C (86°F) and
-40°C (-40°F). At the fir t trip point the PC Watchdog board will activate the Aux relay if the option i
elected. It can al o activate the buzzer. At the econd low temperature trip point the PC Watchdog can
optionally activate the re et relay to top the PC from further proce ing.
The new feature i available with a DLL function call or by u ing BPI_WDog_Config program.
4
3 Dip Switch Settings
All the witche are read at power up and after each time that the Watchdog re et the PC. A witch
that i DOWN i OFF and a witch that i UP i ON. The following ection cover the witch option .
Switch Description
1 Enable Passive Mode
2 Enable Active Mode
3 Disable Buzzer
4 Temperature Reset Enable
5 Po er On Delay
6-8 Watchdog Delay Time
3 1 Mode Switches - SW1 & SW2
The e two witche et the operating mode of the Watchdog. If both of the e witche are off then the
Watchdog power up in factory diagno tic mode and will not operate properly!
It i OK for one or both of the e witche to be on at one time. The Watchdog will upport both mode
together.
3 2 Switch #1 - Passive Mode
When thi mode i active the Watchdog will monitor the USB for a 32mS polling (interrupt) packet
from the ho t PC. Each packet will cau e the Watchdog to re et it timeout count. If the PC lock up
and the packet top then the Watchdog will count down to zero and re et the PC. We recommend that
you no longer u e thi option. There i a program on the CD that will “tickle” the board in Active
Mode.
3 3 Switch #2 - Active Mode
If thi witch i on the Watchdog enter command mode. Thi require that the PC end command to
the Watchdog a USB data packet to make it re et the timeout counter. Command can be ent with
the BPI_WDog_Tickle program and with a u er application program u ing the DLL.
3 4 Switch #3 - Buzzer Disable
If thi witch i on the buzzer will be di abled. The buzzer can al o be di abled with oftware option .
5
3 5 Switch #4 - Over- temp Reset
If thi witch i on then the Watchdog will re et and hold the re et on a PC during an over-temp
condition. The fir t trip point i 46°C (115°F) at which point the buzzer will tart to ound. The econd
trip point where the Watchdog can re et the PC i 56°C (133°F). If the Watchdog re et the PC, it will
remain in re et until the temperature drop back below 50°C (122°F). There i a oftware option to
allow hifting the trip point higher via oftware control. The trip point can be increa ed in 1°C
increment up to 77°C (171°F) and 87°C (189°F).
3 6 Switch #5 - Power On Delay (POD)
After a power up or a PC re et the Watchdog normally wait 2.5 minute to allow the PC to re-boot.
Thi time can be hortened in oftware Command Mode. Sometime the PC will require more than 2.5
minute to complete the re-boot, which can be accommodated by turning on thi witch.
In Pa ive or Active Mode the Watchdog will delay tarting the timeout counter until it " ee " the fir t
activity in either of the e mode .
** NOTE ** - Be Careful with this switch. If it is on and the PC locks up during reset then the oard
would not get “tickled” since no program would load. This would leave the PC permanently
frozen. A etter option is to store a longer POD time in non-volatile memory.
3 7 Switches #6-8 - Watchdog Delay Time
The e witche et the delay time until the watchdog re et the PC. A long a the watchdog i
receiving re-trigger pul e it will continue to re et the delay time. The etting and time are hown
below:
Switches 6-8 Delay Time Switches 6-8 Delay Time
OFF-OFF-OFF 5 Seconds ON-OFF-OFF 5 Minutes
OFF-OFF-ON 10 Seconds ON-OFF-ON 10 Minutes
OFF-ON-OFF 30 Seconds ON-ON-OFF 30 Minutes
OFF-ON-ON 1 Minutes ON-ON-ON 1 Hour
The e time can be overridden with other delay by a u er program.
6
4 Supplied Components
The tandard Watchdog package contain the following item :
•The USB PC Watchdog timer on a tandard PC I/O bracket.
•A USB interface cable (Internal or External type)
•A CD-ROM.
•A re et cable
4 1 Installation of Supplied Components
Perform the e tep to in tall the Watchdog:
•Locate an unu ed I/O lot in the PC. Remove the blank bracket and in tall the Watchdog.
•Make ure the Dip witche are et properly before applying power to the Watchdog ince it only
check the witche at power up and after each re et of the PC.
•Di connect the PC re et cable from the motherboard. Plug thi cable onto the J1 (J5 on Rev-B)
header labeled Reset SW in the upper left corner of the Watchdog board.
•Plug the upplied re et cable onto J2 (J4on Rev-B) labeled CPU Reset on the Watchdog board and
plug the other end onto the original re et header on the motherboard.
•Connect the External type USB cable to Ho t port on the PC or a port on a hub. Connect the other
end of the cable to the Watchdog. We recommend connecting to a primary port on the PC rather
than u ing a hub. That way you do not have to worry about the hub powering down or going into
leep mode.
•If you have an internal cable then ee next ection
7
4 2 USB Internal Connection Header
The USB al o ha a four (4) pin 0.100” ingle row header for internal USB connection to a USB header
on a PC motherboard. Thi header i located directly behind the tandard USB connector on the board.
The pin out of the header i :
+1
D- 2
D+ 3
G4
•The enclo ed cable with the four pin ingle row receptacle at each end i u ed to connect to the
motherboard header. The plu (+) connection hould be the RED wire.
•It hould be connected to pin #1 of the USB board header that i marked with a plu (+) ign.
•The red wire hould connect to the Plu (+) terminal on the motherboard header which i
typically marked a pin 1 al o.
NOTES:
Do not reverse the ca le – damage could e done to the Watchdog or the mother oard.
Do not use the regular USB ca le if using the mother oard header connection.
4.2.1 Internal Mountin
The USB can be mounted internally by removing the tandard PC bracket and u ing #4-40 hardware.
There i a mechanical drawing file on the CD which how the dimen ional information for the
mounting hole on the board. The board i light enough to be in talled with double ide Velcro tape a
well.
4 3 Driver Information
When you plug in the USB cable the board will identify it elf to y tem a an HID device and the OS
will a ign it to the HID driver. Thi driver hould already be in talled on the PC a part of the tandard
in tall.
The CD ha a program to tickle the Watchdog without having to write any oftware. See the
BPI_WDog_Tickle directory on the CD for a “tickle” program that can be etup to in tall
automatically.
8
4 4 Auxiliary Relay
There i a econd et of relay contact that are on the 1/8" (3.5mm) tereo jack on the bracket above the
LED . The two relay contact are on the inner two contact of the jack (Tip & Ring). The leeve of the
jack i grounded through it connection to the bracket. Thi relay can be controlled by oftware. The e
dry contact can witch a maximum of 24 volt and 250 mA. Do not exceed the e rating .
A good ource for the plug to u e with thi jack i the Radio Shack PN: 274-869. Another option i to
get a 1/8” (3.55mm) exten ion cable from Walmart, Be t Buy, etc and cut off one end. Strip back the
in ulation and u e the two inner conductor .
4 5 External Digital Input (Rev-C Boards)
Thi input i on the lower tereo jack at the bottom of the bracket on Rev-C board . The input accept
level from 0.0 to 5.0V and it ha a l.0K pull up re i tor to keep the input high when it i unconnected.
The pull up al o allow the u er to connect a dry contact witch to the jack to pull the input low. The
Ring (Right channel) terminal of the jack i connected to the input and the leeve of the jack i ground.
The Tip (Left Channel) contact of the jack i not u ed. The DLL ha a function that allow thi input to
be u ed a digital input and and an external “tickle”.
The figure below how the chematic connection on the jack:
9
5 LEDs and Buzzer
5 1 Dual LEDs
There are two LED on the back of the board. After the PC power up the PC Watchdog will wait a
programmed amount of time ( et by the witch option) before it enter it watchdog mode. During thi
time the top LED will pul e at a 1 econd rate (1 econd on, 1 econd off).
When the PC Watchdog i ready and armed it will tart fla hing the top LED at a 300 milli- econd rate
a an indication that it i running OK. When the watchdog i within 4 econd of re etting the PC it
will fla h thi LED at a 1/10 econd rate.
If the watchdog board re et the PC, the top LED will return to it one- econd toggle rate while it wait
again for the PC to undergo a new re et equence. When thi occur , the bottom LED will be forced on.
Thi LED can be cleared by cycling power on the PC, pre ing the front panel re et button, or by a u er
program. If the watchdog board i receiving re-trigger then it will fla h the bottom LED for 100 milli-
econd during each econd.
5 2 SMT USB Active
Thi urface mount LED i located next to the USB ocket on the board. Thi LED will fla h rapidly
when you fir t plug in the USB to indicate the enumeration proce . After the device ha been
configured then thi LED may fla h to indicate USB activity.
5 3 Buzzer
There i a buzzer in talled on the board. When the fir t temperature trip occur the buzzer will beep.
When the econd trip point occur the buzzer will be on continuou ly. The buzzer will ound briefly
when the board re et the PC and when the board power up. If the board ha a power up problem it
will emit another long 1 econd beep.
There are buzzer option in the upplied DLL and the BPI_WDog_Config program that allow you to
di able the buzzer and change the length of time it ound at re et.
10
6 Watchdog Programs, Drivers and API
In April of 2010 all the oftware for the PC Watchdog i now common. That mean the program and
DLL will work with all ver ion of PC Watchdog .
6 1 BPI_WDog_Config Program
Thi program i in the BPI_WDog_Config directory of the CD along with it manual. It i in a .m i file
that will in tall it automatically. You can u e thi program to te t the watchdog and configure the non-
volatile (NV) memory option .
6 2 BPI_WDog_Tickle Program
Thi program i for u er who do not want to write their own application or in tall watchdog upport
in their current application. It i in the BPI_WDog_Tickle directory on the CD a a .m i file that will
in tall it automatically. It i u ed to “tickle” the watchdog and keep it from re etting the PC until the
PC actually freeze .
6 3 Drivers
Any driver that your board may need are on the Driver directory on the CD.
6 4 DLL & Sample Code
The new DLL for all the watchdog i called Wdog_Univr l.dll. Sample code (and the DLL) i
provided on the CD for C & C++ in the Wdog_Univr l_Con oleAp directory. There i al o ample
code for VB.net in the VB_NET_DLL_Sample directory.
6 5 Web Site Downloads
The late t ver ion of ample code, DLL, Document , etc can be found on our ite at:
http://www.berkprod.com/
The e download are ZIP file of the current CD image, Make ure you unzip them with the option to
pre erve directory tructure.
11
7 Original Distribution Files
The original file that were hipped with thi PC Watchdog are till on the CD under the main
directory: x_OriginalArchive_WDog_File . The e are provided for continuing upport for prior u er .
New u er hould not u e the e ince they are no longer upported and will not be updated.
12
8 Appendix A - Specifications
Power Requirements: +5 VDC - 75mA Max.
Environmental: -20 - 65°C Operating
-20 - 70°C Storage
5-95% Relative Humidity - Non Conden ing
MTBF: 500,000 Hour
TEMP: ± 2.5°C
Note: You may find that the board will continue to work ju t fine beyond the pecified
temperature limit , e pecially at lower temperature . The e temperature limit are tho e pecified
by the manufacturer of the integrated circuit .
Auxiliary Relay: SPST (1 form a) - 24V @ 0.25A max (250mA)
Thi relay ha contact that are available on the 1/8" (3.5mm) Stereo jack above the two LED .
The tip of the plug i one relay contact and the ring ( econd terminal on the plug) i the other relay
contact. The major or la t conductor ( leeve) of the plug i ground and i connected to the PC
bracket.
13
9 Appendix B - Warranty
Berk hire Product , Inc. warrant to the original con umer or other end u er purcha er that thi product
i free from defect in material or workman hip for a period of one (1) year from the date of purcha e.
During the warranty period, and upon proof of purcha e, the product will be repaired or replaced (with
the ame or functionally equivalent model) at our option, without charge for either part or labor.
This warranty does not apply to defects due directly or indirectly to misuse, a use, negligence,
accident, repairs or alterations made y the customer or another party.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BERKSHIRE PRODUCTS, Inc. BE LIABLE IN ANY WAY
TO ANY PURCHASER FOR DAMAGES, LOST REVENUE, LOST WAGES, OR ANY OTHER
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY
TO USE THIS PRODUCT.
Berk hire Product , Inc. re erve the right to make modification in thi product without prior
notification.
14
10 Appendix C - Service and Tech Support
We are available to help you with your que tion and problem that you may have with our product.
Our technical upport i available:
Monday through Friday (except holiday )
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (Ea tern Time)
770-271-0088
Email: [email protected]
10 1 Calling Tech Support
To help our tech upport per onnel with your problem, plea e try to have the following information
ready:
•Type of PC
•Type of operating y tem and ver ion
•Clear de cription of the problem
10 2 Product Returns
Plea e call our tech upport per onnel before returning a product. Many time the problem can be
corrected over the phone. If the tech upport repre entative determine that your product mu t be
returned, they will a ign you a RMA #.
Package the product in a ecure container and return it to u freight prepaid. We will not accept COD
freight charge ! Indicate the RMA # on the package or hipping label.
If the repair are done under warranty the unit will be returned UPS ground and we will pay the freight
charge . If you prefer Federal Expre , plea e provide your Federal Expre account number.
If your unit i out of warranty, repair and hipping will be charged COD or other method e tabli hed
in advance.
15
11 Appendix D - Agency Approvals
The PC Watchdog meet the following agency approval .
11 1 FCC - Class A
Thi equipment generate and u e radio frequency energy and if not in talled and u ed properly, that i
in trict adherence with the manufacturer’ in truction , may cau e interference to radio and televi ion
reception. It ha been te ted and found to comply with the limit for a Cla A computing device in
accordance with the pecification in Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC rule , which are de igned to provide
rea onable protection again t uch interference in a commercial in tallation. If thi equipment doe
cau e interference to radio or televi ion reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment
off and on, the u er i encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
mea ure :
•Reorient the receiving antenna.
•Relocate the computer with re pect to the receiver.
•Move the computer away from the receiver.
•Plug the computer into a different outlet o that the computer and receiver are on different branch
circuit .
•Con ult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
11 2 CE
The Internal Serial PC Watchdog ha ucce fully pa ed all appropriate te t that are nece ary for it
certification under EMC directive 89/336/EEC.
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