Davicom AXON-8A User manual

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AXON units
Quick Start Guide
MAN1035
Version 1.0
2023-08-04
Davicom, a division of Comlab Inc.
2272, Léon-Harmel, Québec, QC, Canada G1N 4L2
w w w . d a v i c o m . c o m

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Warranty
Comlab Telecommunications Inc. (Comlab) warrants all its products to be free from any defect in manufacture for a period
of two years after delivery to the original purchaser. All warranty returns must be authorized by a Comlab representative.
The limitation of liability under this warranty shall be to repair or replace any part of the product which proves to be
defective after inspection by Comlab. This warranty shall not apply to any Comlab product that has been disassembled,
modified, physically or electrically damaged, inappropriately installed, or any product that has been subjected to
conditions exceeding the applicable specifications or ratings.
This warranty is the full extent of obligation and liability assumed by Comlab with respect to its products. Comlab neither
makes nor authorizes any person or company to make any other guarantee or warranty concerning its products.
Disclaimer
Comlab assumes no liability for any direct, indirect or consequential injury, loss, economic loss, damage, fines or
penalties incurred through the use, or inability to use Comlab products.
Comlab products are not intended for use in medical, life-saving, life-sustaining or critical applications. Comlab customers
using or selling Comlab products for use in such applications do so at their own risk and agree to fully indemnify Comlab
for any damages resulting from such improper use or sale.
Comlab reserves the right to make design changes to its products without incurring any obligation to make the same
changes to previously sold units.
Safety information
The Davicom unit should be installed by qualified technical personnel only. Installation of this device by an unqualified
person could result in hazardous conditions to the installer or other personnel, and/or damage to the unit or other
equipment. Ensure that proper safety precautions have been taken before installing this unit and any associated
equipment.
The Davicom unit is designed to meet standard safety requirements, and it is extremely important that it not be modified in
any way. Modification of this equipment will void the warranty and could pose a hazard to the user of this equipment or to
maintenance personnel.
Service of the Davicom should be performed by qualified technical personnel who are familiar with the unit. Note that the
Davicom unit is designed for indoor use in a dry location. Installation and operation in other locations could be hazardous.
Depending on your installation, the Davicom unit may contain HIGH VOLTAGES. Exercise caution
when working in and around the unit if it is connected to your site wiring. To ensure proper lightning
and power surge protection, make sure that the grounding terminal on the rear of the Davicom units
is securely connected to the ground wiring at the equipment site.

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Regulatory Compliance
FCC (USA)
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at
his own expense.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Comlab may void the user’s authority, as granted by the FCC, to
operate this device and should not be made.
Industry Canada
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

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Revisions
Version
Change
Date
By
0.1
Initial version
2023-07-01
JAH
1.0
Final corrections
2023-08-04
ATM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS AN AXON?...........................................8
2. CONNECTIONS AND SWITCH CONFIGURATIONS .......................9
2.1. AXON-8ACONNECTIONS AND SWITCH SETTINGS......................................... 9
2.2. AXON-8D CONNECTIONS AND SWITCH SETTINGS....................................... 10
2.3. AXON-5R CONNECTIONS .......................................................................... 10
2.4. MENUS AND GENERAL NAVIGATION GUIDELINES......................................... 11
2.4.1. Menus ......................................................................................................11
2.4.2. Button identification and functions...........................................................14
3. INITIAL LOG-IN AND NETWORK SETUP......................................15
3.1. MANDATORY INITIAL LOGIN CREDENTIAL CHANGE........................................ 15
3.2. NETWORK SETUP....................................................................................... 16
3.2.1. General IP settings ..................................................................................17
4. THE AXON AS A STANDALONE UNIT..........................................18
4.1. HOME PAGE .............................................................................................. 18
4.2. INPUTS.................................................................................................... 20
4.2.1. Activity Monitoring....................................................................................20
4.2.2. Configuring the Analog Inputs (AXON-8A only).......................................21
4.2.3. Counters...................................................................................................24
4.2.4. Configuring the Digital Inputs (AXON-8D only)........................................25
4.2.5. Flags ........................................................................................................26
4.2.6. Math Functions ........................................................................................26
4.2.7. Ping..........................................................................................................27
4.2.8. Schedulers...............................................................................................27
4.3. OUTPUTS................................................................................................ 28
4.3.1. AXON/NEURO Commands .....................................................................28
4.3.2. Cortex/DV200 Commands.......................................................................29
4.3.3. Configuring the Relay Outputs (AXON-5R only)......................................30
4.4. SYSTEM .................................................................................................. 31
4.4.1. Administration / General ..........................................................................31
4.4.2. Configuring the Alarm Calls.....................................................................33
4.4.3. Configuring Date, Time and Location ......................................................34
4.4.4. More IP Settings ......................................................................................39
4.4.5. Site ID ......................................................................................................43
4.4.6. Users........................................................................................................44
5. LOGS...............................................................................................45
6. JOBS ...............................................................................................46
7. THE AXON AS A MODBUS UNIT...................................................47
8. SPECIFICATIONS...........................................................................50
9. CUSTOMER SUPPORT ..................................................................50

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1. Introduction: What is an AXON?
AXON devices are intelligent products specifically designed for smaller remote telemetry applications. They provide
users with autonomous devices that interface with various sensors and relays for alarm, monitoring & automation
functionalities. Thanks to their SNMP agents, these products are the perfect remote telemetry companions to report
to any SNMP Manager, including Davicom’s Cortex Series. Moreover, their HTML5 web-based interfaces provide an
easy-to-operate environment for visualization and configuration of the units.
There are 3 types of AXON modules:
An Analog Input module with 8 bipolar differential inputs, the AXON-8A
A Digital Input module with 8 opto-isolated status inputs, the AXON-8D
A Relay Output module with 5 SPDT (Form C) relays, the AXON-5R
In addition to SNMP, AXON modules can be set to operate in MODBUS-TCP slave mode. This allows them to be used as
direct I/O expansion for Davicom Cortex units, or in any other system requiring MODBUS slave I/O points.
One extremely useful feature of the AXON modules is their built-in network ping. Each device can be configured to ping a
fixed IP address on the network. If the ping is not answered within a given time, then the AXON can be programmed to
take action. This action can be to: initiate an alarm sequence, send a command to another AXON, log a reading, or (in the
case of the 5R module) actually use one of its relays to power cycle a flakey network element such as a switch or router.

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2. Connections and Switch Configurations
The AXON can run on any DC voltage between 5 and 30 Vdc. The current consumption depends on the actual supply
voltage, but is typically 110 mA at 12 Vdc for the 8A & 8D and up to 190 mA for the 5R (with all relays energized). A
2.1mm locking DC Power barrel connector with negative shell is used.
Connect the power supply to your power mains and then connect the 2.1mm locking barrel connector to the AXON.
Once power is applied to the AXON, the unit takes about 5 to 10 seconds to boot-up (except on first start-up or
following a factory reset), see paragraph 3.1. The unit is ready once the “ACTIVITY” heartbeat light starts blinking.
Depending on the type of AXON that you are using, you will need to properly set the DIP switches found on the side
of the unit.
2.1. AXON-8A Connections and Switch Settings
The AXON-8A's flexible analog inputs can accept a wide range of signals. Sensors with various voltage outputs
(±0.5, ±2.5, ±5, ±10, ±20 and -40 or +40 V) or current outputs (4-20mA), be they bipolar or differential, can all be
connected to the AXON’s inputs. Single-ended measurements are also possible.
DIP switches are used to select whether the input (on an individual basis) operates in bipolar/differential mode
(switch up) or in 4-20 mA mode (switch down).
The other set of switches is used to connect the (-) terminal of an individual input to ground if balanced/differential
mode is not required (single-ended signals). If using 4-20 mA mode, ensure the corresponding (-) TO GND switch
is up.

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2.2. AXON-8D Connections and Switch Settings
The AXON-8D’s inputs are designed for reading logic levels or wet/dry relay contacts, with programmable active-
high or active-low settings.
DIP switches are used to determine whether each input’s return signal is connected to the unit’s common ground, or
not (ISOLATED). The other set of switches determines whether each individual input will have a pull-up resistor (10kΩ
to internal +3.3V, diode protected against reverse or over-voltage).
2.3. AXON-5R Connections
The AXON-5R’s relay outputs can control other devices. From remotely switching off a faulty device to
automatically power-cycling network elements, the AXON-5R can take smart decisions to keep your operations
humming along. The AXON 5R does not have any configuration switches.

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2.4. Menus and General Navigation Guidelines
2.4.1.Menus
Home page—shows I/O readings and gives access to the configuration menu.
Clicking on the hamburger menu at the upper left will open up the main configuration drop-down menu.

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Main Configuration drop-down menu:

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General Menu structure:
HOME
Returns to Home page
LOGS
SYSTEM LOG
Displays complete System Log
DATA LOG
Displays individual Data Logs
DATA LOG CONFIG
Configuration of Data Log settings
TRANSFER PARAMETERS
Configuration of Log transfer parameters (email, frequency…)
JOBS
Configuration of up to 4 JOBS (also known as State Machines)
INPUTS
ACTIVITY MONITORING
Used to monitor and/or cumulate activity duration of up to 8 Inputs or IDs
ANALOGS (AXON-8A only)
Configures settings for 8 Analog Inputs (thresholds, conditions…)
COUNTERS
Configures settings for 8 counters (Up, Down, Reset, Initial Value…)
DIGITALS (AXON-8D only)
Configures settings for 8 Digital Inputs (active High, active Low…)
FLAGS
Configures alarm settings for 5 System Flags
MATH FUNCTIONS
Configuration of 8 Math functions (+,-,*, log, VSWR, Average…)
PING
Configuration of Network Ping (address, delay, period…)
SCHEDULERS
Configuration of 8 schedulers (hourly, daily, weekly …)
OUTPUTS
Axon/Neuro Commands
Configuration of Commands between AXON units
Cortex/DV200 Commands
Configuration of Commands to CORTEX/DV200 units
RELAYS (AXON-5R only)
Configuration of Relay display settings (colours…)
SYSTEM
ABOUT
Displays unit serial number, firmware version…
ADMINISTRATION
GENERAL
Reboot, factory reset, firmware update…
CONFIGURATION TRANSFER
Import or export (save) unit configuration
PRODUCTION
Reserved for production & tests
ALARM CALL LISTS
Configuration of alarm call delays, modes, mute times, targets …
DATE, TIME & LOCATION
MANUAL
Manual setting of date and time
NTP SYNC
NTP Server address, sync time…
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
Automatic DST start/end dates …
LOCATION
Latitude & Longitude settings for Sunrise/Sunset
calculations & map displays
IP PARAMETERS
GENERAL
General IP settings
E-MAIL
E-mail server, port & authentication settings
WEB
Internal Web server settings
SNMP
SNMP Agent settings (V1, V2c, V3 …)
AXON/NEURO COMMAND
SERVER
AXON/NEURO Command Server security & port
settings
SSL CERTIFICATE
SSL Certificate Encryption and settings
SITE ID
Site ID & Name
USERS
SUPERVISOR
Set SUPERVISOR Role Username & Password
Must be configured on initial log-in.
OPERATOR
Set OPERATOR Role Username & Password
VIEWER
Set VIEWER Role Username & Password.

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2.4.2. Button identification and functions
When in selected configuration windows, the following buttons will generally appear at the bottom of the
window.
Delete
Refreshes the web page (note that any changes made to the
page will be lost if not saved first)
Apply Changes (Save )
The “*” symbol on the Save button shows that changes have been
made to the page/view and that a Save should be performed
Return to Home page

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For the next step, please connect a network (Ethernet) cable between the AXON and your computer. The AXON should
have been previously powered-up as explained in Paragraph 2.
3. Initial Log-In and Network Setup
The AXON’s factory default IP address is 192.168.1.210.
For the next steps, you will need to temporarily set your computer’s IP address within this range or create an Alias
in your computer’s Network settings. For example, you can use 192.168.1.211.
3.1. Mandatory initial login credential change
The state of California has enacted regulation SB-327 that dictates that all IoT devices that are sold or offered in
the state of California must adhere to specific regulations in regards to passwords configured on the device. All
passwords are required to either be unique or prompt for a password change before the user has access to it.
Upon first log-in, AXON units require that a Supervisor User enter their own password. Default, factory-set
passwords are no longer allowed.
NOTE: This is also the point where you can select whether the AXON will be configured as a Standalone unit for
Web & SNMP or if it will be used as a MODBUS slave unit.
This mode can be changed later, from the Administration/General menu, without doing a factory reset.
After this initial step, the first Login process can take up to 30 seconds while the system configures its setup and
web page views.

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3.2. Network setup
Once you have set the username and passwords, you will be able to access the setup menu. From the Home
Page, click on the hamburger menu at the upper left.
The following drop-down menu will appear.
Select IP Parameters and then the General Tab

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3.2.1. General IP settings
Set the IP Address, Netmask, Gateway and DNS for your unit.
NOTE: The numbers entered in the fields below are only used as examples. Do not enter the numbers as you see
them below, you must set the information according to your own device and network setup.
It is very important to set a gateway, otherwise, the unit may not communicate successfully with the
outside network.
Save the IP settings.

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4. The AXON as a Standalone Unit
4.1. Home Page
The Home page shows the unit’s I/O readings as well as the status of all the calculations and monitoring it
performs on a continuous basis. The view presented below shows only a few elements from each section to help
the image fit on this page. By default, absolutely every input and derived input is shown on the Home page. You
can individually select, re-order, hide and filter them all.
The box at the very right of each element allows direct access to configure, and (depending on the type of
input) to reset or control the element. You can also right-click on the element with the mouse

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Filtered views are available through the Filter icon.
Each Home Page section is shown below (example shown is for AXON-8A). To see all of the points within each
section, check the See all box at the upper left.

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4.2. INPUTS
4.2.1.Activity Monitoring
Activity Monitoring is used to detect if any Input or ID is active for too long or also to run a cumulative total
of the active time for any Input or ID. A good example would be to check if an air conditioner has been
running continuously for too long. Another example would be to calculate the cumulative run-time of a
generator in order to plan oil changes.