Houston Radar DR600 User manual

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DR600
User Manual and Installation Guide
K-Band Doppler Radar DR600
(Applies to both DR600-DFT and DR600-OFD versions)
Rev 1, 11th January 2019
Houston Radar LLC
12818 Century Dr. Stafford, TX 77477
Http://www.Houston-Radar.com
Email: [email protected]
Contact: 1-888-602-3111
DR600 in weatherproof enclosure
Version (DR600-DFT)
DR600 open frame
Version (DR600-OFD)

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This device conforms to the CE mark and conforms to the requirements of the applicable
European Directives as follows:
EN 60950-1
ETSI EN 300 440-1 V1.4.1
ETSI EN 300 440-2 V1.2.1
ETSI EN 301 489-1 V1.7.1
EN 55022 Class B
EN 61000-4-2 8 kV/4 kV
EN 61000-4-3 3 V/m
FCC ID: TIADR600
This device meets the FCC requirements for RF exposure in public or uncontrolled
environments.
This device complies with FCC part 15 Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference and 2. This device must
accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modifications not approved by Houston Radar could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

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IC ID: 21838-DR600
This device meets the IC requirements for RF exposure in public or uncontrolled
environments.
Cet appareil est conforme aux conditions de la IC en matière de RF dans des
environnements publics ou incontrôlée.
IC Warning
This device complies with Industry Canada license exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: 1. this device may not cause interference, and
2. this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device.
Cet appareil est conforme avec Industrie Canada RSS standard exempts de licence (s).
Son utilisation est soumise à Les deux conditions suivantes: 1. cet appareil ne peut pas
provoquer d’interférences et 2. cet appareil doit accepter Toute interférence, y compris
les interférences qui peuvent causer un mauvais fonctionnement du dispositive.
Warning: DR600-OFD radar is supplied in an open frame format with exposed antenna
and electronics and thus is a static sensitive device. Please use static precautions when
handling. Warrantydoes not cover damage caused by inadequate ESD procedures and
practices.
Note: Specifications may change without notice.
Note: Not liable for typographical errors or omissions.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 5
INSTALLATION.............................................................................................................. 5
MOUNTING: ..................................................................................................................... 5
DIRECTION POINTING:...................................................................................................... 6
RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE FOR THE DR600-OFD: ...................................................... 6
HOOKUP:.......................................................................................................................... 7
Power Input: ............................................................................................................... 7
Serial Connection:...................................................................................................... 7
Measured Speed Output:............................................................................................. 7
Setting variables from an ASCII Terminal program via ASCII commands: .............. 8
WIRE SIGNAL DESCRIPTIONS (TERMINAL BLOCK):........................................................ 10
WIRE SIGNAL DESCRIPTIONS (DB9 CONNECTOR): ........................................................ 10
USE................................................................................................................................... 12
Internal Clock:.......................................................................................................... 13
Configuring the Unit:................................................................................................ 13
Configuring the Radar with Houston Radar Stats Analyzer GUI:........................... 17
STEP 1: Connect to Radar........................................................................................ 18
STEP 2: DR600 Setup............................................................................................... 19
STEP 3: Select the radar units.................................................................................. 20
STEP 4: Set the radar cutoff speeds (low and high speed cutoff)............................. 21
STEP 5: Set Detection Sensitivity............................................................................. 22
STEP 6: Set Detection Direction & Target Selector ................................................ 23
STEP 7: Set “Slow Speed Targets Filter” and “Tuning Fork Test” Modes............ 24
STEP 8: Setup Baud Rate, ASCII Format, and Output Precision............................ 25
STEP 9: Select Speed Output Interval...................................................................... 26
STEP 10: Select Speed Measurement Mode............................................................. 27
STEP 11: Configure the trigger outputs................................................................... 28
STEP 12: Select RS232 (serial data output) mode ................................................... 30
STEP 13: Optional Advanced In-Radar Traffic Statistics logging........................... 31
DR600 SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................ 32
GENERAL ....................................................................................................................... 32
APPROVALS ................................................................................................................... 32
DATA INTERFACES......................................................................................................... 32
MECHANICAL................................................................................................................. 32
PERFORMANCE............................................................................................................... 33
ORDERING OPTIONS....................................................................................................... 34
APPENDIX A: CONNECTING TO THE RADAR TRIGGER OUTPUTS............. 35

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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the Houston Radar directional Doppler Speed Radar
DR600. This state of the art 24GHz K-band microwave Doppler radar is specifically
designed for the license free battery operated speed measurement and monitoring market.
Utilizing high performance, ultra-low power DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology,
and microwave components based on a planar patch array antenna with integrated low
power PHEMT oscillator, you will find that this high quality product meets your exacting
standards for performance and reliability.
Some of the highlights of this product include:
Complete bi-directional speed output Doppler radar with digital processing
Best in class low power usage of only 8.1 mA at 12VDC (0.097 Watt)
0.6mph (1km/h) to 200+mph (322 km/h) of speed measurement range
Advanced CFAR DSP based algorithm yields consistent performance and speed
detection
Capable of 790+m (2600+ feet) pickup distance for incoming vehicles on open
and level road in range boost mode. Trucks picked up at 940+m (3100+ feet).
Two RS232 and two ‘open collector’ vehicle detection trigger outputs
Radar internal software is upgradeable in the field via RS232 PC interface
All radar configuration parameters can be set by user via RS232 serial port
Extensive built-in self test
Supports our popular Advanced In-Radar traffic statistics
Android App to collect data when coupled with Houston Radar Bluetooth
module
Pin, form-factor, and interface compatible with our previous generation DR500
radar
Wide variety of mounting and enclosure options
INSTALLATION
Mounting:
DR600-OFD is supplied in an “open frame” format. It requires a weatherproof enclosure
before it may be used outdoors. Alternatively it may be mounted as a component in
another product that already has a weatherproof enclosure.
The DR600-OFD should be mounted such that the connector points left or right
(Horizontally).
The DR600-DFT is supplied in a weatherproof encapsulated enclosure with a pigtail
connection. This unit may be mounted outside without any further protection from the
environment. The DR600-DFT should be mounted such that the cable gland is positioned
down and the mounting bosses are horizontal.

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Rotating the unit by 90 degrees from the suggested optimal mounting is not
recommended, and doing so will cause detection range to be significantly reduced.
Direction Pointing:
The DR600 is directional in nature. It may be configured to detect and measure
the speed of incoming, outgoing, or bi-directional traffic. It then rejects traffic
moving in the opposite direction (unless set to bi-directional). Direction of
detection is configured via the bits in the radar’s MO and MD variables, or
preferably, via the GUI.
Statistics are only gathered for incoming traffic when placed in incoming or bi-
directional mode. No statistics will be collected in outgoing mode.
For optimal performance:
Radar should be mounted as suggested in the section titled “Mounting”
Radar should be pointed into the direction of the oncoming traffic.
Radar should be placed along the side of the road to minimize the angle of the
oncoming traffic to the radar.
oIf radar cannot be placed right along the side of the road, it should be
pointed at least 100-150 feet (30-45 m) up the road into oncoming traffic.
The radar may pick up rotating fans. Avoid pointing it at fans or compressors.
Radar should be mounted at least 3 feet (1 m) high from the road for optimal
performance and at least 6 feet (1.9 m) for maximum pickup distance
Recommended Enclosure for the DR600-OFD:
The DR600-OFD radar needs to be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure for outside use.
The following needs to be observed for optimal performance:
1. The front face of the radar is the antenna and the face that must point into traffic.
2. Any cover or window in front of the unit MUST be at least ¼” away from the
face.
3. Do NOT spray any conformal (or other) coating, paint, or other substance on the
antenna.
4. The optimum material to use as a front window is Lexan (Polycarbonate) plastic.
5. The optimum thickness of the polycarbonate window is one half wavelength at
24.125Ghz, or about 3.5 to 3.7mm (0.137” to 0.146”) thick.
a. Alternatively, a thin window of any plastic material may be used. The
maximum thickness in this case should be no more than 1 mm (40 mils).
b. Standard 0.25” thick Lexan should be avoided as it has particularly high
reflection coefficient due to this specific thickness.
6. Other plastic materials may be used as a front window, but the optimum thickness
will wary with the material’s dielectric constant. Please contact us for details.

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Alternatively, you may consider the weatherproof version, DR600-DFT, which is
available from Houston Radar.
Hookup:
Power Input:
The DR600 radar features a wide operating input voltage range of 5.0V-30V. In a typical
application, it may be powered from a nominal 12V DC source and will feature best in
class operational power consumption of 8.1mA (average).
This ultra low operational power translates directly into a longer battery life, or the option
to use smaller batteries and solar panels.
Note: The radar employs aggressive power saving measures that include turning off parts
of the circuit that are not being used at any instant. To get a true measure of the power
usage of the circuit use a multi-meter that has an averaging function and does not suffer
from auto ranging during measurements. Otherwise you will get current readings that
fluctuate from 1 mA to 30 mA.
Your power supply to the radar must be capable of supplying up to 100mA of current for
up to 5 seconds at a time (startup current is higher as the radar is initializing its internal
systems).
Serial Connection:
The DR600 features an RS232 interface that is used to output speed, access statistics
data, and configure the unit.
The RS232 interface is factory set to “cable detect” mode and will power the interface
chip down to save power if the radar RX line is not connected. Cable detect mode may be
disabled and the interface forced ON via a bit in the “MD” variable. This can also be
configured through the GUI.
Measured Speed Output:
The DR600 will send out the measured speed via the ASCII interface as a 3 digit speed
with an optional direction indicator. The format is:
[?,+]nnn[.ddd][\r,\n]
The format of the speed output can be adjusted to any combination of:
“?”: Optional prefix sent when 000 selected to be sent when no vehicles are detected
“+”: Optional prefix sent when nnn speed is sent for incoming vehicles
“-“: Optional prefix send when nnn speed is sent for outgoing vehicles
“nnn”: Three digit ascii speed in the units selected via the UN variable
“.ddd”: Programmable number of digits (0-3) after decimal point
“\r”: Carriage Return character, optional line ending
“\n”: Line Feed character, optional line ending

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At least one or both of the line endings must be selected with ASCII format. No line
ending is not an option. Please see serial port configuration section for details on how to
select the above format.
Alternatively, the radar may be set to output a single byte speed in binary format. No line
termination is issued when format is set to binary. A fractional value cannot be output
when the binary output mode is selected.
Setting variables from an ASCII Terminal program via ASCII commands:
All the radar variables can be set and queried via a simple ASCII command set over the
serial port. ASCII commands may be issued via an ASCII terminal program like
Hyperterminal or Teraterm Pro. Alternatively, you may issue these commands from an
attached microcontroller.
All settings are written to FLASH memory and are non-volatile. Do not update
settings on a periodic basis, e.g. every second or every minute. Only change settings
when the user needs it. The FLASH memory has a limited number of write cycles
and will wear out with an excessive (>10,000) number of writes. On the other hand,
setting the variable to the same value repeatedly is OK because the radar recognizes
that the variable has not changed and does not update it in FLASH.
The ASCII commands are:
get(to get a config variable)
set(set a config variable to a supplied value)
reset(resets the radar. Required after changing variables MO, MD, RS, RA, and CY.
LO, HI, SP, ST, SF, UN do not require a reset.) Some variables may not be present on all
radars.
info(print out some info about the radar. Info is in the format of <tag>=<value>). New
tags may be added in the future. Order of tags may be moved around.
Variables are case sensitive. Commands are not.
Success is indicated by an "OK".
Failure is indicated by either:
"ERROR" - Command was recognized but some other error occurred (variable not
present, format not correct etc.)
<nothing returned> - Command was not recognized. Entire line was silently discarded.
This ensures that spurious characters, such as the return character, do not generate
"ERROR" messages unexpectedly.
To set a variable (variables are documented in the user manual):
set: <case sensitive variable name> <value>[Enter]
e.g.
set:LO 5
alt format:

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set:LO=5
sets the low speed cutoff to 5 etc.
To get a variable (variables are documented in the user manual):
get:<case sensitive variable name>[ENTER]
e.g.
get:LO
returns
LO=5 (if value is presently set to 5).
If sending the ASCII command via an attached microcontroller, the “[ENTER]” key
press should be replaced by the carriage return and/or line feed ASCII charact

Houston Radar DR600 User Manual
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Wire Signal Descriptions (Terminal Block):
Wire Signal Descriptions (DB9 Connector):
Molex
Connector
Pin #
Wire
Color
Signal
Name
Direction
(wrt Radar)
Description
1
Red
VIN
PWR
VCC Power Supply
2
Green
TX1
Output
RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
3
Gray
RX1
Input
RS232 Receive Signal into radar
4
Brown
RX2
Input
RS232 Receive Signal into radar
5
Black
GND
PWR
Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)
6
Yellow
TX2
Output
RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
7
Violet
Trig O/P 1
Output
“Open Drain Output 1”. See Note 1.
8
Orange
Trig O/P 2
Output
“Open Drain Output 2”. See Note 1.
9
Blue
GND
PWR
Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)
DB9 Pin #
Signal
Name
Direction
(wrt Radar)
Description
1
VIN
PWR
VCC Power Supply
2
TX1
Output
RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
3
RX1
Input
RS232 Receive Signal into radar
4
RX2
Input
RS232 Receive Signal into radar
5
GND
PWR
Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)
6
TX2
Output
RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
7
Trig O/P 1
Output
“Open Drain Output 1”. See Note 1.
8
Trig O/P 2
Output
“Open Drain Output 2”. See Note 1.
9
GND
PWR
Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)