Laird PR-59 User manual

PR-59 Temperature Controller
and LT- Interface
User Manual Version 1.2

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction to LT- Interface and PR-59 ..................................................................................... 3
1.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Compatibility.................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Feature List of LT-Interface and the PR-59 .................................................................................. 3
2. Quick Start Guide.............................................................................................................................. 4
3 Commands Overview......................................................................................................................... 7
3.1 View Menu .................................................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Regulator Menu............................................................................................................................. 7
3.3 Setup Menu................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 Logfile Menu.................................................................................................................................. 9
4 User View ............................................................................................................................................ 9
4.1 Main View...................................................................................................................................... 9
5. User Tabs ......................................................................................................................................... 10
5.1 Base ............................................................................................................................................ 10
5.2 Runtime....................................................................................................................................... 11
5.3 Alarm ........................................................................................................................................... 12
5.4 Fan .............................................................................................................................................. 12
5.5 Sensor ......................................................................................................................................... 13
5.6 Regulator..................................................................................................................................... 15
6. Error Handling ................................................................................................................................. 18
Appendix A .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Contact Laird Thermal Systems ........................................................................................................ 19

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1. Introduction to LT- Interface and PR-59
1.1 Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the TC-XX-PR-59 programmable controller. The unit is designed for
reversible (cooling/heating) control of Thermoelectric Assemblies that require precise temperature
control accuracy. The controller not only regulates the temperature, but also features two
programmable fan outputs and an alarm output relay. The controller can be used as a stand-alone
unit with RS-232 interface to control settings and parameters live. An easy to use PC software is
used to input parameters visually and see output parameters in real time.
1.2 Compatibility
The software has been tested and is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 7
operating systems.
1.3 Feature List of LT-Interface and the PR-59
•Serial interface for runtime information
•One high resolution main sensor
•Two sensor inputs for alarm
•Regulator mode: o
□PID regulator
□On/off control
□Algo mode
•Measurement of main current
•Measurement of FAN current
•H-bridge control of the output
•Two FAN output controls
•Save runtime data to file for later analysis in other software
•More implementations in the future License, see Appendix B.

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2. Quick Start Guide
Contents in package should contain the following:
• TC-XX-PR-59
• TC-NTC1 (NTC thermistor)
• TC-WIRE3 (sensor wire with 3 pin connector)
Note: Controller comes with outer sheet metal casing to protect contents and dissipate heat generate
by power transistors. The sheet metal casing has eight 4.5 mm diameter thru holes, four per surface.
Note that for better cooling of the controller, it is better to mount it directly on a metal surface without
standoffs so that as much surface as possible of the metal casing comes in contact with the surface it
is mounted to. It is also beneficial if the mating surface can dissipate the heat, is as flat as possible
and a thermal interface material is used to fill any gaps between the controller casing and the mating
surface.
If the controller is placed in an airstream, that will also have a positive impact of the cooling of the
controller.
If load current is higher than 15A, sufficient cooling of the controller is needed.
1. Install the software onto PC. Software can be downloaded from lairdthermal.com website on the
TC-XX-PR-59 product page.
2. Connect power supply, communication wire, sensor and thermoelectric assembly/modules
(TEM’s) to the controller according to the picture below. Consult drawing for the thermoelectric
assembly on how to connect power to it. Note that for thermoelectric assemblies with combined
TEM and fan power, TEM and fan power must be separated.

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The applied voltage should not exceed the voltage rating of the TEM(s)/TEA. Also note that the
solder pads on the board may have to be shorted depending on the applied voltage, see picture
below.
If TC-WIRE3 is used for the T1 sensor, interconnect the red and brown wires at the sensor
connection end.
Connectors to use:
•VDC in and TEM out: Tab receptacles 6.3x0.8mm
•Sensor inputs and alarm output and external potentiometer:
o2 pin: 2201-2025 + 2pcs 0850-0032
o3 pin: 2201-2035+ 3pcs 0850-0032
•Fan and communication: stripped wires, preferable with an end ferrule

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Connections:
3. Power up the controller and start the LT-Interface software on PC. Note that applied voltage
should not exceed Vmax rating on thermoelectric assembly or TEM’s since the TEM output is
an unfiltered PWM.
4. To connect the software to the controller, first enter “Setup>Global setup” and choose the
communication port to which the PR-59 is connected. Then enter “Regulator > Connect” to
establish a connection between the software and the controller.
5. You should now see online information from the controller on your screen.
6. In the LT-Interface, configure the parameters that are needed for the application.
7. Download the configuration to the PR-59 by pressing the “SEND” button followed by the
“START” button to start the PR-59. To store the parameters permanently in the controller they
must be saved to the FLASH memory. Enter “Regulator > Save to FLASH”. Otherwise the
parameters will be lost at power down.
8. To retrieve the configuration that is in the PR-59, press “RETRIEVE” and the parameters will be
uploaded from the PR-59 to the LT-Interface.

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3. Commands Overview
3.1 View Menu
To change visible views.
Toolbar Add or remove Toolbar
Status Bar Add or remove Status Bar
Runtime View Show or hide the runtime data window.
3.2 Regulator Menu
To send or receive commands and data to and from the regulator unit.
Connect
To connect regulator board to serial interface connection.
Disconnect
To disconnect the serial interface connection to regulator board.
Stop
Stop the regulator run mode.
Download Parameters
Download parameters to regulator board.
Get Parameters
Receive parameters from regulator board.

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Save to FLASH
Save all parameters currently in RAM to FLASH memory.
Read from FLASH
Read all parameters from FLASH to regulator memory.
Set FLASH to Default
Revert all parameters in FLASH memory to default settings.
Reboot Regulator
Reboot the regulator. Use to test loading of parameters from FLASH to
memory.
3.3 Setup Menu
Global set up is used to change the recording data rate speed and
format settings on the graph. The global values are stored in the
computer’s registry file.
Serial Port
Select the serial port which the PR-59 is connected to and baud rate.
For the moment, only 115200 baud is supported.
Log File
Choose sample rate for the log file and maximum number of samples to
be stored in one log file.
Celsius and Fahrenheit
Default temperature units are in Celsius, click on Fahrenheit to convert
units into English.
Runtime Data
This is the transfer mode between the interface and control board. Runtime data should be IEEE754
type at all times. Only change this if you are advised by Laird Thermal Systems
Runtime Graph
Runtime graph can sometimes be difficult to see especially when multiple parameters are highlighted.
Adjustments can be made to color and line thickness to more easily define each parameter. Pen
Width
Set the number of pixels width used when drawing the graph on the screen. Default value is 1. Higher
value results in thicker line. Double click on each parameter to change color so graphs are more
easily differentiated from one another.
Set Default Color
If you need to get back to the default settings of the graph drawing colors and pen width, press this
button.
Graph Color
Background and grid color can also be changed by double clicking on each parameter to change
color.
•Background - to set the color on the graph view background
•Grid - to set the color on the grid
•Main, T1, T2, etc. - all graph colors

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3.4 Logfile Menu
Log data on a file, which can be referenced and compared to other log files.
Start
Click Start to log all runtime data onto a file.
When the log file is activated, runtime data from the regulator is stored to a tab-separated text file,
which can be opened in Excel formatted for further data analysis. If an existing file is selected the file
is opened and the new data will be added to the end of the file.
The header shows what kind of data will be stored in the log file, along with the software version
used. Then the runtime data records until the user stops the log file. Please note that a large amount
of data can accumulate over a short period of time, because a block of data will run up to 20 times a
second. Reference Section 3.3 to adjust data rate speed.
Stop
Stop logging and close file.
4 User View
4.1 Main View
The Main view shows live information received from the regulator unit.
Regulator Status
Displays live data from the regulator unit such as the current software version in the regulator,
indication of any error, and the last command performed.
The LEDs on the right side indicate the following:
GREEN: that the serial port is open for communication.
YELLOW: that runtime data is received from regulator.
RED: that there is an error reported from the regulator. Regulator
Control
Click START button to start the regulator.
Click STOP button to stop the regulator.
Parameter Stream
Click SEND to download settings to the controller board. Note: To store the settings permanently in

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the controller you need to save to FLASH. Otherwise settings will be lost at power down, ref Section
3.2. Click RETRIEVE to upload settings from the controller board.
Input
Displays live feedback from the controller board, calculated with user settings to indicate values.
Regulator Information
Displays the set point and temperature point used in the regulator control loop.
Output
Displays controlled output values to main output, fan 1 and fan 2. The unit of measure for main is in
percent with range between -100% to +100%. The unit of measure for fans is in volts with range
between 0 to 60 Volts.
5. User Tabs
There are six tabs that the user can reference to change parameters in controller and visually monitor
parameters. All data is saved in the setting file *.sc type.
5.1 Base
Base tab allows for quick setup of the regulator. Select temperature sensor, set point and enter
description information under notes to recall settings for future reference. All data will be stored in the
file.