Levelcom 100 User manual

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
Version 2.97
TMS, Inc.
6040 N Cutter Circle, Suite 302
Portland, Oregon 97217
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.levelcom.net

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
LevelCom 100 Specifications
Design Standard The LevelCom 100 has been designed to meet the requirements of 46 CFR 62.25-30 and
the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) 1994 Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels,
Part 4-Machinery Equipment and Systems.
Approvals US - UL916 - Process Control Equipment, File E185105
Canada-CULC22.2 No. 142-1987
ABS Type Approval, Certificate PO 2123885-X
Power 115VAC / 100mA / 60Hz - Fuse: 2A
24VDC / 500mA – Fuse: 2A
Supply Air Regulated pressure varies with input sensor range (see below). Filtered to 40 microns
Temperature Operating range: -10° F to +140° F (-23.33° C to +60° C)
Humidity 5 - 95% RH non-condensing
Enclosure UL listed as “Rain tight/Indoor use only”. NEMA 4
Constructed of .090" 5032 H32 powder coated aluminum alloy.
All fasteners are 304 stainless steel
Dimensions 14.5" (37cm) H x 5.5" (14cm) W x 3.8" (9.6cm) D
Alarm Setpoints Four (4) programmable internal setpoints
(Relay option required for remote alarm activation)
Control Setpoints Four (4) programmable setpoints
(Control 1 & 2 On/Off) (Relay option required)
Security User defined 1 - 9 character password protection
Options Alarm/control relays: 2 - SPDT “Form C” relays (contacts rated “Pilot Duty”)
Communications: RS232 / RS422 / RS485 / Modbus RTU
Automaticspecificgravitycompensation
Differential Pressure compensation
Integral piezoelectric alarm horn
Analog output: 4 - 20mA
Tank Sensing Range
(H2O) 0 – 31 ft. (9.45m) 0 – 62 ft. (18.9m) 0 – 90 ft. (27.43m) 0 – 180 ft. (54.86m)
Accuracy (Full Scale) +/-0.2%FS(+/-
0.75”) +/-0.2%FS(+/-1.5”) +/-0.2%FS(+/-2.2”) +/-0.1%FS(+/-2.2”)
Resolution (Full Scale) 0.1”(2.54mm) 0.2”(5.08mm) 0.3”(7.62mm) 0.3” (7.62mm)
Supply Air Pressure 20 – 35 psi 30 – 50 psi 45 – 60 psi 85 – 100 psi

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
Table of Contents
LEVELCOM 100 SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................................................2
GENERAL INFORMATION ....................................................................................................7
FEATURES AND DEFINITIONS.............................................................................................9
DISPLAY FUNCTIONS.........................................................................................................12
DIGITAL DISPLAY MESSAGES.................................................................................................14
BUBBLER PIPES.................................................................................................................17
GENERAL .............................................................................................................................17
SIZE CONSIDERATIONS ..........................................................................................................17
MATERIALS...........................................................................................................................18
MOUNTING ...........................................................................................................................19
SPECIFIC GRAVITY................................................................................................................20
END BELL AND CLEANOUT OPTIONS.......................................................................................21
INTERCONNECTING TUBING....................................................................................................21
SPECIAL CASES....................................................................................................................22
INSTALLATION....................................................................................................................23
CHOOSING A SITE.................................................................................................................23
MOUNTING PREPARATION......................................................................................................23
SURFACE MOUNTING ............................................................................................................23
MULTIPLE UNIT MOUNTING....................................................................................................24
THE INTERCONNECT KIT........................................................................................................25
FLUSH MOUNTING.................................................................................................................26
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS............................................................................................27
GENERAL .............................................................................................................................27
115VAC..............................................................................................................................27
24VDC................................................................................................................................28
ANALOG OUTPUT..................................................................................................................29
RELAY OUTPUT ....................................................................................................................29
RS-422/485 SERIAL COMMUNICATION...................................................................................30
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION......................................................................................................31
PNEUMATIC CONNECTIONS..............................................................................................32
GENERAL .............................................................................................................................32
BASIC PROGRAMMING......................................................................................................35
BASIC PROGRAMMING KEY FUNCTIONS ..................................................................................35
ENTERING THE PROGRAM MODE.............................................................................................36
ERASE ALL MEMORY RESET FACTORY DEFAULTS ...................................................................36
DISPLAY SETUP....................................................................................................................37
SAMPLE AND PURGE TIMING..................................................................................................40

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
SPECIFIC GRAVITY SETUP .....................................................................................................41
CONFIGURING OUTPUT LIGHTS ..............................................................................................43
SETTING ALARM SETPOINTS..................................................................................................44
ALARM TIMEOUT...................................................................................................................44
SERIAL PORT SETUP AND DIAGNOSTICS .................................................................................45
ADVANCED PROGRAMMING.............................................................................................48
ENTERING THE PROGRAM MODE............................................................................................48
ENTERING THE PROGRAM MODE WITH AHOT MENU ESTABLISHED ...........................................48
TANK TABLE EXPLAINED........................................................................................................49
PROGRAMMING A TANK TABLE...............................................................................................50
PASSWORD ..........................................................................................................................51
HOT MENU...........................................................................................................................52
LEVELCOM OUTPUTS............................................................................................................52
LIGHTS.................................................................................................................................53
HORN OUTPUT .....................................................................................................................53
RELAY OUTPUTS ..................................................................................................................54
PROGRAMMING RELAY OUTPUTS ...........................................................................................55
ALARM RELAY CONFIGURATION .............................................................................................55
CONTROL RELAY CONFIGURATION .........................................................................................55
ANALOG OUTPUT..................................................................................................................58
CONFIGURE AS A GAUGE OUTPUT..........................................................................................58
SPECIFIC GRAVITY GAUGE OUTPUT SETUP.............................................................................59
CONFIGURE AS A CONTROL OUTPUT ......................................................................................60
MANUAL ANALOG OUTPUT.....................................................................................................61
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION INTERFACE.....................................................................................62
CONFIGURATION WORKSHEET EXPLAINED ..................................................................65
DISPLAY SETUP....................................................................................................................65
SPECIFIC GRAVITY................................................................................................................66
TANK TABLE.........................................................................................................................66
TIMING.................................................................................................................................67
OUTPUTS.............................................................................................................................68
ALARM SETPOINTS (IN DISPLAY UNITS) ..................................................................................68
HOT MENU...........................................................................................................................69
CONFIGURATION WORKSHEET........................................................................................70
CALIBRATION......................................................................................................................72
PNEUMATIC SENSOR CALIBRATION.........................................................................................72
FIELD CALIBRATION PROCEDURE ...........................................................................................72
ZERO OFFSET FOR 16 BIT SENSORS.......................................................................................75
ANALOG OUTPUT CALIBRATION..............................................................................................76
TROUBLESHOOTING..........................................................................................................78
INSTRUMENT DISPLAYS CAN’T ZERO SENSOR....................................................................78
INSTRUMENT DISPLAYS EEPROM FAILURE..........................................................................79
INSTRUMENT DISPLAYS CHECK AIR......................................................................................80

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
THE CALIBRATE MENU. ......................................................................................................81
ANALOG OUTPUT TROUBLESHOOTING ....................................................................................82
DIGITAL REPEATER COMMUNICATION TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................83
MODBUS TROUBLESHOOTING ................................................................................................84
THE HARDWARE MENU......................................................................................................85
APPENDIX A SERIAL NETWORK WIRING DIAGRAMS....................................................90
APPENDIX B MODBUS REGISTER VALUES.....................................................................91
CONFIGURATION INTERFACE MAP..................................................................................94
SIMPLIFIED CONFIGURATION INTERFACE MAP .........................................................................95
DETAILED CONFIGURATION INTERFACE MAP ...........................................................................96

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
Table of Figures
Figure 1 Full tank display .....................................................................................................12
Figure 2 Overfill display........................................................................................................13
Figure 3 Overfill and Low Level Arrows................................................................................14
Figure 4 Typical Bubbler Pipe ..............................................................................................17
Figure 5 Flange Mounting Example......................................................................................18
Figure 6 Side Entry Example................................................................................................19
Figure 7 Specific Gravity Example .......................................................................................20
Figure 8 End Bell and Clean Out Examples.........................................................................21
Figure 9 Drill Mud Tank Cleanout Example..........................................................................22
Figure 10 Multiple Unit Panel Mount Example......................................................................24
Figure 11 Interconnect Kit....................................................................................................25
Figure 12 Flush Mounting Brackets......................................................................................26
Figure 13 General Electrical Wiring......................................................................................27
Figure 14 Panel Mount Wiring Example...............................................................................28
Figure 15 Jumper Settings for -A1 and -A3..........................................................................29
Figure 16 Jumper Settings for LC100-A2 Board...................................................................29
Figure 17 Digital Communication Wiring..............................................................................31
Figure 18 Pneumatic Connections .......................................................................................32
Figure 19 Pneumatic Tubing Example .................................................................................33
Figure 20 Buttons.................................................................................................................36
Figure 21 Tank Table Example ............................................................................................49
Figure 22 Bottom View of LevelCom 100.............................................................................72
Figure 23 LevelCom 100 Interior..........................................................................................72
Figure 24 LC100-AO-1 Calibration Potentiometers..............................................................73
Figure 25 3 Wire RS-422/485 Wiring....................................................................................90
Figure 26 5 Wire RS-422/485 Wiring....................................................................................90

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
General Information
Bubblers are one of the oldest remote level sensing systems. They operate by measuring
the air pressure required to blow bubbles from the end of a pipe that is a fixed distance near
the bottom of the tank. This pressure reading is converted to liquid depth if the specific
gravity of the measured fluid is known. This ability, to measure the fluid depth remotely is
one of the most important characteristics of bubblers. No sensitive electronics or machinery
are submerged or exposed to the tanks contents, only a piece of pipe that is constructed of
materials compatible with the fluid is placed in the tank.
Older bubbler systems were of the continuous flow type and they constantly admitted air into
the bubbler pipe. The tank measurement was then indicated by a pressure gauge. This
pressure gauge was often a mercury filled manometer. The continuous flow of air can cause
measurement errors if the flow rate is too high and continuous flow systems usually cannot
detect problems in the bubbler pipe system.
The LevelCom 100 is a microprocessor based pulsed bubbler system. In contrast to
continuous flow bubblers the LevelCom 100 uses measured charges of air (pulses) to verify
that the bubbler pipe is clear of liquid. Pressure readings are taken with no air flow,
eliminating flow rate caused errors, and allowing the detection of leaks in the sense line
system. The LevelCom 100 measures the static pressure at the end of the bubbler pipe.
Using the programmed value for the liquid specific gravity this pressure reading is converted
to a depth reading. This raw depth reading is then converted for display in engineering units
of measure which include:
•Depth expressed in inches, feet, feet/inches, centimeters or meters
•Volume expressed in gallons, liters, cubic feet or barrels
•Weight expressed in short, long or metric tons
Volume and weight are calculated through a user configured tank curve. Any unit may be
displayed in ullage or innage.
The LevelCom 100 calculates the values and displays them on the front panel as 0 to 100%
of tank depth on the bar graph indicator and in the desired units of measure (as depth,
volume or weight) on the digital display.
The instrument is available in four sensor ranges:
•0 to 31 feet (0 to 9.45 meters)
•0 to 62 feet (0 to 18.9 meters)
•0 to 90 feet (0 to 27.4 meters)
•0 to 180 feet (0 to 54.9 meters)
The LevelCom 100 uses computer controlled solenoid valves, admitting pulses of air to the
system only as needed to balance against changes in the liquid level. The unit can be

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
configured to operate from either supply air from a compressor or a nitrogen gas bottle. In
instances where a high-pressure bottle is used as the supply for the operating gas the
LevelCom 100 can be configured for minimal gas consumption.
For operation, the LevelCom 100 simply requires electrical power, a source of clean, dry air
and connection to a bubbler pipe in the tank. When power is applied, the LevelCom 100
performs a diagnostic check of system operations. To ensure accuracy, the instrument
performs a “hardware zero” by sampling the atmospheric air pressure external to the
instrument. In normal operation the LevelCom 100 automatically performs the hardware zero
at half hour intervals. This eliminates errors caused by drift of the sensor zero due to
temperature changes.
The LevelCom 100 automatically performs a purge of the bubbler pipe at power up. The
machine can be configured to purge the bubbler pipe regularly at a user-defined frequency
ranging from one hour to one week. The user also can establish the duration of the purge
with a range from five to 120 seconds. This guarantees that the machine enters normal
operation with the bubbler pipe purged of any liquid.
Each LevelCom 100 is field configured with the parameters and feature selections associated
with the tank to be monitored. These include:
•Depth in English or metric units
•Volume in gallons, liters, barrels or cubic feet
•Weight in short, long or metric tons
•10 point Tank Table defining the relation of depth to volume/weight
•Timing of sample and purge cycles
•Specific gravity
•Four alarm points with hysteresis
•A user defined password
•A Hot Menu to access certain user-selectable features without a password
Units of measure (depth, volume and weight) may be changed after initial configuration
without reprogramming the unit. For example, if the LevelCom 100 is configured to measure
depth in feet/inches and later it becomes necessary to change to metric units, the user simply
changes the depth unit of measure. The LevelCom 100 will automatically convert the English
value and display the correct depth in metric units. Tank table and alarm setpoint units are
also automatically converted at the same time.
The LevelCom 100 is self-diagnostic and will detect some hardware errors, bubbler pipe
and supply line problems including leaks, plugged lines and low supply air pressures. If an
abnormal condition is detected, the LevelCom 100 will display the appropriate error message
on the digital display and activate an alarm to alert the operator.
The LevelCom 100 is contained in a water-resistant enclosure fabricated of .090" 5052 H32
aluminum alloy.

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
Features and Definitions
The following are definitions and explanations of LevelCom 100 features and the terminology
used in this manual and the LevelCom 100 configuration interface.
Alarm Setpoint: A user defined reference point that establishes the depth at which a
particular alarm will activate.
Bubbler: A bubbler is a remote sensing liquid level gauge that operates by measuring the
pressure required to blow bubbles from the bottom of a pipe mounted in a tank. If the
specific gravity of the liquid is known, this pressure can be converted to depth of the end of
the pipe below the liquid surface.
Bubbler Pipe: This refers to the pipe installed in the tank and connected to the LevelCom
100. To sense depth the LevelCom 100 blows bubbles from the bottom of this pipe. The
Bubbler to Bottom parameter is the distance between the lower end of the bubbler pipe and
the bottom of the tank.
Buttons: The LevelCom 100 has a set of buttons built into the face plate. These are used
to enter the configuration information into the device, and to locally acknowledge alarm
conditions. In normal operation the buttons may be used to display alternate units, for
example changing from a depth default to read volume or weight. Also the current units may
be read.
Calibrate: The LevelCom 100 is shipped fully calibrated and while in operation automatically
performs a periodic “hardware zero”. Should the unit require field calibration please
reference the calibration procedure beginning on page 72.
Communication: The LevelCom 100 can be purchased with optional communication
interfaces that allow a group of LevelCom 100s to be networked to a central control or data
acquisition computer. These interfaces include RS-422/RS-485 using standard Modbus RTU
Protocol. The machine may also be equipped with interfaces for DeviceNet, or Profibus
communication networks.
Configuration: The LevelCom 100 program allows users to configure the unit to a wide
variety of situations. The unit is shipped with a default configuration and the user adjusts the
parameters to match his own requirements thereby establishing the machine configuration.
Demand: The user may configure the LevelCom 100 to perform sample and/or purge
functions on demand in lieu of automatic timed cycles. This feature is normally used in areas
where the quantity of compressed air is limited or in applications not requiring constant
monitoring.
Hardware Zero: The LevelCom 100 periodically checks the sensor for drift of the zero point
by measuring atmospheric pressure. This value is used to correct the raw pressure readings

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©2013 Technical Marine Service, Inc. LC-100 V2.97
from the bubbler pipe. In normal operation the LevelCom 100 automatically performs the
hardware zero at half hour intervals.
Horn: The LevelCom 100 is available with an optional piezoelectric horn for local alarm
indication. This provides a local alarm function, the ACK button is used to acknowledge
alarms and silence the horn.
Hot Menu: The hot menu is for use when the configuration will be password protected. It is
a configurable menu that allows certain parameters, like specific gravity, to be available to
operators who don’t have the password. This allows operators to change these parameters
as needed while protecting the rest of the configuration from tampering.
Hysteresis: A user-defined measurement between an Alarm Setpoint and the point the
alarm condition will automatically clear. For example, assume a tank has a Maximum Depth
of 10' 0”. The High Alarm Setpoint is 8' 0". High Hysteresis has been set at 0' 6". The level
in the tank must rise to 8' in order for the High Alarm to activate. The level must then drop to
7' 6" for the alarm to clear.
Latch: This is a function available in the Light and Horn output sections of the program.
Latch holds alarm outputs active, even if the alarm condition has cleared, until the user
presses the Acknowledge key.
Lights: Refers to the LevelCom 100 front panel Hi and Lo alarm and status LED indicators.
Local: The optional alarm relays can be configured for Local Acknowledge. In this case if
the relays are configured as alarm outputs the alarm output will clear when the ACK button is
pressed. Otherwise the relay will clear only when the alarm condition clears.
Menu: The LevelCom 100 configuration is organized as a series of menus. These menus
are organized to simplify the configuration process by grouping related parameters together.
The buttons on the machine front panel are used to navigate through the menus.
MENU button: The MENU button is the front panel button used to enter the LevelCom 100
configuration menus. The MENU button is also used to make selections and activate or
deactivate functions in the configuration. On older machines this button is labeled MODE.
Parameter: A parameter is a number used by the LevelCom 100 to calculate a display value
or to trigger an alarm. Parameters are set by the user to define the configuration of the
LevelCom 100. Maximum Depth and Bubbler to Bottom are parameters.
Password: The LevelCom 100 can be configured for password protection of the user’s
configuration. The password characters are the letters A-Z. As few as 1, and as many as 9
characters can be used in the password. The LevelCom 100 can be programmed with a Hot
Menu, which allows easy access to frequently used functions and parameters. The Hot
Menu is not password protected.