ON Semiconductor EVBUM2290/D User manual

©Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2016
January, 2016 −Rev. 2
1Publication Order Number:
EVBUM2290/D
EVBUM2290/D
Evaluation Kit for Power
Line Communication
User's Manual
Introduction
This manual describes the evaluation kits (EVK) for the
power line communication (PLC) modems from
ON Semiconductor.
In addition, we provide some information on how to
proceed to an application design (see “Application Design
Maunal”).
The information in this manual is focused on the
NCN49597 and NCN49599 modems. However, large parts
also apply to the AMIS−49587.
In addition, this manual only describes the downloadable
firmware: either the IEC61334−5−1/IEC61334−4−32-
compliant firmware or the ON−PL110 firmware1. To
Determine which firmware variant is optimal for your
application, refer to [18, 19].
To get started immediately with a new evaluation kit, first
read “Safety” section. Then install the required driver and
software on a computer (see “Driver Installation” and
“Terminal Installation”); connect two evaluation kits to the
mains and to the computer; and start configuring the
modems (see “Starting the Terminal”).
EVALUATION KIT USER’S MANUAL
The performance of power line communication (PLC)
strongly depends on the environment. Testing in the real
world at an early stage is therefore essential. To support
customers looking for a PLC solution an evaluation kit
(EVK) has been developed.
The evaluation kit allows the user to set up
communication between two modems over the power line
under control of a PC.
In addition to performance evaluation, the EVK enables
an early start of user software development.
The design of the boards is also a good starting point for
an application design.
A standard evaluation kit contains two enclosures (each
with a motherboard and a daughterboard), two USB cables,
a “Getting started” guide, a test report, motherboard and
daughterboard schematic, and this manual.
Safety
By necessity a large part of a PLC modem board is directly
(without isolation) connected to the mains. Safety must
therefore be considered carefully. The main safety risk is
electrocution. Alternating current as low as 30 mA can
cause heart filibration and death [22]. Under “optimal”
conditions these currents can result from voltages as low as
50 V. An additional risk is posed by the high energy stored
in the primary-side power supply capacitor. This large
capacitor is charged to the peak voltage of the mains. An
uncontrolled discharge will release substantial energy,
possibly resulting in injury or damage. A discharge is easily
triggered by a moment of inattentiveness with a screwdriver
or oscilloscope probe.
When damaged, the capacitor could also explode −a risk
inherent in all electrolytical capacitors, but in this case a risk
with greater consequences due to the greater stored energy.
Under the recommended operating conditions the
enclosure protects sufficiently against these risks. The
evaluation kit is designed to be used in a dry and
non-condensing environment.
It should be connected to a normal domestic power socket
(measurement category CAT II2). If tests must be done
linking the evaluation kit to parts of the fixed electrical
installation such as the fusebox (CAT III), much more
energy will be released by incidents such as short-circuits.
An additional enclosure is required as a precaution. Contact
your sales representative for more information. The
evaluation kit should never be used in the supply source part
of the mains (CAT IV).
1Information on the ROM firmware embedded in the
AMIS−49587 may be found in [12]; the terminal application this
modem is described in [10, 13]. Please note that
ON Semiconductor strongly recommends users of the
AMIS−49587 ROM firmware to upgrade to the NCN49597 with
downloadable IEC firmware.
Upgrading AMIS−49587 designs to NCN49597 is easy and is
described in [16, “Driver Installation” section].
2Measurement categories were previously called “overvoltage
categories” and are still frequently referred to as such. In the
latest editions of the IEC/EN 61010−031 standard (since 2002),
they denote the energy that is available in case of a short-circuit.
CAT I devices are isolated from the mains (cars, battery-
powered systems, &c.). CAT II objects are connected to the
mains through normal domestic power sockets. CAT III refers to
the electrical installation inside buildings; CAT IV to the
installation supply sources such as the secondary side of
MV-to-LV transformers.
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EVAL BOARD USER’S MANUAL

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Locations such as the secondary side medium voltage
(MV) transformers and overhead lines can deliver
tremendous amounts of energy and pose high risks.
For 230 VAC systems, only single-phase operation is
supported, i.e. with the power cable connected from neutral
to phase. Operation across two phases is not possible.
If damage is suspected, stop using the evaluation kit.
Contact ON Semiconductor to have it re-tested and
repaired.
Your sales representative or field application engineer can
also help you with other safety questions −do not hesitate to
contact them.
Primary-side Modifications and Measurements
From a safety point of view it is of course preferred to use
the evaluation kit with the mains-connected part unchanged.
However, testing customer-specific parts is often desired.
Preferably, the protective cover should only be removed for
the modification work (with the power cable unplugged!).
Before starting, ensure the board is safe. During operation
some primary-side capacitors are charged up to 350 VDC.
Although bleeding resistors bridge all high-voltage
capacitors, measuring the residual voltage on critical
capacitors remains a good habit.
Following modifications, most measurements can
proceed with the enclosure back in place and screwed-down.
If measurements on the primary side are truly needed and
the enclosure blocks access, a risk analysis must be
performed. Formal safety systems greatly help with this,
though this is outside the scope of this document; only a few
hints are noted below.
As an obvious safety precaution, shield as many
components as possible.
Limiting the energy available during an accident should
also be a priority.
Do not rely on the circuit breakers of the electrical
installation. Connecting the evaluation kit directly to the
mains, while fine for normal use, should never be done with
modified boards. Instead, use an AC power supply with low
trip current setting or an isolation transformer. Isolating the
board also protects measurement instruments. It may also be
required to avoid tripping residual current breakers.
Consider the required measurement method and
instruments carefully to avoid unsafe working and damage.
A good guide is available from Tektronix [23].
Never remove the protective earth of a measurement
instrument; while this allows floating measurements to
some extent, it exposes the operator to lethal voltages on the
instrument connectors.
Ensure the voltage rating of oscilloscope probes is
appropriate in order to protect the operator and the
oscilloscope. High-voltage probes are preferable to
general-purpose probes.
Consider slowly ramping up the AC voltage; gross defects
such as short-circuits or inverted diodes will be equally
obvious at lower voltages but will cause less damage.
Electrical shocks can cause cramps and unconsciousness.
Therefore, never work alone on energized low-voltage
systems; always ensure a knowledgeable colleague can raise
the alarm.
When the fuse fitted on the motherboard has blown,
replace it with a suitable type. A fast fuse of 1.6 A or less is
recommended3.
Evaluation Boards
The evaluation circuit is split up in a motherboard and
a daughterboard (Figure 1). Refer to [11, 14, 15] for the full
schematics.
Figure 1. Evaluation Boards: Motherboard and
Plugged-on Daughterboard
The motherboard contains the power supply, mains
coupling circuit (including the zero-crossing detection) and
a USB-to-teletype converter.
The daughterboard contains the modem itself, the power
amplifier, the receive and the transmit filter and the
protection circuit. Refer to the “Evaluation Kit Design”
section for a list of available daughterboards4.
Power Supply
An enclosed switching mode power supply (SMPS)
converts the AC voltage to a 12 V, 1 A DC voltage. An input
filter is required to comply with EME regulations.
Additionally, the impedance on the line must be sufficiently
high for the PLC frequencies. This precludes the use of
a capacitor directly between the phases. Instead, a fourth
order LC filter is used. For more information refer to the
application note “PLC modem power supplies”.
The input range of the power supply is 85–264 VAC and
120–370 VDC5. The coupling stage should work with any
power line with a voltage of less than 260 VAC (frequency
60 Hz or less) and 370 VDC.
Operation with a power line voltage above the given range
is not safe.
3The high current rating does not stem from the power supply,
which consumes 150mA at most, but from the PLC signal.
4If no daughterboard is available for the product or frequency
band you are interested in, contact your sales representative to
obtain tuned daughterboards.
5Consult the manufacturers datasheet for details: for the Mean
Well supplies refer to [8]; for the CUI supplies to [1].
Note that the IEC standard and IEC firmware requires a mains
zero crossing to synchronise transmission. Only the ON−PL110
firmware can operate without zero crossing, if it is configured to
do so (page 10).

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Operation with a voltage below the given range is
possible, provided the AC−DC power supply is isolated.
This may be done by desoldering the first inductor pair of the
power supply filter. The board must then be fed from an
external 12 VDC power supply through J16.
The 12 V supply is used directly by the line driver during
transmission.
Figure 2. Impedance of Typical Coupling Circuits:
100, 220, 330 and 470 nF Capacitors
(Solid Lines, Top to Bottom);
220 nF + 22 mH and 150 nF + 10 mH
(Dashed, Left resp. Right)
A 3.3 V low-drop out voltage (LDO) linear regulator
supplies the modem itself, the digital circuits and the
additional opamp(s) on the daughterboard.
Zero Crossing Detection
The low-cost zero-crossing detection circuit proposed in
[20] is included on the motherboard. In addition, revision 6
motherboards and later also provide footprints to populate
the low-power zero-crossing circuit.
Typically, a delay of 35 ±5ms with a jitter of 1 ms is
measured between the actual zero-crossing signal and the
digital output of the optocoupler.
Mains Coupling
The motherboard contains the coupling circuit with the
mains: high-voltage coupling capacitor, inductor (optional)
and transformer.
The coupling capacitor is required to block the 50 or
60 Hz mains voltage. Values of 100–470 nF are typical.
The impedance of the capacitor near PLC frequencies is
shown in Figure 2, solid lines.
The IDIS carrier frequencies (63.3 and 74 kHz) and the
PL110 dual channel carrier frequencies (105, 115, 127.5 and
137.5 kHz) are also marked at the bottom of the graph.
Often, a lower impedance is desired at the carrier
frequencies to allow more power to be coupled onto the
mains. To this end a resonant coupling circuit (inductor and
capacitor in series) may be used. Figure 2 shows the
impedance of two coupling circuits: 220 nF + 22 mH and
150 nF + 10 mH7.
The drawback of a resonant coupling circuit is apparent in
Figure 2: away from the resonance frequency, the
impedance is often higher than with a simple capacitor.
The coupling circuit fitted on the evaluation board
depends on the frequency band. For IEC motherboards,
a 220 nF capacitor is used with an optional inductor of
10 mH8. For ON−PL110 motherboards, 330 nF is fitted.
The capacitor and inductor can be changed easily. Any
film capacitor with a suitable voltage rating and a lead
spacing of 159or 22.5 mm is suitable. The Epcos B3292310
series or the Vishay MKT series is suggested. For the
inductor, a sufficiently high saturation current must be
selected to avoid distortion of the output signal. The Bourns
SRR1260 series is suggested11.
Four suitable transformers are shown in Table 1. Note that
the PT10 transformer is not recommended for use with large
signals, as the core saturates earlier than the other suggested
models.
A footprint is provided for these transformers on the
motherboard12. By default, only TF1 (ON−PLC−1
transformer) is populated. If you would like to evaluate one
of the other transformers, contact your ON Semiconductor
sales representative before ordering an evaluation kit.
The daughterboard contains the recommended protection
circuit (refer to Part II for details)13.
6A footprint is provided but not fitted. Farnell 1737246 or
equivalent may be used.
7In both cases, a 75 Wresistor is added in parallel to the inductor
to reduce the quality factor.
8Two inductor footprints are provided to allow changes. Note that
inductor footprints are only present on revision 6 and later
motherboards.
9This lead spacing is only supported on revision 7 and later
motherboards.
10Farnell order code for 220 nF: 9751335.
11Farnell order code for 22 mF: 1929699.
12Starting from revision 7. Motherboards revision 6 and earlier
provided only footprints for the Telkor ON−PLC−1 and the PT10
transformer.
13For historical reasons, the decoupling capacitor on the
secondary side and most parts of the protection circuit are
located on the daughterboards. Although footprints for
protection components are provided on the motherboard, they
are not populated.

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Table 1. TRANSFORMER FOOTPRINTS PROVIDED
ON THE MOTHERBOARD
Manufacturer Reference Designator
Telkor ON-PLC-1T2-001 TF1
Vacuumschmelze T60403-K5032-X111 TF3
Wuerth Electronics
Midcom
750313480†TF4
Oxford Electrical
Products
PT10* TF2
†Wuerth can also provide customized versions to meet specific
customer requirements.
*Recommended for 6 V operation only.
As noted in “Power Supply” section, the EVK is designed
for a DC or low-frequency AC line with a voltage of
85–264 VAC and 120–370 VDC. For lower voltages, the
coupling circuit is still usable, but it is recommended to
disconnect the power supply from the mains input. For more
optimal designs for DC lines, refer to “Application Design
Manual” section.
Line Driver Enable Signal
A standard-compliant KNX PL110 stack needs to be able
to transmit half-words. However, the NCN49597/599 can
only transmit full bytes. As a workaround, a GPIO can
override the TxEb signal. In the evaluation daughterboards
this is made possible through the addition of R36 (Figure 3).
During normal operation and at the beginning of a frame, IO
is left in a high-impedance state. To stop the transmission
IO3 is set high by the ON Semiconductor ON−PL110
embedded software stack. This feature is not used by the IEC
software stack, and IO3 remains available as a normal
GPIO.
Figure 3. TxEb Control Circuit. The Transistor
Drawn in Grey is not Used
PLC Modem
IO3
(Pin)
To Amplifier
TxEb
Pin) R6
3 kW
R6
10 kW
Serial Communication
Two UART signals, RxD and TxD, are provided to allow
serial communication with the modem. In addition,
atransmission request (TREQ) signal is provided to enable
communication with ROM software of the modem and to
enable uploading new embedded software over the UART
interface.
Starting with revision 6, evaluation motherboards also
allow triggering a hardware reset over the USB connection.
Querying the error state of the evaluation kit is also possible.
To avoid parasitic communication paths and protect the
computer connected to the evaluation board, the serial
communication ground is galvanically isolated from the
modem ground.
Modern Boot Sequence
The boot sequence of the NCN49597/9 is controlled by
the SEN and TREQ pins (refer to [16, 17] for details).
For the first, a solder jumper is provided on the
daughterboard. By default, daughterboards are populated
with the jumper set to ground.
The TREQ (IO2) pin is controlled through the serial port.
When the USB cable is connected, TREQ is pulled low. With
these defaults setting the firmware must be loaded into the
modem over the serial port.
As an alternative, the SEN jumper can be resoldered to
drive SEN high. After each reset, the boot loader in the
modem will then load the firmware from an attached SPI
EEPROM or flash memory. Any memory chip may be used
provided it supports the standard commands and it is
addressed with a three bytes address. In practice, this will
imply a memory size of at least 512 Mb as smaller memories
typically use two-byte addressing. Refer to [23, “Boat
Loader”] for more information.
An intermediate board with a flash memory is available
for the evaluation kit, allowing the modem firmware to be
loaded, without user intervention, when the modem resets.
The flash memory can be programmed with any
DIP8-compatible programmer. Please contact your sales
representative for more information and to obtain an
intermediate board.
Daughterboards
The daughterboard supports modem, transmit and receive
filters, protection circuit and the SPI memory.
A system-level view is shown in Figure 4.

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Figure 4. Daughterboard System-Level View
4
4
(Daughterboard)
Transformer Motherboard
Communication
MRx
MTx SPI
Memory
Modem
Transmit
Filter
Line
Driver
Receive
Filter
OutAPL
Filters
Daughterboards are available for the NCN49597 and
NCN49599 with various receive and transmit filter variants.
All variants can be used with all firmware stacks.
Each variant is optimized for specific carrier frequencies
or an entire frequency band. Table 2 gives an overview (for
the filter frequency responses, refer to “Evaluation Kit
Design” section).
Table 2. AVAILABLE DAUGHTERBOARD VARIANTS
Name
Carrier Frequencies
(kHz) Description
D 9−95 CENELEC A-band
E63.3 & 74.5 IDIS Frequencies
G105 & 115 PL110 Frequencies
J95−150 PL110 2-channel Frequencies
K 9−150 CENELEC A−D Bands
The “E” variant is optimized for the IDIS14 carrier
frequencies (63.3 and 74.5 kHz) widely used for automatic
meter reading and similar applications.
The “G” variant is optimized for the carrier frequencies of
the KNX PL110 standard, 105 and 115 kHz.
The “J” variant covers the B, C and D band, i.e.
95–148.5 kHz.
During field tests it can be very useful to change to carrier
frequencies. By choosing frequencies away from
interference tones or impedance dips the communication
performance can be optimized. For such applications
wide-band filters, not optimized for a single carrier
frequency pair, are preferable.
“D” daughterboards target the CENELEC A band
(9–95 kHz) while “K” cover all CENELEC bands
(9–148.5 kHz). The drawback of the larger useable carrier
frequency range is the lower suppression of interference.
Figure 5 shows the same information graphically.
14IDIS is a specification for smart meters defined by the
Interoperable Device Interface Specifications (IDIS) Industry
Association.
Figure 5. Daughterboards and Evaluation Kits are Available for Various Frequency Ranges.
The −1 dB Bandwidth of the Receive Filter is Shown in Black for Each Daughterboard,
Indicating the Optimal Carrier Frequency Range. The −10 dB Bandwidth is also Shown (White)
1k 10k 100k3k 30k
Frequency (Hz)
ABCD
300k
IDIS EVK
B, C, D Band EVK
Daughterboards
Only
J (PL110 Dual Channel)
CENELEC Bands
G (PL110)
D (A Band)
K (ABCD Band)
E (IDIS)

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“E” are commonly used with the IEC firmware for
automatic meter reading, while ON−PL110 firmware users
typically use “G” and “J”. However, it bears repeating that
any filter variant can be used with any firmware provided the
correct (i.e. correct for the filter variant) carrier frequencies
are selected.
The transmit filter is always a low-pass filter15, but the
order depends on the variant. Variants requiring three poles
can be implemented solely by the two opamps inside the
NCS5651 or NCN49599. If five poles are required, an
additional opamp (TS972 from ST Microelectronics) is
required16.
Figure 6. Evaluation Daughterboard Receive Path
R26
R34
R38
C32
PL
e
C33
C34
TS971/2
NCN49597/9
Ref
RxIn
RxOut
1.65 V Bandgap
C26 C28
R25
R23
Second Order Low-pass Filter
Third Order High-pass Filter
The receive filter of all variants implements an active
bandpass filter. The topology (Figure 6) is fixed; the cut-off
frequencies, and therefore the component values, are
variant-dependent. The filter is composed of a third-order
high-pass filter and a second-order low-pass filter. The filter
section built around the buffer amplifier inside the modem
realizes two poles. The remaining three poles are
implemented by an external opamp section17.
The frequency response of the available filter variants is
shown in Figures 7 and 8. Only the daughterboard is
considered; the gain is calculated from the output of the
modem (net MTx) to the daughterboard connector pin (net
PL) resp. from PL to the input of the modem (net MRx). The
coupling circuit on the motherboard is frequency-selective,
too; refer to “Mains Coupling” section for more
information.
Figure 7. Frequency Response of the “D” “E”, ”J”
and ”K” Daughterboard Transmit Filters
Frequency (Hz)
Gain (dB)
−30
−20
−10
0
10
20
30 dB/oct
18 dB/oct
D
E
K
J
CENELEC Bands
ABCD
5k 10k 20k 50k 100k 200k 500k 1M
Figure 8. Frequency Response of the “D” “E”, ”J”
and ”K” Daughterboard Receive Filters
5k 10k 20k 50k 100k 200k 500k 1M
Frequency (Hz)
−40
−30
−20
−10
0
10
Gain (dB)
18 dB/oct 12 dB/oct
E
K
J
D
CENELEC Bands
ABCD
In both figures, the IDIS carrier frequencies widely used
for communication with the IEC protocol are marked on the
“E” trace. The PL110 dual-channel carrier frequencies are
marked on the “J” trace.
15Neglecting a single high-pass pole due to the AC coupling
capacitor immediately before the first NCS5651 opamp. This
capacitor is only intended to shift the DC level from 1.65 V to 6 V;
it is not intended to filter the signal.
16The same printed circuit board design is used for all variants; for
the three-pole variants the TS972 is not populated, but is
bypassed with 0 Wresistors.
17For variants where the transmit filter requires an additional
external opamp, a TS972 is used. For other variants, a TS971
is used. The TS972 is the dual-opamp version of the TS971.
As noted in footnote 16, a single printed circuit is used for all
variants. As a consequence, two footprints are required in the
receive path. Only one footprint is populated −indeed, only
one footprint can be populated as they are placed overlapping
to save space.

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Using the Daughterboards
The various test points on the daughterboard are marked
with diagonal crosses. The most important test points are
located at the output and input of the modem and at the
output of the line driver (refer to Figure 4). Called MTx,
MRx resp. PL, their location on the NCN49597 (rev. 4) and
NCN49599 (rev. 2) daughterboards is shown in Figures 9
and 10.
Figure 9. Most Important Test Points on the
NCN49597 Daughterboard (Revision 4)
Transmit Filter
Output (OutA)
Line Driver
Output (PL)
Groundbar Modem Receive
Input (MRx)
Modem Transmit
Output (MTx)
LEDs
−Transmitting
−Current Limit
−IO0
−IO1
Figure 10. Most Important Test Points on the
NCN49599 Daughterboard (Revision 2)
Transmit Filter
Output (OutA)
Line Driver
Output (PL) Groundbar
Modem Receive
Input (MRx)
Modem Transmit
Output (MTx)
LEDs
−Transmitting
−Current Limit
−IO0
−IO1
Five LEDs indicate the state of the daughterboard. The
green IO0 and IO1 LEDs are connected to the IO0 and IO1
pins of the modem. The firmware indicates its state on IO0.
If the bootloader is running, IO0 is toggled at a slow rate
(about 0.5 Hz).
The IEC or ON−PL110 firmware toggles IO0 at a faster
rate. After it has been loaded the toggle frequency is about
1 Hz. Once configured, the frequency increases −refer to
[24, 25] for details.
The yellow TxEn LED is active when the modem is
transmitting.
The red ILIM and TSD LEDs are active when the internal
protection circuits of the line driver have detected
overcurrent resp. overtemperature. This is normally caused
by an excessively low mains impedance.
In contrast to the NCS5651, the line driver of the
NCN49599 does not have a thermal flag output; as a result,
NCN49599-based daughterboards do not have a thermal
shutdown LED.
A ground bar is also provided as a convenient connection
point for the ground lead of oscilloscope probes.
Figure 11. Adding Spacers between Daughterboard
and Motherboard Improves Reliability in
Environments with Heavy Vibration.
Daughterboard
2x Richco MSPM−9−01
2x Ettinger 05.53.013
Motherboard
Connectors
The two connectors on the daughterboard interface with
the motherboard. The left connector carries the “PLC”
signals; the right connector the “control” signal to and from
the user microcontroller or computer.
The connectors allow convenient swapping of
daughterboards and are reliable enough for development.
However, in environments with heavy vibration −for
instance close to machinery −the daughterboard can shake
loose. To keep it firmly in place, two Richco MSPM−9−01
14.3 mm spacers and two 1 mm washers can be added18
(Figure 11).
18Holes for these spacers are provided on motherboards revision
6b and later; on NCN49597 daughterboards revision 4 and later;
on NCN49599 daughterboards revision 3 and later.
Note the “sharp” end of the Richco spacer connects to the
daughterboard, while the angled end connects to the washer
below the motherboard.
Spacers may be ordered from Farnell (order code 1675869).
Ettinger 05.53.013 (Farnell order code 1466903) are suitable
washers.

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Figure 12. Hardware Interfaces (Left) and Protocols
(Right) Used when Controlling an Evaluation Board
from the PLC Terminal
USB Driver
Modem
USB Convertor
Terminal
USB
TTL
HDLC
Frames
Mains
Computer
User
Board
Terminal
Commands
IEC 613344−4
or ON−PL110
Frames
USB Packets
Using the Evaluation Kit
A terminal application has been developed to complement
the evaluation boards. The signal flow when using this
application is shown in Figure 12.
In the terminal, the user types human-readable terminal
commands, documented below (sections “Configuring the
Modem” −“Advanced Terminal Features”). These are
translated to binary commands and transmitted to the
modem over a serial link. The binary commands are
structured according to the widely used HDLC19
specification and are documented in [24, 25].
A USB-to-serial conversion chip on the motherboard,
working in concert with its computer driver, tunnels this link
over USB.
The modem responds to these HDLC appropriately, for
instance an incoming HDLC transmission instruction
results in an PLC frame being sent. Conversely, upon
receiving a PLC frame the modem send an HDLC
notification.
Note the PLC and HDLC frames have a different format;
in addition, there is no one-to-one mapping between frame
types of both protocols. For instance, a HDLC frame
instructing the modem to change the carrier frequencies is
not reflected by a PLC frame.
The evaluation kit terminal requires Microsoft Windows
XP or later.
One terminal controls only a single board, but multiple
boards can be controlled from the same PC by using multiple
terminal. To test communication quality over a long
distance, two PC’s are usually required.
Two IEC C14 power cables are required to connect each
evaluation board to the mains.
Driver Installation
The serial port is encapsulated over USB as a virtual
communications port (VCP) by a converter chip. On
Windows operating systems, specific drivers must be
installed before this converter is recognized by the computer.
On Windows 7 and higher, installation normally starts
automatically when the motherboard is first connected. This
is indicated by the animated icon in the task bar (Figure 13).
Note that installation can take a long time the first time an
unrecognized device is plugging in −be patient20!
You can verify the state of the device by opening the
Device Manager (Figure 15)21. After the driver has been
installed successfully and the device has been configured by
Windows, a new serial port will appear in the device
manager (Figure 14) under the category Ports (COM and
LPT). The virtual serial port is ready to be used.
Figure 13. Notification Shown by Windows 7
during the Automatic Installation of the Driver of
a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip
Figure 14. Windows Device Manager Showing
a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip after Successful
Installation
19High-level data link control or HDLC is a data link layer protocol
standardized as ISO 13239. The standard provides for many
use cases, but the modem firmware uses the point-to-point with
asynchronous framing.
20If installation remains slow after the first installation of the driver,
consider changing the order Windows uses to search device
drivers. This may be done by right-clicking on My Computer →
Properties →Advanced →Hardware →Device Installation
Settings. Directing Windows to search for drivers on the
computer first instead of through Windows Update will speed up
device installation.
21Accessed by right-clicking on my [My] Computer.

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If the installation has not (yet) been completed, the device
is shown with a yellow icon (as in Figure 15, under Other
devices).
You will need to install the driver manually if the
automatic installation fails.
•If you have a revision 5 motherboards, with
a Microchip MCP2200 converter, you must download
the latest version of the driver (MCP2200.inf) from the
Microchip website. To install the driver manually,
right-click on the device in the Device Manager, and
select Update driver software. Please select “Install
from a location on disk” and point the installer to the
file you downloaded earlier.
•All other motherboard revisions use an FTDI converter.
The easiest way to install the driver is the installation
executable available from [5]. If you encounter
problems during the installation, refer to [3, 4].
Figure 15. Windows Device Manager Showing
a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip during
Installation, or after the Installation has Failed
Terminal Installation
You should have received an installation program for the
terminal you wish to use. If not please contact
Softwar[email protected]. Prior to starting this
installer, you must install the .NET framework, version 4 or
above. You can download an installer from the Microsoft
website at [9]22. It is strongly recommended to do this even
if you have already a .NET framework installed. This
ensures your .NET installation is up to date.
You must also install the Gtk# for .NET library from [21].
The exact version is important, so make sure to use the Gtk#
installer supplied with the terminal installation program.
Subsequently, the PC software installer can be run; once
completed, an entry will appear in your Start Menu allowing
you to run the software.
Figure 16. The Terminal Window
Command EntryHelp Logging
Assigned COM port
Terminal Revision number
Starting the Terminal
The terminal application uses a serial port to communicate
with the PLC evaluation board. The commands that are
implemented by the PLC terminal application are translated
into binary frames that are transmitted over the UART and
expose a higher level, more user friendly, interface.
Separate terminals are provided for the different modem
firmware variants: for the NCN49597 and NCN49599,
terminals exists for ON−PL110 and IEC; for the
AMIS−49587 another terminal is available for the IEC
firmware running from ROM.
To start the terminal, navigate to the correct folder in the
Start Menu and click the PLC terminal icon23, then click on
the icon. The terminal should start; if not please refer to
“Terminal Installation” section and make sure you have all
required libraries installed.
The PLC terminal application can be used to configure
one single modem and transmit or receive data over the
power line by entering commands in the command entry box
(Figure 16). The terminal maintains a history of correctly
entered commands. Pressing the up/down arrow keys will
cycle through the list of entered commands. Help for
partially typed commands is displayed in the status bar. To
get a list of available commands with their explanation, enter
the help command. A full list of supported commands
appears in “ON−PL110 Firmware Commands” and “IEC
Firmware Commands” sections.
After connecting the modem to the PC you need to find out
which serial port the modem is connected to.
22Due to license restrictions, ON Semiconductor is unable to
distribute the .NET installer with the PC software installer.
23This would be either Programs →ON Semiconductor PLC
Terminal for PL110 →ON Semiconductor PLC Terminal PL110;
or Programs →ON Semiconductor PLC Terminal for IEC −
Linky (HDLC API) →ON Semiconductor Terminal IEC −Linky
(HDLC API).

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We will use the ports command that lists the available and
not available serial ports in the system. The easiest way to
find the connected serial port is to issue the command ports,
to unplug the board USB cable and issue ports again.
The modem is connected to the serial port that disappeared
from the list of available ports24.
Plug the cable back in.
To open the serial port, issue the command open with two
comma-separated parameters: the port name and the baud
rate. As an example:
open com213, 115200
The port will be opened and associated to the terminal.
The baud rate is dependent on the daughterboard.
AMIS−49587 boards use 38400 baud, except revision 325
which uses 9600 baud. NCN49597/9 boards use 115200
baud except older boards with a red solder mask which use
38400 baud.
The close26 command releases the serial port, allowing
other applications to use it.
Configuring the Modem
Once the port is properly open and associated to a terminal
it is possible to configure the device.
Note that the method used to do this depend on the
firmware. This and the following sections describes the
process for downloadable firmware. For the AMIS−49587
modem, refer to [12].
Firmware Download
If all previous steps were properly executed the RxD LED
should start blinking slowly at 0.5 Hz (1 s on, 1 s off),
indicating the ROM bootloader is running.
We will use this bootloader to download the right
firmware27 to the modem with the download command,
specifying the path to the binary firmware file you received
as an argument. Make sure you use the right file: the
ON−PL110 and IEC protocols require different firmware.
As an example:
download D:\PLC\PL110.bin
This takes a few seconds to complete. Once the download
has completed successfully, the RxD LED will blink twice
as fast (1 Hz). If the download fails, ensure you are
addressing the right serial port with the correct baud rate.
Parameter Selection
Before the modem can send or receive any data over the
power line, it needs to be configured. The modem is
configured by settings in the Management Information Base
(MIB), a set of parameters that control every aspect of the
firmware behavior.
The value of a specific MIB parameter can be retrieved
with the get command. To change the value of a parameter,
use the set command. The first parameter of both commands
is the Object ID of the MIB parameter to access.
set 580C=159B
get 580C
First sets the MIB parameter MIB_R_FS1 to the
hexadecimal value 159B; the second command will query
the current value and should return the same 159B. As
a result of the write operation, the space frequency of the
first transmitter will change to 63.3 kHz28.
A list of all MIB parameters may be retrieved with the oids
command. In addition, the modem API spreadsheets in your
ON−PL110 and IEC terminal installation folders provide
a detailed description of the MIB.
Use these settings to configure your evaluation board as
described in “Using the ON−PL110 Firmware” and “Using
the IEC Firmware” sections.
Reset
To set all modem parameters back to the default values,
use the reset command.
Sometimes a hard reset is required, especially if error
messages start to pop up in the terminal window. In this case
it is recommended to first close the serial port in the terminal
with close. Then, push the reset button on the evaluation kit
itself and restart from from “Firmware Download” section.
Using the ON−PL110 Firmware
The ON−PL110 protocol is based on a network model
without a master node. The protocol supports collision
avoidance and detection. Error correction and message
reception acknowledgement are also included.
Configuring the Modems
Before any data can be sent or received over the power
line, the modems need to be configured.
A minimal configuration when working with the MAC
layer requires setting the individual MAC and domain
addresses and activating the modem. As an example,
set 1000=20
set 1002=8
will set the MAC address to 0020Hand the domain address
to 08H.
24If nothing changes make sure your operating system recognizes
the USB-to-Serial converter included on the evaluation board.
Refer to “Driver Installation” section for more details.
25The daughterboard revision is noted in the silkscreen in the
upper left corner of the board.
26As a reminder, all available commands are shown in the terminal
log window when the command help is issued.
In addition, the full list of supported commands for terminals with
downloadable firmware appears in “Terminal Reference”
section on page 18. For the ON−PL110−and IEC−specific
commands terminals refer to sections “ON−PL110 Firmware
Commands” and “IEC Firmware Commands” respectively.
For the terminal for ROM firmware, refer to [10, 13].
27If you did not receive this file please contact
[email protected].
28Note that this MIB parameter is common for the ON−PL110 and
IEC firmware. In general, MIB parameters are firmware-specific.

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By default, the ON−PL110 firmware looks for a mains
zero-crossing and synchronizes transmission with the
mains. If synchronization to the mains zero crossing is not
required or not possible (for instance, on a DC network), the
MIB parameters MIB_R_MISC_ZCGEN_MODE must be
set to 1. If this is not done, the modem will not be able to
modulate or demodulate data.
Note that a small performance degradation must be
expected for DC operation as the lack of shared timebase
makes it more difficult for a received to demodulate the
signal.
By default, a mains frequency of 50 Hz is assumed. If
60 Hz is used, the MIB parameter MIB_R_CONF_
MAINS_FREQ must be set accordingly:
set 4101=1
Once configuration is complete, switch the modem into
active mode:
set 4102=1
At least one other node must be configured in order to test
power-line communication. Use another second terminal to
connect to a second evaluation board, repeat all steps of
“Configuring the Modem”section, and configure the
modem with the same parameters, except for the MAC
address:
set 1000=21
set 1002=8
set 4101=1 (for a 60 Hz mains)
set 4102=1
Starting Basic Communication
Once the modems are active, use the command txmac in
one terminal to transmit communication frames through the
MAC layer. The expected parameters are the number of
frames to transmit29, the destination address, domain
address, payload and frame flags. The addresses and flags
should be entered in hexadecimal format. As an example,
txmac 100, 21, 8, 10, 4
will try to send 100 frames to individual address 0031H,
domain address 55Hwith the standard frame format. To
abort the transmission, use stop.
Each transmitted frame has a payload of 10 bytes with the
hard-coded value AAH.
It is also convenient to use the broadcast address 0.
Broadcast frames are always repeated by the transmitter and
the confirmation sent back to the host is always positive. For
instance
txmac 20, 0, 0, 10, 4
will broadcast 20 frames.
If the modem is transmitting, the yellow LED TxEn will
light up; if a modem is receiving a correct frame, the green
CRC LED will blink. This can help in debugging
communication.
When another modem receives the transmitted frames and
the frame destination address matches the address of the
modem, it will report them in the terminal.
For a graphical representation, use the spy window
(section “Advanced Terminal Features”). The separate “spy
window” will open and indicate the number of received
frames and signal to noise ratio for the specified carrier
frequencies.
As an alternative to txmac, use the command txmacm to
transmit 3 bytes of user data through the MAC layer. As an
example,
txmacm 10, 20, 80, 4, 02345678
will try to send 10 frames to individual address 0020H,
domain address 80Hwith the standard frame format. Each
transmitted frame will have a payload of 4 bytes with content
345678Hand hop count 2.
Table 3. TRANSMISSION FLAGS OF THE ON−PL110
txmac AND txmacm COMMANDS
Bit Name Value Description
0−1 Priority 00B
01B
10B
11B
System
Normal
Urgent
Low
2Frame Type 0
1
Extended
Standard
3 Repeat 0
1
Do Not Repeat
Repeat Frame
4 Destination 0
1
Individual Address
Group Address
The fifth resp. fourth argument of the txmac and the
txmacm commands control the frame control flags. The
flags, and their possible values, are listed in Table 3.
Access to Different Network Layers
It is possible to disable the MAC layer and order the
firmware to transmit physical frames directly.
A minimal configuration when working with PHY layer
requires disabling the MAC and activating the modem:
set 400=1
set 4102=1
Subsequently the command txphy can be used; expected
parameters are the number of frames to transmit, the payload
and bus idle delay. As an example,
txphy 100, 10, 50
will try to send 100 frames29 to individual address
AAAAH30, domain address AAH30 with the frame format
chosen by the payload number. Transmitted frames have
a payload of two bytes with the hard-coded value of AAH.
The bus idle delay specifies minimum elapsed time since the
last transmission before the transmission of the new frame
starts; measured in Tbit times, its maximum value is 255.
29For field tests, it is useful to put the number of frames to a very
high number.
30This address is hard-coded in the terminal.

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Note that by its nature, reception in PHY mode does not
filter frames based on destination address; thus, all frames
will be reported by any modem that receives them.
Additional Features
The ON−PL110 firmware does not require the
zero-crossing detection. This allows it to communicate over
DC lines. However, this feature must be specifically enabled
with the MIB parameter MIB_R_MISC_ZCGEN_MODE:
set 4201=1
To use dual channel operation, the parameter
MIB_R_CONF_DUAL_CHAN must be set to 1.
Using the IEC Firmware
The IEC protocol is based on a master-slave organization.
The slaves cannot communicate directly.
The IEC protocol also defines the synchronization
method. A master will synchronize as soon as it is
configured. On the other hand, a slave modem will only
synchronize from the moment it correctly received a frame,
even if the frame’s destination address is different from the
slave’s address. As a result, all slaves should become
synchronized to the master in due time. Refer to the IEC
specifications for more information about synchronization.
You will need to configure one evaluation board as master
and at least one other board as slave to test communication.
Some scripts are prepared and available under the cfg folder
in the installation folder. These may be called with the
command script31.
The IEC terminal also supports the Linky firmware. Linky
is a standard based on IEC [2].
Configuring the Master Modem
By default, a master is configured with MAC address
C01H. This value can be changed by accessing the “Local
MAC address” parameter in the MIB.
The IEC protocol requires synchronization to the mains
before the master can send data. By default, the firmware
assumes a mains frequency of 50 Hz. If 60 Hz is used,
the MIB parameter MIB_R_CONF_MAINS_FREQ must
be set accordingly:
set 4101=1
The script master.txt, provided in your installation, can
then be used to configure a modem as master:
script cfg/master.txt
Configuring a Slave Modem
Please note that you need to open an new terminal if you
already assigned the previous terminal to master
configuration (required if you want to evaluate PLC
communication between two nodes). Open a new terminal,
and follow “Starting the Terminal” and “Configuring the
Modem”sections for the additional evaluation board.
By default, a slave starts with address FFEH (the value
defined for “new” participants in the IEC standard).
Load the default slave.txt or a custom script to configure
the modem in slave mode32
script cfg/slave.txt
It is possible, and often convenient, to create customized
scripts; as an example, for adjusting the baud rate or carrier
pair frequencies. Several masters can operate in parallel.
However, they must use different frequency pairs not to
interfere with each other.
Starting Basic Communication
The master can be ordered to start to broadcast frames
continuously with the txllc command. As an example
txllc 100, 12, 34, fff, 0
will transmit 100 frames (first parameter) to the MAC
address FFFH(the broadcast address) with initial credit 033.
To abort the transmission, use stop.
It is recommended to put the number of frames to a very
high number for a field test.
In the slave terminal(s), you should observe log messages
indicating that frames are being received. In addition,
the slave should report after receiving the first frame that it
is now synchronized.
For a graphical representation, use the spy window
(section “Advanced Terminal Features”).
Figure 17. The Terminal Spy Window Graphically
Shows the Current and Historical Signal and
Noise Levels
31Refer to “Advanced Terminal Features” section for details.
32As with the master, MIB 4101 must be set to 1 if the local mains
frequency is 60 Hz before running the configuration script.
33The initial credit specifies how many times the frame will be
repeated by slave modems that are configured as repeater.
Repetition with credit counter is a technique to extend the
transmission range by having salves repeat messages that
don’t address the slave. For more information, refer to [7].

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Access to Different Network Layers
The IEC firmware from ON Semiconductor implements
the three lowest layer defined by the IEC 61334 standard
(refer to [6, 7]): the physical (PHY), Media Access Control
(MAC) and Logical Link Layer (LLC) layers.
The user can transmit and receive frames at different
layers of the network stacks with the MIB parameter
MIB_TOPLAYER_ID (6100).
By default all three are enabled (6100 = 2). To disable the
LLC layer and expose the MAC layer, use set 6100 = 1. To
enable only the physical layer, use set 6100 = 0.
Note that the MIB_TOPLAYER_ID is only writeable
before the modem is configured, that is, before set
4102 = [mode]. After configuration, is read only
MIB_TOPLAYER_ID. To make it writeable again, issue the
reset command. All OID values will be reset to their default
value.
In the previous section, frames were transmitted using the
physical, MAC and LLC layers. The command txmac may
be used to transmit frames with the specified number of
frames, destination address and initial number of credits34.
As an example,
reset
download IEC.bin
set 6100=1
set 4102=1 (2 for slave)
txmac, 10, FFF, 0
will send configure the modem as a master and send 10
frames to the broadcast address FFFHwith initial credit of
0. The transmitted frames have only one sub-frame and the
payload is 12 times byte AAH.
Similarly, the command txphy may be used to transmit
frames with the MAC layer disabled too. As an example,
reset
download IEC.bin
set 6100=0
set 4102=1
txphy 10
will transmit 10 dummy PDUs.
Using the Test Firmware
Specific firmware is available to generate a test pattern on
the transmit output pin. This can be useful for development
and production testing. Loading the firmware enables the
test command (see “Test Firmware Commands” section).
As an example,
reset
download testmode.crc.bin
set 4101=1 (for a 60 Hz mains)35
set 580C=1942
test 0, 1, 0
will generate a continuous 74 kHz sinewave.
Advanced Terminal Features
•The log <level> command alters the amount of logging
information shown. Use log −1to disable all output; use
log 3 to shown as much logging as possible.
•The ON−PL110 and IEC firmware can report the signal
and noise values when frames are received. This can be
very helpful during debugging; to enable it, issue set
3300 = 1. The reported values can be shown graphically
in the spy window (depicted in Figure 17) with the spy
command. The last reported levels are displayed by the
four top bars; the historical levels are rendered in the
graph below.
•By default the working directory of the terminal is the
installation folder. This working directory affects the
lookup of scripts, firmware binaries and configuration
files if you specify relative paths for the relevant
commands. It might be convenient to change to
working directory with the cdir command;
as an example
cdir D:\PLC\Files
Changing Carrier Frequencies
It is evident from the previous section that it is often useful
in a field test to change the carrier frequencies.
Ordering the modem to do this is easily done with the MIB
parameters MIB_R_FS1 and MIB_R_FM1 (space resp.
mark frequencies)36. The best-fitting hexadecimal value A
corresponding to a given frequency fC[Hz] is derived from
A+Ŧ4096
46875 @fCŦ(eq. 1)
However, you must also consider the external filters when
changing carriers. Both the reception and transmission
signal path are filtered. Shifting away from the resonant
frequency is liable to decrease the amplitude of a transmitted
and received signal. Refer to the designed filter response for
your daughterboard variant in section 6 to ascertain the exact
result.
Similarly, if a motherboard with a resonant coupling
circuit is used (refer to “Mains Coupling”), deviating from
the resonance frequency will cause signal attenuation37.
34The destination address should be entered in hexadecimal
format and the initial credit can be maximum 7 and minimum 0.
35Note that the test firmware, as the other firmware options,
depends on the correct setting of the mains frequency. By
default, 50 Hz is assumed.
36The ON−PL110 firmware support dual-channel communication
(i.e., four carriers) and therefore also supports the MIB
parameters MIB_R_FS2 and MIB_R_FM2.
37This is especially true when the mains impedance is low.

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Attainable Communication Quality
The practical communication range strongly depends on
the network. It is mainly influenced by the attenuation
between the nodes and the noise level on the network.
As a rule, high and medium voltage networks have
a simple, predictable topology with fairly low noise levels.
As electrical loads are not directly connected to the network
the impedance seen at the PLC frequencies is high, leading
to low attenuation. Therefore, PLC is feasible over long
ranges.
Conversely, low voltage networks are typically very
hostile environments for PLC. This is especially true for
residential and office networks. Electrical loads are directly
connected to the network. Because many of these loads will
have a capacitor across the power lines for EMC
compliance, the attenuation at PLC frequencies is high. In
addition, the many switching power supplies found in a
typical home or office cause significantly higher noise
levels.
The complex topology of an office or home network
makes it very difficult to accurately predict the
communication performance. As a rough guideline, expect
up to a kilometer on medium voltage networks and up to
a few hundred meters on low voltage networks.
It is important to remember that PLC signals usually cross
transformers only with great attenuation.
Thus, communication across phases will often be
impossible. In Figure 18, modems D and E will not see each
other unless the three-phase modem F is configured as a
repeater. Note that even in the same room, wall sockets are
not necessarily connected to the same phase.
Even when modems are on the same phase, transformers
cause problems: in Figure 18, modem A and B may not be
able to communicate even though they are on the same
phase. Adding a two-phase repeater (C) might solve the
issue.
Figure 18. In this Example Grid, Modems A, B, D
and E will have Difficulty Communicating Directly
In addition, the presence of other consumers can block
successful communication. In particular, switch-mode
power supplies (SMPS) exhibit a very low impedance at
PLC frequencies38. In Figure 19, the signal sent by modem
D to C will be attenuated due to the presence of the television
in between.
Referring to the same figure, another aspect becomes
evident. Even though modem A and B are physically close,
communication can be difficult due to the long electrical
distance. Crosstalk with signals from modem C might also
influence the communication.
Figure 19. In this Sample Domestic Electrical
Installation, the Television can Cause Significant
Deterioration of the Communication Quality
between Modems C and D
B
C
D
A
Troubleshooting
Setting up communication, as described in “Using the
ON−PL110 Firmware” or “Using the IEC
Firmware”section, is a fairly involved process. As a result,
an error is easily made.
Section “Troubleshooting Functionality”describes how
to debug functional problems; performance problems are
discussed in “Troubleshooting Performance” section.
Troubleshooting Functionality
Is the Board Powered?
The motherboard has two isolated power domains. Both
are provided with a green LED indicating the rails of their
domain are stable.
Ensure both LEDs are on.
The first LED (located close to the power supply brick) is
associated with the daughterboard power domain (3.3 V and
12 V rail). If it does not light up, ensure the mains is
connected.
The second LED (close to the USB connector) with the
USB-to-serial power domain. If it does not light up, ensure
the USB cable is connected and powered.
38The cause of this high load is the presence of a filter capacitor
at the input of a switch-mode power supply. The filter is required
to comply with conducted EME standards.

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Is the Motherboard Receiving Serial Data?
Two green LEDs on the motherboard light up when the
USB-to-serial converter is receiving and transmitting data.
Send some bytes to the board by issuing a command in the
associated terminal (any get command will do, for instance
get 4101). The LED marked PcTx should light up briefly.
If it does not, check the serial communication. Ensure the
terminal is associated with the correct COM port.
Has the Boot Loader Started?
After the motherboard has reset (due to power-on,
a terminal command, or pressing the reset button on the
motherboard), the boot loader should start.
The boot loader indicates it’s running by blinking the IO0
LED slowly (1 s on, 1 s off).
If the boot loader is not running, verify with a multimeter
the reset and IO2 signal on the daughterboard are both high.
Then, reset the modem by pressing the reset button.
Are the Modems Responding to Terminal Commands?
Observe the IO0 LED on the daughterboard to see
whether the firmware download succeeded.
When the modem first boots, it should blink slowly at
a rate of about 0.5 Hz (1 s on, 1 s off). After the ON−PL110
or IEC firmware has been loaded, the blink rate increases to
about 1 Hz (unconfigured state) or 2 Hz (configured).
As another test, an MIB get command can be used. For
instance, issue the command get 4101 −the result in the log
window should indicate whether the modem is configured
for a 50 Hz mains, a 60 Hz mains or a DC network. If the
command fails, retry the download procedure described in
“Configuration the Modem”section.
If some commands fail but others succeed, ensure you are
using the terminal variant corresponds to the firmware
variant. The ON−PL110 terminal works with the
ON−PL110 firmware; the IEC terminal with the IEC
firmware and the test mode firmware.
Is the Transmitting Modem Actually Transmitting?
Once the firmware is up and running, configure one of the
evaluation boards as a transmitter39. Try to transmit a large
number frames and observe the yellow TXEN (transmit
enable) LED. During the transmission of each frame, the
line driver is enabled and the LED should light up briefly.
If the transmit LED does not light up, the modem is not
transmitting frames. The most likely cause is a configuration
mistake. If the ON−PL110 firmware is used, ensure the
modem is active (get 4102 should return “Mode 1”). When
evaluating the IEC firmware, ensure the modem is
synchronized to a master; the easiest way to do this is to
simply configuring the transmitter as a master and the
receiver as a slave.
Is the Line Driver Overloaded?
If the transmit LED lights up but communication over the
power line is still not possible, observe the red TSD (thermal
shutdown) and ILIM (current limitation) LEDs40. Any
illuminated LED signals the line driver is overloaded.
In contrast to the NCS5651, the line driver of the
NCN49599 does not have a thermal flag output; as a result,
NCN49599-based daughterboards do not have a thermal
shutdown LED. An oscilloscope will be required to check
whether thermal shutdown is active.
Monitored the modem output (test point MTx) and line
driver output (test point PL) is useful in any case41
(Figure 20). Short transmission bursts, one for each frame,
with a steady voltage in-between are expected (Figure 21,
top trace). Ensure the sample rate of the oscilloscope is high
enough −undersampling will result in gross deviations
(bottom trace)42.
Figure 20. To Debug Communication Problems,
Observe the MTx and PL Test Points with
an Oscilloscope
39To do this, refer to section “ON−PL110 Firmware” or section “IEC
Firmware”.
40Note that the NCN49599 modem does not have a thermal
shutdown indication pin, and no thermal shutdown LED is
provided on NCN49599 daughterboards.
41The signal MTx is a small-signal, low-power signal generated by
the 3.3 V analogue part of the modem. Therefore the amplitude
is small (1 VPwith a 1.65 V DC bias). This signal is not output
directly on the mains, but is amplified by the line driver to the
signal at PL. The DC bias here should be 6 V with an amplitude
of approximately 10 VPP (neglecting any configured transmit
attenuation). Refer to Figure 4 for an overview.
42Both traces were not captured at the same time, resulting in
a time offset.

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Figure 21. Oscilloscope Traces of the Line Driver
Output: Good (Top) and Undersampled
Under normal conditions the line driver output is a close
(though amplified) copy of the modem output (Figure 2243).
Note the amplitude at the line driver output changes slightly
between mark and space −this is caused by slightly different
gains in the transmit filter and is perfectly normal.
Figure 22. Modem Output (Bottom Trace) and Line
Driver Output (Top Trace) under Normal
Conditions
If the signal at the line driver output suddenly disappears
before the frame is finished, as shown in Figure 23, thermal
shutdown is a likely cause.
If the output is heavily distorted, the current limitation
may have been triggered. This can happen if the line
impedance is too low.
To fix the overload, stop the current transmission and
reduce the transmitted amplitude with the
R_ALC_CTRL_VAL MIB parameter:
stop
set 5815=1 (or any value between 0–7)
Figure 23. Modem Output (Bottom Trace) and Line
Driver Output (Top Trace) during Thermal
Overload
This parameter sets the number of 3 dB attenuation steps,
0 corresponding to 0 dB attenuation, 7 to 21 dB attenuation.
Try to maximize the transmitted amplitude, without
overloading the line driver.
If a well-formed signal is seen on MTx but clipping is
observed on PL, the usual cause is the choice of carrier
frequencies. Carrier frequencies must be chosen
appropriately for the transmit filter of the transmitting
daughterboard. Refer to Table 2 and “Evaluation Kit
Design”section for a list of daughterboard filters. If
required, change frequencies (see “Changing Carrier
Frequencies” section).
Once this is done, the transmitter is set up. The next step
is to check the receiver.
Is the Transmitted Signal Clipped?
If the gain settings are not appropriate for the chosen
carrier frequencies, the output signal can be clipped. This
will often (but not always) overload the line driver.
Communication is still possible with moderate clipping, but
for a more robust design it should be avoided.
Clipping is not evident with large oscilloscope time bases.
For instance, the signal at the transformer secondary in
Figure 24 (top trace) looks fine at 1 ms/division, but when
the time base is decreased to 20 ms/division, (Figure 25) it
transpires the gain is too high at the mark carrier frequency.
43The figure shows an oscilloscope screen shot, split in two parts.
The top part shows the entire trace length: two traces are shows
(appearing black and grey). The bottom part shows the same
traces but zoomed-in. This oscilloscope feature is called “Wave
Inspector” by Tektronix and “MegaZoom” by Agilent.

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Figure 24. Modem Output (Center Trace) and
a Clipped Line Driver Output (Top Trace). The Line
Driver Enable Signal is also Shown (Bottom)
Figure 25. Modem Output (Center Trace) and
a Clipped Line Driver Output (Top Trace). The Line
Driver Enable Signal is also Shown (Bottom). Note
the Time Base
Is the Receiver Correctly Configured?
When the transmitter is functional, but the terminal
associated to the receiving evaluation kit does not report that
frames are being received, verify the receiving modem is
configured correctly.
Of course, the same carrier frequencies must be used by
all modems.
When using the ON−PL110 firmware, the media access
control (MAC) layer address and domain must be set. They
must also match the destination specified in the txmac(m)
command sent to the transmitter. When using the IEC
firmware, the MAC address should match.
Does the Receiving Modem See a Strong Signal?
Connect the two evaluation boards to a single power
distribution strip (Figure 26) −this lowers the attenuation
from transmitter to receiver. Also, do not connect other
consumers to the distribution strip −this lowers the local
noise and interference level.
When it has been verified the transmitted is generating
a strong signal the PL test point (section “Is the Line Driver
Overloaded?”), observe the same test point on the receiver
with another
oscilloscope probe. An identical, somewhat attenuated,
waveform should be seen.
Figure 26. Connecting Both Modems to Single
Distribution Strip Reduces the Noise Levels and
Attenuation
If no signal is seen, the most likely cause is excessive
attenuation in the coupling circuit44. Ensure appropriate
carrier frequencies are selected for the type of
motherboards45. Resonant motherboard only operate well
with carrier frequencies close to the resonance frequency.
For more details, refer to section “Changing Carrier
Frequencies”.
Once a good waveform is seen on the test point PL on the
receiving daughterboard, observe the signal at the input of
the receiving modem (test point MRx). Here, too, a fairly
strong signal is expected (about 1 VPP). If a strong signal is
seen on PL but not on MRx, the carrier frequencies are not
chosen correctly for the receive filter of the receiving
daughterboard46.
With an acceptable signal on the receiver test point MRx,
communication should be possible.
If nothing helps, consider reversing the role of receiver
and transmitter.
44Because the modems are connected on the same power
distribution strip, the attenuation for PLC frequencies between
the power outlets should be low, even in fairly heavily loaded
environments.
45Also ensure the receiving modem board is not transmitting, thus
blocking the signal from the other board. The state of the board
(transmitting or receiving) is indicated by the TXEN LED.
46Again, refer to section “Evaluation Kit Design” for a list of
daughterboard filters.

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Troubleshooting Performance
Sometimes the communication over the power line
between two evaluation kits is functional but low-quality,
i.e. the receiving modem receives some but not all frames.
As in “Does the Receiving Modem See a Strong Signal”
section, connect all modems to a single power distribution
strip. This should ensure most frames are received correctly.
If not, observe the test points PL (on the motherboard;
transformer secondary) MRx (on the daughterboard;
modem input). Severe noise and interference at this point
can interfere with the communication carriers.
When the communication quality is disappointing in the
field, it is very useful to study the local topology of the grid
to understand the underlying causes. Some clues where to
look to try to understand the behavior can be derived from
“Attainable Communication Quality”section:
•Are the evaluation kits on the same phase? If not, is it
possible to add a repeater connected to both phases?
•How does the electrical installation plan look?
Frequently, this will be difficult to find. If the cabling
between two nodes is long, is adding a repeater
feasible?
•How many consumers are connected to the network, in
particular those with heavy switching power supplies
located between the evaluation kits? Does the
communication quality improve when disconnecting
consumers?
•When two modems that are close-by (i.e., seeing little
attenuation between them) are both configured as
repeater, slight timing difference will cause the repeated
frames to interfere destructively. Thus, the addition of
a second repeater function will actually cause worse
performance. In such a case, try configuring only one
of these modems as a repeater.
•What disturbance is seen on the mains? In particular,
interference on or near the carrier frequencies will
significantly reduce the communication quality.
However, interference away from the carrier will also
cause problems if the amplitude −after filtering −is
sufficiently high. Checking the waveform and spectrum
of the signal at the modem input (test point MRx) will
help to pinpoint this47.
•What is the attenuation for each carrier frequency? Are
the carriers by chance located at a notch of the signal
transfer function of the network?
Terminal Reference
Terminal-related Commands
The following commands are related to the terminal itself
and its serial port. They are always available.
save [file name] Saves the logging in the log window of the
PLC Terminal into a file.
•file name. The name and possibly path of the file to
save to
version Displays the version of the PLC Terminal
application.
oids Display all MIB object Ids.
exit Exits the PLC Terminal application (if a serial port is
open, it is released).
open [port], [baud] Opens a serial port on the PC with
a given baud rate.
•port. The name of the COM port (e.g. COM13)
•baud. The baud rate, depends on the daughterboard.
Refer to page 10 for details
close Closes the port that is currently open.
ports Displays a list of all serial ports reported by the
operating system, categorised in open and available ports.
log [level] Sets the logging level (the amount of logging
output in the main window) of the terminal application.
•level. The logging level (0 to 3). A higher level
generated more logging
spy Popup window with spy data.
rts [level] Sets the level of the RTS pin on the currently
opened COM port. Note that RTS is the same as TREQ, so
this command can be used to control start-up of the modem
together with the SEN pin.
•level. The requested level (0 or 1)
dtr [level] Sets the level of the DTR pin on the currently
opened COM port.
•level. The requested level (0 or 1)
clear Clears all output in the logging window.
script [file name] Executes a script file
•file name. The name and possibly path of the script file
to execute
print [string] Outputs a specific string to the terminal
window. This is particularly useful in scripts
•string. The character string to print
pause [sec] Halts execution of the currently running script
during a given time, for example to allow the modem to
respond.
•sec. The time to wait, in seconds
download [file name] Downloads the firmware as a binary
image over the UART into the modem. Prior to using this
command, the serial port must be open. This command will
control the TREQ pin for you; the SEN pin must be manually
driven low for the download to succeed. Refer to “Modem
Boot Sequence” section on page 4 for details.
•file name. The name and possibly path of the binary
firmware file
47A spectrum analyser may be used for this, but a digital oscillope
with (offline or online) FFT is often more convenient. Note that
an oscilloscope is severely limited in dynamic range compared
to a spectrum analyser.

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cdir [path to folder] Set current working directory for the
terminal. The working directory is used as a base path when
opening files specified with a relative path. Changing the
working directory is useful to shorten the parameter of the
commands save, script and download.
•path to folder. Valid path to any folder, e.g.
C:\Projects\PL110
Common Firmware Commands
These commands are available when a serial port has been
opened and firmware has been downloaded into the modem.
Note that some MIB parameter are not writeable if the
modem is configured48.
set [parameter]=[value] Sets (writes) the value of
a parameter in the modem’s Management Information Base
(MIB).
•parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set,
in hexadecimal format
•value. The value for the parameter
get [parameter] Gets (reads) the value of a parameter in the
modem’s Management Information Base (MIB)
•parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be read,
in hexadecimal format
iset [parameter], [index], [value] Sets (writes) the value of
an indexed parameter in the modem’s Management
Information Base (MIB).
•parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set,
in hexadecimal format
•index. The index of the value within the parameter
•value. The value for the parameter
iget [parameter], [index] Gets (reads) the value of an
indexed parameter in the modem’s Management
Information Base (MIB).
•parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set, in
hexadecimal format
•index. The index of the value within the parameter
reset Asks the modem firmware to perform a reset.
The modem will restart the boot sequence; this implies the
firmware is lost and must be reloaded.
ON−PL110 Firmware Commands
These commands are only valid if the ON−PL110
firmware has been successfully loaded.
txphy [num], [cnt], [bit] Transmits a dummy PHY frame
by consecutively sending a number of Phy Data Requests to
the modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH).
Whether or not the transmission was successful is not
regarded by this command; that is left to the user. This
command is only available when the PHY layer of the
modem is accessible; this is controlled with the Phy Direct
Access MIB parameter.
•num. The number of requests to send
•cnt. The number of bytes within every request
•bit. Bus idle delay, measured in bit times, before the
frame is sent on the power line by the PHY layer
txmac [num], [dmac], [dom], [cnt], [flgs]
Transmits a dummy MAC frame from the modem by
consecutively sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the
modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH).
Whether or not the transmission was successful is not
regarded by this command; that is left to the user.
•num. The number of requests to send
•dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames
•dom. The destination domain address of the frames
•cnt. The number of bytes (payload data) of every
request
•flgs. Frame flags; the binary-OR values of the bits
specified in Table 3 on page 11
txmacm [num], [dmac], [dom], [flgs], [data]
Transmits a MAC frame from the modem by consecutively
sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The
requests contain the data requested by the user. Whether or
not the transmission was successful is not regarded by this
command; that is left to the user.
•num. The number of requests to send
•dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames
•dom. The destination domain address of the frames
•flgs. Frame flags. Refer to the txmac command for
details
•data. The data to transmit as payload of the MAC
frame, interpreted as a 32-bit number in decimal
format.
The first 8 bits control the handling of the frame by the
MAC layer; the format is dependent on the frame type.
For standard frames, the lower three bits (bits 0–2)
specify the hop count. For extended frames, bits 0–3
specify the “extended frame format” (EFF); bits 4–6
specify the hop count. All other bits are reserved and
should be zero.
The next 24 bits of the userdata parameter specify the
user date. As an example, txmacm 10, 20, 80, 4,
02345678 transmits the data bytes 34H, 56Hand 78H
with hop count 2.
In KNX applications the first byte of the user data
block (34Hin the example above) is the “transport layer
protocol control information” (TPCI) field49. For
user-defined applications the first byte can be used as
any other data byte.
48The modem is configured once the MIB parameter 4102
(MIB_R_CONF_MODE) has been set to 1. This can be done
only once; reset the modem and re-upload the firmware to revert
to an unconfigured state.
49To quote the KNX standard, “The TPCI controls the Transport
Layer communication relationships, e.g. to build up and
maintain a point-to-point connection.”

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txdelay [msec] Set the pause time between transmit requests
with commands txphy, txmac and txmacm.
•msec. The pause time in milliseconds
IEC Firmware Commands
These commands are only valid if the IEC firmware has
been successfully loaded.
Note that the MAC and LLC layers of the IEC 61334
standard do not provide bit error detection in received
frames or reception acknowledgement. Therefore, all
transmission commands (txphy, txmac, txmacm and txlcc)
handle transmission only; determining whether the frames
were correctly received at the destination is a task for the
user or the higher layers.
unsync Asks the modem to desynchronize by sending
a PHY Synchronization Request. This command is only
available when the physical layer of the modem is directly
accessible; this is controlled with the MIB parameter 6100H
(TOPLAYER). To select the physical layer of the modem at
top layer, set this parameter to 0.
txphy [num] Transmits a dummy PHY frame by
consecutively sending a number of Phy Data Requests to the
modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH). This
command is only available when the PHY layer of the
modem is accessible; this is achieved by setting OID 6100
(TOPLAYER) to 0.
•num. The number of requests to send
txmac [num], [dmac], [ic] Transmits a dummy MAC frame
from the modem by consecutively sending a number of Mac
Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain dummy
data (all AAH). This command is only available when the
MAC layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved by
setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 1.
•num. The number of requests to send
•dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames
•ic. The Initial Credit value to use
txmacm [num], [dmac], [ic], [data] Transmits a MAC
frame from the modem by consecutively sending a number
of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain
the data requested by the user. This command is only
available when the MAC layer of the modem is accessible;
this is achieved by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 1.
•num. The number of requests to send
•dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames
•ic. The Initial Credit value to use
•data. The data to transmit as payload of the MAC
frame, interpreted as a 32-bit number in decimal format
txllc [num], [dsap], [ssap], [dmac], [ic]
Transmits a number of link layer data request frames
(DL_Data.request). This command is only available when
the LLC layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved
by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 2 −the default value.
•num. The number of requests to send
•dsap. Destination Service Access Point
•ssap. Source Service Access Point
•dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames
•ic. The Initial Credit value to use
Test Firmware Commands
This command is only valid if the test firmware has been
successfully loaded.
test [seconds], [mode], [pattern] Enable the line driver and
start generating a test signal on the transmit output pin.
The MIB parameters MIB_R_FS1, MIB_R_FM1 and
MIB_R_ALC_CTRL_VAL influence the signal.
•seconds. The duration of the test signal fragment;
specify 0 if the test signal should not stop
•mode. The type of signal to be generated:
♦0: continuous single-tone transmission on the mark
frequency
♦1: continuous single-tone transmission on the space
frequency
♦2: alternating between mark and space frequency
♦3: user-specified pattern
•pattern. If the mode parameter is set to 3, this
parameter specifies the bits to be transmitted as a 32-bit
word; otherwise it is ignored. As an example, the value
55555555 alternates between mark and space.
APPLICATION DESIGN MANUAL
To obtain the application design manual, please contact
your sales representative.