Pyramid Technical Consultants A500 User manual

A500
Real-time Controller
User Manual
Pyramid Technical Consultants, Inc.
1050 Waltham Street Suite 200, Lexington MA 02421 USA
US: TEL: [phone] ♦FAX: [phone] ♦EMAIL: [email protected]
Europe: TEL: [phone]

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1Contents
Safety Information ......................................................................................................................................................5
Models...........................................................................................................................................................................7
Scope of Supply............................................................................................................................................................8
Optional Items .............................................................................................................................................................9
Power supplies..........................................................................................................................................................9
Data cables...............................................................................................................................................................9
Signal cables.............................................................................................................................................................9
Ancillary devices.......................................................................................................................................................9
Intended Use and Key Features ...............................................................................................................................10
Intended Use...........................................................................................................................................................10
Key Features...........................................................................................................................................................10
Specification...............................................................................................................................................................11
Installation .................................................................................................................................................................21
Mounting.................................................................................................................................................................21
Grounding and power supply .................................................................................................................................21
System connections.................................................................................................................................................22
Network connection ................................................................................................................................................24
IP address assignment............................................................................................................................................25
Getting Started using the PSI Diagnostic Program................................................................................................28
Installing and running the PSI Diagnostic Program..............................................................................................28
Functional overview ..................................................................................................................................................31
Cell controller.........................................................................................................................................................31

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Expansion ...............................................................................................................................................................32
State machine..........................................................................................................................................................33
Connectors .................................................................................................................................................................36
Front panel connectors...........................................................................................................................................36
Optical gate input...............................................................................................................................................36
Additional fiber-optic ports................................................................................................................................36
Optional gate inputs...........................................................................................................................................37
Optional fast scaler inputs..................................................................................................................................37
Rear panel connectors............................................................................................................................................37
Power input........................................................................................................................................................37
Ground lug.........................................................................................................................................................37
EtherNet communications..................................................................................................................................38
Controls and Indicators............................................................................................................................................39
Front panel controls...............................................................................................................................................39
Rear panel controls.................................................................................................................................................39
Reset button .......................................................................................................................................................39
IP address switches............................................................................................................................................39
Front panel indicators............................................................................................................................................40
LCD ...................................................................................................................................................................40
Rear panel indicators .............................................................................................................................................40
+24 V .................................................................................................................................................................41
+5 V ...................................................................................................................................................................41
Status..................................................................................................................................................................41
10 / 100 ..............................................................................................................................................................41
Internal jumpers and switches .................................................................................................................................42
Jumpers...................................................................................................................................................................42
Watchdog switch.....................................................................................................................................................43
POST...........................................................................................................................................................................44
Gate Option Board....................................................................................................................................................45
Overview.................................................................................................................................................................45

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Operation of the Gate Function Using the PTC Diagnostic...................................................................................45
Gate Counter Option Board.....................................................................................................................................47
Overview.................................................................................................................................................................47
Circuit description..................................................................................................................................................47
Operation of the Counter Function Using the PTC Diagnostic .............................................................................48
Fault-finding ..............................................................................................................................................................52
Maintenance...............................................................................................................................................................55
Returns procedure.....................................................................................................................................................56
Support.......................................................................................................................................................................57
Hardware Versions....................................................................................................................................................58
Change history........................................................................................................................................................58
Ethernet Processor .................................................................................................................................................58
Firmware Compatibility ...........................................................................................................................................59
Declaration of Conformity........................................................................................................................................60
User Manual Revision History .................................................................................................................................61

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2Safety Information
This unit is designed for compliance with harmonized electrical safety standard EN61010-
1:2000. It must be used in accordance with its specifications and operating instructions.
Operators of the unit are expected to be qualified personnel who are aware of electrical safety
issues. The customer’s Responsible Body, as defined in the standard, must ensure that operators
are provided with the appropriate equipment and training.
The unit is designed to support devices making measurements in Measurement Category I as
defined in the standard. It may also make such measurements directly, depending upon I/O
options that are installed.
The unit must not be operated unless correctly assembled in its case. Only Service Personnel, as
defined in EN61010-1, should attempt to work on the disassembled unit, and then only under
specific instruction from Pyramid Technical Consultants.
The unit is designed to operate from +24VDC power, with a maximum current requirement of
500mA. A suitably rated power supply module is available as an option. Users who make their
own power provision should ensure that the supply cannot source more than 2000mA.
A safety ground must be securely connected to the ground lug on the case.
Some of the following symbols may be displayed on the unit, and have the indicated meanings.

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Direct current
Earth (ground) terminal
Protective conductor terminal
Frame or chassis terminal
Equipotentiality
Supply ON
Supply OFF
CAUTION – RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
CAUTION – RISK OF DANGER – REFER TO MANUAL

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3Models
A500 Realtime controller with five fiber optic loop ports.
-R5T5 Add mezzanine board with five additional fiber optic ports.
-R10 Add mezzanine board with ten fiber optic receivers.
-T10 Add mezzanine board with ten fiber optic transmitters.
-G Add gate input board with four independent gate inputs.
-GC Add gate/counter board with four independent gate inputs and ten fast
counter inputs.
-A30 High-throughput A30 Ethernet processor replaces standard RCM3200
processor.
Note: The A30 became the standard Ethernet processor from
November 2008 onwards, and on all revision 3 A500s. Upgrades are
available.
Example:
A500-R5T5-GC A500 with five additional fiber optic loop ports (for a total of ten ports)
and a gate/counter input board.

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4Scope of Supply
A500 model as specified in your order, including mezzanine fiber-optic boards and interface
boards as necessary.
The first three blocks (24 most significant bits) of the IP address can be specified at the time of
order, and the unit will be delivered with this preset. The default if no specification is made is
192.168.100.
USB memory stick containing:
User manual
PSI Diagnostic software guide
Software installation guide
PSI diagnostic software files
Optional items as specified in your order.

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5Optional Items
5.1 Power supplies
PSU24-45-1. +24 VDC 1.88 A PSU (100-250 VAC, 50-60 Hz, IEC C14 3-pin plug receptacle)
with output lead terminated in 2.1mm threaded jack.
PSU24-36-1. +24 VDC 1.5 A PSU (100-250 VAC, 50-60 Hz, IEC C8 2-pin plug receptacle)
with output lead terminated in 2.1mm threaded jack.
PD-8. +24 VDC power distribution unit, 100W, 100-250 VAC, 50-60 Hz IEC C14 3-pin plug
receptacle mains input, eight independent +24 VDC outputs on 2.1mm threaded socket.
5.2 Data cables
CAT5e eight conductor Ethernet cable, RJ45 terminated, 3m.
CAT5e eight conductor Ethernet cable, RJ45 terminated, crossover, 3m.
Custom lengths available upon request.
Fiber-optic cable, 1 mm plastic, ST terminated, 3 m.
Fiber-optic cable, 200 µm silica, ST terminated, 3 m.
Custom lengths available upon request.
5.3 Signal cables
Coax 50 ohm Lemo 00 terminated both ends, 2m.
5.4 Ancillary devices
X14, one to four optical trigger fanout device..

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6Intended Use and Key Features
6.1 Intended Use
The A500 is intended for use in association with devices from the Pyramid Technical
Consultants, Inc. PSI family. These in their turn may be used to control other equipment such as
power supplies, measurement devices and so on, or they may make measurements directly.
Certain I/O board options can be installed in the A500 which can make direct measurements. An
example is the –GC gate counter board option.
The A500 has design features which make it tolerant of electrically noisy environments, but the
place of use is otherwise assumed to be clean and sheltered, for example a laboratory or light
industrial environment. The unit may be used stand-alone (with suitable I/O board options), or
networked with other devices and integrated into a larger system. Users are assumed to be
experienced in the general use of precision electronic circuits for sensitive measurements, and to
be aware of the dangers that can arise in high-voltage circuits.
6.2 Key Features
Real-time controller dedicated and optimized for the control of multiple devices over fiber-optic
loops.
Five loop ports, expandable to ten loops, each with up to 15 devices.
A500 to A500 communication capability via fiber-optic.
Host communications via 10/100 base T Ethernet, UDP or TCP/IP protocols.
Auto MDIX support (rev 3 hardware, or rev 2 hardware updated with the A30 Ethernet
processor)
I/O expansion ports for integration application-specific I/O boards.
Downloadable application code for both A500 and devices on fiber-optic loops.
Highly-optimized real-time operating system to provide genuine real-time response and
deterministic operation of connected devices.