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Comark RF500A/AP Service Manual

Tier 2: RF500A Module Replacements

Replace RF Module

Remove the RF module as described in the Disassembly section above.  Replace with new unit (pre-configured with 
RF500A firmware A4/AI/11277) and reassemble into case.

Reboot the RF500A/AP and add a transmitter to the system, ensure the transmitter is found and tasks.

17 November 2011

Page 32 of 65

Summary of Contents for COMARK 3927739

Page 1: ...RF500A Gateway Service Manual Issue 1 0 17 November 2011 ...

Page 2: ...rmation in this guide is subject to change without notice Comark Instruments makes no representations or warranties either expressed or implied with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose Any Comark Instruments software described in this manual is licensed as is Should the programs prove defective following ...

Page 3: ...n PCB from base plate 21 Remove RF PCB from main PCB 22 Fully Disassembled Replaceable Parts 23 Reassembly 24 Replace Case Front 24 Tier 1 RF500A Functional Testing 25 Operator Technical Competency 25 Functional Test Equipment Required 25 Initial Observation 25 Status Indicators 25 Startup Sequence 26 Battery Test 27 Power Over Ethernet PoE Testing 27 Network Test 28 Alarm Output Test 28 Alarm LED...

Page 4: ...arging 41 USB Chip Verification 42 Replace PoE Module 43 Control MPU firmware upgrade 44 Check the Fuses 45 Program the Firmware 45 Fault Finding 46 MPU 46 Serial Communications 46 USB Communications 46 5V Rail 46 3VM Rail 46 3VC Rail 47 Battery Charging 47 PoE If Fitted 47 RTC 47 Memory Cards 47 Additional Fault Diagnostic Information 48 Hardware Status Page 48 Audit Trail Information 49 Email Ou...

Page 5: ...Backup 55 Restore From Shared Drive Backup 56 Appendix E RF500A AP Hidden Commands 58 Clear Data Commands 58 clr data 58 clr datax 59 Utility Commands 60 emberlog2 60 sshd 61 Connecting with PuTTY 61 mbklog 63 Command List 63 Appendix F Repair Procedure for RF500 RADIO MODULE 64 Recovery from Transmitter Error 104 Condition 64 17 November 2011 Page 5 of 65 ...

Page 6: ...tion under the Operator Technical Competency heading Familiarity with use of the RF500A Gateway is assumed and procedures such as those which appear in the user manual or RF500A System Manual will not be detailed here Related Documentation Installation and Basic Operation RF500A System Manual Web Interface Operation RF500A WebView Help RF500A System Manual is supplied in printed form with each Gat...

Page 7: ... with North American style plug Do not modify the AC adaptor in any way RF500 Transmitters contain a C size lithium cell This cell must not be incinerated or subjected to temperatures in excess of 100 C Do not deform mutilate crush pierce disassemble recharge or short circuit Such abuse can result in loss of seal and or cell explosion Also exposure to humid conditions for long periods should be av...

Page 8: ...ptor rechargeable Ni Mh battery RF500AP only Power over Ethernet PoE capability Compliant to IEEE 802 3af Power Adaptor 100 240VAC 1 5A 50 60Hz FRIWO DT12 12V 1A O P Battery Backup 4 3Ah Ni Mh Rechargeable Battery Running time approximately 1 hour Clock Accuracy 4ppm 2 minutes per year Relay Outputs SW1 SW2 Two individual 2 5mm jack sockets Contacts 24Vdc 500mA maximum Power Consumption 12W Max Di...

Page 9: ...Comark RF500A AP Service Manual System Block Diagram System Block Diagram 17 November 2011 Page 9 of 65 ...

Page 10: ...teway is shutting down 2 POWER BATTERY Steady Green External Power is available Flashing Green Gateway is on and running off the battery pack Off Gateway is off and external power is not available 3 FAULT Flashing There is a fault with the system could indicate hardware or software fault 4 ALARM Flashing Red An enabled alarm event has occurred 17 November 2011 Page 10 of 65 1 3 2 4 ...

Page 11: ... for Relay Output 2 5 RJ45 Socket RJ45 Ethernet LAN Socket 6 Cable Clamp To secure cables during installation Side View USB Connector No Item Description 1 USB Used for initial configuration and as a debug port using the RF500A Config software or Hyper terminal or similar comms program 2 Memory Card Door For access to both μSDHC cards 3 Module Reset Direct access to the PC module reset line 17 Nov...

Page 12: ...hich build variant the unit is RF500AP is the PoE version 2 ON OFF Switch Gateway Startup Powerdown switch 3 Status LED s Diagnostic LEDs See Fault Code table 4 AUX Button Not Used Top View No Item Description 1 Antenna Port RP SMA Connector for standard or hi gain antenna 17 November 2011 Page 12 of 65 1 1 2 3 4 ...

Page 13: ...sue currently running on the unit HW refers to the firmware version currently running on the control MPU 3 Comms Port This is the USB virtual com port currently being used 4 Generate Report File Will output a text file with status information 5 Serial Number Serial number of the unit to be interrogated 6 Save New Settings Once new settings are entered in the relevant boxes this will initiate the u...

Page 14: ...alled into C tftp No Item Description 1 Enter RF500A serial Number Serial number of the target RF500A AP 2 RF500 IP address IP address of the target RF500A AP 3 TFTP Server IP IP address of the PC running the update software 4 Update MXM6410 Driver 1 Start Driver 1 update process 5 Update MXM6410 Driver 2 Start Driver 2 update process Tftpd32 Software To perform the driver update a tftp Trivial Fi...

Page 15: ... can be achieved via the USB port for further fault diagnosis Hyper terminal Settings No Item Description 1 Comms Port This is the Virtual Com Port created by the USB drives if the number is not known it can be found in Device Manager Ports 2 Login Prompt Indicates connection has been established and is now waiting for login credentials 17 November 2011 Page 15 of 65 1 2 ...

Page 16: ...e following tools Wrist grounding strap and conductive mat for preventing electrostatic discharge Phillips screwdriver 8mm box driver 5mm box driver Thin nose pliers Prerequisites 1 Turn off the RF500A AP 2 Remove AC power 3 Place on a flat stable surface 4 Remove the antenna 17 November 2011 Page 16 of 65 ...

Page 17: ...Comark RF500A AP Service Manual Disassembly Exploded View 17 November 2011 Page 17 of 65 ...

Page 18: ...nd the metal plate located on the USB connector side of the unit Remove the 2 retaining screws The memory cards are now exposed and can be removed To eject the card simply push the card in until a click is heard and then release The cards are now ready to be removed 17 November 2011 Page 18 of 65 ...

Page 19: ...Remove the 8 case retaining screws securing the case front to the case rear USB Side View Serial Number Side View Top View Bottom View The case front can now be carefully removed NOTE DISCONNECT BATTERY BEFORE PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER 17 November 2011 Page 19 of 65 ...

Page 20: ... retaining screws Once the retaining screws have been removed the shield will simply lift off Remove the PC Module Remove the 2 hexagonal pillars with the 5mm box driver Once the pillars have been removed the module will self locate for removal 17 November 2011 Page 20 of 65 ...

Page 21: ...onnector to the base plate using the 8mm box driver Remove Nut and Washer Now remove the 4 remaining PCB securing screws Once removed the PCB will slide away from the antenna hole as indicated Once the antenna connector has cleared the hole the PCB can be fully removed from the chassis plate 17 November 2011 Page 21 of 65 ...

Page 22: ...is secured to the main PCB by 3 nylon pillars Using a pair of thin nosed pliers Now gently lift the edge of the PCB compress the head of the pillar Repeat the process on each of the 3 pillars and then gently remove the RF PCB Disassembly is now complete 17 November 2011 Page 22 of 65 ...

Page 23: ...els 20078 Case Rear Including all labels 20079 Memory Card Plate A20052 Main Board Including Battery Pack and board level interconnect lead A20197 RF Board Including nut and washer 20169 PC Module 20188 2 Shield 18299 Antenna Not Pictured 20080 External PSU Not Pictured A20198 μSDHC Memory Cards Not Pictured 17 November 2011 Page 23 of 65 ...

Page 24: ...e the PC module 4 Replace the RF shield 5 Replace the case front SEE NOTE BELOW Replace Case Front The Ethernet connector has 2 grounding tabs that connect to the case front forming an electrical seal When replacing the case front it should be initially located such that it is angled at the connector end making sure the grounding tabs are enclosed and then pushed down toward the RF module The memo...

Page 25: ... this information may prove useful in later fault diagnosis Referring to both Appendix A Front Panel Indicators Appendix B Status Indicators and Appendix C Website Error Messages record carefully which indicators are showing Of course if a recognised fault is indicated we could continue testing to determine whether that particular fault recurs If the device manages to boot up Appendix C Website Er...

Page 26: ... MAINS CHECK FAULT LED BATTERY CHARGING IS PWR LED ON CHECK EXTERNAL PSU TURN ON CHECK FAULT LED IS ON LED FLASHING CHECK STATUS LEDS READ STATUS LEDS Strobeing No No WAIT A FEW MINS IS ON LED CONSTANT BLUE Flashing CHECK STATUS LEDS WAIT A FEW MINS 4 BLEEPS SUCCESSFUL BOOTUP KNOWN FAULT SEE APPENDIX B PCB LEVEL FAULT No ...

Page 27: ...nditions Mains Power Attached RF500A AP successfully booted and website running The following test should be performed with both mode A and mode B type PoE injectors 17 November 2011 Page 27 of 65 UNPLUG MAINS IS PWR LED FLASHING SUCCESSFUL TEST PoE FAULT No PCB LEVEL FAULT PLUG IN PoE IS PWR LED FLASHING Yes UNPLUG MAINS IS PWR LED FLASHING SUCCESSFUL TEST PCB LEVEL FAULT No ARE ANY LEDS ON BATTE...

Page 28: ...onfigured as normally open or normally closed as per the users requirements This procedure assumes starting with the alarm outputs configured as normally open This should be applied to both alarm outputs Once the test has been completed the alarm relay outputs should be returned to their original settings This procedure can also be used starting from the normally open initial condition just checki...

Page 29: ...rectly Audit Trail System Software Test Initial Conditions Mains Power Attached RF500A AP successfully booted and website running Start up the RF500A AP as normal add a transmitter and program a task Once the task has been sent to the transmitter view the audit trail from the administration menu and verify the adding and tasking information has been logged Shutdown Test Initial Conditions Mains Po...

Page 30: ...ult diagnosis Referring to both Appendix A Front Panel Indicators Appendix B Status Indicators and Appendix C Website Error Messages record carefully which indicators are showing Of course if a recognised fault is indicated we could continue testing to determine whether that particular fault recurs If the device manages to boot up Appendix C Website Error Messages lists the possible error messages...

Page 31: ... Self adhesive pads should be cut with sharp knife when lifting the battery pack The battery pack is held in place by 2 cable ties that pass through 4 holes in the PCB Additionally there are 4 double sided adhesive foam pads under the pack To remove the pack cut the cable ties Finally carefully but firmly lever off the battery pack 17 November 2011 Page 31 of 65 ...

Page 32: ...ove the RF module as described in the Disassembly section above Replace with new unit pre configured with RF500A firmware A4 AI 11277 and reassemble into case Reboot the RF500A AP and add a transmitter to the system ensure the transmitter is found and tasks 17 November 2011 Page 32 of 65 ...

Page 33: ...g conditions must be met Remove both SD cards Assemble into chassis plate Antenna must be connected Optional Fit RF Shield NOTE Make sure this is the only RF500A device plugged in during this procedure Procedure 1 Plug in mains and attach watchdog disable header note the side lights should be displayed 2 Turn the DUT on and wait for 2 mins 3 Plug in the USB cable and network lead crossover or norm...

Page 34: ...tware will display the following and will then ask you to reset the module 8 Click Update MXM6410 Driver 2 and follow the on screen prompts carefully when the update is complete the software will display the following and will then ask you to reset the module 9 The DUT can now be powered down Remove USB Cable Remove Ethernet Cable Remove External Power Finally press and hold Module Reset Button S5...

Page 35: ...m as programmed by Comark manufacturing is installed The RF500A AP has two μSDHC cards denoted on the chassis as SD1 and SD2 SD1 is the Slave card it mirrors the data on SD2 SD2 is the Master card the primary boot device and data storage Replace μSDHC Card 1 1 Switch off the RF500A AP and remove mains PoE power 2 Remove the memory card door as described in Remove μSDHC Cards 3 Replace SD1 with a b...

Page 36: ...bsite should display the following message 5 Type in the restore command as the message states to begin the internal restore process This can take upto a few hours depending on the size of the data 6 The RF500A AP will reset once the restore process has completed Replacement of both μSDHC Cards Remove both faulty memory cards and replace with two blank cards Switch on the RF500A AP and allow to bo...

Page 37: ...ndicators Appendix B Status Indicators and Appendix C Website Error Messages record carefully which indicators are showing Of course if a recognised fault is indicated we could continue testing to determine whether that particular fault recurs If the device manages to boot up Appendix C Website Error Messages lists the possible error messages for further fault diagnosis Status Indicators Note that...

Page 38: ...set amount of time or has reached a pre set temperature charging will revert to duty cycle charging Q301 provide control of the charging circuit allowing it to be turned on and off Main 5V Rail The main supply for the PC module is generated by U341 MAX1685 Switcher this is controlled via U342 74HC00 which is triggered by U421 MEGA329 The output of U341 is monitored for over voltage by Q341 and Q34...

Page 39: ...ices It is a 2 4GHz transmitter receiver using 802 15 4 physical layer to transmit wireless data with a proprietary application at the application layer Power is supplied via 3 3V regulator U362 and communication to the host software running on the PC module is via a UART to UART connection Real Time Clock RTC U423 is a Maxim DS3231 RTC it is used for date and time keeping once set via the website...

Page 40: ...fy in the instructions The test header is a 10 pin connector located to the right of the RF module Most of the useful test points are accessible via the test header J311 Name Description Pwr Common power rail 3VC 3 3V permanent power rail to U421 RST IN Reset line to PC module TEST MODE Not used RXD1 Receive coms line to U421 5V Switched 5V rail 3VM 3 3V switched rail 0V Ground TXD1 Transmit coms ...

Page 41: ...l is active This measurement should be performed at the same time as the 5V The test limits for this rail are 200mV 3VC Rail This rail is always present as long as the battery pack is connected it provide constant power for the RTC and the control MPU The test limits for this rail are 200mV Battery Charging The charging current should be 420mA 100mA to measure this perform the following steps 1 Se...

Page 42: ...entification All Comark USB product contain this hex number 1408 this identifies the device on the USB bus as a Comark product Pid Product Identification This identifies the product to the Comark USB drivers and must be set All Comark USB products have a different PID Power Use Attributes This tells the USB host that this device provides its own power and is not required to be powered from the bus...

Page 43: ...nt Level Repair Replace PoE Module The PoE module U321 is a conventional component and is soldered directly to the main PCBA De solder the 10 pins remove the module and replace no further configuration is required 17 November 2011 Page 43 of 65 PoE Module ...

Page 44: ...R ISP ICP software are required for this process Plug the programmer into a USB port on the PC The programming header is located on the main PCBA in the top right hands side near the RF board 1 Start up E LAB AVR ISP ICP and the Load Project screen appears 2 Select the project RF500A then press the Load button 3 After a successful load the programming screen will be displayed 17 November 2011 Page...

Page 45: ...ions 3 The fuse settings should now be displayed below is an example of the correctly programmed fuses Program the Firmware 1 Follow the steps above to connect the programmer to the PCBA 2 Click the program button The progress bar will fill in to indicate the chip is being programmed Check that it completes with no errors 3 Click the verify button The progress bar will fill in to indicate the chip...

Page 46: ...21 Serial Communications If there is no comms to the board check U421 USB Communications If there is no comms to the board check U541 5V Rail If the 5V rail is inoperative of out of specification common items to check would be Check supply to U341 Check shutdown pin of U341 Check the correct values are fitted for R341 and R342 Check Q341 this is the over voltage protection Ensure inter connecting ...

Page 47: ...tracks reach their destination Replace U301 PoE If Fitted If the PoE is inoperative of out of specification common items to check would be Check Cable CAB1 Check correct components fitted for D321 and D322 Check correct value is fitted for R321 Ensure inter connecting tracks reach their destination Replace U321 RTC If the RTC is inoperative common items to check would be Check supply to U423 Ensur...

Page 48: ...il pwr line Common Power Rail The rail voltage as measured by the ADC on the MPU for more information regarding the rail see Power Supply case Case Temperature The temperature as measured by the RTC used to monitor the internal case temperature for more information see Real Time Clock RTC por Power on Reset Event This is the number of times the MPU has been reset due to all power including battery...

Page 49: ... The RF software has been reset this could be due to a crash or a handled exit point as described in the section emberlog2 If no2 0 this indicates the RF software has never been able to communicate to the RF module Gateway SW Fault commsmon The RF500A AP has detected that one of the programs that make up the system has crashed The program name will be listed in this case commsmon has crashed Syste...

Page 50: ...on on the email setup page called output this displays the email script and email server response of the last attempted email The image below is an example of a successful attempt If there are any issues with emails this output screen can provide detailed information to help the diagnosis of the problem 17 November 2011 Page 50 of 65 ...

Page 51: ...mes per second interval Gateway shutting down Not operational Other Unrecognised fault POWER BATTERY Indicator Off No External Power or PoE connected Steady green External Power or PoE is connected Green flash at approx twice per second interval Gateway is running from the backup battery Not necessarily operational Other Unrecognised fault FAULT Indicator Off Normal Operation Yellow flash at appro...

Page 52: ... E IN U K F O R I N D O O R U S E O N L Y D O N O T M O V E W H E N I N O P E R A T I O N Figure 2 Status Indicators Fault Code Status Indication Fault Description None 4 3 2 1 No Fault Detected 1 4 3 2 1 Backup Battery Voltage Fault 2 4 3 2 1 Backup Battery Temperature Error 3 4 3 2 1 5V Power Supply Fault 4 4 3 2 1 3VM Power Supply Fault 5 4 3 2 1 Overheat Error 6 4 3 2 1 External Power Supply F...

Page 53: ...AP has detected that the fitted SD cards are not a matched pair hence have different ID tags find the appropriate matching SD card or if there is no data involved replace with two new blank SD cards and reboot Looks like you have no data on the master SD Actual Message Looks like you have no data on the master SD card but have data on the backup card If you are sure this is correct and want to res...

Page 54: ...ible error with SD1 Actual Message check SD card slots possible error with SD1 or card in wrong slot The RF500A AP has detected the slave SD card but cannot access it Replace the slave SD card as described in the Replace μSDHC Card 1 section File Error There are various different types of file error message which will not be detailed here most are indicative of memory corruption meaning the safest...

Page 55: ... the latest manual back up file the procedure is as follows 1 Login as an administrator 2 Navigate to Administration Update Firmware 3 Select Upload New Files select the backup file and click Upload File 4 The following message should be displayed 5 The RF500A AP will now restart 6 Once the reboot has completed login as one of the users that have now been restored and reset the network settings if...

Page 56: ...al number and the most recent date 2 Create a zip file of the entire folder using the folder name for the zip file 3 Login as Comark using master Comark login 4 Navigate to Administration Update Firmware 5 Select Upload New Files select the backup file and click Upload File 17 November 2011 Page 56 of 65 COMARK_RF500 RF500_CSV_EXPORT RF500_DATA_BACKUP RF500_SNO_xxxxxxxx IDxxxx RF500_BKUP4_SNO_xxxx...

Page 57: ...ta to an RF500A AP 6 The following message should be displayed 7 The RF500A AP will now restart 8 Once the reboot has completed login as one of the users that have now been restored and reset the network settings if required 17 November 2011 Page 57 of 65 ...

Page 58: ... clr data This command will clear all data and settings on the RF500A AP with the exception of the IP address and reset and reinitialise the SD cards both cards will be given new ID s to be a matched pair The command is called from Administration Gateway Name Enter the command clr data in both the Password and Gateway Name fields The RF500A AP will now display the following screen and then reboot ...

Page 59: ...ards will not be initialised they could be removed and used elsewhere The command is called from Administration Gateway Name Enter the command clr datax in both the Password and Gateway Name fields The RF500A AP will now display the following screen and then shutdown If required the memory cards can now be removed to be independently used on other RF500A AP s 17 November 2011 Page 59 of 65 Enter c...

Page 60: ...Have Been Asked to Quit 0 N A Time Was Wed Sep 14 09 52 42 2011 Important messages within this file are explained below Message Comments Unexpected Packet 1 Sequence Number An RF packet has arrived out of sequence which may contain corrupt data the system will exit if this condition is detected to preserve data integrity Tired to transmit but emberstatus returned EMBER_NETWORK_DOWN The RF network ...

Page 61: ...thin 2 minutes the SSH icon will appear on the home page To access the RF500A AP an SSH client is required if using Linux this is already built in however if using Windows a downloadable client such as PuTTY In the interest of security disable the SSH server after use by resetting the RF500A AP via the Hardware page Connecting with PuTTY Start PuTTY and enter the IP address of the RF500A AP you wi...

Page 62: ...store a key fingerprint Select Yes and you will be presented with the login screen Login to the RF500A AP using the following details User Name root Password Please contact Comark Engineering Department Once the login details have been entered the following screen will be displayed you now have root access to the PC module 17 November 2011 Page 62 of 65 ...

Page 63: ...6 09_2011 0 chmod 0777 R var www cgi bin backup files xRF500A 17301002 Manualbackup1 Wed_Sep_14_09 46 09_2011 0 cp r p var www cgi bin zip var www cgi bin backup files RF500A 17301002 Manualbackup1 Wed_Sep_14_09 46 09_2011 cbk 0 chmod 0777 R var www cgi bin backup files RF500A 17301002 Manualbackup1 Wed_Sep_14_09 46 09_2011 cbk 0 chmod 0777 R var www cgi bin backup files done Command List This com...

Page 64: ...ebin image 8 application token defaults ebin image advanced mode Press 1 for program upload bin image Await the XMODEM prompt character C Send the file rangetest em2420 8mhz mega64 bin using XMODEM In HyperTerminal use Transfer Send File Upon successful upload choose option 3 run program image Check for terminal display as follows app reset oscillator locked after 2 attempts RXON RESET BL Ember Ra...

Page 65: ...se Transfer Send File Upon successful upload choose option 3 run program image Switch OFF the power to the Radio Module Disconnect HyperTerminal and change the baudrate to 19200 baud Switch ON the power to the Radio Module Check for terminal display as follows rf Issue RF1 1R Send the command S means ENTER key Check for an output as that below Turn OFF power to RF505 Remove Radio Module END 17 Nov...

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