10 Generac
®
Power Systems, Inc.
Section 3 — Operation
PM-GC
3.3.4 COMMUNICATIONS DIAGNOSTICS
After a port has been selected to test (press the help
button for a description of the ports), the pseudo
LED's will show if data is being transmitted to the
port and/or received from the port. In the case of
ports with protocols such as Modbus, the error LED
will light if the messages are corrupt. The status lines
will also show diagnostic messages to help solve any
communication problems (Figure 10).
• LINE 1: shows the type of port protocol that has
been selected. If this is incorrect, it can be changed
from the Genlink configuration menu.
• LINE 2: shows the settings for the port (for exam-
ple, baud rate, bits per character, stop bits and
parity). Again, this can be changed via Genlink.
• LINE 3: shows any error information available (for
example, modbus address errors).
Figure 10 — Communications Diagnostics
3.4
ALARMS AND WARNINGS
The PM-GC has a built-in alarm system to alert serv-
ice personnel of operational conditions which require
attention. Only alarms (not warnings) can shut down
the engine. The alarm and warning conditions are set
via Genlink, which can also change the actions that
are taken when an alarm/warning occurs.
When a new alarm occurs, the display will automati-
cally switch to the "current alarm" page where it will
be displayed in the list of current alarms. If the alarm
is a shutdown alarm, "shutdown" will also be dis-
played alongside the alarm. All alarms will also dis-
play the " * " symbol if they are unacknowledged (this
also means that the audible alarm is sounding and
the alarm LED will be flashing to indicate a new
alarm). When the alarm acknowledge button is
pressed, the audible alarm will be silenced and the
LED will stop flashing, it will remain lit if the alarm
condition is still present. The alarm message and lit
LED will only disappear when the alarm condition
goes away AND the alarm has been acknowledged.
For shutdown alarms, the alarm cannot be cleared
unless the keyswitch is in the OFF position (the audi-
ble alarm can be silenced though).
When a warning occurs, the display will automatical-
ly switch to the "current alarm" page where it will be
displayed in the list of current alarms. The audible
alarm will sound. When the warning condition goes
away, the message will disappear and the audible
alarm will turn off.
Genlink duplicates the "alarm acknowledge " button
on it's display, and can also clear the alarm inde-
pendently of the keyswitch position by using the
"Reset" button. This Feature allows geographically
remote systems to be re-started without human inter-
vention to turn the keyswitch.
The latched warning function can be mimicked by
selecting a non shutdown alarm.
All alarms and warnings will be entered in the alarm
log (see the Genlink or technical manual for details
about the alarm log). Individual channels alarms or
warnings can both utilize the dialout function. The
Dialout feature can inform a remote PC of a fault con-
dition. Each alarm can be configured to be a shut-
down alarm or not.
There are further conditions imposed when an
alarm/warning can become active, details of these are
described in the technical manual for the PM-DCP
system or via Genlink on line help. Generally, these
incorporate timers, engine run status, etc.
3.5
PROGRAMMABLE PARAMETERS
The PM-GC allows the user to configure various
options to control the generator starting and stopping
cycles and operating settings for the generator.
Parameters can be changed only via Genlink, and this
is limited to parameters that have no security protec-
tion. A description of these programmable parame-
ters follows.
3.5.1 TRANSFER ON EXERCISE
This parameter is currently not used.
3.5.2 PREHEAT ENABLED (IF APPLICABLE)
This parameter determines how the preheat function
works. The preheat can be fully disabled, enabled
before starting only (for the duration of the preheat
time), or before and during starting (for the duration
of the preheat time and also while the starter is
engaged). If the user wants to engage the preheat dur-
ing starting but not before it is possible to set the pre-
heat time to zero.
Select which port to
test (0-3)
Status
messages
These LED’s light if data is transmitted,
received, or an error occurs.
