Measurement Technology NW
LCI-90 Operator Manual
Page 47
a different viewer. When a LCI-90 is set as
REM-A
, it will not accept configuration
information from a LOCAL display; it is only configured from the keypad and menu.
REM-B
displays (also called "Blind Remotes") mimic the operating mode of the
LCI-90R, which has no buttons and can only be configured from a LOCAL unit. The
REM-B
models have no sensor input or output capability. When a display is config-
ured as a
REM-B
, it will receive its configuration information from the LOCAL.
6.6.2 Programming remote displays
In addition to the steady stream of Tension, Speed, and Payout data from the Local
unit, Remote displays configured as REM-B also recognize specially-formatted con-
figuration data. When such data is detected, the Remote display immediately updates
its operation, including screen displays and alarm limits to match that of the Local
unit (with the exception that it remains a Remote!). This facility allows a group of
LCI-90s to be quickly programmed with the same configuration parameters – even if
they are subsequently used as "Locals" in independent systems.
To perform a "remote configuration", simply connect one or more Remote units to a
Local using the Network Port. Ensure that all remote displays to be programmed are
set to
REM-B
in the
4.4 SERIAL CONFIGURATION
menu. After all units are
powered up and seem to be working properly, select the
CONFIG REM
menu item,
change it to
YES
(it always defaults to
NO
) and press
RUN
. All displays should
"freeze" for a few seconds, then resume operation with the new set of parameters.
It is possible that a very noisy network connection (this
does
happen!) could corrupt
the data. If the Remote unit detects any errors, and is unable to obtain an error-free
set of parameters after several attempts, it will revert to its existing values and display
the message:
SU-ERR
in the top display position ("SU" stands for "SetUp"). Should
this happen, the best approach is simply to repeat the operation; if difficulties persist,
then general operation of the unit as a Remote is questionable and the connection
should be monitored with a suitable receiver.
6.6.3 AUX com port settings
Note that both Remote as well as Local units can use the AUX port to send data to
other systems (a shipboard computer, for example). A network with one local LCI-
90 and two Remote LCI-90Rs could thus be attached to three separate data logging
systems, each using a different protocol.
The AUXiliary serial port is designed for communicating with other user devices,
including remote data-logging or monitoring systems. It uses the familiar RS232
protocol, sending each character in a "N81" format (no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit).
The baud rate is selected by Item 5: the choices are 4800, 9600 or 19200 (contact the
factory if other values are required). If no devices are attached to this port, selecting
OFF
will improve the performance of the instrument, since it prevents spurious
electrical noise from interrupting the display.
If a serial device (anything from a PC running a terminal-emulator program, such as
HyperTerm to a more elaborate data logging/display system) is attached to the AUX
port, then the remaining items in this menu become important. Beyond the obvious
baud-rate selection, the most important parameter is the protocol selection, which is
discussed in the following section.
