MAINTAINING THE SNAP PAC R-SERIES CONTROLLER
SNAP PAC R-Series Controller User’s Guide
50
Using the MicroSD Card
SNAP PAC controllers manufactured in November 2008 and later have a
microSD card slot in the top of the controller’s case. On a controller with a
microSD card slot, the STAT LED blinks briefly about once every five seconds,
indicating that the controller is checking to see if a card is in place.
IMPORTANT:
Behavior of the microSD card has changed since the first release. This document
describes behavior with controller firmware version 9.0 or newer. If you are using firmware older
than 9.0, follow instructions in form 2018, “Using microSD with Older Controller Firmware
Technical Note,” instead of this document.
To determine firmware version, see
page 54
.
Opto 22 Product Support recommends that you update controller firmware to the latest version
if you are going to use a microSD card. Later firmware versions have added significant
functionality and fixed problems. To download the latest firmware, go to
www.opto22.com/site/downloads
and filter by Firmware. If you need a newer loader version or
have other problems, contact Product Support.
Card Type and Format
Use only cards with the microSD logo (shown above right) with 2 GB or smaller capacity.
Cards with more than 2 GB capacity may fit in the slot, but the controller will not recognize
them.
Do not
use microSDHC cards.
When you buy microSD cards, they come properly formatted with FAT16. If you ever need to
reformat a card, make sure to use a utility specifically designed to format SD cards, and use
FAT16.
Since long filenames are not supported, all files you store on the card must be named with
a maximum of eight characters in the name plus three characters in the extension (8 dot 3
format), for example:
datafile.txt
Using the microSD card with FTP, you can read the card at 380 kB/s and write to it at 231
kB/s.
MicroSD Card Uses
Required:
Controller firmware 9.0 or newer and loader 6.x or newer (For older firmware, see
the technical note
Using microSD with Older Controller Firmware
,
form 2018.)
The microSD card can be used for several purposes:
•
To store data or files, which you can access using PAC Control commands or an FTP
client. (PAC Manager cannot be used to access data, because it cannot see the card’s
directory.)
•
To quickly commission a replacement controller in the unlikely event that a controller
fails.
