8
IC System
TM
Design Guide, v2.3
How the system works
The IC System
TM
uses a data transfer method that sends packets of information across a two-wire path.
Each ICM has a unique address that allows the central control software to communicate with each ICM
individually.
The ICM has a unique “Long Address” pre-assigned from the factory that identifies it in the central
control software. The Long Address is like having a phone number for each ICM. Each ICM has a label
on the outside of the housing with a barcode and the printed Long Address. The user must enter the
Long Address into the central control software at initial start-up.
The central control software communicates with the ICMs in the field through a high-speed method of
communication that requires that each ICM is assigned a Fast Connect Address. The Fast Connect
Address is assigned automatically by the central control software based on its location in the Central
Control Database.
The Fast Connect Address is a method by which the Central Control Software can quickly communicate
with more than one ICM at a time. This is like having a speed dial for a phone number. The Central
Control Software can manage up to 750 ICMs on a single wire path by utilizing this communication
scheme.