Personnel Alert Wireless Alarm Notification System (Base Station) User Manual D (English) iERP: 11 © 2005 BW Technologies. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. All product names are trademarks of their respective companies.
Limited Warranty & Limitation of Liability BW Technologies LP (BW) warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of two years, beginning on the date of shipment to the buyer. This warranty extends only to the sale of new and unused products to the original buyer.
Table of Contents Title Page Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 1 Contacting BW Technologies................................................................................................................ 2 Safety Information - Read First ............................................................................................................. 2 Getting Started .........................
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Setting the Badge ID ...........................................................................................................................29 Setting-up Badge ID Numbers.............................................................................................29 Setting-up the Badge IDs.....................................................................................................30 Area System Planning....................................................
List of Tables Table Title Page Table 1. International Symbols................................................................................................ 4 Table 2. Personnel Alert Base Station .................................................................................... 6 Table 3. Control Bay................................................................................................................ 7 Table 4. Base Display Elements .........................................................
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Table 20. Replacement Parts and Accessories ....................................................................
List of Figures Figure Title Page Figure 1. Personnel Alert Base Station ................................................................................... 6 Figure 2. Control Bay............................................................................................................... 7 Figure 3. Base Display Elements ............................................................................................ 8 Figure 4. Badge Display Elements ........................................................
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual vi
Personnel Alert: Base Station Introduction a Warning To ensure your personal safety, read the “Safety Information” before you use the system. CAUTION: FOR SAFETY REASONS, THIS EQUIPMENT MUST BE OPERATED AND SERVICED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ONLY. READ AND UNDERSTAND THE USER MANUAL COMPLETELY BEFORE OPERATING OR SERVICING.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Contacting BW Technologies Safety Information - Read First To contact BW Technologies, call: Use the base station only as specified in this manual, otherwise the protection provided by the instrument may be impaired. USA: 1-888-749-8878 Canada: 1-800-663-4164 Europe: +44 (0) 1869 233004 Other countries: +1-403-248-9226 Address correspondence to: BW Technologies LP 2840 – 2 Avenue S.E. Calgary, AB T2A 7X9 CANADA Email us at info@bwnet.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Safety Information - Read First a Cautions ⇒ Do not use the base station if it is damaged. Inspect the case before using the base station. Look for cracks, missing metals, and plastics. If the base station is damaged or parts are missing, contact BW Technologies immediately. ⇒ Make sure the cover is properly fastened before operating the base station. ⇒ Do not expose the base station to electrical shock and/or severe continuous mechanical shock.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Important The base station is to be used only for the purposes specified in this manual. Use only BW Technologies’ authorized service representatives and parts to perform repairs to the unit to maintain the validity of the warranty. Modification of components, use of non-BW parts, or use of incomplete or used parts will also void the warranty. Table 1. International Symbols Symbol n 4 Meaning Approved to both U.S.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Getting Started Getting Started To become familiar with the features and functions of the base, study the following figures and tables: Confirm that the items listed below are included with the base station. If the base station is damaged or parts are missing, contact the place of purchase immediately. • Figure 1 and Table 2: Personnel Alert Base Station (describes the base station external components).
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual The Personnel Alert Base Station each base station, depending upon the database and configuration of the overall system. The Personnel Alert Base Station (“base station”) is a wireless alarm notification system that is designed to operate in conjunction with fixed gas detection equipment and/or plant alarm systems. The base station continuously broadcasts to portable alarm receivers (“badges”).
Personnel Alert: Base Station The Personnel Alert Base Station Control Bay Each base station maintains a control bay that consists of an LCD screen and a low light sensor to provide information to monitoring personnel. Table 3. Control Bay Item Function 1 Liquid crystal display (LCD) 2 Low-light sensor 3 Faceplate security screw The control bay does not have any manual functions and is used to provide information only.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Table 4. Base Display Elements Item Function 1 Transmission signal icon 2 Numeric value of badges being monitored in the coverage area 3 Alarm icon 4 Numeric value of how many badges have acknowledged the alarm 5 Alarm severity level: HIGH, LOW, and SYTEM. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) The LCD displays information automatically and continuously.
Personnel Alert: Base Station The Personnel Alert Base Station Badges The alarm receivers are referred to as “badges” that are carried by personnel to provide immediate notification in the event of an alarm condition. The badges continuously monitor broadcast messages from the base station(s). If an alarm condition occurs, the badges emit audible and visual alarms, and vibrate. The badge LCD also displays the severity of an alarm: HIGH, LOW, and SYSTEM.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual The main board is used to manually set the Installation a Caution Only qualified personnel should perform installations of the base stations. Install base stations according to electrical codes, regulations, and safety standards. Ensure that correct cabling and seal fitting practices are implemented. • address dip switches, • 2-wire (half duplex) and 4-wire (full duplex) connectors, and • wire jumpers.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Installation Radio Board The radio board is positioned below the main board in the base station. It provides the • 2-wire and 6-wire screw down connectors, • S1 and S2 channel hopping dip switches, • Reduced Range (RR) radio jumper, and • transmit and receive rotary switches. Table 7.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Mounting Guidelines • If possible, install the base station in a location where the antenna will have a clear line-of-sight with the badges. • Install the base station as far away as possible from other antenna systems to avoid possible radio frequency interference (RFI). • Do not locate the base where it can be exposed to electrical shock and/or severe mechanical shock.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Installation Preparation for Mounting the Base From the front view, the base station is equipped with predrilled mounting flanges and a threaded ¾ inch National Pipe Thread (NPT) conduit fitting outlet on the left side. Attach the base station to a bracket and mount on a pole using bolts through the two mounting holes. Table 8. Bolt and Flange Sizes Mounting flanges 0.25 in. on 5.5 in. centers Install the base with the antenna pointing vertically only.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Conduit Installation Note Only qualified personnel should perform the conduit and cable installations. Install the base station and conduit according to electrical codes, regulations, and safety standards. Ensure that correct cabling and seal fitting practices are implemented. a Warning Do not remove the base cap. Do not attempt to install conduit fittings where the base cap is inserted. It is not compatible with NPT thread.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Installation Cables aCaution All connections must be from shielded cable. Adhere to the following procedures to install cables. 1. Disconnect/de-energize power to all circuits prior to commencing any work on the base station. 2. Remove the front cover. Open the hinged control bay door to access the wiring terminations. If required, the control bay door and attached main board can be temporarily removed. Disconnect the ribbon cable that is attached to the radio board.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual There are three connections that are required. They are the Shield Ground Drain Wire • power +24 V DC (+24 V), • ground reference wire (GND), and • shield ground drain wire (attaches to ground screw). BW recommends that a third drain wire be attached to the grounding screw inside the base station, and to a reliable earth ground on the power supply that is connected to the base station. Refer to Figure 10.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Installation Figure 11.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual MODBUS Wiring and Configuration The MODBUS protocol is designed for master-slave communication. The base station operates as a MODBUS slave device and must be connected to a MODBUS master, such as a MODBUS compatible PLC Control System or an industrial PC. MODBUS Wiring The base station can be configured for either a 2-wire (half duplex) or 4-wire (full duplex) MODBUS interface.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Baud Rate and Parity Configuration 4-Wire MODBUS (full-duplex) 1. Connect the positive RS-485 lead for data transmission to the terminal marked +T/Rx on TB2. Ensure that the connection is routed to the base station. 2. Connect the positive RS-485 lead for data transmission to the terminal marked +/Tx on TB1. Ensure that the connection is routed from the base station. 4. The option dip switches configure the Baud rate and the parity. Refer to the following tables.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Setting the Dip Switch Addresses a Warning The Personnel Alert Base Station must be powered down before removing the outer cover. If it is in a classified area, either remove the base or declassify area. MODBUS Switch Configuration There are two sets of dip switches (S1 and S2) on the main board to set the MODBUS configuration. These dip switch settings are loaded only upon start-up. If changes are required, the base station must be powered down.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Setting the Dip Switch Addresses Table 12.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Alarm Relay Contact Wiring and Configuration The base station can be connected directly to an alarm signalling device (fixed gas detector), such as the BW GasPoint detector. The base station has inputs for high, low, and system alarms. The wetting voltage for these circuits are included with the base.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Alarm Relay Contact Wiring and Configuration Alarm conditions that are broadcasted by the base station to the badges can be sent through relay contact circuits. The circuits are connected to the base station and they transfer data using MODBUS. The wetting voltage for the alarm circuits is provided by the base station. If this option is used, each circuit must be set for either NO or NC.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Wiring DC Power a Caution Polarity must be observed. If the ground and the +24V wires are reversed, the base station will not work. The hopping pattern for each base station is selected from one of seven channel-hopping algorithms. On the radio board, the hopping pattern can be selected from S2, by configuring the binary representation of channels 0 through 7. .
Personnel Alert: Base Station Radio Frequency (RF) Optimization Single Base Station System: For systems that require only one base station, any dip switch setting can be used on S2. Multi Base Station Systems: For systems consisting of more than seven base stations, the risk of interference is minimal when using the recommended Honeycomb pattern setup mode. The optimum layout for multi base station systems is the Honeycomb pattern. Refer to Area System Planning and Figure 5.Honeycomb Pattern.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Proper operation of the Personnel Alert system requires that robust data transfer in both directions: from the base station to the badges, and from the badges to the base station. The 1 Watt maximum transmit power of the base station can never be exceeded. However, by using the attenuation adjustments, it can be reduced by up to 40dB.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Radio Frequency (RF) Optimization c) Transmit Rotary Switch: The transmitter rotary switch is used to increase/decrease the base station output power. Figure 16. Transmit Rotary Switch Maximum Power Setting Set the switch to F for maximum output power. Set the switch to E to decrease the output power by 2dB and 0 decreases by 30db. Refer to Table 8. Table 16.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual d) Receiver Rotary Switch: The receiver rotary switch is used to decrease the sensitivity of the receiver. Table 17. Receiver Sensitivity Switch Rx Gain Rotary Switch Setting Rx Chain Attenuation dB F 0 (max sensitivity) Figure 17. Receiver Rotary Switch Maximum Sensitivity Set the switch to F for maximum receiver sensitivity. Set the switch to E to decrease the sensitivity by 2dB and set to 0 for minimum. Refer to Table 14. Receiver Sensitivity Switch.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Setting the Badge ID e) Reduced Radio Range Jumper The reduced radio range jumper is used when precise coverage of a defined small area is required. For normal operation (high Tx power/high Rx sensitivity), open the reduced radio range jumper. Note This jumper should only be used when the transmit/receive rotary switches are incapable of providing sufficient signal attenuation for defined small coverage areas.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Setting-up the Badge IDs The badge emits the audible alarm, flashes, and vibrates the same as during normal start-up. The audible alarm, flashes, and vibrating will stop for 3 seconds. Continue to hold the C button. Read the following procedures prior to accessing the badge ID set-up screen. To set-up the badge ID numbers, complete the following: Note When the side LED lights, release and immediately press C again.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Area System Planning Prior to configuring the base station, an area system plan must be developed. To determine the particular requirements of your system, complete the following sections: Single or Multiple Stations To determine if single or multiple base stations are required, the overall area must be known. Each base station is designed to accurately broadcast to a radius of 45 metres (150 ft.). The base station can broadcast to a radius of 150 metres (500 ft.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual To develop a system plan, complete the following: 1. Using a site plan (scale drawing) or an AutoCAD model, design a repeating pattern of seven hexagonal cells in a honeycomb to determine the number and approximate locations of the base stations. The seven cell honeycomb pattern is optimum because it allows for the re-use of “frequency hopping pattern algorithms” within the same system. Figure 18.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Area System Planning Identify System Obstruction RF Challenges Radio signals transmit well over flat terrain and open water. However, buildings, metal tanks, and other obstructions can interrupt radio transmissions and will therefore require additional base stations to be strategically placed. Placement of base stations within buildings and structures is a factor as walls, pipes, and plant equipment are obstructions.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Alarms (TBD) The following table describes the system alarms and shows how the display looks for each alarm. Alarms will reset to normal operation when the alarm condition no longer exists. Table 17.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Maintenance Maintenance The Personnel Alert Base Station is designed to provide years of service with only regular care and minimal maintenance. At regular intervals inspect the instrument and check that it is operating normally. Antenna: Replace the bent or damaged antenna. Cables: Inspect cables to ensure they are properly connected and in good repair.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual Troubleshooting (TBD) If you encounter a problem, follow the solutions listed in the table below. If you are unable to correct the problem, contact BW Technologies. Table 19. Troubleshooting Tips Problem There is no transmission to the Badge. There is no signal from the controller.
Personnel Alert: Base Station Replacement Parts and Accessories Specifications Replacement Parts and Accessories Instrument dimensions: 35.17 x 13.97 x 11.50 cm a Warning (13.85 x 5.50 x 4.53 in.) To avoid personal injury or damage to the detector, use only the specified replacement parts. Weight: 2 kg (4.1 lbs. 6 oz.) Enclosure: Explosion-proof, anodized aluminum enclosure, comes with mounting flanges To order parts or accessories listed in the table below, contact BW Technologies.
Personnel Alert: Base Station User Manual This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules and ICES-003 Canadian EMI Regulations. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
