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Antony Morris
From:
Antony Morris [[email protected]]
Sent:
Monday, 27 September 2010 11:10 a.m.
To:
Antony Morris
Subject: Quantum Leap Newsletter from QTech
SPRING EDITION
September 2010
Welcome to the September edition of Quantum Leap, the QTech Newsletter.
As we are all aware, September started very badly for the Christchurch area.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support, best
wishes and patience during this trying time.
QTech is fully operational and our offices have not suffered significant damage.
New QTech Website Launch www.qtech.co.nz
Our all new website is here!
Please visit us at www.qtech.co.nz today.
We have put significant effort into bringing the website up to
date and will ensure that information and updates are regularly
maintained.
The new website also reflects our new look and new logo, signifying
our commitment to the future.
We hope you all find the new website useful and informative.
Over the coming months we will continue to evolve and refine the website.
We welcome your feedback on how we can improve this web experience for you.
Coming Soon - DATRAN Supervisor v3
We are currently putting the finishing touches to the release of DATRAN
Supervisor v3.
This version will be released and available to all SMA (software maintenance
agreement holders) very soon.
Key features include:
● Google Maps Integration
Google geo codes can be assigned to each site. Once assigned, the location of the
site can be quickly shown with a click of a button. This is intended to help simplify
locating sites in emergencies etc.
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● Mandatory Use of Electronic Notes - Option
Electronic notes is a powerful feature of DATRAN. This has now been extended so
that you have the option of making operators add a note, before changing a set
point etc. This is intended to provide you with a better record/audit path.
● Icon selection
To make each site easier to identify, the following icons can be assigned from
within Supervisor.
Recent Release - Q71 External 1200bps Modem
In early September we announced the release of the Q71.
The Q71 is an RS232 device that provides the necessary
DATRAN interface to conventional 1200bps radio systems.
Click Here for more details
This allows you to standardise on the two serial port RTU
and enjoy the flexibility to simply upgrade to high speed
data radios/cellular IP etc in the future.
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Until now, DATRAN RTUs have been available in two hardware variants:
● Internal 1200bps modem and one RS232 serial port
● Two RS232 ports, no internal modem (eXcel family only)
With more and more DATRAN systems converting to high speed data
communications, 1200bps RTUs have become less popular.
The two RS232 port RTU variant is the cheapest RTU in the family and of course,
allows you to connect both a data radio and a PLC/HMI etc.
Recent Release - Q03 Firmware v5.22 & Q90 v3.28
The latest version of Q03 firmware, v5.22, was also released in September.
Click Here for more details
After extensive field testing, the firmware offers the following new features and
enhancements:
●Modbus TCP when RTU is Modbus Slave
Further extension of the automation integration opportunities
●Enhanced Master/Slave and Store & Forward via Tait TM81xx with active
data cable
The store and forward technique has been improved to use the high speed Tait
radios
This allows DLP transmission, RTU Data Logging and simplified commissioning of
slave sites.
Please refer to the "RTU Store and Forward" Application Note for technical details.
Q90 v3.28 is required to configure RTUs with v5.22 firmware.
Obsolescence Notices
DATRAN II eXcel RTU with 1200bps internal modem
With the introduction of the Q71 modem, all eXcel RTU hardware
can be standardised on the "revision D" type with two RS232 ports.
QTech's previous eXcel RTU with an internal 1200bps modem,part
number PD7220, is now obsolete. All new 1200bps RTUs will be
supplied with the external Q71 and either a Tait TM81xx or DATRAN
Q80 radio interface cable.
300bps RTUs (QRTU and eXcel)
Firstly, we would like to thank all of our users who have proactively enbraced the
upgrade and migration from the obsolete 300bps analogue modem hardware.
QTech announced this obsolescence back in May 2010 and stated that we
expected to be able to support 300bps hardware until around the third quarter of
2010.
The available stock of 300bps hardware is now very limited and we expect this to
be consumed before the end of October 2010.
Please contact us to discuss cost effective migration plans from this obsolete
technology.
Q37 DATRAN II Comms Modules
As mentioned in the June 2010 newsletter, the Q37 functionality has been
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superceeded by the new Q03 "store and forward" option. We have a very limited
stock of Q37 modules available at a discounted price. Please contact us
immediately if you need spare hardware for existing sites.
Technical Tips
With each edition of the newsletter we aim to provide a few tips or
"how to" examples.
Please share with us any items that you would like covered...
Can I monitor and debug DLP/control programs?
Yes. RTU control programs are written in the DLP-IDE package.
In July, version 2.30 was released that introduced the powerful feature of
"Watchlists".
This is an interactive tool that allows you to select I/O points and monitor their
behaviour before deploying it to a "live" system.
What are PUPs and what is different in the new DATRAN 6.66?
A PUP, in this context at least (!), is a Power Up Poll.
Historically, DATRAN PUP packets have had two functions in DATRAN. The first
was to send information to the RTU when a base station comes on-line to advise
the RTU of its expected I/O count, the base station phone number for dial-up sites,
and the base station address if multiple base stations were being used. The
response packet from the RTU would contain all of the RTUs current I/O values for
both inputs AND outputs, and these values would be written into the comms object
for that site. This is unique in DATRAN because it is the only packet type that
allows the RTU to drive the values that appear in the output nodes in the comms
object. All other poll types only bring inputs back to the base station.
This could, on occasion, cause issues for sites. Under certain conditions any
setpoints the base station was trying to send to the RTU would be overwritten with
whatever (possibly unknown) values the RTU had in its memory for these setpoints
at the moment the PUP Response was sent. The only way to rectify this situation
was to cause each _copy_to_ node to re-evaluate by changing the setpoint,
applying the _copy_to_ or restarting the DVG service.
DATRAN 6.66 has introduced a new property for Q03 type RTU comms objects
called "PUP Writes Outputs". This property allows DATRAN to choose whether or
not it will do anything with the outputs that are contained in a PUP Response
packet when it comes back from an RTU. The default for this property is a '0' which
means that DATRAN will ignore the output information in a PUP Response and will
leave the output nodes in the comms object unchanged. If you wish to maintain the
old behavior in that the values will be written into the comms object, you should
create a node under your site comms object called "PUP Writes Outputs" and set it
equal to '1'.
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I have a new SQL Server and I can't connect multiple users
There have been security enhancements in MS-SQL Server and the default
settings essentially prevent remote access. If you are having difficulties connecting
remote users, ie DATRAN Trending or DATRAN Reporting users from different
machines, you will need to check the following configuration. This is a one-off task
to allow TCP connections to the database.
1. On your SQL Server computer (the one hosting the DATRAN database), open
up the SQL Server Configuration Manager via the Windows Start button.
Do this by selecting Start | Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2005 | Configuration
Tools | SQL Server Configuration Manager.
Ensure that the TCP/IP protocol is enabled.
2. Double clicking on TCP/IP will reveal the TCP Port number that can be used to
connect to this SQL Server. Add an exception in your firewall and/or router to allow
incoming connections to this TCP port. You can change the TCP Port number if
you find that it conflicts with another application using the same port number.
3. Open up the SQL Server Surface Area Configuration via the Windows Start
button. Do this by selecting Start | Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2005 |
Configuration Tools | SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
4. Click on Remote Connections. Ensure the Local and remote connections radio
button is clicked and the Using TCP/IP only radio button is clicked.
5. Click on the Apply button.
Restart the SQL Server by clicking on Service, clicking the Stop button and finally
clicking the Start button.
DATRAN Training
Our new website features a training section, located under the
support tab. Click Here for more details
This section shows the training course options and includes some
technical training material.
We appreciate that quality training is a key aspect of maximising the use of your
DATRAN system, and we welcome you feedback on how we can assist you
further.
Please contact us to discuss the exact requirements of your staff training.
What More Can We Do For You?
Please circulate this newsletter to anyone who we have missed.
Subscription is via an online registration, it only takes a few
moments to complete.
You will then be sent a confirmation email to your registered
address.
We value your feedback and look forward to all of you future
suggestions...
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QTech Data Systems Limited | 404 Barbadoes Street | Christchurch | 8240 | New Zealand
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