Programming the Base Station

The base station is programmed using PDW Manager programming software.

Once the software is running, power the unit using a 24 VDC power supply and connect the base station’s micro USB port to a PC using the provided USB cable.

Note: Base station must be powered externally prior to programming via USB.

The PC will automatically install the appropriate device drivers. Once this has completed, the device will appear in the Device list at the top of the PDW Manager window. Click Connect.

Connecting Field Units to Base Station | back to top

The first thing that must be done when programming the PDW90 is connect all of the wireless field units to the base station. Configuration of the base station is accomplished using the PDW Manager software, while the individual field units may be programmed using the device buttons which are accessed by unscrewing the enclosure cover.

After the base station has been connected to PDW Manager (see page 17), field units can be connected to it from the Remote Unit Configuration tab. Select each unit from the Unassociated Remote Units list and click the Add to Client List button.

Field units must have the same network ID and encryption settings as the base station in order to connect. Each field unit must be programmed to have its own unique Modbus address.

Note: All units must be powered on in order to connect them to the base station.

Base Station Configuration | back to top

The Base Station Configuration tab is where the base station name, network ID, password, and Modbus settings may be modified. Once you are finished modifying any of these settings, click the Save Settings button to write your changes to the device.

If you have made changes that have not yet been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings button.

Input/Output Module Configuration | back to top

The Base Station IO Configuration tab is where individual I/O modules connected to the base station may be programmed. Click on one of the installed modules in the IO Modules list to the left of the screen in order to begin programming that module.

Analog Inputs Module

Each Analog Inputs module has two input channels. Each channel may be independently programmed to accept either a 4-20 mA, 0-10 V, 0-5 V, or 1-5 V analog input. These channels may also be mapped to remote analog outputs or Modbus registers. Once you have modified the module’s settings, click the Save Module Configuration button to save these settings to the base station.

If you have made changes to the module that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings from Hardware button. If you would like to reset the selected module to its default settings, click the Load Default Settings button.

The Monitoring area at the bottom may be used to view the current analog input reading or manually test analog input operation.

4-20 mA Analog Outputs Module

Each Analog Outputs module has two 4-20 mA output channels. Each channel may be independently programmed and mapped to remote analog inputs or Modbus registers. Once you have modified the module’s settings, click the Save Module Configuration button to save these settings to the base station.

If you have made changes to the module that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings from Hardware button. If you would like to reset the selected module to its default settings, click the Load Default Settings button.

The Monitoring area at the bottom may be used to view the current analog input reading or manually test analog input operation.

Digital I/O Module

Each Digital I/O module has four I/O channels. Each channel may be independently programmed as either an input or an output. These channels may also be mapped to a remote digital I/O or Modbus register. Once you have modified the module’s settings, click the Save Module Configuration button to save these settings to the base station.

If you have made changes to the module that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings from Hardware button. If you would like to reset the selected module to its default settings, click the Load Default Settings button.

The Monitoring area at the bottom may be used to view the current digital I/O state or manually test digital I/O operation.

Relays Module

Each Relays module has two channels. Each channel may be independently programmed and mapped to remote digital I/O or Modbus registers. Once you have modified the module’s settings, click the Save Module Configuration button to save these settings to the base station.

If you have made changes to the module that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings from Hardware button. If you would like to reset the selected module to its default settings, click the Load Default Settings button.

The Monitoring area at the bottom may be used to view the current relay state or manually test relay operation.

Remote Unit Configuration | back to top

The Remote Unit Configuration tab is where connected field units may be programmed to communicate with the base station. Select a connected field unit from the Connected Clients list in order to begin programming that unit.

A field unit’s human readable name may be changed by clicking the Change Name button. Be sure to give each field unit a descriptive name, such as the location of the unit in your facility or the devices connected to it, in order to make future programming easier.

Analog Input

Each field unit’s analog input may be programmed to accept a 4-20 mA, 0-10 V, 0-5 V, or 1-5 V signal. Once you have modified the settings, click the Save Configuration button to save these settings to the field unit.

The IO Mapping section will show to what (if any) device the analog input has been mapped. The Monitoring section at the bottom may be used to view the current analog input reading or manually test analog input operation.

4-20 mA Analog Output

The 4/20mA Output tab is used to program the selected field unit’s analog output. Once you have modified the settings, click the Save Configuration button to save these settings to the field unit.

The IO Mapping section will show to what (if any) device the analog input has been mapped. The Monitoring section at the bottom may be used to view the current analog output reading or manually test analog output operation.

Digital I/O

Each field unit has four digital I/O channels. Each channel may be independently programmed as either an input or an output. Once you have modified the settings, click the Save Configuration button to save these settings to the field unit.

The IO Mapping section will show to what (if any) device the digital I/O has been mapped. The Monitoring section at the bottom may be used to view the current digital I/O state or manually test digital I/O operation.

Modbus

Each field unit is capable of transmitting Modbus® RTU communications. Enter the Modbus network settings on the Modbus tab in order to communicate with the Modbus network. The Modbus address must be unique in order to ensure field unit/base station connectivity.

Once you have modified the settings, click the Save Configuration button to save these settings to the field unit.

Advanced Configuration | back to top

Device communication can be secured by enabling 128-bit AES encryption. A channel mask may also be set for interference immunity. The encryption key and channel mask may be entered on the Advanced tab. Once you have entered the encryption information, click Save Settings. If you have made changes that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings button.

The wireless field units must share identical encryption keys in order to communicate with the base station, so be sure to enter the same information for all of the field units.

If you would like to reset the base station to factory default settings, click the Reset all system parameters to Factory Defaults button. All field units may be cleared from the client database by clicking the Clear Client Database button.

Programming the Field Units | back to top

The field units may also be programmed using the PC based PDW Manager. Field units connect to a PC via the micro USB connection on their face, underneath the enclosure cover. Use of PDW Manager is required for programming advanced settings such as wireless encryption and analog signal calibration.

Once the software is running, power the unit using a 24 VDC power supply and connect the device to the PC using the provided USB cable.

Note: Units must be powered externally prior to programming via USB.

The PC will automatically install the appropriate device drivers. Once this has completed, the device will appear in the Device list at the top of the PDW Manager window. Click Connect.

The image below shows the available options on the Configuration tab while the field unit is connected. The network ID, Modbus settings, and password may be configured from this tab.

The devices’ analog inputs and outputs can be calibrated using the Calibration tabs. The IO Testing tab allows you to perform diagnostics and testing on the units.

Calibration – Analog Input

Calibration – 4-20mA Output

IO Testing

Device communication can be secured by enabling 128-bit AES encryption. A channel mask may also be set for interference immunity. The encryption key and channel mask may be entered on the Advanced tab. Once you have entered the encryption information, click Save Settings. If you have made changes that have not been saved and would like to load the saved settings from the base station, click the Read Settings button.

The base station and field units must share identical encryption keys in order to, so be sure to enter the same information for the base station all of the field units. See Programming the Base Station on page 17 for information on programming the base station.