Comark RF500A User Manual

RF500A GATEWAY

SYSTEM MANUAL

RF500A Gateway System Manual

Contents

Check Packed Items.........................................................................................................................................................5

RF500A Gateway.................................................................................................................................................5

RF500 Transmitters.............................................................................................................................................5

RF500 Product Range......................................................................................................................................................6

RF500 Gateway...................................................................................................................................................6

RF500 Transmitters are available as follows:.......................................................................................................6

RF512 Temperature Transmitter............................................................................................................ 6

RF512M Temperature Transmitter Backbone Option..............................................................................6

RF513 Temperature and Humidity Transmitter.......................................................................................6

RF513M Temperature and Humidity Transmitter Backbone Option........................................................6

RF515 Analog Input Transmitter and RF515A Connection Box.............................................................7

RF516 Precision Temperature Transmitter..............................................................................................7

RF542 Temperature Transmitter ............................................................................................................7

Optional Accessories...........................................................................................................................................7

Safety Information.............................................................................................................................................................8

Warning................................................................................................................................................................8

WEEE..................................................................................................................................................................9

Powering On and Off......................................................................................................................................................10

Switch On..........................................................................................................................................................10

Gateway Switch OFF.........................................................................................................................................11

Gateway Reset .................................................................................................................................................11

Transmitter Activation........................................................................................................................................12

RF500A-CONFIG - RF500A Conguration Utility............................................................................................................13

Requirements for RF500A-CONFIG...................................................................................................................13

Installation of USB Drivers.................................................................................................................................13

1

Obtain Comark USB Drivers..................................................................................................................13

USB Driver Installation Instructions.......................................................................................................14

Installation of RF500A-CONFIG..........................................................................................................................15

Obtain RF500A-CONFIG Utility.............................................................................................................15

RF500A-CONFIG Installation Instructions.............................................................................................15

Running RF500A-CONFIG for the First Time.......................................................................................16

Gateway Commissioning................................................................................................................................................17

Requirements for Commissioning.......................................................................................................................17

Setting of Gateway IP Address using RF500A-CONFIG....................................................................................17

Viewing the Gateway Login Page......................................................................................................................19

Setup of First Administrator.................................................................................................................................20

Gateway Language............................................................................................................................................20

Gateway Name..................................................................................................................................................21

Gateway Clock Setup..........................................................................................................................................21

Network Setup...................................................................................................................................................22

Network Details ....................................................................................................................................22

Gateway Programming and Use ....................................................................................................................................23

RF500 System Components...........................................................................................................................................24

Know your Gateway...........................................................................................................................................24

RF500A Front Panel Indicators..............................................................................................................24

Bottom Connections...............................................................................................................................25

Alarm Outputs........................................................................................................................................26

Side Switches and Indicators.................................................................................................................26

Know your Transmitter.......................................................................................................................................27

Transmitter Display.................................................................................................................................29

RF542 Network Transmitter - Detailed Operation .............................................................................................30

Connections to Network .......................................................................................................................30

RF542 Setup Procedure .......................................................................................................................31

Equipment Installation.....................................................................................................................................................33

2

Gateway Fixing..................................................................................................................................................33

Transmitter Fixing..............................................................................................................................................33

Mains Wiring......................................................................................................................................................33

Ventilation..........................................................................................................................................................33

RF500 Wireless Monitoring System Overview................................................................................................................34

Gateway – Introduction......................................................................................................................................34

Overview of RF500 Mesh Networking................................................................................................................35

Meshing Transmitters and Backbone Transmitters.............................................................................................37

Automatic Data Retrieval (ADR)........................................................................................................................37

Gateway Specication – RF500A....................................................................................................................................38

Transmitters Specication...............................................................................................................................................39

RF542 Network Specication..............................................................................................................................42

Changing Lithium Battery on RF500 Series Transmitters...............................................................................................43

Battery Reordering.............................................................................................................................................43

Battery Change Procedure..................................................................................................................................44

Check for Transmitter Errors...............................................................................................................................45

Gateway Indication of Low Battery......................................................................................................................45

Pinout and Wiring............................................................................................................................................................46

Door Connector .................................................................................................................................................46

Power Connector...............................................................................................................................................46

Lumberg Connector...........................................................................................................................................47

Gateway Relay Outputs ....................................................................................................................................48

FCC Approvals................................................................................................................................................................49

Equipment Ratings..........................................................................................................................................................50

Supply Voltage...................................................................................................................................................50

Environmental Conditions...................................................................................................................................50

Gateway Storage/Operating Conditions................................................................................................50

RF51X Transmitter Operating Conditions..............................................................................................50

RF542 Transmitter Operating Conditions .............................................................................................51

3

RF5XX Transmitter Storage Conditions.................................................................................................51

RF515 Maximum Input Conditions......................................................................................................................51

Maintenance and Cleaning.............................................................................................................................................52

Service and Repair..........................................................................................................................................................52

EC-Declaration of Conformity.........................................................................................................................................53

Transmitter Fault Codes..................................................................................................................................................54

Gateway Fault Conditions...............................................................................................................................................55

Appendix A – Gateway Connection via RJ45 Cross-Over Ethernet Cable......................................................................56

Appendix B - Setting a Fixed IP Address.........................................................................................................................57

Denitions of Gateway Terminology.................................................................................................................................59

Glossary..........................................................................................................................................................................62

4

ON / OFF

AUX

STAT US

1 2 3 4

RF500A

SERIAL

No.

Comark Instruments, 52 Hurricane way,
Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6JB. UK
Tel: 01603 ([phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.comarkltd.com

Comark Instruments, PO Box 9090,
Everett, WA 98206, USA
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.comarkUSA.com

RF500AP

MADE IN UK

FOR INDOOR USE ONLY
DO NOT MOVE WHEN

IN OPERATION

Check Packed Items

Please conrm that the kit contents are all present and correct. If you believe any parts are missing or damaged
please contact Comark or your local Distributor to arrange replacements.

Software and USB drivers are no longer provided on CD and can be downloaded free of charge from our website.
See “RF500A-CONFIG - RF500A Conguration Utility” {Page 13} for instructions on how to download and install the

software and drivers.

RF500A Gateway

The RF500A Gateway is available in two variants:

• RF500A Standard

• RF500AP Power over Ethernet enabled

The actual Gateway model is indicated on the side label by a check
mark adjacent to the model code.

The RF500A and RF500AP Gateway Kits consist of the following items:

• RF500A Gateway Part No. RF500A or RF500AP

• Transmitter Activator Part No. RF525

• High Gain Antenna Part No. RF504

• AC Adaptor with Mains Lead with either UK, EU or US plug

• Ethernet Cable

• USB Cable (Required for conguration only)

RF500 Transmitters

RF512, RF513, RF515 & RF516 transmitters are packed with a mounting bracket and 2-tie-wraps.

RF542 transmitters are additionally packed with:
1x RF520 AC Adaptor including regional mains plug attachment
1x Cat5e Ethernet Cable
1x RF525 Transmitter Activator
1x RF542 Quick Reference Guide

5

RF500 Product Range

RF500 Gateway

The RF500 Gateway is available in two variants:

• RF500A Standard

• RF500AP Power over Ethernet enabled

RF500 Transmitters are available as follows:

RF512 Temperature Transmitter

• Integral temperature sensor plus connectors for two external temperature sensors and an external door

sensor

• External temperature range: –40°C to +125°C

RF512M Temperature Transmitter Backbone Option

• Integral temperature sensor plus connectors for two external temperature sensors and an external door

sensor

• External temperature range: –40°C to +125°C

• Includes High Gain Antenna and RF520 AC adaptor

RF513 Temperature and Humidity Transmitter

• Integral temperature sensor, one integral humidity sensor and connector for an external door sensor

• Integral temperature range: –30°C to +70°C

• Humidity range: 10-90% RH

RF513M Temperature and Humidity Transmitter Backbone Option

• Integral temperature sensor, one integral humidity sensor and connector for an external door sensor

• Integral temperature range: –30°C to +70°C

• Humidity range: 10-90% RH

• Includes High Gain Antenna and RF520 AC adaptor

6

RF515 Analog Input Transmitter and RF515A Connection Box

• Two analog input channels, each capable of conguration as 0-1V, 0-10V or 4-20mA using RF515A

connection box

RF516 Precision Temperature Transmitter

• Integral temperature sensor, and connector for one external temperature Pt100 sensor and an external door

sensor

• External temperature range: –200°C to +400°C

RF542 Temperature Transmitter

• Connectors for two external temperature sensors and an external door sensor

• External temperature range: –40°C to +125°C

• Includes RF520 AC adaptor

Optional Accessories

RF520 AC adaptor for RF512, RF513, RF516 and RF542

RF502 RF Bridge - 0.5m lead to enable transmission through RF resistant barriers

RF503 RF Bridge - 1.0m lead to enable transmission through RF resistant barriers

RF515A 2-Channel Terminal Box with 0.25m lead terminated with 6-Pin Lumberg Plug

Includes two sets of 10R, 2K and 18K2 precision resistors

RF521 Door Sensor for hinged doors

RF522 Door Sensor for roller shutter type doors

RF525 Transmitter Activator

RFJACK Alarm Output jack (2.5mm)

RFALARM Alarm Output lead - 2m g-8 wire terminated with 2.5mm jack

7

Safety Information

Under no circumstances may a user make any changes to the RF500A Gateway that would alter its performance. Any
modication would void the CE compliance of the Gateway and may invalidate the warranty.

If the equipment is used in a manner not specied by Comark Instruments, then the protection provided by the

equipment may be impaired.

No user serviceable parts are provided in RF500 Comark Wireless Monitoring Equipment. Contact Comark
Instruments or your local distributor for all service requirements.

Warning

• Before connecting or disconnecting the antenna, ensure anti-static precautions are observed.

• Use only the FRIWO 12V AC adaptor; Type FW74010/12 as supplied with the RF500A Gateway.

• Do not modify the RF500A Gateway AC adaptor in any way.

• Use only the PHIHONG, PSM11R-050 5V AC adaptor or FRIWO type FW7662/05 with RF500 transmitters.

It is supplied by Comark Instruments as three variants:

RF520 Transmitter AC adaptor with UK mains plug
RF520/EU Transmitter AC adaptor with European mains plug
RF520/US Transmitter AC adaptor with North American mains plug
RF520/AUS Transmitter AC adaptor with Australian mains plug

• Do not modify the AC adaptor in any way.

• RF500 transmitters contain a C-size lithium cell (AA-size for RF542). This cell must not be incinerated or
subjected to temperatures in excess of 100°C. Do not deform, mutilate, crush, pierce, disassemble, recharge
or short circuit. Such abuse can result in loss of seal, and/or cell explosion. Also exposure to humid conditions

for long periods should be avoided.

• Do not insert metal objects into connectors.

8

• Ensure the antenna is securely connected before powering the equipment. Internal damage may result

otherwise.

• The Gateway and Transmitters have been designed to operate with the antenna supplied by Comark, and

having a maximum gain of 7dBi. Antennas not supplied by Comark Instruments or having a gain of greater
than 7dBi are strictly prohibited for use with this device.

WEEE

RF512, RF513, RF515, RF516 and RF542 transmitters contain a non rechargeable lithium

battery. This battery must be disposed of in accordance with local regulations.

9

Powering On and Off

Switch On

BEFORE SWITCHING ON, ENSURE THE ANTENNA HAS BEEN FITTED - IT IS ESSENTIAL TO AVOID DAMAGE.

1. Plug the Gateway AC adaptor into the socket on

the underside of the Gateway, or for the PoE
model (RF500AP) plug the Ethernet cable into a

PoE enabled network socket. The Power/Battery
indicator should show steady green.

2. Using a paper clip or similar object, press in and

hold the ON / OFF switch on the side of the Gateway
for 4 seconds. The Gateway will beep once and the

blue ON* indicator will ash at a half-second interval.
Gateway bootup will begin. On successful boot, the

ON indicator will show solid blue.

Figure 1 - Switch On using Paper Clip

* The ON indicator is shown in “Figure 6 - Front Panel Indicators” {Page 24}

10

The Gateway contains an internal backup battery, if this battery is not sufciently charged; the

Gateway will not switch on. Once external power is connected the internal battery will begin

recharging. Whenever the charge state becomes sufcient the Gateway will automatically start as requested.
Whilst in this mode Status LEDs 1, 2, 3 and 4 will ash in sequence. See “Figure 8 – Left Hand Side View of
Gateway” {Page 26} for location of these LEDs.

It takes a few minutes for the Gateway to initialise; a sequence of 2 beeps followed by 4 beeps indicates

successful initialisation.

Gateway Switch OFF

To turn the Gateway OFF navigate to the hardware page of the Gateway Web-View and use the Shutdown Gateway

button, this will initiate the Gateway shut-down procedure.
If for some reason it is not possible to use the Gateway Web-View, then using a paper clip or similar object, press in

and hold the ON / OFF switch on the side of the Gateway for 4 seconds. The Gateway will beep once and the ON

indicator will ash at a 3 second interval to indicate shut-down. Once the shut-down sequence begins, the Gateway

will beep 10 times in quick succession. The shut-down procedure could take up to 5 minutes to complete. After
shut-down is complete the ON indicator extinguishes.

Gateway Reset

There are several circumstances under which the Gateway will perform a software reset, (for example performing
Gateway Clock Setup). At start of the sequence the Gateway will beep 10 times in quick succession. The reset

could take up to 5 minutes to complete which is indicated by a sequence of 2 beeps followed by 4 beeps to indicate

successful initialisation. Unlike the shut-down described above, the ON indicator will remain steady during the reset

sequence.

11

Transmitter Activation

RF500 transmitters are despatched in a disabled state to preserve the battery. To activate these, insert the RF525
Activator into the 3-pin socket marked B in “Figure 10 - Connector view of RF512, RF515, RF516 & RF542
Transmitter” {Page 28} until the display is enabled then remove the RF525.

On rare occasions RF542 Transmitters may show low battery on activation. This is due to a chemical process within

the AA lithium cell called passivation, this is normal and the AA cell is not necessarily dead. Simply remove and
replace the same battery by following the instructions in “Changing Lithium Battery on RF500 Series Transmitters”
{Page 43}. The low battery indication should not re-appear.

Once activated, transmitters can only be de-activated by removing the battery.

12

RF500A-CONFIG - RF500A Conguration Utility

Each Gateway is shipped with a default IP address of 192.168.25.220. The Gateway IP address must be changed to
the Static IP address provided by your IT department before connecting to the LAN.

Comark Instruments provides a Windows utility: RF500A-CONFIG to allow changing or viewing the Gateway IP

address via the USB port.

Requirements for RF500A-CONFIG

• Windows XP, Windows XP 64-bit or Windows 7, Windows 7 64-bit

• Comark USB Drivers (The USB drivers must be installed prior to installing RF500A-CONFIG)

• Oracle (previously Sun) Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0 or later

Installation of USB Drivers

Obtain Comark USB Drivers

Comark USB Drivers can be downloaded from the following websites:

• http://www.comarkinstruments.com/software.tpl – UK and International

• http://www.comarkusa.com/software.tpl – USA, Canada and South America
Click the Comark USB Driver.exe link shown on web page above. Fill in the form and tick the box to conrm you
have read the Software License Agreement. Proceed to download the le and choose the save option to start the

download.

13

USB Driver Installation Instructions

When the download is complete; click the run button.

NOTE: Windows will ask if the user wants to allow this program

wto run, select yes.

Conrm you wish to install.

The screen opposite should be displayed - Click Install.

Once installation is complete you will see the screen opposite.

Please note your computer may request a restart after installation completes.

14

Installation of RF500A-CONFIG

Obtain RF500A-CONFIG Utility

Comark RF500A-CONFIG can be downloaded from the following websites:

• http://www.comarkinstruments.com/software.tpl – UK and International

• http://www.comarkusa.com/software.tpl – USA, Canada and South America

Click the RF500A Cong Util-1.00-Setup.exe link shown on the web page above. Fill in the form and tick the box to
conrm you have read the Software License Agreement. Proceed to download the le and choose the save option to
start the download.

RF500A-CONFIG Installation Instructions

• When the download is complete, click the run button.

• NOTE: Windows may ask if the user wants to allow this program to run, select yes.

• Conrm “English” as the install language (there is no other choice available).

• In response to the question: This will install RF500A-Cong Util on your computer. Continue ? Click YES.

• The following screen states: It is recommended that you close all that all other applications before continuing

After closing these applications click the Next > button.

• When prompted to Choose Destination Folder accept the default of:
C:\Program Files\Comark\RF500A Cong Util by clicking the Next > button.

• When prompted to Start Copying Files click the Next > button.

• The installer will copy the les and conrm that it has successfully installed RF500A Cong Util. Click the

boxes to install your choice of short-cuts and click the Finish button.

15

Running RF500A-CONFIG for the First Time

RF500A-CONFIG will examine the Java environment and

update it if necessary. Successful update is conrmed

by the message opposite.

After clicking OK, RF500A-CONFIG will attempt to restart
automatically but on some systems this may not occur.
In this instance simply restart RF500A-CONFIG using the

Figure 2 - Java Environment Update Successful

Start Menu or other installed short-cut.

RF500A-CONFIG is now properly installed and ready for use during Gateway Commissioning as follows:

16

Gateway Commissioning

This section covers:

• Network conguration

• Setup of rst Administrator

• Setting Gateway language

• Setting Gateway name

• Setting date and time

Requirements for Commissioning

• Computer with USB port and RJ45 Ethernet jack

• Comark RF500A-CONFIG Utility and USB cable

• Static IP address, Subnet mask and Default gateway (Usually allocated by IT Department)

• Email server name or IP address

• DNS server IP address (required if email server is named)

Setting of Gateway IP Address using RF500A-CONFIG

Each Gateway is shipped with a default IP address of 192.168.25.220. The rst stage of commissioning is to complete
basic network conguration. Comark provides a Windows utility: RF500A-CONFIG to perform this conguration.
To complete this section, you will need the following pieces of information from your IT department:

• Static IP address for the Gateway

• Subnet mask

• Default Gateway

• DNS Server Not a requirement for this stage but may be needed for later conguration

1. Connect the RF500A Gateway to the computer using the USB lead.

2. Switch on the RF500A. See “Powering On and Off” {Page 10} for instructions.

17

3. Start the RF500A-CONFIG Utility using the Windows Start

Menu – The screen as shown in “Figure 3 - RF500A-CONFIG

Screenshot” opposite, will be displayed:

4. Enter the Serial Number of the Gateway connected
then click the View Current Settings button - Wait until

the various elds are populated.

5. Enter the IP address, subnet mask and Default Gateway
using dotted decimal notation into their respective elds.

Software Issue For Comark Instruments use only
Comms Port For Comark Instruments use only
Mac Address Hardware address of the Ethernet interface
IP Address The IP address allocated to the Gateway
Net mask The subnet mask associated with the
IP address

Default Gateway The IP address of the network gateway to

allow access from a different subnet

Figure 3 - RF500A-CONFIG Screenshot

6. Click the Save New Settings button - After successful transfer, RF500A-CONFIG will Reset the RF500A.

The Generate Report File button is only for use under instruction from Comark Technical Support.

18

Viewing the Gateway Login Page

Ensure both the computer and Gateway each have an Ethernet cable connection to the LAN or are connected
together via Ethernet cross-over cable.

Recall the IP address that was congured in
“Setting of Gateway IP Address using RF500A-CONFIG” above.

1. Start the Web Browser on the computer.

2. Enter the IP address into the Address Bar as displayed opposite.

3. Press “Enter” key or click “Go”.

4. The Gateway login screen as in Figure 5 below will be displayed.

Figure 4 - Browser Address Bar

Figure 5 - Gateway Login Screen

19