Elster Solutions HHI05 User Manual
EA_Inspector
Release 3.6
User Guide
TM42-3013I
Contents
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
New in release 3.6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Changes in release 3.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
About handheld devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
About This manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
New users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Existing users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What is the EnergyAxis System? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
EnergyAxis tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
EA_InstallerPlus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
EA_Inspector and EA_Inspector Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 About the handheld. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About the handheld. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Radix specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Safe RF exposure using external antenna . . . . . . . . . . . 18
EA_Inspector Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
EA_Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Transmission accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Navigating the software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Database warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3 Operating the handheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Commonly used keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
<Esc>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
<Enter> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Arrow keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
<Tab> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Entering responses (Yes/No). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Using the stylus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Turning the device on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Charging the device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Resetting the handheld device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Opening EA_Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Logging in to the handheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Holding the handheld for meter reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
EA_Inspector User Guide
Contents
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4 About EA_Inspector software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Navigating the software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
User privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Saving notes and GPS data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Exiting EA_Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Exiting from the login screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5 Performing a ping test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
About ping tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Accessing ping test menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
One shot ping test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
One shot ping of electric meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
One shot ping of a EA_Gatekeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
One shot ping of gas module or AC-250 RMD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
One shot ping of a one-way water meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
One shot ping of two-way water meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Continuous ping test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Continuous ping of electric meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Continuous ping of a gatekeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Continuous ping of gas or two-way water module . . . . . . . . . . 60
Node to node ping test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Editing continuous ping test settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
6 Locating a node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
About locating nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Accessing node location menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Registered node locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Find all IDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Finding an ID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Unregistered node locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
7 Reading meter data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Accessing Read Meter Data menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Reading previous period data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Reading current period data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
8 Gas/Water Comms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
About gas and water communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Accessing Gas/Water Comms menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Reading gas/water comm info from an electric device. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Reading gas/water comm info from a gas/water device. . . . . . . . . . . 81
9 Disconnecting and reconnecting meters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
About disconnecting and reconnecting electricity meters. . . . . . . . . . . 82
REX meter service control switch status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
REX2 meter service control switch status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
A3 ALPHA meter with internal polyphase service control . . . . . 83
About disconnecting and reconnecting gas meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Accessing Connect/Disconnect menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
EA_Inspector User Guide
Contents
4
Reading status of the service control switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Checking load side voltage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Connecting an electricity meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Disconnecting an electricity meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Reading the state of the secondary relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Connecting a secondary relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Disconnecting a secondary relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Controlling a gas valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Gas valve privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Reading a gas valve’s modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Battery alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Hardware failure detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Opening a gas valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Closing a gas valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Controlling a meter’s RF transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Reading the current state of an RF transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Disabling an RF transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Enabling an RF transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
10 Upgrading firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
About upgrading firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
REX2 meter with EA_NIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
A3 ALPHA meter with EA_NIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Upgrading the EA_NIC firmware in the handheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Upgrading a gas or water module’s firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Upgrading a gas meter’s RMD firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Upgrading a meter’s EA_NIC radio firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Upgrading a REX2 meter’s firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Upgrading an A3 ALPHA meter’s firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Upgrading 900 MHz HAN devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Upgrading a 900 MHz HAN device’s radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Upgrading a 900 MHz HAN device firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
11 Configuring meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
About HAN broadcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Accessing HAN Broadcast menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Configuring HAN Broadcast settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Checking the status of the meter’s HAN broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Turning off the meter’s broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Turning on the meter’s broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Setting meter associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Configuring water module leak settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Performing a demand reset on an electricity meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
12 Managing home area network devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Accessing Home Area Network menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
ZigBee HAN device commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
View devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Viewing HAN NIC information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
900 MHz HAN devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
EA_Inspector User Guide
Contents
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Commissioning a 900 MHz device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Reading a 900 MHz HAN device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Pinging a 900 MHz HAN device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Method 1 - from the Commission Device screen157
Method 2 - from the Ping Device screen158
Decommissioning a 900 MHz device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Reading a decommissioned device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Configuring a 900 MHz device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Accessing the Config 900 MHz HAN menu . . . . . . . . . .161
Configuring general parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Configuring pricing parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Clearing pricing parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Configuring messaging parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
13 Configuring the handheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
About configuring the handheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Accessing handheld configuration menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Configuring handheld settings and utility IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Configuring EA Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Viewing About EA_Inspector information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
A Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
General troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Trouble connecting to EA_Inspector Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Communication mode errors and warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Verifying encrypted communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Elster contact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
EA_Inspector User Guide 6
FCC and Industry Canada compliance
Compliance statement (Part 15.19)
Radix FW950 (equipped with the EnergyAxis network interface card) and Radix
FW950 (equipped with the EnergyAxis network interface card and an external
antenna) comply with Part 15 (Class B), Part 90 of the FCC rules and with RSS-210
of Industry Canada.
The FCC ID's are G8JHHI03 and G8JHHI04. The Industry Canada is 4557C-HHI03.
General information
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
Industry Canada statement
This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS-210 standard(s).
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicables aux
appareils radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux
conditions suivantes: (1) l'appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2)
l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même
si le brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le fonctionnement.
Industry Canada antenna statement
Radix FW950 (equipped with the EnergyAxis network interface card and an
external antenna) incorporates an external antenna onto the handheld unit. For
the handheld units please note the following statements as they relate to the
external antenna on the handheld unit.
Under Industry Canada regulations, this radio transmitter may only operate using
an antenna of a type and maximum (or lesser) gain approved for the transmitter
by Industry Canada.
To reduce potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its
gain should be so chosen that the equivalent isotropically radiated power (e.i.r.p.)
is not more than that necessary for successful communication.
Conformément à la réglementation d'Industrie Canada, le présent émetteur
radio peut fonctionner avec une antenne d'un type et d'un gain maximal (ou
inférieur) approuvé pour l'émetteur par Industrie Canada.
Dans le but de réduire les risques de brouillage radioélectrique à l'intention des
autres utilisateurs, il faut choisir le type d'antenne et son gain de sorte que la
puissance isotrope rayonnée équivalente (p.i.r.e.) ne dépasse pas l'intensité
nécessaire à l'établissement d'une communication satisfaisante.
EA_Inspector User Guide
7
This radio transmitter IC:4557C-HHI03 has been approved by Industry Canada to
operate with the antenna types listed below with the maximum permissible gain
and required antenna impedance for each antenna type indicated. Antenna
types not included in this list, having a gain greater than the maximum gain
indicated for that type, are strictly prohibited for use with this device.
Le présent émetteur radio IC:4557C-HHI03 a été approuvé par Industrie Canada
pour fonctionner avec les types d'antenne énumérés ci-dessous et ayant un gain
admissible maximal et l'impédance requise pour chaque type d'antenne. Les
types d'antenne non inclus dans cette liste, ou dont le gain est supérieur au gain
maximal indiqué, sont strictement interdits pour l'exploitation de l'émetteur.
• Antenna Part Number: 1B11922
Warning (Part 15.21)
Changes or modifications to the equipment not expressly approved by Elster
could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
User information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help.
RF exposure
A separation distance of at least 8 inches (20 cm) is to be maintained between
the antenna and the human body and must not be co-located or operated in
conjunction with any other transmitter or antenna.
Disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability
There are no understandings, agreements, representations, or warranties either
expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose, other than those specifically set out by any existing contract
between the parties. Any such contract states the entire obligation of the seller.
The contents of this technical manual shall not become part of or modify any prior
or existing agreement, commitment, or relationship.
The information, recommendations, descriptions, and safety notices in this
technical manual are based on Elster experience and judgment with respect to
the operation and maintenance of the described product. This information should
not be considered as all–inclusive or covering all contingencies. If further
information is required, Elster should be consulted.
EA_Inspector User Guide 8
No warranties, either expressed or implied, including warranties of fitness for a
particular purpose or merchantability, or warranties arising from the course of
dealing or usage of trade, are made regarding the information,
recommendations, descriptions, warnings, and cautions contained herein.
In no event will Elster be held responsible to the user in contract, in tort (including
negligence), strict liability, or otherwise for any special, indirect, incidental, or
consequential damage or loss whatsoever, including but not limited to: damage
or loss of use of equipment, cost of capital, loss of profits or revenues, or claims
against the user by its customers from the use of the information,
recommendations, descriptions, and safety notices contained herein.
Safety information Installation, operation, and maintenance of this product can present potentially
hazardous conditions (for example, high voltages) if safety procedures are not
followed. To ensure that this product is used safely, it is important that you:
Review, understand, and observe all safety notices and recommendations within
this manual.
Do not remove or copy individual pages from this manual, as this manual is
intended for use in its entirety. If you were to remove or copy individual pages,
cross references and safety notices may be overlooked, possibly resulting in
damage to the equipment, personal injury, or even death.
Inform personnel involved in the installation, operation, and maintenance of the
product about the safety notices and recommendations contained in this manual.
Within this manual, safety notices appear preceding the text or step to which they
apply. Safety notices are divided into the following four classifications:
Notice is used to alert personnel to installation, operation, or maintenance
information that is important but not hazard related.
Caution is used to alert personnel to the presence of a hazard that will or can
cause minor personal injury, equipment damage, or property damage if the
notice is ignored.
Warning is used to alert personnel to the presence of a hazard that can cause
severe personal injury, death, equipment damage, or property damage if notice
is ignored.
EA_Inspector User Guide
New in release 3.6 EA_Inspector Manager and EA_Inspector introduce the following new features:
9
Danger is used to alert personnel to the presence of a hazard that will cause
severe personal injury, death, equipment damage, or property damage if the
notice is ignored.
• support for 900 MHz HAN devices
• support for enabling/disabling an RF transmitter
• support for controlling the AC-250 RMD (Remote Meter Disconnect) for gas
meters
Note: The Radix FW950 handheld (Style No. 1C12455G01) should be
equipped with an external antenna to perform actions on the
AC-250 RMD. The external antenna allows the Radix handheld
to issue commands to gas valves up to 900 feet from the
handheld. Contact your Elster respresentative for more
information.
Note: To use the new features in EA_Inpsector 3.6, you must use
EA_Inspector Manager 3.6. While EA_Inspector will function
with prior releases of EA_Inspector Manager, to fully use the
software requires EA_Inspector Manager 3.6.
Changes in release 3.6 • To prevent over-writing valid encryption seeds, EA_Inspector Manager
checks for new seed data received from EA_MS.
Earlier releases would allow null key sets to overwrite valid keys in the
EA_Inspector.
Caution: Elster strongly recommends that encryption seeds only be
downloaded after seed changes are made.
1 INTRODUCTION
This document provides comprehensive operating instructions for the use of the
EA_Inspector software.
About handheld devices Handheld devices are lightweight and easy to use handheld computers for
troubleshooting EnergyAxis meter communications using touch screen
technology.
About This manual This guide provides instructions for setup, operation and troubleshooting of the
handheld device. It is structured for use as an adjunct to Elster system training, as
well as a standalone instruction guide and reference. The screen shots shown in
various illustrations may vary slightly from your handheld's display.
Audience
This document is designed for utility industry meter readers and supervisory staff.
In order to establish appropriate levels of detail for the material, this document
assumes the following:
• The user is experienced in reading meters of the type currently compatible
with Elster meters and possesses all the skills necessary to conduct meter
reading by conventional means.
• The user has little or no prior expertise with automated metering
infrastructure (AMI) technology.
• The user is competent in the basic use of computers and software.
New users
If you are new to Elster AMI products, or are new to AMI products in general,
please take some time to go through all the sections of the user guide.
Existing users
If you are already familiar with Elster AMI products, you will still find it helpful to go
through the Introduction and detail sections to understand how the features of
the handheld device work together and what information is needed to perform
each feature.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Introduction
11
What is the EnergyAxis
System?
The EnergyAxis System (Figure 1-1) is designed for residential and commercial and
industrial (C&I) metering automation of electricity, gas and water. It is composed
of up to three parts:
1. EnergyAxis Management System (EA_MS) that reads gatekeepers to gather
meter data, analyzes RF LAN performance, and exports an XML file of all
read data for importing into various enterprise systems such as billing, work
order management, outage management, etc.
2. One or more 900 MHz radio frequency (RF) networks composed of an
EA_Gatekeeper and up to 1024 or 2048 of the following meters:
• REX, REX2, and gREX meters equipped with an EA_NIC
• optional service control switch for remote reconnection/disconnection
• optional ZigBee communications option board for home automation
(REX2 meters only)
• A3 ALPHA meters with the EA_NIC (EnergyAxis network interface card)
• water meters equipped with EA_Water Module (900 MHz RF radio)
• gas meters equipped with EA_Gas Module (900 MHz RF radio)
3. Optional – one or more home automation networks (HAN) composed of a
REX2 meter with ZigBee comm option and one or more ZigBee-enabled
home area devices (HAD) - for example, programmable thermostat, in
home display, or load control device.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Introduction
Figure 1-1. EnergyAxis System
12
Each gatekeeper gathers and stores meter data from its registered node meters
and associated water and gas modules and manages the EA_LAN. These
gatekeepers upload the data to the EnergyAxis Management System (EA_MS) via
a public or private WAN either on a scheduled or on-demand basis.
Each REX and REX2 meter, EA_Repeater and A3 ALPHA node can act as
repeaters that relay meter data from downstream, or descendent, meters up to
the gatekeeper. When a repeater’s RF transmission capability is blocked, the
gatekeeper determines that something is wrong and initiates a node scan. The
node scan re-builds the 900 MHz network bypassing the faulty node. In this
manner, the network is called proactive and self-healing.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Introduction
Figure 1-4. EA_Inspector
15
EA_Inspector and EA_Inspector Manager
The EA_Inspector is a tool for use with EnergyAxis System. EnergyAxis devices are
equipped with RF modules that transmit meter data to gatekeepers through the
EA_LAN. The EA_LAN occasionally may need troubleshooting to locate issues and
EA_Inspector is the tool designed to locate these issues.
EA_Inspector also performs firmware upgrades for devices in the field.
EA_Inspector can also help locate unknown meters or determine the best
placement for an EA_Repeater.
Before going into the field, the user synchronizes the handheld with EA_Inspector
Manager. This loads and updates the user credentials (logon and permissions)
and any other necessary security features.
Note: A new EA_Inspector handheld must be synchronized with
EA_Inspector Manager prior to being used in the field to enable
user logon capability.
Once the functions have been performed in the field, resynchronize the handheld
using EA_Inspector Manager. EA_Inspector Manager is then used to export GPS
coordinates, TOU and demand data and AMRDEF files. Additionally, activity logs
(one encrypted and one unencrypted) are downloaded from the handheld.
Note: Encrypted logs are only accessible by the EA_Inspector
Manager security administrator.
2 ABOUT THE HANDHELD
About the handheld The handheld is a Radix FW950 device that functions as the platform handheld
installation tool for Elster’s EA_Gas and EA_Water modules, as well as supporting
EA_Inspector.
The handheld is a rugged Radix handheld computer with the EnergyAxis network
interface (EA_NIC) card installed. This handheld allows field personnel to install
the EA_Gas and EA_Water modules onto gas meters. The handheld also
supports controlling the AC-250 gas meter with Remote Meter Disconnect (RMD).
The handheld also performs troubleshooting tasks for EnergyAxis meter RF
communications.
Figure 2-1. Radix FW950 handheld (Style No. 7S1501G002)
Radix specifications
• Windows CE 5.0
• .NET Framework 1.1 or 2.0
• Marvell PXA270, 520MHz processor
• 128 MB RAM 512 MB flash drive
• 3.5” (89mm) 240 x 320 TFT 65K Color industrial grade touch screen
• 48-key ergonomic keypad with separate numeric keys
• User replaceable lithium-ion battery pack, 3 hour charge, up to 8 hours use
• EnergyAxis network interface card (EA_NIC)
• Elster software
• RF Transmitter - 451 MHz (wake-up tone); 900 MHz
• RF Receiver - 900 MHz
EA_Inspector User Guide
About the handheld
17
• FCC compliance: Part 90 and Part 15. The FCC ID is G8JHHI03.
• Operating temperature: -4 °F to +140 °F (-20 °C to + 60 °C)
• USB, Ethernet, serial, IPP, multiple communications ports
• IP-67 rated (1 meter submersion)
• Elster nose cone is IP-67 rated (1 meter submersion)
• MIL-STD-810F method - 1.5 meter drop onto concrete test
• Optional - the Radix handheld supports using an external antenna for use
with the AC 250 Remote Meter Disconnect (RMD) valve control module.
Figure 2-2. Radix FW950 with external antenna (Style No. 1C12455G01)
EA_Inspector User Guide
About the handheld
18
Safe RF exposure using external antenna
The antenna used for the Radix transmitter must be installed to provide a
separation distance of at least 8 inches (20 cm) from all persons and must not be
co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.
EA_Inspector Manager EA_Inspector Manager synchronizes the handheld with a host computer.
Synchronizing the handheld copies files between the handheld and the host
computer.
Figure 2-3. Handheld-to-meter RF communication
Before EA_Inspector can be run, EA_Inspector Manager must load the following
files onto the handheld:
• user credentials (user names and passwords) file
• meter ID (marriage) file
• LAN seed file
3
• 900 MHz HAN parameter files
2
4
1
After the first synchronization, the EA_Inspector is ready to be used in the field.
1. Required to operate the handheld.
2. Only required if operating in meter ID mode; LAN ID mode works without marriage
files.
3. Not required to operate; only needs to update LAN seeds if changes were made.
4. Only needed if HAN operations are planned.
EA_Inspector User Guide
About the handheld
19
EA_Inspector The EA_Inspector is a tool for the EnergyAxis System. EnergyAxis devices
(electricity, gas, and water meters and in-home devices are equipped with RF
modules that transmit meter data to EA_Gatekeepers through the EA_LAN. The
EA_LAN occasionally may need troubleshooting to locate issues and
EA_Inspector is the tool designed to locate these issues. EA_Inspector also
performs firmware upgrades for devices in the field. EA_Inspector can also help
locate unknown meters or determine the best placement for an EA_Repeater.
The software performs the following actions:
• ping test
• locate node
• read meter data
• gas/water comms
• disconnect and reconnect meters
• update firmware
• configure meters
• manage home area network devices
Note: The handheld may also be loaded with EA_Installer or
EA_InstallerPlus software. Both EA_InstallerPlus and
EA_Inspector may be installed on the same handheld; however,
only one application may be active at a time.
Transmission accuracy
The accuracy of transmitted data is insured in two ways:
• the meter only replies after detection of its unique ID (serial number or LAN
ID)
• the EA_NIC and module transmits an error-detection code with the meter
data that is used by the handheld to confirm that the data has been
received without errors.
Navigating the software
Simple menu commands allow access to the software functions. These
commands fall into the following categories:
Main Menu Sub menu Sub menu
RF Troubleshooting Ping One shot ping test
Continuous ping test
Node to node ping test
Registered node locator
Unregistered node locator
Gas/Water Comms Read from Electric
Read from Gas/Water
Read Meter Data Read Current Data
Read Previous Data
EA_Inspector User Guide
About the handheld
Main Menu Sub menu Sub menu
Connect/Disconnect Load Side Power Read Current State
Config Meter HAN Broadcast Read Current State
20
Load Side Voltage Check
Connect
Disconnect
Secondary Relay Read Current State
Open Relay
Close Relay
Gas Valve Control Read
Open
Close
RF Control Read Current State
Disable RF (Transmitter)
Enable RF (Transmitter)
Start - turn ON
End - turn OFF
Meter Association
EA_Water Module
Demand Reset
Firmware Upgrade
Home Area Network ZigBee HAN View Devices
HAN NIC Info
900 MHz HAN Commission
Ping
Decommission
Configure General
Pricing
Messaging
Firmware Upgrade
HH Config HH settings
EA Defaults
Database warning Do not attempt to modify or edit any of the database tables or files outside of the
Elster handheld / EA_Inspector Manager environment without prior authorization
by Elster technical support personnel. Unauthorized manipulation of these files
may void your software service agreements.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
Using the stylus Use the stylus to tap a command button or to move focus to a data entry field. If
22
Arrow keys
These keys (<Up>, <Down>, <Left>, and <Right>) are used to navigate
directionally in the screen.
<Tab>
• Navigates between fields within the current screen (for example, messages
and search).
Entering responses (Yes/No)
You respond to questions using either of the following methods:
• Tap the button Yes or No with the stylus
• Press <Y> or <N> on the keyboard
• Moving to the desired button by using left/right arrow keys and pressing
<Enter> when the button is highlighted
you do not have a stylus, use the tip of your fingernail (not the soft pad of your
finger).
Turning the device on
and off
To turn the handheld on, press and hold any key until the handheld turns on.
The handheld turns off automatically after the handheld had been idle for more
than one minute off the charging cradle; the idle timeout is configurable.
Charging the device Place the handheld in its cradle to recharge the battery. The red Battery Status
Light on the top right corner of the handheld will flash on and off while the battery
is charging. Once that battery is fully charged, the status light will remain on.
Resetting the handheld
device
To reset the handheld:
1. Hold down the <R> + <X> + <> keys down simultaneously for several
seconds.
2. Release the keys when the screen goes blank.
3. Recalibrate the touch screen as directed.
Note: Resetting the handheld in the cradle will remove the
EA_Inspector application short-cut from the desktop.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
Opening EA_Inspector To access EA_Inspector:
1. From the handheld’s desktop, select the EA_Inspector icon and press
<Enter>.
Figure 3-2. Handheld desktop
23
Figure 3-3. EA_Inspector splash screen
The EA_Inspector splash screen displays.
The EA_NIC loads the EA_Inspector firmware.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
Figure 3-4. Loading firmware
24
Note: You will see the RF Firmware Load screen only if EA_Inspector
detects a firmware file with a different version in the handheld
than the existing EA_NIC firmware version. If the firmware file
version is higher than the current firmware version in EA_NIC,
EA_Inspector will upgrade the EA_NIC firmware. Otherwise,
EA_Inspector will ask the user "Are you sure you want to update
vm.m over vn.n?”
Figure 3-5. Firmware loaded
2. Click OK to acknowledge the firmware is loaded.
The login screen displays. See “Logging in to the handheld” on page 25 for
instructions on logging in to EA_Inspector.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
25
Logging in to the
handheld
Before you can operate the EA_Inspector on the handheld, you must first
synchronize the handheld with EA_Inspector Manager. This ensures that users’
credentials and other needed files are downloaded to the handheld.
See the EA_Inspector and EA_Inspector Manager Installation and Administration
Guide for details on synchronizing the handheld with EA_Inspector Manager.
Note: A new EA_Inspector handheld must be synchronized with
EA_Inspector Manager prior to being used in the field to ensure
user logon capability. Without an initial synchronization, a user
cannot log onto the EA_Inspector application on the handheld.
Note: If the expiration date is passed, you cannot log in to
EA_Inspector. You must have the Security Administrator
synchronize the handheld with EA_Inspector Manager to reset
the HH expiration date.
Note: The Login ID and password are not case sensitive. So you do
not need to be concerned about typing upper and lower case
letters.
To login to EA_Inspector:
1. Enter your Login ID.
Note: A Security Admin cannot log in to EA_Inspector. The Security
Admin privilege applies to EA_Inspector Manager only.
Figure 3-6. Login screen
2. Enter your Password.
3. Click OK.
EA_Inspector displays the Main Menu.
— OR —
If the expiration date has passed or a new handheld was not synchronized,
a note displays. Your system administrator will need to synchronize the
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
Figure 3-7. Handheld expiration
26
handheld with EA_Inspector Manager to load user logon information and
set the handheld’s expiration date.
Table 3-1. Permissions and privileges
— OR —
To properly use EA_Inspector, the handheld must be synchronized with
EA_Inspector Manager.
Depending on the user’s permissions and privileges (see EA_Inspector
Installation and Administration Guide) the handheld may respond in
unexpected ways.
If the handheld has not been synchronized with EA_Inspector Manager, the
handheld displays a message “No meter SN/LAN ID file exists. Please
update with EA_Inspector Manager.”
EA_Inspector
Manager
Synchronized
Handheld files
Yes Yes Yes • Uses meter LAN ID to identify
Yes No No • Displays a message “No meter SN/
a
User ID Handheld EA_Inspector software
Allow LAN ID
privilege
UseLANID
setting enabled
Behavior
devices.
LAN ID file exists. Please update
with EA_Inspector Manager.”
• Uses meter Serial Number (SN) to
identify devices.
Yes Yes No • Displays message “No SN/LAN ID
file found: Use LAN ID mode
enabled.”
• Automatically enables UseLANID.
• Uses meter LAN ID to identify
devices.
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
a. Refer to the EA_Inspector and EA_Inspector Manager Installation and Administration Guide for
details on synchronizing the handheld using EA_Inspector Manager.
Figure 3-8. EA_MS meter and Meter ID file not on handheld
27
Figure 3-9. EA_Inspector Main Menu
No SN/LAN ID file but without
Allow LAN ID privilege
Logon disabled
No SN/LAN ID file but with
Allow LAN ID privilege
Logon enabled
EA_Inspector User Guide
Operating the handheld
28
Holding the handheld for
meter reading
Figure 3-10. Handheld-to-meter RF communication
When using a handheld device to read a meter, hold the handheld device
upright.
Note: The stronger RF signals radiate out of the extended antenna
from the front and back of the cover.
Figure 4-1. EA_Inspector Main Menu
4 ABOUT EA_INSPECTOR
SOFTWARE
After successfully logging into the handheld device, you will see the main menu
screen.
The main menu screen allows the selection of the following modes:
1. RF Troubleshooting
• Ping
• Locate node (registered and unregistered)
• Gas/Water Comms
2. Read Meter Data
• Read Current Data
• Read Previous Data
3. Connect/Disconnect
• Load Side Power:
• Read current state
• Load side voltage check
• Connect
• Disconnect
• Gas Valve Control
• Read
EA_Inspector User Guide
About EA_Inspector software
30
• Open
• Close
• RF Control
• Read Current State
• Disable RF (Transmitter)
• Enable RF (Transmitter)
• Secondary Relay:
• Read Current State
• Open Relay
• Close Relay
4. Configure Meter
• EA HAN Broadcast
• Meter Associations
• EA_Water Module
• Demand Reset
• Firmware Upgrade
5. Home Area Network
• ZigBee HAN
• Ping
• Devices
• Channels
• HAN NIC Info
• 900 MHz HAN
• Commission
• Ping
• Configure
• Decommission
6. HH Configuration
• HH Settings
• EA Defaults
Navigating the software Instead of using the stylus to navigate the software, you can press the number
preceding the command. For example, from the main menu screen you can
press the keys to access the commands:
Key Command
<1> RF Troubleshooting
<2> Read Meter Data
<3> Connect/Disconnect
<4> Configure Meter
<5> Home Area Network
<6> HH Configuration
<0> Exit
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