Rockwell Automation 1788 User Manual

Safety Information

The MediaChecker tests for incorrect pairing (split pairs), miswires, and shorted and open wires on all twisted pair cables, as well as shorts on coaxial cables. A stored cable library provides quick access to common cable types. The MediaChecker has most of the functions necessary to verify the proper termination of a wide variety of Rockwell

Automation’s industrial commercial cables. The MediaChecker comes with the following:

• 1 Carrying case

• 1 RA (Resistive Adapter) cable identifier with female

DB9 connector

• Interface cables and adapters

1788-MCHKR MediaChecker Users Manual

• 1

• 1 Quick Reference Card

• 2 AA 1.5 V alkaline batteries

Safety Information

This manual uses the following types of notes to help you use the MediaChecker safely and effectively:

ATTENTION: Identifies information about practices or circumstances that can lead to personal injury or death, property damage, or economic loss.

Important: Identifies information that is critical for

successful application and understanding of the product.

The international electrical symbols used on the instrument or in this manual are described in Table 1.

Table 1. International Electrical Symbols

ATTENTION: Risk of damage or destruction to equipment or software. See explanations marked with this symbol in the manual.

Equipment is protected by double insulation or reinforced insulation to protect the user against electric shock.

Do not connect this terminal to public communications networks, such as telephone systems.

Conforms to relevant European Union Directives.



Conforms to relevant Canadian and US Standards.

Conforms to relevant Australian standards.

N223

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Safety Information

ATTENTION: To avoid possible fire, electric shock, personal injury, or damage to the MediaChecker:

• Do not connect the MediaChecker to any telephony inputs, systems, or equipment, including ISDN. Doing so is a misapplication of this product, which can result in damage to the instrument and create a potential shock hazard to the user.

• Do not connect the MediaChecker to active inputs, systems, or equipment. Doing so is a misapplication of this product, which can result in damage to the instrument and create a potential shock hazard to the user. Disable network power sources and all communication nodes before connecting the MediaChecker.

• Do not apply more than 25 V dc to any MediaChecker input. Use caution when connecting the MediaChecker to a network, as voltages greater than 25 V dc may be present on nearby conductors.

• Always turn on the MediaChecker before connecting it to a cable. Turning the MediaChecker on activates

the tool’s input protection circuitry.

• Do not open the MediaChecker's case (except to replace the batteries). No user-serviceable parts are inside.

• To avoid false test results, replace the batteries as soon as “LOW BATTERY” appears in the display.

• Use only batteries recommended by the manufacturer.

• Do not use the MediaChecker if it is damaged. Protection may be impaired. Inspect the MediaChecker for

physical damage before each use.

• Do not attempt to insert any connector other than an RJ45 connector into the RJ45 jack. Inserting other connectors, such as RJ11 (telephone) connectors, can permanently damage the jack.

• Do not operate portable transmitting devices during a cable test. Doing so might cause erroneous test results.

• To avoid false test results, do not run cable tests with cables attached to more than one connector on the MediaChecker or with network equipment attached to the cable under test.

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Getting Acquainted

Display, Switches, and Connections

MediaChecker

1788-MCHKR

SETUP

Figure 1. Front Panel Features

ENTER

Table 2. Features

Item Function

LCD

A 2-line by 16-character LCD display. When there is more information than can be displayed on two lines, an up arrow

[, down arrow ], or bidirectional arrow

^ appears in the left side of the display. Press the

corresponding additional information.

aan01f.eps

Enters a selection into the MediaChecker and moves to the next setup selection. Causes current cable selection to be displayed and a new measurement cycle initiated when not in Setup Mode.

Turns the display backlight on or off. Backlighting turns off automatically after 60 seconds.

D C

Scrolls through a selection of choices or multiple displays.

Provides access to cable selection, calibrat i on, and other MediaChecker settings.

C or D key to display the

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Getting Acquainted

Table 3. Rotary Switch Positions

LENGTH

TEST

OFF

WIRE MAP

Item Description

A Turns the MediaChecker off. See “Battery Save

Mode” for more information.

B Tests the attached cable and provides a pass or

fail summary based on the parameters specified for the selected cable.

C Displays the length of the attached cable in feet or

Figure 2. Rotary Switch

aan02f.eps

meters and tests for anomalies.

D Displays wiring connections, shorts, opens, and

split pairs.

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Getting Acquainted

Item Description

A Standard 9-pin (DB9) connector for connecting

DeviceNet and DH+/RIO cables (using the adapter provided).

B Standard 8-pin modular jack for connecting

Table 4. Connections

STP UTP/FTP COAX

unshielded (UTP) and foil-screened (FTP) unshielded twisted pair cable for Ethernet IEEE

802.3 networks.

C BNC connector for connecting ControlNet

cables.

without the Cable ID detected.

the Cable ID detected.

pressed.

Figure 3. Connections

aan03f.eps

Audible Signal (Beeper)

The MediaChecker’s beeper indicates various conditions:

• A single, short tone indicates a pass condition

• A two-frequency tone indicates a pass condition with

• Three short tones indicate a test failure.

• A long tone sounds whenever an invalid key is

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Getting Acquainted

• A continuous, varying-pitch tone indicates the MediaChecker is connected to an active cable and

should be disconnected immediately. “ACTIVE CABLE” is displayed.

To disable the audible signal for the “PASS” and “FAIL” conditions, see “Setup Selections” on page 35. The tone that indicates an active cable cannot be disabled.

Low Battery Indication

When the battery voltage is low but it is OK to continue, the MediaChecker displays “LOW BATTERY” once during power-up. When this message first appears there are about 8 hours of use left. When the battery voltage is too low to continue, the unit displays “REPLACE BATTERY”. To continue using the MediaChecker, you must replace the batteries. Refer to “Replacing Batteries” on page 36.

Battery Save Mode

The MediaChecker turns itself off when there is no switch or key activity for 10 minutes. To return the MediaChecker to operation, you must turn the rotary switch to OFF and wait 5 seconds before turning the MediaChecker back on.

To disable the Battery Save feature, turn the rotary switch to OFF, then press and hold E while turning the rotary switch to TEST. To re-enable the Battery Save feature, turn the MediaChecker off, then on again.

Cable ID Unit

The Cable ID lets you detect wiring failures on twisted pair cable. Test results can vary depending on whether the ID unit is connected or not. See Table 7 on page 14 and “Twisted Pair Cable Test Results” on page 15 for more information.

Selecting the Display Language

The MediaChecker displays messages in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. To change the display language, do the following:

1. With the MediaChecker off, press and hold A while turning the rotary switch to TEST.

2. Press C or D until the desired language is displayed, then press A.

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Preparing the MediaChecker for Use

ATTENTION: To reduce wear on the

MediaChecker connector, leave the adapter connected to the MediaChecker whenever possible.

Plugging a 4 or 6 position plug into the

MediaChecker’s UTP/FTP jack can permanently damage the jack pins.

Important: The noise filter should be set to the

frequency of the local power mains (50 Hz or 60 Hz). See “Setup Selections” on page 35 for this and other customizing selections.

After connecting the cable under test to the appropriate connector on top of the MediaChecker, you must select proper cable type, category, and size before testing or measuring. It may also be necessary to calibrate the MediaChecker to the cable under test. See “Calibrating the MediaChecker to a Cable” on page 10.

Important: Never run cable tests with more than one

cable connected to the MediaChecker. Doing so can cause erroneous results.

If you think the MediaChecker is not performing properly, refer to “When Something Goes Wrong” on page 36.

Selecting a Cable Type

Characteristics for a variet y of Rockwell Automation’s industrial commercial network cables are stored in the MediaChecker and can be accessed through SETUP. See Table 5.

Table 5. Predefined Cable List

ControlNet

(CNET)

RG6 RG6F DS3/4

DeviceNet

(DNET) DH+/RIO

Thick

Thin

KwikLink

1770-CD

9022 9463

Ethernet

(ENET)

UTP FTP

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Preparing the MediaChecker for Use

To set up the MediaChecker for the desired cable, do the following:

Important: The number of steps necessary to select a

cable definition depends on the type of network selected.

1. Turn the MediaChecker on by turning the rotary switch to TEST, LENGTH, or WIRE MAP.

2. Press A.

3. Press C or D until the desired network is displayed, then press E.

4. Press C or D until the desired cable type is displayed, then press E.

Steps 5 and 6 apply only to Ethernet:

5. Press C or D until the desired category is displayed, then press E.

6. Press C or D until the desired wire size is displayed, then press E.

7. Press A or turn the rotary switch to a new position to exit the setup menu.

Important: You can check the cable selection at any

time other than when in the setup mode by pressing the E key.

The MediaChecker will now test according to the cable characteristics defined by the factory settings for the cable selected. However, cables coming from different batches or manufacturers can have characteristic variances of up to 20 %, causing deviations in length measurements. For more accurate measurements, calibrate the MediaChecker to a known length of the

cable to be tested. See “Calibrating the MediaChecker to a Cable” on page 10.

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Preparing the MediaChecker for Use

Calibrating the MediaChecker to a Cable

Cables from different batches or manufacturers can have characteristic variances of up to 20 %, causing deviations in length measurements. To ensure maximum accuracy of length measurements, calibrate the MediaChecker to a known length of the cable to be tested.

Important: The MediaChecker is calibrated at the

factory to provide length measurements that are accurate enough for most applications. In most cases, you will not need to calibrate the MediaChecker to a specific cable.

When you calibrate the MediaChecker to a specific cable, use a known length of cable at least 100 ft (30 m) long and of the same type and category as the cable under test. Calibrating with cables longer than 100 ft (30 m) will improve the accuracy of length measurements.

During the calibration process, if the cable is found to be defective or if the cable is less than 50 ft (15 m) long,

“BAD CABLE” is displayed and the calibration process is terminated.

Important: To ensure accurate measurements, be sure

that conductive objects, including fingers, do not touch any of the cable connectors or conductors during calibration or cable tests.

To calibrate the MediaChecker to the currently selected cable, do the following:

1. Connect a good cable of known length, 100 ft (30 m) or longer, to the appropriate MediaChecker connector.

Important: If you have just finished selecting a cable

type, the MediaChecker should already show the calibration selection display shown below. In this case, read the Important note after step 3; then continue the calibration process with step 4. Otherwise, continue with step 2.

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Preparing the MediaChecker for Use

2. Turn the rotary switch to TEST, LENGTH, or WIRE MAP.

3. Press A; then press E repeatedly until the following display appears:

aan06f.eps

Important: If the MediaChecker has already been

calibrated to the selected cable type, “CAL” appears on the second line of the second display shown at power-up. This display appears for about 3 seconds before testing begins. To erase this calibration and use the factory settings, remove all cables from the MediaChecker, press C D until “YES” appears; then press E.

Press E anytime (except in setup mode) to see the calibration status for the currently selected cable.

4. Press C D until “YES” appears, and then press E. The MediaChecker takes a few measurements on the attached cable and displays the measured length.

aan07f.eps

5. Press C D until the display shows the known cable length, and then press E.

These cable parameters are stored and remain in memory even if the MediaChecker is turned off. All future measurements for this cable type are compared to the new parameters until you perform a new calibration for the cable type.

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Key to Twisted Pair Displays

Table 6 describes the symbols used for DeviceNet, DH+/RIO, and Ethernet displays.

Table 6. Key to Twisted Pair Displays

ID-- No Cable ID detected

IDRA Cable ID detected

ID??

IDRA

DeviceNet Wire Display Clip/Wire Color

“??” alternates with “RA”. Cable ID partially detected. There is a problem with the cable or ID unit.

V + + Red

CAN_H H White

Shield S Bare

CAN_L L Blue

V - - Black

Table 6. Key to Twisted Pair Displays (cont.)

DH+/RIO

Wire

Line 1 1 1 Blue Blue Clear Shield 2 S Bare Bare Bare Line 2 3 2 White Clear Blue

Ethernet 568A Display Wire Color

Ethernet 568B Display Wire Color

Phoenix

Pin Display

Pair 1: 4, 5 4 5 Blue, White/blue Pair 2: 3, 6 3 6 White/orange, Orange Pair 3: 1, 2 1 2 White/green, Green Pair 4: 7, 8 7 8 White/brown, Brown

Pair 1: 4, 5 4 5 Blue, White/blue Pair 2: 1, 2 1 2 White/orange, Orange Pair 3: 3, 6 3 6 White/green, Green Pair 4: 7, 8 7 8 White/brown, Brown

Clip

Color

RIO

Color

DH+

Color

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The Test Function (TEST)

The TEST function tests the attached cable and indicates

“PASS” or “FAIL” based on the cable’s compliance with the parameters stored in the MediaChecker for the selected cable. The tests that are performed (Table 7) depend on whether or not a Cable ID is connected to the far end of the cable.

To test only the wire map or measure only the cable length, use the WIRE MAP or LENGTH functions. See “Testing the Wire Map” on page 24 or “Measuring Cable Length” on page 27.

To test a cable, do the following:

1. Disconnect all network devices (nodes) and remove the terminator from the far end of the cable to be tested. (For information on calculating the length of a terminated cable, see “Calculating the Distance to a Short” on page 32.)

2. For DeviceNet, DH+/RIO, and Ethernet cables, connect the Cable ID to the far end of the cable, if desired (refer to Table 7).

3. Connect the cable under test to the appropriate connector on the MediaChecker. Use the included adapter for DeviceNet or DH+/RIO cables.

4. Turn the rotary switch to TEST. You can omit step 5 if you know the cable selection

is correct for the cable under test:

5. Press E to check the cable selection. The MediaChecker displays the cable selection for a few seconds, then starts the test. If the cable selection is not correct, refer to “Preparing the MediaChecker for Use” on page 8.

“CAL” appears in the second line of the display if a cable calibration has been performed for the selected cable type. See “Calibrating the MediaChecker to a Cable” on page 10 for more information.

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The Test Function (TEST)

Table 7. Failures Detected for Each Cable Type

Failures Detected DeviceNet DH+/RIO Ethernet ControlNet

Distance to short Yes Distance to open (near end) Yes Length Yes Split pair Yes Wire map Yes

1. Measured for the data pair only. For shorted power wires, the MediaChecker displays the resistance of the short.

2. The distance to an open is the same as the measured length.

3. Split pair test not run on KwikLink cables.

4. Test available when using the Cable ID.

Yes Yes Yes

Yes

Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes

No Yes No

Yes

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+ 30 hidden pages