Related Manuals for Boltek LD-350
Summary of Contents for Boltek LD-350
- Page 1 BOLTEK CORPORATION Lightning Detection LD-350 Lightning Detector Installation/Operators Guide SEE DISCLAIMER ON REVERSE LD350-12172018...
- Page 2 LD-350 Lightning Detector Disclaimer LD-350 lightning data is only approximate and should not be used for safety applications. Strike and storm locations indicated and alarm statuses may be erroneous and should not be used to safeguard personnel, equipment or data.
- Page 3 FCC Compliance Statement For United States Users This equipment is 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.
-
Page 5: Table Of Contents
Rear Panel Connectors ..................14 Noise ........................15 Receiver Range ....................15 Configuration Utility ..................16 USB Commands and Messages ................18 Commands ....................18 USB Messages ................... 19 Making an Antenna Cable ................. 20 Specifications ....................... 22 LD-350 Hardware Specifications ............. 22... -
Page 7: Installation
Chapter Installation he LD-350 Lightning Detector puts a live lightning map on your laptop or desktop computer. The LD-350 is suitable for use with a computer or as a stand-alone lightning detector for fixed installations. Your LD-350 package should contain:... -
Page 8: Quick Start
1) Connect the USB cable from your computer USB port to the USB connector of your LD-350. 2) Plug in the AC power adapter into the lead of the LD-350 and into an AC outlet. Turn on the LD-350. The two yellow LEDs should blink three times, then the unit will beep and illuminate the indicator lights for 2 seconds. - Page 9 LD-350 to the software for the first time. 11) Connect the antenna cable to both the LD-350 and the antenna. Hold the antenna a few feet from a computer monitor or television. (A laptop computer display may not produce enough noise.) The LD-350 should detect the radio frequency noise...
-
Page 10: Installing The Antenna
(such as those just mentioned), and higher than the antenna. The LD-350 receiver board has surge suppression in its input to protect against voltages induced into the antenna cable. It is also a good idea to purchase a surge suppressor to plug your computer into. - Page 11 The antenna may be mounted indoors or outdoors. Try to mount the antenna as high as possible (without making it a lightning rod). Mounting the antenna high will keep it away from noise sources and will improve the maximum range. In a wood framed house, the second floor or attic is often a good location for the antenna.
- Page 12 The antenna can be mounted with the supplied clamps. Two different sizes of clamps are provided to allow for various diameter sizes of the pole or tripod the antenna is being mounted to.
-
Page 13: Attaching Cable To Ant-2
Attaching Cable to ANT-2 First remove the three screws and very carefully remove the white housing from the bottom cover plate. Insert the cable into the bottom of the mast and push up until the cable comes all the way through to the other end. - Page 14 If you find the 50' antenna cable provided is not long enough you may purchase a Boltek 50' extension cable. This allows you to locate the antenna up to 100' from your computer.
- Page 15 ANT-2 shown with pole mount installation ANT-2 shown with tripod installation...
-
Page 16: Usb Drivers
Device Manager as LD-350 Lightning Detector A & LD-350 Lightning Detector B. Installing the LD-350 USB Device Drivers: With your computer and LD-350 turned on, plug the USB adapter cable into a spare USB port on your computer or hub. USB devices may be plugged and unplugged with the power on. -
Page 17: Stand Alone Operation
Chapter Stand Alone Operation The LD-350 can also be used as a stand-alone lightning detector with or without the need of a computer. When used with a computer, a real-time lightning display will plot strike locations, and provide relevant strike information and display and sound any alarms set in the software. - Page 18 Main Power Indicator The power indicator illuminates to indicate 12V power is present at the LD-350. If the indicator does not light when the unit is turned on check your 12V power source. USB Indicator The USB indicator illuminates when the USB cable is connected from the LD-350 to a computer, and flashes as data is transmitted between the LD-350 and the computer.
-
Page 19: Rear Panel Connectors
Rear Panel Connectors Lightning Antenna Connect the supplied Antenna cable (standard Cat5e) from the antenna to this connector. Connect the provided USB cable here and attach other end to an available USB port on a Laptop or PC. This connection is needed to display lightning strikes on the NexStorm software. Power Connect supplied 12V DC power supply to this connector Ground... -
Page 20: Noise
Operation noise can come from noisy overhead power lines, or noisy electronic devices. Receiver Range LD-350 has a range of about three hundred miles. Occasionally, strong storms farther than 300 miles away may be detected. The receiver’s maximum range will be affected by antenna height. While you can receive storms with the antenna at virtually any height, you will have maximum range with antenna mounted at least 25 feet above ground. -
Page 21: Configuration Utility
Chapter Configuration Utility To modify the settings on the LD-350 without using a Lightning Display software program, the LD-350 Config utility program can be run from Start -> Programs -> Boltek and the following window should appear:... - Page 22 Detection Displays GPS Timestamp information when LTS-3 Timestamp is installed on LD-350. This data will only display or update when USB Raw On button is pressed and either a signal is detected or the Force Trigger button is pressed. Status...
-
Page 23: Usb Commands And Messages
RESET<cr> : resets LD-350 DEFAULTS<cr> : restores LD-350 to factory default settings FT<cr> : sends a forced trigger signal to LD-350 RAW<cr> : query raw data state RAW <0,1><cr> : disable (0) or enable (1) raw data to be sent through USB NB<cr>... -
Page 24: Usb Messages
USB Messages Strike Sentence $WIMLI,<ddd>,<uuu>,<bbb.b>*<cs><cr><lf> <ddd> - corrected strike distance 0-300 miles <uuu> - uncorrected strike distance 0-300 miles <bbb.b> - bearing to strike 000.0-359.9 degrees <cs> - checksum in hex <cr> - carriage return <lf> - line feed Noise Sentence $WIMLN*<cs><cr><lf>... -
Page 25: Making An Antenna Cable
Appendix Making an Antenna Cable The LD-350 uses standard Category 6 (Cat6) Direct Burial network cable for the antenna cable. You can purchase a replacement antenna cable from any computer store selling network hardware. Antenna cables may be up to 200 feet long. - Page 26 The actual color positions do not matter as long as you use the same color assignments on both ends, and you split the pairs correctly. The wire color assignments we use is POSITION PAIR COLOR White/Green Green White/Orange Blue White/Blue Orange White/Brown Brown...
-
Page 27: Specifications
11.8-18 VDC, 0.8 Amp AC Adapter: 120 VAC, 60Hz (220VAC 50 HZ International) USB Port: 1.0/2.0 Compatibility Antenna: Standard Boltek Lightning Detector Antenna (LD-250/StormTracker compatible) Antenna Cable: Standard CAT6 Network Cable. 50 feet included. (Custom lengths available on request) LD-350 Dimensions: 5.0"...
Need help?
Do you have a question about the LD-350 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers