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RF Neulink NL6000 User Manual

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  • Page 2 Copyright Copyright © 2003 by RF Neulink. This manual may be reproduced for distribution with the NL6000 as long as the manual remains intact, in its entirety, with all appropriate Copyright, Intellectual property, and Trademark notices. This product contains intellectual property and copyrighted material owned by RF Neulink.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Reverting to the Prior Configuration .............. 29 Returning to the Previous Menu ..............30 Displaying the Configuration Summary Window .......... 30 6.2. Radio Network Setup..................31 Setting the Unit Type ..................31 Setting the Unit ID (MYID)................31 RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 4 7.9. Save/Restore Parameters Menu ..............43 Other Considerations ....................44 8.1. Duty Cycle ...................... 44 8.2. Troubleshooting ....................44 8.2.1. Use a Good Antenna................44 8.2.2. Three-wire Interface ................44 8.2.3. Hardware Flow Control..............45 RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 5 Setting the Power Value.................... 46 Setting the Frequency Trim (includes setting Power)..........46 Setting the Deviation and Balance ................47 Setting the Receive Gain................... 48 Appendix B - Factory Default Parameters................ 50 Index ..........................51 RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 6: Product Overview

    Configurable RS-232, radio, and packet data parameters provide the NL6000 with the flexibility necessary for use in both simple and complex networks. In its simplest configuration, the NL6000 transmits wireless data from one modem to another to send instructions and receive a response. In many cases, the factory- configured default parameters make the unit ready to use after just setting two address IDs.

  • Page 7: Features

    Bursts of noise, RF interference, inter-modulation, overload, and signal fade can corrupt and interrupt radio data links. The NL6000 eliminates these problems through the use of advanced technologies including sophisticated forward error correction technology.
  • Page 8 In areas where you lack a reliable path, you can Configuration configure an NL6000 unit as a repeater to reach a hidden unit. This feature can fill in RF blind spots or extend the usable range of the system’s desired coverage area.

  • Page 9: Regulatory Information

    FCC Part 90 The NL6000 has been type accepted for operation by the FCC in accordance with Part 90 of the FCC rules (47CFR Part 90). See the label on the unit for the specific FDD ID and any other certification designations.
  • Page 10 • DO NOT operate the radio unless it has been installed and inspected by a qualified radio technician. • DO NOT let children operate transmitter equipment. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 11: Specifications

    5% to 10%, depending upon voltage, power level, and ambient temperature RF load impedance 50 ohms Receiver: Sensitivity (95% reliability, Basic Telemetry Mode – xxx dBm 500 byte payload) Enhanced Telemetry Mode – xxx dBm RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 12 Basic Telemetry Mode – xxx dBm 500 byte payload) Enhanced Telemetry Mode – xxx dBm Mobile Data Mode – xxx dBm Selectivity 60dB min (narrow), 70dB min (wide) Intermod 70dB min RF input impedance 50 ohms RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 13: Hardware Installation And Operation

    Note: If you want to use an external power amplifier, contact the RF Neulink sales department. 4.3. Mounting Instructions You can mount the NL6000 on any surface or enclosure using the mounting holes provided. Use 4-40 mounting screws. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 14: Serial Port

    The serial port on the NL6000 is a 9 pin female connector. The NL6000 is a Data Communications Equipment (DCE) device. Other equipment that can connect to the NL6000 via the serial port fall into one of the following categories:...

  • Page 15: Antenna Connection

    You must connect a suitable antenna to the RF antenna connection. This antenna is used for both transmitting and receiving over-the-air messages. Caution: Do not operate the radio modem without an antenna. 4.6. LEDs Table 1 interprets the two LEDs on the NL6000. Color Meaning Tx/Rx Transmitting Green Receiving a signal on the active channel.

  • Page 16: Technical Support

    464,550 MHz (UHF) and 154,6000 MHz (VHF). The NL6000 operates automatically after you properly install the physical units and configure the software parameters. In most networks with more than two units, you must set the MYID and TOID parameters before operation.

  • Page 17: Software Configuration

    • How many frequencies are available? • Which transmission mode should be used? You can configure the NL6000 as a remote or a base station. A remote is limited to transmitting data to a pre-programmed destination. A base station can transmit data to any remote using a destination ID specified in the data string it receives from the serial port.

  • Page 18: Unique Data Requirements For A Base Station

    Unique Data Requirements for a Base Station When configured as a base station, there are specific requirements for the data strings sent through the NL6000’s serial port. Because a base station is the central point of a network, it must be able to selectively transmit to any remote.

  • Page 19: Behavior Of Repeater Units

    Trigger = TOID and ID = 4203. This entry tells unit MYID3000 to listen for packets that have a destination address of TOID4203. If the repeater receives a packet matching the criteria, it immediately repeats the packet. Figure 10 illustrates this scenario. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 20 In Figure 12, a repeater entry with a Trigger = TOID and ID = 42FF repeats any packet with a destination matching TOID42FF. Figure 12: Repeat to Multiple Remotes using Wildcard RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 21 If the network plan requires more than one repeater unit to reach the hidden remote, you can specify a Transmit Delay (msec) to stagger the transmissions from each repeater. Figure 15 shows a sample network with two repeaters. Each repeater trigger entry has its own transmit delay. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 22: Packet Data Options

    Figure 15: Sample Network with Two Repeaters 5.6. Packet Data Options 5.6.1. Transmission Mode The NL6000 supports the following three packet transmission modes: • Basic Telemetry mode • Enhanced Telemetry mode • Mobile Data mode Table 2 summarizes the characteristics of each transmission mode.
  • Page 23 Enhanced Telemetry mode. In addition to error detection, Enhanced Telemetry mode uses Reed-Solomon forward error correction for increased transmission reliability. This mode requires more overhead than Basic Telemetry mode and lowers the percentage of user data in each packet. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 24 Why not use Enhanced Telemetry Mode for this scenario? Enhanced Telemetry mode provides error correction, but if both the signal strength and path are poor, you might need to reduce the Maximum Packet Size to RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 25: Maximum Packet Size

    • Baud rate – This parameter is the data rate between the I/O device and the NL6000 modem. Set the baud rate to the rate of the I/O device. • Data bits – This parameter is the number of bits the I/O device sends in a byte.

  • Page 26: Flow Control

    Maximum Packet Size. 5.7.2. Flow Control Prior to configuration of the NL6000, determine if you want to use flow control to prevent the serial device or modem from overflowing their buffer. If flow control is desired, two types of are available – RTS/CTS and XON/XOFF.

  • Page 27: Planning The Rf Channel

    Determine these radio parameters as part of your network plan. Each NL6000 unit arrives from the factory tuned and tested on the default frequency appropriate for that unit. Retuning requires that a qualified radio technician use the procedures in Appendix A –...

  • Page 28: Procedures

    6. Procedures This section includes step-by-step procedures for configuring all the parameters that control the operation of the NL6000. The procedures are grouped into the following categories: • General Procedures • Radio Network Setup • Serial Connection Setup • Data Setup •...

  • Page 29: General Procedures

    6.1. General Procedures Entering Programming Mode Perform this procedure when you need to reset any of the existing configuration parameters for the NL6000. Note: If the , you must perform this Programming Mode Disabled procedure within five seconds of powering on the unit.

  • Page 30: Returning To The Previous Menu

    Main Menu , or Exit Continue Restart Displaying the Configuration Summary Window Select from the . The summary window appears as 1 - Summary Main Menu in Figure 18. Figure 18: Summary Window RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 31: Radio Network Setup

    Receive Frequency for Active Channel 2. Enter the receive frequency for the active radio channel in MHz. The value must be a number in the format nnn.nnnn Setting the Transmit Frequency 1. Select Radio Transmit Frequency for Active Channel RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 32: Serial Connection Setup

    Use special ASCII characters to determine when to 3-XON/XOFF send/receive data to/from the serial device. Setting the DCD Mode 1. Select Serial DCD Mode 2. Select from the following options: RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 33: Setting The Pre-Data Dcd Time

    Setting the Packet Mode 1. Select Network Packet Mode 2. Select from the following options: This mode uses a simple Cyclic Redundancy 1-Basic Telemetry Check (CRC) for error detection. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 34: Setting The Data Rate

    Do not use contention to determine when to transmit. 1-None Enable Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) so that 2-CSMA transmission waits until the channel is free of contention. This option is helpful if a unit’s transmit and receive frequencies are the same. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 35: Repeater Setup

    6.5. Repeater Setup Each NL6000 unit may have up to eight repeater entries. Each repeater entry includes a trigger, trigger ID, transmit channel, and transmit delay value. If a unit does not act as a repeater, do not set up any repeater entries.

  • Page 36: Setting The Repeater Trigger Id

    File Management Downloading a Software Upgrade The software that runs the NL6000 is stored in flash memory. There is room in the flash memory for two software versions. This allows you to keep the current software version while you download a new version. If the download is not valid, the unit can still run on the older version.

  • Page 37: Saving Parameters To Disk

    Main Menu Saving Parameters to Disk If you want to duplicate parameter values on several NL6000 units, you can save the settings to disk and restore them to multiple units. Use the following procedure to save parameter values from the unit currently attached to the serial port.

  • Page 38: Restoring Default Parameters

    A success message appears when the restore is complete. 3. When the download is complete, cycle power to let the modem start using the new parameter settings. 4. Press to continue using the menu. Save/Restore Parameters RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 39: Menu Quick Reference

    7. Menu Quick Reference 7.1. Main Menu 7.2. Summary Window RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 40: Serial Menu

    7.3. Serial Menu 7.4. DCD232 SubMenu RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 41: Network Menu

    7.5. Network Menu 7.6. Repeater SubMenu RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 42: Radio Menu

    7.7. Radio Menu 7.8. Diagnostics Menu RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 43: Save/Restore Parameters Menu

    7.9. Save/Restore Parameters Menu RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 44: Other Considerations

    8.2.2. Three-wire Interface When using a three-wire RS232 interface (TX, TX, GND), you must disable RTS/CTS flow control. You may enable the XON/XOFF protocol if software flow control is required. Refer to Section 5.7.2. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 45: Hardware Flow Control

    8.2.7. Unit Does Not Enter Programming Mode If you forget what baud rate the NL6000 is set to, you will not be able to get into the programming mode with the …/// command without trying all baud rates on your terminal.

  • Page 46: Appendix A - Diagnosing And Correcting Performance Problems

    Diagnostics Setting the Frequency Trim (includes setting Power) The power setting affects the frequency trim in the NL6000, so part of setting the frequency trim is setting the power. 1. Set the IFR to receive at the radio’s transmit frequency.

  • Page 47: Setting The Deviation And Balance

    3. Set the IFR to receive at the transmit frequency you set in Step 2. 4. Select Diagnostics Transmit 100 Hz Square Wave 5. Set the balance value as follows: • Select from the menu. Balance Diagnostics RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 48: Setting The Receive Gain

    3. Set up another modem to send data to the modem. The terminal emulator will display the receive level correction value. Make note of this value. 4. From the terminal emulator, enter programming mode. 5. Set the receive gain level as follows: • Select Diagnostics Receive Gain RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 49 7. Disable the Receive Diagnostic Mode as follows: • Select Diagnostics Receive Diagnostic Mode • Select 2-Disable • Press twice to return to the Main Menu • Select to save the Receive Diagnostic Mode setting and enter Exit operating mode. RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 50: Appendix B - Factory Default Parameters

    Diagnostic Programming Mode Disabled Data Maximum Packet Size Packet Mode Enhanced Telem Data Rate 12000 bps ACKs Disabled Contention CSMA Repeater Trigger MYID Entry 0000 Transmit Channel Transmit Delay (ms) Table 4: Factory Default Values RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

  • Page 51: Index

    44 Basic Telemetry, 23 considerations, 22 description of types, 22 entering programming mode, 29 Enhanced Telemetry, 23 Esc key, 30 Mobile Data, 24 Exit, 29 Packet Mode, 33 parts description, 13 RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...
  • Page 52 29 Trigger, 35 configuration changes to flash, 29 troubleshooting, 44 parameters to disk, 37 Select Repeater Entry, 35 selecting the repeater entry to edit, 35 Serial Menu, 40 Unit Type, 31 serial parameters, basic, 25 RF Neulink NL6000 User Guide...

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