Section 2 - Overview
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2.0 OVERVIEW
This manual applies to Firmware version 1.0 and above. This section gives a system overview of the recorder and
the basic elements involved.
2.1 General Description
The recorder is an 18 channel unit capable of measuring 6 or 12 live inputs which can be a combination of linear
inputs – voltage or current, thermocouples, RTDs, or Frequency. Those channels not associated with live inputs can
be assigned as gated timers, totalizers, calculated or conditional inputs which are referred to as virtual channels. The
recorder is extremely versatile and can be configured in many different ways to suit the user‟s environment. The
user can also install an optional digital input/output module providing up to 12 potential free contact closures and up
to 6 opto-isolated digital inputs that can be set to silence alarms, reset contacts and start recordings.
The recorder‟s firmware is based on the Windows CE embedded operating system providing advanced
connectivity and features. The system is Ethernet aware and runs as a secure web server providing browser
accessibility via web pages and as an ftp server. It also runs an OPC (Open Connectivity) server allowing
connectivity to a large selection of third party Data Access Specification compliant software and the companion
Exhibitor Software, providing real time data update over Ethernet and off line data analysis. The recorder can be
set up to send emails in the event of an alarm. See Section 4.10.3 Email on Alarm Event for more details.
The recorder can save data, alarms and events to a number of sources. The primary storage medium is to
compact flash card that can be locked in the unit. Alternatively the unit can record to internal memory. Data is
saved in an ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) database and is encrypted for security purposes. Internal memory can
be expanded using a Secure Digital (SD) Card that plugs into the rear of the device.
The recorder is security enabled. If password protection is turned on, the unit requires the user to log in to
operate. There are three classes of operators with different access rights – administrator, manager and user. All
operations are logged to the alarm and event log and user privileges can be set to expire by date. The unit can be
set to automatically log users out after a preset time.
In order to use the recorder the user has to set up various parameters to customize the unit to the environment.
This set up is referred to as the configuration. Once configured, the settings can be saved to a configuration file. A
number of default configurations are provided and any of these can be loaded as a default.
2.2