The GimbalCom MS2020 system
controller is designed to perform the following
functions:
Monitor the status of equipment
or elements of a system.
Accept analogue inputs from
external equipment.
Display status information,
and the state of the analogue inputs.
Control the clean contact
outputs to operate external equipment.
React to any specific system
state, or change of state, in a controller
and predefined manner.
The unit communicates via
an Ethernet connection and will send an
e-mail in the event of specific conditions.
The unit can be monitored
& controller remotely using a Web browser.
The system contains redundant
circuitry for all power supply functions
and monitors its own internal state.
The MS2020 system controller
is housed within a 4U, 19-inch rack mounted
chassis and contains all components needed
for the monitoring and control of the external
system equipment (with the exception of
the power supplies for LNB power and switch
operation). The internal circuitry has four
sub-modules each is considered separately.
The four internal sub-systems
are: power supply and distribution components;
micro-processor and associated hardware;
the interface module which monitors signals
from the interface PCBs and controls the
high power outputs; and the Interface PCBs
which provide signal conditioning, filtering
and buffering to the outside equipment.
The unit power supplies are
in redundant configuration.
Two 300W
switch mode power supplies are provided
and are ‘hot swappable’ both being capable
of powering the unit.
The power supplies provide
audible and visual indication of failure
and their output ‘crowbars’ on overload.
The summary status of the power block is
monitored internally by the processor, which
will report any failure
The unit has two IEC mains
inputs whilst the ‘power block’ has one
input. Where two feeds are available the
IEC on the power block takes precedence
but upon failure of this supply, the secondary
supply is switched to the block. During
the mains switching process the internal
supplies are maintained by the capacity
of the supply output circuitry and of the
unit boards.
The microprocessor components
are housed within the front section of the
unit. The system being controller-monitored
is depicted on the VGA LCD built into the
front panel. Control of the system configuration
and mode of operation is performed via the
built in keypad.
Additional changes to the
MS2020 set-up are performed using a keyboard
interface located behind the input filter
louvers. These should only be necessary
if the MS2020 is re-deployed or software
updated.
The processor also controls
the 16 high current relays, located on the
interface module, to operate external switches
or units. This is done using a serial data
connection between the interface module
and processor board.
The process operating system
is Linux and program software is written
in C++.
A hardware watchdog timer
limits any affects of a processor failure.
A visual and audible alarm
will be generated in the event of an internal
system failure.
Operation and features of
the software are described in section 4
of this manual.
The system interface PCBs
consist of three types; the PSU PCB which
provides power for the reservoir capacitors
to facilitate switching operations and system
LNBs. The reference voltages for the digital
and analogue inputs, visual indication of
the state of the on board regulators and
accepts the alarm inputs from external equipment
are also via the MS2020-P31 Power supply
PCBs.
The
PSU PCBs also provide visual and clean contact
status indications of the unit internal
alarms and a system summary alarm.
The interface PCBs are designed
to protect each of the elements within the
system from faults on another. They provide
voltage backups; input conditioning and
filtering; and buffering for reference voltages
and control voltages. The LNB power outputs
are also protected against short circuits
by an inline 1A fuse.
The receive interface PCBs
provide three 21 to 18V outputs to power
the LNA/LNB modules and the monitoring and
control of two waveguide or coaxial switches.
The LNA power is provided via an in line
resistor, the voltage at either end of the
resistor, are conditioned on the PCBs, and
monitored. The processor calculates the
actual current taken by the LNA.
These calculated currents
are compared against a high and low level
alarm settings entered to identify alarm
conditions.
The PCC also provide the
interface connector to the receive switches,
providing drive and return operating signals
and the position tellbacks from the switch.
Each PCB is capable of monitoring
three LNB currents and interfacing with
two waveguide/coaxial switches.
The transmit interface PCBs
'accept' three alarm inputs, these are wired
internally from the SSPA/HPA interface connectors,
mounted on the rear panel. The boards also
monitor and control two waveguide or coaxial
switches. Each PCB can monitor upto three
SSPA/HPA’s and control two switches.
On the transmit switch interfaces
there are two sets of tellback contacts,
one is used to monitor the switch position
and report locally and remotely, one is
used to mute relevant SSPA/HPA’s during
switch transition. Mute control is routed
through the SSPA/HPA interface connector
on the rear panel.
The interface module accepts
the inputs from the interface PCBs, and
provides numerical values for each, to the
processor. The communication between processor
and interface module is via a serial interface
internal to the MS2020.
The serial interface from
the microprocessor, also controls the sixteen
high current relays used to operate any
switches. The switching power is routed
from the power supply PCB’s via the reservoir
capacitors, interface module and to the
interface PCBs.
Local operation indicates
that the MS2020 front panel is used to control
the system. The built in VGA and keypad
are used to adjust the ‘system configuration’
or ‘mode’ of operation.
Simple roll-down/up menus
are used and the cursor keys provide navigation
around the screen. The “Enter” and “Cancel”
keys are used to change menu levels.
Error messages provide the
operator with warnings or prompts if the
action requested will compromise unit operation
or are not allowed under the current mode
of operation.
The top-level menu shows,
from left to right, the designations for
the sub-systems under control, the designation
for the units that make up the sub-systems;
the unit’s redundancy state; their traffic
state, and their reported status.
The menu
bar at the base of the display provides
the monitor and control options.
The options
and implications for the ‘redundancy state’
selections are:
Redundant
– This
is used to indicate that a standby unit
is ready to be used in place of an on line
unit.
Auto
- Indicates
an on line unit will be automatically backed
up upon the event of a failure. Warnings
will be given and e-mails sent in the event
of a failure.
Manual
- An on
line unit will be not be backed up upon
the event of a failure. Warnings will be
given and e-mails sent in the event of a
failure.
Maintenance
- This
state inhibits all alarms relating to the
unit, if maintenance work is proceeding
and regular alarms would be produced this
mode will ignore them. No warnings or e-mails
are sent.
Not fitted
- This
mode ignores all alarm inputs and switch
tellbacks associated with the units. It
is designed for systems which are initially
part populated, and to which extra chains
will be added.
Remote monitoring and control
of the MS2020 is possible using the 10/100MHz
Ethernet connection and a Web browser. All
of the monitoring features available locally,
and many of the control features, are available
to the remote terminal.
The unit has two levels of
customer adjustment and control. The normal
operation of the unit has no pass wording
and allows the system configuration and
mode to be changed on a unit by unit basis.
Alarm levels and windows can be adjusted
as required.
The second level is for the
engineering manager, this allows control
of internal settings and arrangements to
be modified.
The terminology used to refer
to the parts of a redundant system can vary
considerably. For the purposes of the MS-2020
controller, the following terms are used:
System |
A single redundancy
set or chain. This may be a
subsystem of a large telecommunications
system, but for the purposes
of redundant control is considered
a self-contained system. |
Unit |
Something within
a System that may be backed-up
and restored. If a single piece
of equipment contains several
subsystems that require individual
control, each subsystem will
be regarded as a Unit by the
MS-2020. |
Control Mode |
Defines how the
MS-2020 should react when a
Unit reports and error. May be auto,
redundant, manual, maintenance
or not fitted. |
Health |
A unit’s health
may be good, alarm or recovered. These affect
the behaviour of the MS-2020. |
Parameter |
A single measurable
quantity (i.e. value from one
of the MS-2020’s analogue inputs)
that is used to determine a
unit’s health. |
The software is operated
by means of menus that stay along the bottom
of the screen, or pop-up in the centre to
offer a choice of actions.
Menus
are navigated by using the keypad to the
right of the front panel. The left and right arrow
keys can be used to move the highlighted
bar. The OK key selects the currently
highlighted option. Some menus open sub-menus
as either a pop-up or on a different screen.
A sub-menu
can be exited by pressing the CANCEL key.
Some menu options will highlight
items in an on-screen table.
These
work in the same way as a normal menu, and
can be navigated using the arrow keypad
and the OK and CANCEL keys.
Pop-up menus appear when
the system needs confirmation of an action
or event, for instance when selecting a
potentially dangerous option or when a request
to switch to remote mode is received.
Most pop-up
menus require either the OK or CANCEL button
to be pressed in response to the message.
When a
pop-up menu is on the screen, the operator
can perform no other action until OK or
CANCEL is pressed. Some pop-up menus will override
any other menu on the screen.
The top-level menu is at
the bottom of the screen when the top-level
display is activated.
This is
the default view when the MS-2020 unit is
first powered up, and at any time when no
other operation is being performed.
The options
available from each menu item are outlined
below.
This option leads to a new
pop-up menu that allows units to be backed-up
and restored, and allows the control mode of each unit to be changed.
Control Mode
When you select the Control
Mode menu item, the Control Mode column
of the top-level display is highlighted.
The up
and down arrow keys may be used to select
a unit. The OK button will cause
a further pop-up menu to be displayed, that
allows one of the four control modes to
be selected, as detailed in section [**
INSERT CROSS-REFERENCE HERE **].
Once the
required control mode has been selected,
press the OK button to change the unit’s
mode. To exit from the Control
Mode pop-up menu without making any changes
press the CANCEL button. To return to the top-level
menu, press the CANCEL button again.
Backup
To back-up a unit, select
this option. The Status column of the
top-level display will become highlighted.
Select
the required unit, then press the OK button
to back it up. To return to the top-level
menu, press the CANCEL button.
Restore
To restore a unit, select
this option and proceed as for Backup above.
Restore All
This option will attempt
to restore all healthy units within the
system. This may not always be successful,
depending on the system state.
This option leads to a new
screen that gives detailed information about
a unit, and allows some of its details to
be altered.
When this option is selected,
the Unit Name column in the top-level display
will be highlighted. Select the required unit
and press the OK button, or press the CANCEL
button to return to the top-level menu.
The Unit Details Screen
The name of the currently
selected unit is displayed at the top-left
of the screen. Below this, a table shows
the name of up to four parameters that are associated with
the unit, or NULL where a parameter has
not been configured. To see further information
and options about a parameter, highlight
its name and press the OK button.
This table
also shows information about the unit’s
mode, status and health.
These
cannot be altered from this screen.
To return
to the top-level display, press the CANCEL
button.
The Parameter Details Screen
If a parameter is selected
and the OK button is pressed, a further
table will be displayed showing this parameter’s
details. The minimum and maximum values
considered to be ‘good’ can be altered,
and the option to log all data can be set.
To change
a value, highlight the required value using
the arrow keys and press the OK
button.
Press
the CANCEL button to return to the previous
value. Press the CANCEL button again
to return to the Unit Details screen.
This option will acknowledge
all current alarms. Any flashing alarms will
become a steady red colour. If any further alarm conditions
occur, the alarm will restart, but alarms
that have been previously
acknowledged will not start
to flash again, to allow the operator to
quickly see new faults.
This option allows additional
display modes to be selected:
Parameter Values
This shows a table of all
the configured parameters, and their current
values from the A-D converter.
This is
useful for troubleshooting and diagnostic
purposes.
Log Files
This allows log files to
be read on-screen, to allow the operator
to see a history of events in the system
when a fault occurs.
This option allows the altering
of settings that relate directly to the
MS-2020 controller. Selecting this option changes
the display to a new menu entitled ‘MS-2020
Config’ with the following options:
Logger Menu
This moves to another menu
with options for the event logger.
To change
a value, highlight the required value using
the arrow keys and press the OK button.
Press
the CANCEL button to return to the previous
value. Press the CANCEL button again
to return to the System menu.
Network Settings
This moves to another menu
with network settings.
To change
a value, highlight the required value using
the arrow keys and press the OK button.
Press
the CANCEL button to return to the previous
value. Press the CANCEL button again
to return to the System menu.
Save System State
This option will save the
current state of the system, which then
becomes the default state.
This is
most useful when the ‘window’ of a parameter
has been changed, and the new values need
to become permanent.
Reset Controller
This options
resets the MS-2020 to its initial switch-on
state.
Shut Down System
Shuts the MS-2020 software
down, ready for maintenance or relocation.
Development
This menu is password protected,
and will normally only be available to Gimbalcom
engineers or suppliers.
Options
on this menu are potentially dangerous if
used in an installed system and are intended
for pre-installation testing.
The MS-2020 keeps log files
that record events that have taken place
within the system. Log entries always start
with a date and time, followed by a plain
English message of some sort.
There
are three files: actions, sensors and errors.
Whenever the MS-2020 makes
some sort of change to the redundancy chains
that it is controlling, a record is made
in the Actions log file.
If an alarm status occurs and
there is no redundant unit available to
back-up the alarming unit, a log entry will
still be made explaining why the unit could
not be backed up.
If the ‘Log’ option of a
parameter has been set,its value will be
recorded in this file at predetermined time
intervals.
Entries are only made to
this log if an internal error has occurred
in the MS-2020. This file will normally be
used by GimbalCom engineers in the event
of a fault with the MS-2020.
Log files can be viewed using
the Display option on the top-level
menu.
Log files
can also be downloaded across a network
and viewed on a desktop PC or via the Web
interface.
The MS-2020 will continue
adding entries to log files indefinitely.
Log files
should be periodically downloaded and cleared,
or simply deleted outright. [** ADD MORE HERE **].
To configure remote access,
the MS-2020 unit must be connected to a
10/100 Ethernet network and given a valid
IP address and netmask.]. If Microsoft Windows computers
are to be used to access log files and update
software on the MS-2020 then a Workgroup
name must also be given.
To set up networking:
determine an IP address that
may be used (each device on a network must
have a unique IP address)
connect the external keyboard
to the MS-2020 front panel
select System from the top-level menu
select Networking
enter an IP address, netmask,
and Windows workgroup if required (to enter
values, highlight the required value using
the arrow keys and press the OK button;
use OK to confirm the new value or CANCEL
to return to the old value)
highlight the Apply option then press the OK
button
The ‘Host Name’ (that is,
the name of the computer that shows up within
Windows) will be MS-2020-XX where XX is
the number of your unit.
The MS-2020
will be visible as a standard computer within
the Workgroup that it has been given.
It will
often take several minutes for a newly configured
machine to appear – if it does not appear
then typing ‘\\MS-2020-XX’ into a Windows
Explorer window will often work (replacing
XX with the number of your unit, shown at
the top-left corner of the top-level display).
Viewing Log Files
Once the MS-2020 has been
located in Windows Explorer, there should
be two folders visible: logs and upgrades. The logs folder contains the log files as
detailed above. Logs can be viewed, downloaded
and deleted from here (to download a log
file, simply copy it as if it were any other
file within Windows). The upgrades folder is used for software
upgrades to the MS-2020.
To control the MS-2020 remotely,
simply type the configured IP address into
the web browser (commonly ‘Internet Explorer’)
of any computer that has access to the same
Ethernet network as the MS-2020.
(For example,
if the IP address configured is 192.168.120.123,
enter ‘http://192.168.120.123/’ into the
web browser). The Web Interface should
work with any modern web browser (i.e. Internet
Explorer 4.0 or greater, Netscape Navigator
4.0 or greater, Opera, Mozilla etc.)
The Initial Display
When the Web Interface is
first started, a welcome screen will be
displayed. From here, options can be
selected from the menus at the bottom of
the screen.
Viewing Logs
To view logs, click the logs link at the bottom of the
page. The three log files can be
viewed by clicking on their name.
To download
a log file, use your web browser’s save
function (often SHIFT+click).
To start remote control,
click the remote control link at the bottom of the
initial Web Interface screen.
There
will be a short delay as the MS-2020 displays
a message on the front panel screen to allow
a local operator to override remote
control. If remote control is overridden,
an error screen will be shown; if remote
control is not overridden then a display
similar to the front panel screen top-level
display will be presented. You will also not be able
to start remote control if another computer
is already controlling the MS-2020 remotely.
If remote control is started,
you will be given remote lock, which means that the front
panel controls will not function, and no
other computer may attempt to start remote
control. Remote lock times out and
returns control to the front panel after
a few minutes.
Operations
The display presented is
similar, but not identical to the top-level
display. Alarm indicators do not flash,
but are a constant red colour.
To perform an operation on
a unit:
select a unit by clicking
on one of the small circular option buttons
to the right of each column – only one unit
may be selected at a time
select an operation from
the list at the bottom of the screen
click the proceed button
One of several things may
then happen:
the operation is immediately
successful, and a screen is presented with
a green border, before returning to the
top-level display
the operation makes an important
change to the system and required confirmation
– a screen is presented with OK and CANCEL
buttons
the operation fails – a screen
is presented explaining the failure before
returning to the top-level display.
Ending Remote Lock
To end remote lock and return
control to the front panel, click the End Remote Lock link at the bottom f the
screen.
Internal fans moving air
from the front to the back of the unit provide
cooling. A filtered air inlet provides air
via the front panel.
The filter can be accessed
by pulling the pop-clips to release the
louvered cover.
The filter should be removed
& cleaned no longer than every 3 months
of operation.
The Log files are held locally
on the hard disc, it is recommended for
ease of data identification that these be
downloaded each month or quarter and a new
log started.
This operation can be performed
locally using the floppy disc to save the
data or via the Ethernet connection. Old
logs on the MS2020 should be deleted or
over-written to prevent the hard disc space
filling up and causing problems.
It is estimated that the
hard disc space available for logs will
support a number of years.
The MS2020 controller has
a high level of redundancy for the modules.
The emphasis is on retaining service whist
maintenance is performed, however care should
always be taken when working on a powered
unit.
There are three separate
supplies and five inputs into the controller.
Even if it is isolated from the mains, Voltages
can still be present within the unit. Extreme
caution is therefore required when faultfinding.
The unit has the following
supplies:
X1
IEC 1
240V AC
X2
IEC 2
240V AC
J3
3 pin
inlet
115V AC
X4
XLR
+24V DC
X5
XLR
+24V DC
Internal alarms will be generated
for the following problems:
Mains PSU failure –
A monitoring circuit within
the power supply unit will produce a visual
and audible warning both to the front on
the unit (the LEDs behind the filter cover)
and to the rear on the faulty PSU unit.
The fault will also be registered with the
interface module and via the front panel
and remote monitoring system.
The PSU modules are ‘hot
swappable’, both being capable of powering
the MS2020 alone.
If the MS2020 is operating
or switched off, power will be supplied
to the LNA/B systems via the redundancy
+24V units.
The three power supply boards
connect to both +24V inputs from the redundant
unit and diode combine them. These PCBs
provide volts to the reservoir capacitors
used to provide power for switching operations.
The +24V supplies also provide power for
the LNA/Bs.
Each PCB has a primary (+21V)
regulator and a secondary (+18V) regulator
for the LNA/Bs power. The status of each
of these regulators is indicated by the
LEDs located on the top edge of the boards.
Failure of any of the regulators (on any
of the PSU boards) will result in the relevant
LED extinguishing and the monitoring system
within the unit producing a visual and audible
alarm both locally and a remote visual indication.
Internal circuitry within
the unit allows any one of the PCBs to be
removed without affecting the system operation.
MS2020-P22 Receive boards
provide power and monitoring for the LNA/Bs.
To protect other systems
and power supplies, a 1A fuse is fitt | 
