NCN49597ID11GEVK

EVBUM2290/D Evaluation Kit for Power Line Communication User's Manual Introduction This manual describes the evaluation kits (EVK) for the power line communication (PLC) modems from ON Semiconductor. In addition, we provide some information on how to proceed to an application design (see “Application Design Maunal”). The information in this manual is focused on the NCN49597 and NCN49599 modems. However, large parts also apply to the AMIS−49587. In addition, this manual only describes the downloadable firmware: either the IEC61334−5−1/IEC61334−4−32compliant firmware or the ON−PL110 firmware1. To Determine which firmware variant is optimal for your application, refer to [18, 19]. www.onsemi.com EVAL BOARD USER’S MANUAL To get started immediately with a new evaluation kit, first read “Safety” section. Then install the required driver and software on a computer (see “Driver Installation” and “Terminal Installation”); connect two evaluation kits to the mains and to the computer; and start configuring the modems (see “Starting the Terminal”). EVALUATION KIT USER’S MANUAL When damaged, the capacitor could also explode − a risk inherent in all electrolytical capacitors, but in this case a risk with greater consequences due to the greater stored energy. Under the recommended operating conditions the enclosure protects sufficiently against these risks. The evaluation kit is designed to be used in a dry and non-condensing environment. It should be connected to a normal domestic power socket (measurement category CAT II2). If tests must be done linking the evaluation kit to parts of the fixed electrical installation such as the fusebox (CAT III), much more energy will be released by incidents such as short-circuits. An additional enclosure is required as a precaution. Contact your sales representative for more information. The evaluation kit should never be used in the supply source part of the mains (CAT IV). The performance of power line communication (PLC) strongly depends on the environment. Testing in the real world at an early stage is therefore essential. To support customers looking for a PLC solution an evaluation kit (EVK) has been developed. The evaluation kit allows the user to set up communication between two modems over the power line under control of a PC. In addition to performance evaluation, the EVK enables an early start of user software development. The design of the boards is also a good starting point for an application design. A standard evaluation kit contains two enclosures (each with a motherboard and a daughterboard), two USB cables, a “Getting started” guide, a test report, motherboard and daughterboard schematic, and this manual. 1Information Safety By necessity a large part of a PLC modem board is directly (without isolation) connected to the mains. Safety must therefore be considered carefully. The main safety risk is electrocution. Alternating current as low as 30 mA can cause heart filibration and death [22]. Under “optimal” conditions these currents can result from voltages as low as 50 V. An additional risk is posed by the high energy stored in the primary-side power supply capacitor. This large capacitor is charged to the peak voltage of the mains. An uncontrolled discharge will release substantial energy, possibly resulting in injury or damage. A discharge is easily triggered by a moment of inattentiveness with a screwdriver or oscilloscope probe. © Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2016 January, 2016 − Rev. 2 on the ROM firmware embedded in the AMIS−49587 may be found in [12]; the terminal application this modem is described in [10, 13]. Please note that ON Semiconductor strongly recommends users of the AMIS−49587 ROM firmware to upgrade to the NCN49597 with downloadable IEC firmware. Upgrading AMIS−49587 designs to NCN49597 is easy and is described in [16, “Driver Installation” section]. 2Measurement categories were previously called “overvoltage categories” and are still frequently referred to as such. In the latest editions of the IEC/EN 61010−031 standard (since 2002), they denote the energy that is available in case of a short-circuit. CAT I devices are isolated from the mains (cars, batterypowered systems, &c.). CAT II objects are connected to the mains through normal domestic power sockets. CAT III refers to the electrical installation inside buildings; CAT IV to the installation supply sources such as the secondary side of MV-to-LV transformers. 1 Publication Order Number: EVBUM2290/D EVBUM2290/D systems; always ensure a knowledgeable colleague can raise the alarm. When the fuse fitted on the motherboard has blown, replace it with a suitable type. A fast fuse of 1.6 A or less is recommended3. Locations such as the secondary side medium voltage (MV) transformers and overhead lines can deliver tremendous amounts of energy and pose high risks. For 230 VAC systems, only single-phase operation is supported, i.e. with the power cable connected from neutral to phase. Operation across two phases is not possible. If damage is suspected, stop using the evaluation kit. Contact ON Semiconductor to have it re-tested and repaired. Your sales representative or field application engineer can also help you with other safety questions − do not hesitate to contact them. Evaluation Boards The evaluation circuit is split up in a motherboard and a daughterboard (Figure 1). Refer to [11, 14, 15] for the full schematics. Primary-side Modifications and Measurements From a safety point of view it is of course preferred to use the evaluation kit with the mains-connected part unchanged. However, testing customer-specific parts is often desired. Preferably, the protective cover should only be removed for the modification work (with the power cable unplugged!). Before starting, ensure the board is safe. During operation some primary-side capacitors are charged up to 350 VDC. Although bleeding resistors bridge all high-voltage capacitors, measuring the residual voltage on critical capacitors remains a good habit. Following modifications, most measurements can proceed with the enclosure back in place and screwed-down. If measurements on the primary side are truly needed and the enclosure blocks access, a risk analysis must be performed. Formal safety systems greatly help with this, though this is outside the scope of this document; only a few hints are noted below. As an obvious safety precaution, shield as many components as possible. Limiting the energy available during an accident should also be a priority. Do not rely on the circuit breakers of the electrical installation. Connecting the evaluation kit directly to the mains, while fine for normal use, should never be done with modified boards. Instead, use an AC power supply with low trip current setting or an isolation transformer. Isolating the board also protects measurement instruments. It may also be required to avoid tripping residual current breakers. Consider the required measurement method and instruments carefully to avoid unsafe working and damage. A good guide is available from Tektronix [23]. Never remove the protective earth of a measurement instrument; while this allows floating measurements to some extent, it exposes the operator to lethal voltages on the instrument connectors. Ensure the voltage rating of oscilloscope probes is appropriate in order to protect the operator and the oscilloscope. High-voltage probes are preferable to general-purpose probes. Consider slowly ramping up the AC voltage; gross defects such as short-circuits or inverted diodes will be equally obvious at lower voltages but will cause less damage. Electrical shocks can cause cramps and unconsciousness. Therefore, never work alone on energized low-voltage Figure 1. Evaluation Boards: Motherboard and Plugged-on Daughterboard The motherboard contains the power supply, mains coupling circuit (including the zero-crossing detection) and a USB-to-teletype converter. The daughterboard contains the modem itself, the power amplifier, the receive and the transmit filter and the protection circuit. Refer to the “Evaluation Kit Design” section for a list of available daughterboards4. Power Supply An enclosed switching mode power supply (SMPS) converts the AC voltage to a 12 V, 1 A DC voltage. An input filter is required to comply with EME regulations. Additionally, the impedance on the line must be sufficiently high for the PLC frequencies. This precludes the use of a capacitor directly between the phases. Instead, a fourth order LC filter is used. For more information refer to the application note “PLC modem power supplies”. The input range of the power supply is 85–264 VAC and 120–370 VDC5. The coupling stage should work with any power line with a voltage of less than 260 VAC (frequency 60 Hz or less) and 370 VDC. Operation with a power line voltage above the given range is not safe. 3The high current rating does not stem from the power supply, which consumes 150mA at most, but from the PLC signal. 4If no daughterboard is available for the product or frequency band you are interested in, contact your sales representative to obtain tuned daughterboards. 5Consult the manufacturers datasheet for details: for the Mean Well supplies refer to [8]; for the CUI supplies to [1]. Note that the IEC standard and IEC firmware requires a mains zero crossing to synchronise transmission. Only the ON−PL110 firmware can operate without zero crossing, if it is configured to do so (page 10). www.onsemi.com 2 EVBUM2290/D Often, a lower impedance is desired at the carrier frequencies to allow more power to be coupled onto the mains. To this end a resonant coupling circuit (inductor and capacitor in series) may be used. Figure 2 shows the impedance of two coupling circuits: 220 nF + 22 mH and 150 nF + 10 mH7. The drawback of a resonant coupling circuit is apparent in Figure 2: away from the resonance frequency, the impedance is often higher than with a simple capacitor. The coupling circuit fitted on the evaluation board depends on the frequency band. For IEC motherboards, a 220 nF capacitor is used with an optional inductor of 10 mH8. For ON−PL110 motherboards, 330 nF is fitted. The capacitor and inductor can be changed easily. Any film capacitor with a suitable voltage rating and a lead spacing of 159 or 22.5 mm is suitable. The Epcos B3292310 series or the Vishay MKT series is suggested. For the inductor, a sufficiently high saturation current must be selected to avoid distortion of the output signal. The Bourns SRR1260 series is suggested11. Four suitable transformers are shown in Table 1. Note that the PT10 transformer is not recommended for use with large signals, as the core saturates earlier than the other suggested models. A footprint is provided for these transformers on the motherboard12. By default, only TF1 (ON−PLC−1 transformer) is populated. If you would like to evaluate one of the other transformers, contact your ON Semiconductor sales representative before ordering an evaluation kit. The daughterboard contains the recommended protection circuit (refer to Part II for details)13. Operation with a voltage below the given range is possible, provided the AC−DC power supply is isolated. This may be done by desoldering the first inductor pair of the power supply filter. The board must then be fed from an external 12 VDC power supply through J16. The 12 V supply is used directly by the line driver during transmission. Figure 2. Impedance of Typical Coupling Circuits: 100, 220, 330 and 470 nF Capacitors (Solid Lines, Top to Bottom); 220 nF + 22 mH and 150 nF + 10 mH (Dashed, Left resp. Right) A 3.3 V low-drop out voltage (LDO) linear regulator supplies the modem itself, the digital circuits and the additional opamp(s) on the daughterboard. 6A footprint is provided but not fitted. Farnell 1737246 or equivalent may be used. 7In both cases, a 75 W resistor is added in parallel to the inductor to reduce the quality factor. 8Two inductor footprints are provided to allow changes. Note that inductor footprints are only present on revision 6 and later motherboards. 9This lead spacing is only supported on revision 7 and later motherboards. 10Farnell order code for 220 nF: 9751335. Zero Crossing Detection The low-cost zero-crossing detection circuit proposed in [20] is included on the motherboard. In addition, revision 6 motherboards and later also provide footprints to populate the low-power zero-crossing circuit. Typically, a delay of 35 ±5 ms with a jitter of 1 ms is measured between the actual zero-crossing signal and the digital output of the optocoupler. 11Farnell Mains Coupling order code for 22 mF: 1929699. 12Starting from revision 7. Motherboards revision 6 and earlier provided only footprints for the Telkor ON−PLC−1 and the PT10 transformer. 13For historical reasons, the decoupling capacitor on the secondary side and most parts of the protection circuit are located on the daughterboards. Although footprints for protection components are provided on the motherboard, they are not populated. The motherboard contains the coupling circuit with the mains: high-voltage coupling capacitor, inductor (optional) and transformer. The coupling capacitor is required to block the 50 or 60 Hz mains voltage. Values of 100–470 nF are typical. The impedance of the capacitor near PLC frequencies is shown in Figure 2, solid lines. The IDIS carrier frequencies (63.3 and 74 kHz) and the PL110 dual channel carrier frequencies (105, 115, 127.5 and 137.5 kHz) are also marked at the bottom of the graph. www.onsemi.com 3 EVBUM2290/D Serial Communication Table 1. TRANSFORMER FOOTPRINTS PROVIDED ON THE MOTHERBOARD Manufacturer Reference Designator ON-PLC-1T2-001 TF1 Vacuumschmelze T60403-K5032-X111 TF3 Wuerth Electronics Midcom 750313480† TF4 PT10* TF2 Telkor Oxford Electrical Products Two UART signals, RxD and TxD, are provided to allow serial communication with the modem. In addition, a transmission request (TREQ) signal is provided to enable communication with ROM software of the modem and to enable uploading new embedded software over the UART interface. Starting with revision 6, evaluation motherboards also allow triggering a hardware reset over the USB connection. Querying the error state of the evaluation kit is also possible. To avoid parasitic communication paths and protect the computer connected to the evaluation board, the serial communication ground is galvanically isolated from the modem ground. †Wuerth can also provide customized versions to meet specific customer requirements. *Recommended for 6 V operation only. As noted in “Power Supply” section, the EVK is designed for a DC or low-frequency AC line with a voltage of 85–264 VAC and 120–370 VDC. For lower voltages, the coupling circuit is still usable, but it is recommended to disconnect the power supply from the mains input. For more optimal designs for DC lines, refer to “Application Design Manual” section. Modern Boot Sequence The boot sequence of the NCN49597/9 is controlled by the SEN and TREQ pins (refer to [16, 17] for details). For the first, a solder jumper is provided on the daughterboard. By default, daughterboards are populated with the jumper set to ground. The TREQ (IO2) pin is controlled through the serial port. When the USB cable is connected, TREQ is pulled low. With these defaults setting the firmware must be loaded into the modem over the serial port. As an alternative, the SEN jumper can be resoldered to drive SEN high. After each reset, the boot loader in the modem will then load the firmware from an attached SPI EEPROM or flash memory. Any memory chip may be used provided it supports the standard commands and it is addressed with a three bytes address. In practice, this will imply a memory size of at least 512 Mb as smaller memories typically use two-byte addressing. Refer to [23, “Boat Loader”] for more information. An intermediate board with a flash memory is available for the evaluation kit, allowing the modem firmware to be loaded, without user intervention, when the modem resets. The flash memory can be programmed with any DIP8-compatible programmer. Please contact your sales representative for more information and to obtain an intermediate board. Line Driver Enable Signal A standard-compliant KNX PL110 stack needs to be able to transmit half-words. However, the NCN49597/599 can only transmit full bytes. As a workaround, a GPIO can override the TxEb signal. In the evaluation daughterboards this is made possible through the addition of R36 (Figure 3). During normal operation and at the beginning of a frame, IO is left in a high-impedance state. To stop the transmission IO3 is set high by the ON Semiconductor ON−PL110 embedded software stack. This feature is not used by the IEC software stack, and IO3 remains available as a normal GPIO. R6 10 kW PLC Modem TxEb Pin) To Amplifier R6 3 kW Daughterboards The daughterboard supports modem, transmit and receive filters, protection circuit and the SPI memory. A system-level view is shown in Figure 4. IO3 (Pin) Figure 3. TxEb Control Circuit. The Transistor Drawn in Grey is not Used www.onsemi.com 4 EVBUM2290/D (Daughterboard) PL MTx OutA SPI Memory Transmit Filter Line Driver 4 Receive Filter Transformer Modem 4 Motherboard Communication MRx Figure 4. Daughterboard System-Level View The “G” variant is optimized for the carrier frequencies of the KNX PL110 standard, 105 and 115 kHz. The “J” variant covers the B, C and D band, i.e. 95–148.5 kHz. During field tests it can be very useful to change to carrier frequencies. By choosing frequencies away from interference tones or impedance dips the communication performance can be optimized. For such applications wide-band filters, not optimized for a single carrier frequency pair, are preferable. “D” daughterboards target the CENELEC A band (9–95 kHz) while “K” cover all CENELEC bands (9–148.5 kHz). The drawback of the larger useable carrier frequency range is the lower suppression of interference. Figure 5 shows the same information graphically. Filters Daughterboards are available for the NCN49597 and NCN49599 with various receive and transmit filter variants. All variants can be used with all firmware stacks. Each variant is optimized for specific carrier frequencies or an entire frequency band. Table 2 gives an overview (for the filter frequency responses, refer to “Evaluation Kit Design” section). Table 2. AVAILABLE DAUGHTERBOARD VARIANTS Name Carrier Frequencies (kHz) Description D 9−95 CENELEC A-band E 63.3 & 74.5 IDIS Frequencies G 105 & 115 J 95−150 PL110 2-channel Frequencies K 9−150 CENELEC A−D Bands PL110 Frequencies 14IDIS is a specification for smart meters defined by the Interoperable Device Interface Specifications (IDIS) Industry Association. The “E” variant is optimized for the IDIS14 carrier frequencies (63.3 and 74.5 kHz) widely used for automatic meter reading and similar applications. A CENELEC Bands IDIS EVK E (IDIS) B, C, D Band EVK J (PL110 Dual Channel) B C D G (PL110) Daughterboards Only D (A Band) K (ABCD Band) 1k 3k 10k 30k Frequency (Hz) 100k 300k Figure 5. Daughterboards and Evaluation Kits are Available for Various Frequency Ranges. The −1 dB Bandwidth of the Receive Filter is Shown in Black for Each Daughterboard, Indicating the Optimal Carrier Frequency Range. The −10 dB Bandwidth is also Shown (White) www.onsemi.com 5 EVBUM2290/D The transmit filter is always a low-pass filter15, but the order depends on the variant. Variants requiring three poles can be implemented solely by the two opamps inside the NCS5651 or NCN49599. If five poles are required, an additional opamp (TS972 from ST Microelectronics) is required16. “E” are commonly used with the IEC firmware for automatic meter reading, while ON−PL110 firmware users typically use “G” and “J”. However, it bears repeating that any filter variant can be used with any firmware provided the correct (i.e. correct for the filter variant) carrier frequencies are selected. Third Order High-pass Filter Second Order Low-pass Filter R26 PL R23 RxOut R38 RxIn C34 C32 e C26 C28 R34 R25 C33 NCN49597/9 TS971/2 Ref 1.65 V Bandgap Figure 6. Evaluation Daughterboard Receive Path 10 The receive filter of all variants implements an active bandpass filter. The topology (Figure 6) is fixed; the cut-off frequencies, and therefore the component values, are variant-dependent. The filter is composed of a third-order high-pass filter and a second-order low-pass filter. The filter section built around the buffer amplifier inside the modem realizes two poles. The remaining three poles are implemented by an external opamp section17. The frequency response of the available filter variants is shown in Figures 7 and 8. Only the daughterboard is considered; the gain is calculated from the output of the modem (net MTx) to the daughterboard connector pin (net PL) resp. from PL to the input of the modem (net MRx). The coupling circuit on the motherboard is frequency-selective, too; refer to “Mains Coupling” section for more information. Gain (dB) J −10 D E −20 12 dB/oct 18 dB/oct −40 5k 10k 20k 50k 100k 200k 500k 1M Frequency (Hz) Figure 8. Frequency Response of the “D” “E”, ”J” and ”K” Daughterboard Receive Filters 10 In both figures, the IDIS carrier frequencies widely used for communication with the IEC protocol are marked on the “E” trace. The PL110 dual-channel carrier frequencies are marked on the “J” trace. K D Gain (dB) K −30 20 J 0 18 dB/oct E 15Neglecting a single high-pass pole due to the AC coupling capacitor immediately before the first NCS5651 opamp. This capacitor is only intended to shift the DC level from 1.65 V to 6 V; it is not intended to filter the signal. −10 30 dB/oct −20 CENELEC Bands A −30 B C D CENELEC Bands A 0 5k 10k 20k 16The same printed circuit board design is used for all variants; for the three-pole variants the TS972 is not populated, but is bypassed with 0 W resistors. BC D 50k 100k 200k Frequency (Hz) 500k 17For variants where the transmit filter requires an additional external opamp, a TS972 is used. For other variants, a TS971 is used. The TS972 is the dual-opamp version of the TS971. 1M Figure 7. Frequency Response of the “D” “E”, ”J” and ”K” Daughterboard Transmit Filters As noted in footnote 16, a single printed circuit is used for all variants. As a consequence, two footprints are required in the receive path. Only one footprint is populated − indeed, only one footprint can be populated as they are placed overlapping to save space. www.onsemi.com 6 EVBUM2290/D The IEC or ON−PL110 firmware toggles IO0 at a faster rate. After it has been loaded the toggle frequency is about 1 Hz. Once configured, the frequency increases − refer to [24, 25] for details. The yellow TxEn LED is active when the modem is transmitting. The red ILIM and TSD LEDs are active when the internal protection circuits of the line driver have detected overcurrent resp. overtemperature. This is normally caused by an excessively low mains impedance. In contrast to the NCS5651, the line driver of the NCN49599 does not have a thermal flag output; as a result, NCN49599-based daughterboards do not have a thermal shutdown LED. A ground bar is also provided as a convenient connection point for the ground lead of oscilloscope probes. Using the Daughterboards The various test points on the daughterboard are marked with diagonal crosses. The most important test points are located at the output and input of the modem and at the output of the line driver (refer to Figure 4). Called MTx, MRx resp. PL, their location on the NCN49597 (rev. 4) and NCN49599 (rev. 2) daughterboards is shown in Figures 9 and 10. Line Driver Output (PL) Transmit Filter Output (OutA) LEDs − Transmitting − Current Limit − IO0 − IO1 Daughterboard 2x Richco MSPM−9−01 Groundbar Modem Receive Input (MRx) Modem Transmit Output (MTx) Figure 9. Most Important Test Points on the NCN49597 Daughterboard (Revision 4) Line Driver Output (PL) Transmit Filter Output (OutA) Motherboard 2x Ettinger 05.53.013 Groundbar Figure 11. Adding Spacers between Daughterboard and Motherboard Improves Reliability in Environments with Heavy Vibration. LEDs − Transmitting − Current Limit − IO0 − IO1 Modem Receive Input (MRx) Connectors The two connectors on the daughterboard interface with the motherboard. The left connector carries the “PLC” signals; the right connector the “control” signal to and from the user microcontroller or computer. The connectors allow convenient swapping of daughterboards and are reliable enough for development. However, in environments with heavy vibration − for instance close to machinery − the daughterboard can shake loose. To keep it firmly in place, two Richco MSPM−9−01 14.3 mm spacers and two 1 mm washers can be added18 (Figure 11). Modem Transmit Output (MTx) 18Holes for these spacers are provided on motherboards revision 6b and later; on NCN49597 daughterboards revision 4 and later; on NCN49599 daughterboards revision 3 and later. Figure 10. Most Important Test Points on the NCN49599 Daughterboard (Revision 2) Note the “sharp” end of the Richco spacer connects to the daughterboard, while the angled end connects to the washer below the motherboard. Five LEDs indicate the state of the daughterboard. The green IO0 and IO1 LEDs are connected to the IO0 and IO1 pins of the modem. The firmware indicates its state on IO0. If the bootloader is running, IO0 is toggled at a slow rate (about 0.5 Hz). Spacers may be ordered from Farnell (order code 1675869). Ettinger 05.53.013 (Farnell order code 1466903) are suitable washers. www.onsemi.com 7 EVBUM2290/D Computer User Driver Installation Terminal Commands The serial port is encapsulated over USB as a virtual communications port (VCP) by a converter chip. On Windows operating systems, specific drivers must be installed before this converter is recognized by the computer. On Windows 7 and higher, installation normally starts automatically when the motherboard is first connected. This is indicated by the animated icon in the task bar (Figure 13). Note that installation can take a long time the first time an unrecognized device is plugging in − be patient20! You can verify the state of the device by opening the Device Manager (Figure 15)21. After the driver has been installed successfully and the device has been configured by Windows, a new serial port will appear in the device manager (Figure 14) under the category Ports (COM and LPT). The virtual serial port is ready to be used. Terminal HDLC Frames USB Driver Board USB USB Packets USB Convertor TTL Modem Mains IEC 613344−4 or ON−PL110 Frames Figure 12. Hardware Interfaces (Left) and Protocols (Right) Used when Controlling an Evaluation Board from the PLC Terminal Figure 13. Notification Shown by Windows 7 during the Automatic Installation of the Driver of a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip Using the Evaluation Kit A terminal application has been developed to complement the evaluation boards. The signal flow when using this application is shown in Figure 12. In the terminal, the user types human-readable terminal commands, documented below (sections “Configuring the Modem” − “Advanced Terminal Features”). These are translated to binary commands and transmitted to the modem over a serial link. The binary commands are structured according to the widely used HDLC19 specification and are documented in [24, 25]. A USB-to-serial conversion chip on the motherboard, working in concert with its computer driver, tunnels this link over USB. The modem responds to these HDLC appropriately, for instance an incoming HDLC transmission instruction results in an PLC frame being sent. Conversely, upon receiving a PLC frame the modem send an HDLC notification. Note the PLC and HDLC frames have a different format; in addition, there is no one-to-one mapping between frame types of both protocols. For instance, a HDLC frame instructing the modem to change the carrier frequencies is not reflected by a PLC frame. The evaluation kit terminal requires Microsoft Windows XP or later. One terminal controls only a single board, but multiple boards can be controlled from the same PC by using multiple terminal. To test communication quality over a long distance, two PC’s are usually required. Two IEC C14 power cables are required to connect each evaluation board to the mains. Figure 14. Windows Device Manager Showing a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip after Successful Installation 19High-level data link control or HDLC is a data link layer protocol standardized as ISO 13239. The standard provides for many use cases, but the modem firmware uses the point-to-point with asynchronous framing. 20If installation remains slow after the first installation of the driver, consider changing the order Windows uses to search device drivers. This may be done by right-clicking on My Computer → Properties → Advanced → Hardware → Device Installation Settings. Directing Windows to search for drivers on the computer first instead of through Windows Update will speed up device installation. 21Accessed by right-clicking on my [My] Computer. www.onsemi.com 8 EVBUM2290/D If the installation has not (yet) been completed, the device is shown with a yellow icon (as in Figure 15, under Other devices). You will need to install the driver manually if the automatic installation fails. • If you have a revision 5 motherboards, with a Microchip MCP2200 converter, you must download the latest version of the driver (MCP2200.inf) from the Microchip website. To install the driver manually, right-click on the device in the Device Manager, and select Update driver software. Please select “Install from a location on disk” and point the installer to the file you downloaded earlier. • All other motherboard revisions use an FTDI converter. The easiest way to install the driver is the installation executable available from [5]. If you encounter problems during the installation, refer to [3, 4]. Terminal Revision number Help Command Entry Logging Assigned COM port Figure 16. The Terminal Window Starting the Terminal The terminal application uses a serial port to communicate with the PLC evaluation board. The commands that are implemented by the PLC terminal application are translated into binary frames that are transmitted over the UART and expose a higher level, more user friendly, interface. Separate terminals are provided for the different modem firmware variants: for the NCN49597 and NCN49599, terminals exists for ON−PL110 and IEC; for the AMIS−49587 another terminal is available for the IEC firmware running from ROM. To start the terminal, navigate to the correct folder in the Start Menu and click the PLC terminal icon23, then click on the icon. The terminal should start; if not please refer to “Terminal Installation” section and make sure you have all required libraries installed. The PLC terminal application can be used to configure one single modem and transmit or receive data over the power line by entering commands in the command entry box (Figure 16). The terminal maintains a history of correctly entered commands. Pressing the up/down arrow keys will cycle through the list of entered commands. Help for partially typed commands is displayed in the status bar. To get a list of available commands with their explanation, enter the help command. A full list of supported commands appears in “ON−PL110 Firmware Commands” and “IEC Firmware Commands” sections. After connecting the modem to the PC you need to find out which serial port the modem is connected to. Figure 15. Windows Device Manager Showing a USB-to-Serial Converter Chip during Installation, or after the Installation has Failed Terminal Installation You should have received an installation program for the terminal you wish to use. If not please contact Software.Development@onsemi.com. Prior to starting this installer, you must install the .NET framework, version 4 or above. You can download an installer from the Microsoft website at [9]22. It is strongly recommended to do this even if you have already a .NET framework installed. This ensures your .NET installation is up to date. You must also install the Gtk# for .NET library from [21]. The exact version is important, so make sure to use the Gtk# installer supplied with the terminal installation program. Subsequently, the PC software installer can be run; once completed, an entry will appear in your Start Menu allowing you to run the software. 22Due to license restrictions, ON Semiconductor is unable to distribute the .NET installer with the PC software installer. 23This would be either Programs → ON Semiconductor PLC Terminal for PL110 → ON Semiconductor PLC Terminal PL110; or Programs → ON Semiconductor PLC Terminal for IEC − Linky (HDLC API) → ON Semiconductor Terminal IEC − Linky (HDLC API). www.onsemi.com 9 EVBUM2290/D We will use the ports command that lists the available and not available serial ports in the system. The easiest way to find the connected serial port is to issue the command ports, to unplug the board USB cable and issue ports again. The modem is connected to the serial port that disappeared from the list of available ports24. Plug the cable back in. To open the serial port, issue the command open with two comma-separated parameters: the port name and the baud rate. As an example: First sets the MIB parameter MIB_R_FS1 to the hexadecimal value 159B; the second command will query the current value and should return the same 159B. As a result of the write operation, the space frequency of the first transmitter will change to 63.3 kHz28. A list of all MIB parameters may be retrieved with the oids command. In addition, the modem API spreadsheets in your ON−PL110 and IEC terminal installation folders provide a detailed description of the MIB. Use these settings to configure your evaluation board as described in “Using the ON−PL110 Firmware” and “Using the IEC Firmware” sections. open com213, 115200 The port will be opened and associated to the terminal. The baud rate is dependent on the daughterboard. AMIS−49587 boards use 38400 baud, except revision 325 which uses 9600 baud. NCN49597/9 boards use 115200 baud except older boards with a red solder mask which use 38400 baud. The close26 command releases the serial port, allowing other applications to use it. Reset To set all modem parameters back to the default values, use the reset command. Sometimes a hard reset is required, especially if error messages start to pop up in the terminal window. In this case it is recommended to first close the serial port in the terminal with close. Then, push the reset button on the evaluation kit itself and restart from from “Firmware Download” section. Configuring the Modem Once the port is properly open and associated to a terminal it is possible to configure the device. Note that the method used to do this depend on the firmware. This and the following sections describes the process for downloadable firmware. For the AMIS−49587 modem, refer to [12]. Using the ON−PL110 Firmware The ON−PL110 protocol is based on a network model without a master node. The protocol supports collision avoidance and detection. Error correction and message reception acknowledgement are also included. Configuring the Modems Before any data can be sent or received over the power line, the modems need to be configured. A minimal configuration when working with the MAC layer requires setting the individual MAC and domain addresses and activating the modem. As an example, Firmware Download If all previous steps were properly executed the RxD LED should start blinking slowly at 0.5 Hz (1 s on, 1 s off), indicating the ROM bootloader is running. We will use this bootloader to download the right firmware27 to the modem with the download command, specifying the path to the binary firmware file you received as an argument. Make sure you use the right file: the ON−PL110 and IEC protocols require different firmware. As an example: set 1000=20 set 1002=8 will set the MAC address to 0020H and the domain address to 08H. download D:\PLC\PL110.bin 24If nothing changes make sure your operating system recognizes the USB-to-Serial converter included on the evaluation board. Refer to “Driver Installation” section for more details. 25The daughterboard revision is noted in the silkscreen in the upper left corner of the board. This takes a few seconds to complete. Once the download has completed successfully, the RxD LED will blink twice as fast (1 Hz). If the download fails, ensure you are addressing the right serial port with the correct baud rate. 26As a reminder, all available commands are shown in the terminal log window when the command help is issued. In addition, the full list of supported commands for terminals with downloadable firmware appears in “Terminal Reference” section on page 18. For the ON−PL110−and IEC−specific commands terminals refer to sections “ON−PL110 Firmware Commands” and “IEC Firmware Commands” respectively. For the terminal for ROM firmware, refer to [10, 13]. Parameter Selection Before the modem can send or receive any data over the power line, it needs to be configured. The modem is configured by settings in the Management Information Base (MIB), a set of parameters that control every aspect of the firmware behavior. The value of a specific MIB parameter can be retrieved with the get command. To change the value of a parameter, use the set command. The first parameter of both commands is the Object ID of the MIB parameter to access. 27If you did not receive this file please contact Software.Development@onsemi.com. 28Note that this MIB parameter is common for the ON−PL110 and IEC firmware. In general, MIB parameters are firmware-specific. set 580C=159B get 580C www.onsemi.com 10 EVBUM2290/D For a graphical representation, use the spy window (section “Advanced Terminal Features”). The separate “spy window” will open and indicate the number of received frames and signal to noise ratio for the specified carrier frequencies. As an alternative to txmac, use the command txmacm to transmit 3 bytes of user data through the MAC layer. As an example, By default, the ON−PL110 firmware looks for a mains zero-crossing and synchronizes transmission with the mains. If synchronization to the mains zero crossing is not required or not possible (for instance, on a DC network), the MIB parameters MIB_R_MISC_ZCGEN_MODE must be set to 1. If this is not done, the modem will not be able to modulate or demodulate data. Note that a small performance degradation must be expected for DC operation as the lack of shared timebase makes it more difficult for a received to demodulate the signal. By default, a mains frequency of 50 Hz is assumed. If 60 Hz is used, the MIB parameter MIB_R_CONF_ MAINS_FREQ must be set accordingly: txmacm 10, 20, 80, 4, 02345678 will try to send 10 frames to individual address 0020H, domain address 80H with the standard frame format. Each transmitted frame will have a payload of 4 bytes with content 345678H and hop count 2. set 4101=1 Table 3. TRANSMISSION FLAGS OF THE ON−PL110 txmac AND txmacm COMMANDS Once configuration is complete, switch the modem into active mode: Bit set 4102=1 0−1 At least one other node must be configured in order to test power-line communication. Use another second terminal to connect to a second evaluation board, repeat all steps of “Configuring the Modem”section, and configure the modem with the same parameters, except for the MAC address: set 1000=21 set 1002=8 set 4101=1 (for a 60 Hz mains) set 4102=1 Starting Basic Communication Once the modems are active, use the command txmac in one terminal to transmit communication frames through the MAC layer. The expected parameters are the number of frames to transmit29, the destination address, domain address, payload and frame flags. The addresses and flags should be entered in hexadecimal format. As an example, Name Priority Value 00B 01B 10B 11B Description System Normal Urgent Low 2 Frame Type 0 1 Extended Standard 3 Repeat 0 1 Do Not Repeat Repeat Frame 4 Destination 0 1 Individual Address Group Address The fifth resp. fourth argument of the txmac and the txmacm commands control the frame control flags. The flags, and their possible values, are listed in Table 3. Access to Different Network Layers It is possible to disable the MAC layer and order the firmware to transmit physical frames directly. A minimal configuration when working with PHY layer requires disabling the MAC and activating the modem: txmac 100, 21, 8, 10, 4 will try to send 100 frames to individual address 0031H, domain address 55H with the standard frame format. To abort the transmission, use stop. Each transmitted frame has a payload of 10 bytes with the hard-coded value AAH. It is also convenient to use the broadcast address 0. Broadcast frames are always repeated by the transmitter and the confirmation sent back to the host is always positive. For instance set 400=1 set 4102=1 Subsequently the command txphy can be used; expected parameters are the number of frames to transmit, the payload and bus idle delay. As an example, txphy 100, 10, 50 will try to send 100 frames29 to individual address AAAAH30, domain address AAH30 with the frame format chosen by the payload number. Transmitted frames have a payload of two bytes with the hard-coded value of AAH. The bus idle delay specifies minimum elapsed time since the last transmission before the transmission of the new frame starts; measured in Tbit times, its maximum value is 255. txmac 20, 0, 0, 10, 4 will broadcast 20 frames. If the modem is transmitting, the yellow LED TxEn will light up; if a modem is receiving a correct frame, the green CRC LED will blink. This can help in debugging communication. When another modem receives the transmitted frames and the frame destination address matches the address of the modem, it will report them in the terminal. 29For field tests, it is useful to put the number of frames to a very high number. 30This www.onsemi.com 11 address is hard-coded in the terminal. EVBUM2290/D script cfg/slave.txt Note that by its nature, reception in PHY mode does not filter frames based on destination address; thus, all frames will be reported by any modem that receives them. It is possible, and often convenient, to create customized scripts; as an example, for adjusting the baud rate or carrier pair frequencies. Several masters can operate in parallel. However, they must use different frequency pairs not to interfere with each other. Additional Features The ON−PL110 firmware does not require the zero-crossing detection. This allows it to communicate over DC lines. However, this feature must be specifically enabled with the MIB parameter MIB_R_MISC_ZCGEN_MODE: Starting Basic Communication The master can be ordered to start to broadcast frames continuously with the txllc command. As an example set 4201=1 txllc 100, 12, 34, fff, 0 To use dual channel operation, the parameter MIB_R_CONF_DUAL_CHAN must be set to 1. will transmit 100 frames (first parameter) to the MAC address FFFH (the broadcast address) with initial credit 033. To abort the transmission, use stop. It is recommended to put the number of frames to a very high number for a field test. In the slave terminal(s), you should observe log messages indicating that frames are being received. In addition, the slave should report after receiving the first frame that it is now synchronized. For a graphical representation, use the spy window (section “Advanced Terminal Features”). Using the IEC Firmware The IEC protocol is based on a master-slave organization. The slaves cannot communicate directly. The IEC protocol also defines the synchronization method. A master will synchronize as soon as it is configured. On the other hand, a slave modem will only synchronize from the moment it correctly received a frame, even if the frame’s destination address is different from the slave’s address. As a result, all slaves should become synchronized to the master in due time. Refer to the IEC specifications for more information about synchronization. You will need to configure one evaluation board as master and at least one other board as slave to test communication. Some scripts are prepared and available under the cfg folder in the installation folder. These may be called with the command script31. The IEC terminal also supports the Linky firmware. Linky is a standard based on IEC [2]. Configuring the Master Modem By default, a master is configured with MAC address C01H. This value can be changed by accessing the “Local MAC address” parameter in the MIB. The IEC protocol requires synchronization to the mains before the master can send data. By default, the firmware assumes a mains frequency of 50 Hz. If 60 Hz is used, the MIB parameter MIB_R_CONF_MAINS_FREQ must be set accordingly: set 4101=1 The script master.txt, provided in your installation, can then be used to configure a modem as master: Figure 17. The Terminal Spy Window Graphically Shows the Current and Historical Signal and Noise Levels script cfg/master.txt Configuring a Slave Modem Please note that you need to open an new terminal if you already assigned the previous terminal to master configuration (required if you want to evaluate PLC communication between two nodes). Open a new terminal, and follow “Starting the Terminal” and “Configuring the Modem”sections for the additional evaluation board. By default, a slave starts with address FFEH (the value defined for “new” participants in the IEC standard). Load the default slave.txt or a custom script to configure the modem in slave mode32 31Refer to “Advanced Terminal Features” section for details. 32As with the master, MIB 4101 must be set to 1 if the local mains frequency is 60 Hz before running the configuration script. 33The initial credit specifies how many times the frame will be repeated by slave modems that are configured as repeater. Repetition with credit counter is a technique to extend the transmission range by having salves repeat messages that don’t address the slave. For more information, refer to [7]. www.onsemi.com 12 EVBUM2290/D Advanced Terminal Features Access to Different Network Layers The IEC firmware from ON Semiconductor implements the three lowest layer defined by the IEC 61334 standard (refer to [6, 7]): the physical (PHY), Media Access Control (MAC) and Logical Link Layer (LLC) layers. The user can transmit and receive frames at different layers of the network stacks with the MIB parameter MIB_TOPLAYER_ID (6100). By default all three are enabled (6100 = 2). To disable the LLC layer and expose the MAC layer, use set 6100 = 1. To enable only the physical layer, use set 6100 = 0. Note that the MIB_TOPLAYER_ID is only writeable before the modem is configured, that is, before set 4102 = [mode]. After configuration, is read only MIB_TOPLAYER_ID. To make it writeable again, issue the reset command. All OID values will be reset to their default value. In the previous section, frames were transmitted using the physical, MAC and LLC layers. The command txmac may be used to transmit frames with the specified number of frames, destination address and initial number of credits34. As an example, • The log command alters the amount of logging • • information shown. Use log −1 to disable all output; use log 3 to shown as much logging as possible. The ON−PL110 and IEC firmware can report the signal and noise values when frames are received. This can be very helpful during debugging; to enable it, issue set 3300 = 1. The reported values can be shown graphically in the spy window (depicted in Figure 17) with the spy command. The last reported levels are displayed by the four top bars; the historical levels are rendered in the graph below. By default the working directory of the terminal is the installation folder. This working directory affects the lookup of scripts, firmware binaries and configuration files if you specify relative paths for the relevant commands. It might be convenient to change to working directory with the cdir command; as an example cdir D:\PLC\Files Changing Carrier Frequencies reset download IEC.bin set 6100=1 set 4102=1 (2 for slave) txmac, 10, FFF, 0 It is evident from the previous section that it is often useful in a field test to change the carrier frequencies. Ordering the modem to do this is easily done with the MIB parameters MIB_R_FS1 and MIB_R_FM1 (space resp. mark frequencies)36. The best-fitting hexadecimal value A corresponding to a given frequency fC [Hz] is derived from will send configure the modem as a master and send 10 frames to the broadcast address FFFH with initial credit of 0. The transmitted frames have only one sub-frame and the payload is 12 times byte AAH. Similarly, the command txphy may be used to transmit frames with the MAC layer disabled too. As an example, A+ 4096 Ŧ46875 @f Ŧ C (eq. 1) However, you must also consider the external filters when changing carriers. Both the reception and transmission signal path are filtered. Shifting away from the resonant frequency is liable to decrease the amplitude of a transmitted and received signal. Refer to the designed filter response for your daughterboard variant in section 6 to ascertain the exact result. Similarly, if a motherboard with a resonant coupling circuit is used (refer to “Mains Coupling”), deviating from the resonance frequency will cause signal attenuation37. reset download IEC.bin set 6100=0 set 4102=1 txphy 10 will transmit 10 dummy PDUs. Using the Test Firmware Specific firmware is available to generate a test pattern on the transmit output pin. This can be useful for development and production testing. Loading the firmware enables the test command (see “Test Firmware Commands” section). As an example, 34The destination address should be entered in hexadecimal format and the initial credit can be maximum 7 and minimum 0. 35Note that the test firmware, as the other firmware options, depends on the correct setting of the mains frequency. By default, 50 Hz is assumed. 36The reset download testmode.crc.bin set 4101=1 (for a 60 Hz mains)35 set 580C=1942 test 0, 1, 0 ON−PL110 firmware support dual-channel communication (i.e., four carriers) and therefore also supports the MIB parameters MIB_R_FS2 and MIB_R_FM2. 37This will generate a continuous 74 kHz sinewave. www.onsemi.com 13 is especially true when the mains impedance is low. EVBUM2290/D Attainable Communication Quality communication can be difficult due to the long electrical distance. Crosstalk with signals from modem C might also influence the communication. The practical communication range strongly depends on the network. It is mainly influenced by the attenuation between the nodes and the noise level on the network. As a rule, high and medium voltage networks have a simple, predictable topology with fairly low noise levels. As electrical loads are not directly connected to the network the impedance seen at the PLC frequencies is high, leading to low attenuation. Therefore, PLC is feasible over long ranges. Conversely, low voltage networks are typically very hostile environments for PLC. This is especially true for residential and office networks. Electrical loads are directly connected to the network. Because many of these loads will have a capacitor across the power lines for EMC compliance, the attenuation at PLC frequencies is high. In addition, the many switching power supplies found in a typical home or office cause significantly higher noise levels. The complex topology of an office or home network makes it very difficult to accurately predict the communication performance. As a rough guideline, expect up to a kilometer on medium voltage networks and up to a few hundred meters on low voltage networks. It is important to remember that PLC signals usually cross transformers only with great attenuation. Thus, communication across phases will often be impossible. In Figure 18, modems D and E will not see each other unless the three-phase modem F is configured as a repeater. Note that even in the same room, wall sockets are not necessarily connected to the same phase. Even when modems are on the same phase, transformers cause problems: in Figure 18, modem A and B may not be able to communicate even though they are on the same phase. Adding a two-phase repeater (C) might solve the issue. B A C D Figure 19. In this Sample Domestic Electrical Installation, the Television can Cause Significant Deterioration of the Communication Quality between Modems C and D Troubleshooting Setting up communication, as described in “Using the ON−PL110 Firmware” or “Using the IEC Firmware”section, is a fairly involved process. As a result, an error is easily made. Section “Troubleshooting Functionality” describes how to debug functional problems; performance problems are discussed in “Troubleshooting Performance” section. Troubleshooting Functionality Is the Board Powered? The motherboard has two isolated power domains. Both are provided with a green LED indicating the rails of their domain are stable. Ensure both LEDs are on. The first LED (located close to the power supply brick) is associated with the daughterboard power domain (3.3 V and 12 V rail). If it does not light up, ensure the mains is connected. The second LED (close to the USB connector) with the USB-to-serial power domain. If it does not light up, ensure the USB cable is connected and powered. Figure 18. In this Example Grid, Modems A, B, D and E will have Difficulty Communicating Directly In addition, the presence of other consumers can block successful communication. In particular, switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) exhibit a very low impedance at PLC frequencies38. In Figure 19, the signal sent by modem D to C will be attenuated due to the presence of the television in between. Referring to the same figure, another aspect becomes evident. Even though modem A and B are physically close, 38The cause of this high load is the presence of a filter capacitor at the input of a switch-mode power supply. The filter is required to comply with conducted EME standards. www.onsemi.com 14 EVBUM2290/D Is the Line Driver Overloaded? If the transmit LED lights up but communication over the power line is still not possible, observe the red TSD (thermal shutdown) and ILIM (current limitation) LEDs40. Any illuminated LED signals the line driver is overloaded. In contrast to the NCS5651, the line driver of the NCN49599 does not have a thermal flag output; as a result, NCN49599-based daughterboards do not have a thermal shutdown LED. An oscilloscope will be required to check whether thermal shutdown is active. Monitored the modem output (test point MTx) and line driver output (test point PL) is useful in any case41 (Figure 20). Short transmission bursts, one for each frame, with a steady voltage in-between are expected (Figure 21, top trace). Ensure the sample rate of the oscilloscope is high enough − undersampling will result in gross deviations (bottom trace)42. Is the Motherboard Receiving Serial Data? Two green LEDs on the motherboard light up when the USB-to-serial converter is receiving and transmitting data. Send some bytes to the board by issuing a command in the associated terminal (any get command will do, for instance get 4101). The LED marked PcTx should light up briefly. If it does not, check the serial communication. Ensure the terminal is associated with the correct COM port. Has the Boot Loader Started? After the motherboard has reset (due to power-on, a terminal command, or pressing the reset button on the motherboard), the boot loader should start. The boot loader indicates it’s running by blinking the IO0 LED slowly (1 s on, 1 s off). If the boot loader is not running, verify with a multimeter the reset and IO2 signal on the daughterboard are both high. Then, reset the modem by pressing the reset button. Are the Modems Responding to Terminal Commands? Observe the IO0 LED on the daughterboard to see whether the firmware download succeeded. When the modem first boots, it should blink slowly at a rate of about 0.5 Hz (1 s on, 1 s off). After the ON−PL110 or IEC firmware has been loaded, the blink rate increases to about 1 Hz (unconfigured state) or 2 Hz (configured). As another test, an MIB get command can be used. For instance, issue the command get 4101 − the result in the log window should indicate whether the modem is configured for a 50 Hz mains, a 60 Hz mains or a DC network. If the command fails, retry the download procedure described in “Configuration the Modem”section. If some commands fail but others succeed, ensure you are using the terminal variant corresponds to the firmware variant. The ON−PL110 terminal works with the ON−PL110 firmware; the IEC terminal with the IEC firmware and the test mode firmware. Figure 20. To Debug Communication Problems, Observe the MTx and PL Test Points with an Oscilloscope Is the Transmitting Modem Actually Transmitting? Once the firmware is up and running, configure one of the evaluation boards as a transmitter39. Try to transmit a large number frames and observe the yellow TXEN (transmit enable) LED. During the transmission of each frame, the line driver is enabled and the LED should light up briefly. If the transmit LED does not light up, the modem is not transmitting frames. The most likely cause is a configuration mistake. If the ON−PL110 firmware is used, ensure the modem is active (get 4102 should return “Mode 1”). When evaluating the IEC firmware, ensure the modem is synchronized to a master; the easiest way to do this is to simply configuring the transmitter as a master and the receiver as a slave. 39To do this, refer to section “ON−PL110 Firmware” or section “IEC Firmware”. 40Note that the NCN49599 modem does not have a thermal shutdown indication pin, and no thermal shutdown LED is provided on NCN49599 daughterboards. 41The signal MTx is a small-signal, low-power signal generated by the 3.3 V analogue part of the modem. Therefore the amplitude is small (1 VP with a 1.65 V DC bias). This signal is not output directly on the mains, but is amplified by the line driver to the signal at PL. The DC bias here should be 6 V with an amplitude of approximately 10 VPP (neglecting any configured transmit attenuation). Refer to Figure 4 for an overview. 42Both traces were not captured at the same time, resulting in a time offset. www.onsemi.com 15 EVBUM2290/D Figure 21. Oscilloscope Traces of the Line Driver Output: Good (Top) and Undersampled Figure 23. Modem Output (Bottom Trace) and Line Driver Output (Top Trace) during Thermal Overload Under normal conditions the line driver output is a close (though amplified) copy of the modem output (Figure 2243). Note the amplitude at the line driver output changes slightly between mark and space − this is caused by slightly different gains in the transmit filter and is perfectly normal. This parameter sets the number of 3 dB attenuation steps, 0 corresponding to 0 dB attenuation, 7 to 21 dB attenuation. Try to maximize the transmitted amplitude, without overloading the line driver. If a well-formed signal is seen on MTx but clipping is observed on PL, the usual cause is the choice of carrier frequencies. Carrier frequencies must be chosen appropriately for the transmit filter of the transmitting daughterboard. Refer to Table 2 and “Evaluation Kit Design”section for a list of daughterboard filters. If required, change frequencies (see “Changing Carrier Frequencies” section). Once this is done, the transmitter is set up. The next step is to check the receiver. Is the Transmitted Signal Clipped? If the gain settings are not appropriate for the chosen carrier frequencies, the output signal can be clipped. This will often (but not always) overload the line driver. Communication is still possible with moderate clipping, but for a more robust design it should be avoided. Clipping is not evident with large oscilloscope time bases. For instance, the signal at the transformer secondary in Figure 24 (top trace) looks fine at 1 ms/division, but when the time base is decreased to 20 ms/division, (Figure 25) it transpires the gain is too high at the mark carrier frequency. Figure 22. Modem Output (Bottom Trace) and Line Driver Output (Top Trace) under Normal Conditions If the signal at the line driver output suddenly disappears before the frame is finished, as shown in Figure 23, thermal shutdown is a likely cause. If the output is heavily distorted, the current limitation may have been triggered. This can happen if the line impedance is too low. To fix the overload, stop the current transmission and reduce the transmitted amplitude with the R_ALC_CTRL_VAL MIB parameter: 43The figure shows an oscilloscope screen shot, split in two parts. The top part shows the entire trace length: two traces are shows (appearing black and grey). The bottom part shows the same traces but zoomed-in. This oscilloscope feature is called “Wave Inspector” by Tektronix and “MegaZoom” by Agilent. stop set 5815=1 (or any value between 0–7) www.onsemi.com 16 EVBUM2290/D from transmitter to receiver. Also, do not connect other consumers to the distribution strip − this lowers the local noise and interference level. When it has been verified the transmitted is generating a strong signal the PL test point (section “Is the Line Driver Overloaded?”), observe the same test point on the receiver with another oscilloscope probe. An identical, somewhat attenuated, waveform should be seen. Figure 24. Modem Output (Center Trace) and a Clipped Line Driver Output (Top Trace). The Line Driver Enable Signal is also Shown (Bottom) Figure 26. Connecting Both Modems to Single Distribution Strip Reduces the Noise Levels and Attenuation If no signal is seen, the most likely cause is excessive attenuation in the coupling circuit44. Ensure appropriate carrier frequencies are selected for the type of motherboards45. Resonant motherboard only operate well with carrier frequencies close to the resonance frequency. For more details, refer to section “Changing Carrier Frequencies”. Once a good waveform is seen on the test point PL on the receiving daughterboard, observe the signal at the input of the receiving modem (test point MRx). Here, too, a fairly strong signal is expected (about 1 VPP). If a strong signal is seen on PL but not on MRx, the carrier frequencies are not chosen correctly for the receive filter of the receiving daughterboard46. With an acceptable signal on the receiver test point MRx, communication should be possible. If nothing helps, consider reversing the role of receiver and transmitter. Figure 25. Modem Output (Center Trace) and a Clipped Line Driver Output (Top Trace). The Line Driver Enable Signal is also Shown (Bottom). Note the Time Base Is the Receiver Correctly Configured? When the transmitter is functional, but the terminal associated to the receiving evaluation kit does not report that frames are being received, verify the receiving modem is configured correctly. Of course, the same carrier frequencies must be used by all modems. When using the ON−PL110 firmware, the media access control (MAC) layer address and domain must be set. They must also match the destination specified in the txmac(m) command sent to the transmitter. When using the IEC firmware, the MAC address should match. 44Because the modems are connected on the same power distribution strip, the attenuation for PLC frequencies between the power outlets should be low, even in fairly heavily loaded environments. 45Also ensure the receiving modem board is not transmitting, thus blocking the signal from the other board. The state of the board (transmitting or receiving) is indicated by the TXEN LED. 46Again, refer to section “Evaluation Kit Design” for a list of daughterboard filters. Does the Receiving Modem See a Strong Signal? Connect the two evaluation boards to a single power distribution strip (Figure 26) − this lowers the attenuation www.onsemi.com 17 EVBUM2290/D version Displays the version of the PLC Terminal application. oids Display all MIB object Ids. exit Exits the PLC Terminal application (if a serial port is open, it is released). open [port], [baud] Opens a serial port on the PC with a given baud rate. • port. The name of the COM port (e.g. COM13) • baud. The baud rate, depends on the daughterboard. Refer to page 10 for details Troubleshooting Performance Sometimes the communication over the power line between two evaluation kits is functional but low-quality, i.e. the receiving modem receives some but not all frames. As in “Does the Receiving Modem See a Strong Signal” section, connect all modems to a single power distribution strip. This should ensure most frames are received correctly. If not, observe the test points PL (on the motherboard; transformer secondary) MRx (on the daughterboard; modem input). Severe noise and interference at this point can interfere with the communication carriers. When the communication quality is disappointing in the field, it is very useful to study the local topology of the grid to understand the underlying causes. Some clues where to look to try to understand the behavior can be derived from “Attainable Communication Quality”section: • Are the evaluation kits on the same phase? If not, is it possible to add a repeater connected to both phases? • How does the electrical installation plan look? Frequently, this will be difficult to find. If the cabling between two nodes is long, is adding a repeater feasible? • How many consumers are connected to the network, in particular those with heavy switching power supplies located between the evaluation kits? Does the communication quality improve when disconnecting consumers? • When two modems that are close-by (i.e., seeing little attenuation between them) are both configured as repeater, slight timing difference will cause the repeated frames to interfere destructively. Thus, the addition of a second repeater function will actually cause worse performance. In such a case, try configuring only one of these modems as a repeater. • What disturbance is seen on the mains? In particular, interference on or near the carrier frequencies will significantly reduce the communication quality. However, interference away from the carrier will also cause problems if the amplitude − after filtering − is sufficiently high. Checking the waveform and spectrum of the signal at the modem input (test point MRx) will help to pinpoint this47. • What is the attenuation for each carrier frequency? Are the carriers by chance located at a notch of the signal transfer function of the network? close Closes the port that is currently open. ports Displays a list of all serial ports reported by the operating system, categorised in open and available ports. log [level] Sets the logging level (the amount of logging output in the main window) of the terminal application. • level. The logging level (0 to 3). A higher level generated more logging spy Popup window with spy data. rts [level] Sets the level of the RTS pin on the currently opened COM port. Note that RTS is the same as TREQ, so this command can be used to control start-up of the modem together with the SEN pin. • level. The requested level (0 or 1) dtr [level] Sets the level of the DTR pin on the currently opened COM port. • level. The requested level (0 or 1) clear Clears all output in the logging window. script [file name] Executes a script file • file name. The name and possibly path of the script file to execute print [string] Outputs a specific string to the terminal window. This is particularly useful in scripts • string. The character string to print pause [sec] Halts execution of the currently running script during a given time, for example to allow the modem to respond. • sec. The time to wait, in seconds download [file name] Downloads the firmware as a binary image over the UART into the modem. Prior to using this command, the serial port must be open. This command will control the TREQ pin for you; the SEN pin must be manually driven low for the download to succeed. Refer to “Modem Boot Sequence” section on page 4 for details. • file name. The name and possibly path of the binary firmware file Terminal Reference Terminal-related Commands The following commands are related to the terminal itself and its serial port. They are always available. save [file name] Saves the logging in the log window of the PLC Terminal into a file. • file name. The name and possibly path of the file to save to 47A spectrum analyser may be used for this, but a digital oscillope with (offline or online) FFT is often more convenient. Note that an oscilloscope is severely limited in dynamic range compared to a spectrum analyser. www.onsemi.com 18 EVBUM2290/D • bit. Bus idle delay, measured in bit times, before the cdir [path to folder] Set current working directory for the terminal. The working directory is used as a base path when opening files specified with a relative path. Changing the working directory is useful to shorten the parameter of the commands save, script and download. • path to folder. Valid path to any folder, e.g. C:\Projects\PL110 frame is sent on the power line by the PHY layer txmac [num], [dmac], [dom], [cnt], [flgs] Transmits a dummy MAC frame from the modem by consecutively sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH). Whether or not the transmission was successful is not regarded by this command; that is left to the user. • num. The number of requests to send • dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames • dom. The destination domain address of the frames • cnt. The number of bytes (payload data) of every request • flgs. Frame flags; the binary-OR values of the bits specified in Table 3 on page 11 Common Firmware Commands These commands are available when a serial port has been opened and firmware has been downloaded into the modem. Note that some MIB parameter are not writeable if the modem is configured48. set [parameter]=[value] Sets (writes) the value of a parameter in the modem’s Management Information Base (MIB). • parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set, in hexadecimal format • value. The value for the parameter txmacm [num], [dmac], [dom], [flgs], [data] Transmits a MAC frame from the modem by consecutively sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain the data requested by the user. Whether or not the transmission was successful is not regarded by this command; that is left to the user. • num. The number of requests to send • dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames • dom. The destination domain address of the frames • flgs. Frame flags. Refer to the txmac command for details • data. The data to transmit as payload of the MAC frame, interpreted as a 32-bit number in decimal format. The first 8 bits control the handling of the frame by the MAC layer; the format is dependent on the frame type. For standard frames, the lower three bits (bits 0–2) specify the hop count. For extended frames, bits 0–3 specify the “extended frame format” (EFF); bits 4–6 specify the hop count. All other bits are reserved and should be zero. The next 24 bits of the userdata parameter specify the user date. As an example, txmacm 10, 20, 80, 4, 02345678 transmits the data bytes 34H, 56H and 78H with hop count 2. In KNX applications the first byte of the user data block (34H in the example above) is the “transport layer protocol control information” (TPCI) field49. For user-defined applications the first byte can be used as any other data byte. get [parameter] Gets (reads) the value of a parameter in the modem’s Management Information Base (MIB) • parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be read, in hexadecimal format iset [parameter], [index], [value] Sets (writes) the value of an indexed parameter in the modem’s Management Information Base (MIB). • parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set, in hexadecimal format • index. The index of the value within the parameter • value. The value for the parameter iget [parameter], [index] Gets (reads) the value of an indexed parameter in the modem’s Management Information Base (MIB). • parameter. The object ID of the parameter to be set, in hexadecimal format • index. The index of the value within the parameter reset Asks the modem firmware to perform a reset. The modem will restart the boot sequence; this implies the firmware is lost and must be reloaded. ON−PL110 Firmware Commands These commands are only valid if the ON−PL110 firmware has been successfully loaded. txphy [num], [cnt], [bit] Transmits a dummy PHY frame by consecutively sending a number of Phy Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH). Whether or not the transmission was successful is not regarded by this command; that is left to the user. This command is only available when the PHY layer of the modem is accessible; this is controlled with the Phy Direct Access MIB parameter. • num. The number of requests to send • cnt. The number of bytes within every request 48The modem is configured once the MIB parameter 4102 (MIB_R_CONF_MODE) has been set to 1. This can be done only once; reset the modem and re-upload the firmware to revert to an unconfigured state. 49To quote the KNX standard, “The TPCI controls the Transport Layer communication relationships, e.g. to build up and maintain a point-to-point connection.” www.onsemi.com 19 EVBUM2290/D txdelay [msec] Set the pause time between transmit requests with commands txphy, txmac and txmacm. • msec. The pause time in milliseconds available when the MAC layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 1. • num. The number of requests to send • dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames • ic. The Initial Credit value to use • data. The data to transmit as payload of the MAC frame, interpreted as a 32-bit number in decimal format IEC Firmware Commands These commands are only valid if the IEC firmware has been successfully loaded. Note that the MAC and LLC layers of the IEC 61334 standard do not provide bit error detection in received frames or reception acknowledgement. Therefore, all transmission commands (txphy, txmac, txmacm and txlcc) handle transmission only; determining whether the frames were correctly received at the destination is a task for the user or the higher layers. unsync Asks the modem to desynchronize by sending a PHY Synchronization Request. This command is only available when the physical layer of the modem is directly accessible; this is controlled with the MIB parameter 6100H (TOPLAYER). To select the physical layer of the modem at top layer, set this parameter to 0. txphy [num] Transmits a dummy PHY frame by consecutively sending a number of Phy Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH). This command is only available when the PHY layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 0. • num. The number of requests to send txllc [num], [dsap], [ssap], [dmac], [ic] Transmits a number of link layer data request frames (DL_Data.request). This command is only available when the LLC layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 2 − the default value. • num. The number of requests to send • dsap. Destination Service Access Point • ssap. Source Service Access Point • dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames • ic. The Initial Credit value to use Test Firmware Commands This command is only valid if the test firmware has been successfully loaded. test [seconds], [mode], [pattern] Enable the line driver and start generating a test signal on the transmit output pin. The MIB parameters MIB_R_FS1, MIB_R_FM1 and MIB_R_ALC_CTRL_VAL influence the signal. • seconds. The duration of the test signal fragment; specify 0 if the test signal should not stop • mode. The type of signal to be generated: ♦ 0: continuous single-tone transmission on the mark frequency ♦ 1: continuous single-tone transmission on the space frequency ♦ 2: alternating between mark and space frequency ♦ 3: user-specified pattern • pattern. If the mode parameter is set to 3, this parameter specifies the bits to be transmitted as a 32-bit word; otherwise it is ignored. As an example, the value 55555555 alternates between mark and space. txmac [num], [dmac], [ic] Transmits a dummy MAC frame from the modem by consecutively sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain dummy data (all AAH). This command is only available when the MAC layer of the modem is accessible; this is achieved by setting OID 6100 (TOPLAYER) to 1. • num. The number of requests to send • dmac. The destination MAC address of the frames • ic. The Initial Credit value to use txmacm [num], [dmac], [ic], [data] Transmits a MAC frame from the modem by consecutively sending a number of Mac Data Requests to the modem. The requests contain the data requested by the user. This command is only APPLICATION DESIGN MANUAL To obtain the application design manual, please contact your sales representative. www.onsemi.com 20 EVBUM2290/D APPENDIX Evaluation Kit Design The copper design of the revision 6 motherboard and the revision 3 NCN49597 daughterboard are shown in Figures 27 and 2850. The bottom copper is shown mirrored, i.e. as if seen through the board. Figure 27. Layout of the Rev. 3 NCN49597 Daughterboard: Bottom Copper (Left) and Top Copper Figure 28. Layout of the Rev. 6 Motherboard: Top Copper (Top) and Bottom Copper 50Figures 27 and 28 are not to scale. www.onsemi.com 21 EVBUM2290/D REFERENCES [13] ON Semiconductor. Getting started with the AMIS−49587 evaluation board (user manual AMIS49587GEVB), July 2013. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/ EVBUM2201−D.PDF. [14] ON Semiconductor. NCN49597 evaluation kit (EVK) daughterboard (revision 3) schematics, January 2013. [15] ON Semiconductor. PLC evaluation kit (EVK) motherboard (revision 6b) schematics, June 2014. [16] ON Semiconductor. NCN49597 power line carrier modem datasheet, December 2014. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/ NCN49597−D.PDF. [17] ON Semiconductor. NCN49599 power line carrier modem datasheet, December 2014. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/ NCN49599−D.PDF. [18] Stef Servaes. PLC ESW and EVK Selection Guide (application note). ON Semiconductor, October 2013. [19] Pierre Woestyn, Andrey Vangev and Peter Cox. Getting started with power line communication (application note AND9165/D). ON Semiconductor, June 2014. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/ Collateral/AND9165−D.PDF. [20] Pierre Woestyn, Andrey Vangev, and Peter Cox. Mains synchronisation for PLC modems (application note). ON Semiconductor, August 2015. [21] Xamarin. Gtk toolkit installer, February 2013. Online at http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/ eng/downloads#d−net−45, accessed 2013−10−10. [22] IEC. Effects of current on human beings and livestock − part 1: General aspects., July 2005. [23] Tektronix. Fundamentals of floating measurements and isolated input oscilloscopes, February 2005. Application note, online at http://info.tek.com/ www−fundamentals−of−floating−measurements−an d−isolated−input−oscilliscopes.html. [24] Michiel Verschueren. IEC Linky stack user manual v0.1 − draft. User manual, ON Semiconductor, Energy Management Software Engineering Team, 2015. [25] Michiel Verschueren. ON PL110 stack user manual v0.1 − draft. User manual, ON Semiconductor, Energy Management Software Engineering Team, 2015. [1] CUI inc. VSK 15 W − AC−DC power supply, January 2013. Online at http://www.cui.com/ product/resource/vsk-s15-series.pdf, accessed 2013−12−19. [2] Électricité réseau distribution France, ERDF. Linky PLC profile functional specification, September 2009. Online at http://www.erdfdistribution.fr/ medias/Linky/ERDF-CPT-Linky-SPEC-FONC-CPL .pdf, accessed 2014−02−20. [3] Future Technology Devices International (FTDI). An234 − FTDI drivers installation guide for Windows 7, October 2009. Online at http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/ AppNotes/AN_119_FTDI_Drivers_Installation_ Guide_for_Windows7.pdf, accessed 2013−11−15. [4] Future Technology Devices International (FTDI). An234 − FTDI drivers installation guide for Windows 8, February 2013. Online at http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/ AppNotes/AN_234_FTDI_Drivers_Installation_ Guide_for_Windows_8.pdf, accessed 2013−11−15. [5] Future Technology Devices International (FTDI). FTDI virtual com port drivers, June 2013. Online at http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm, accessed 2013−10−10. [6] IEC. Automatisation de la distribution à l’aide de systèmes de communication à courants porteurs − partie 4: Protocoles de communication de données − Section 32: Couche liaison de données − Contrôle de liaison logique (LLC), September 1996. [7] IEC. Automatisation de la distribution à l’aide de systèmes de communication à courants porteurs − Partie 5−1: Profils des couches basses, May 2001. [8] Mean Well. PM−10 series − 10 W output switching power supply, November 2012. Online at http://www.meanwell.com/search/PM−10/ PM−10−spec.pdf, accessed 2013−12−19. [9] Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft .NET framework 4.5 installer, September 2013. Online at http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/ downloads#d−net−45, accessed 2013−10−10. [10] ON Semiconductor. Getting started with the AMIS−49587 terminal application (application note AND9044/D), September 2011. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/ AND9044−D.PDF. [11] ON Semiconductor. NCN49599 evaluation kit (EVK) daughterboard (revision 2) schematics, December 2012. [12] ON Semiconductor. AMIS−49587 power line carrier modem datasheet, March 2013. Online at http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/ AMIS−49587−D.PDF. www.onsemi.com 22 onsemi, , and other names, marks, and brands are registered and/or common law trademarks of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC dba “onsemi” or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. onsemi owns the rights to a number of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property. A listing of onsemi’s product/patent coverage may be accessed at www.onsemi.com/site/pdf/Patent−Marking.pdf. onsemi is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. This literature is subject to all applicable copyright laws and is not for resale in any manner. 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