microHAM ARXC.MAG ARCO Smart Antenna Rotator Controller User Manual
- June 4, 2024
- microHAM
Table of Contents
ARXC.MAG ARCO Smart Antenna Rotator Controller
User Manual
ARXC.REL/ARXC.MAG/ARXC.LoRa
TRADEMARKS
All other products, company names, brand names, and trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
ARXC – GENERAL DESCRIPTION
ARXC modules are ARCO rotator controller accessories for expanded control
and extra functionality. Modules are built-in IP65 enclosures designed to
operate outside of the shack. ARCO supports up to four chained ARXC modules at
the same time. ARX accessories connect the D-SENSOR port on ARCO, using only 4
wires of cheap CAT5 cable. When an extra control cable is not a possible
option, ARCO can connect ARXC modules using pair of dedicated ARXC.LoRa
modules for wireless connection up to a couple of kilometers distance.
ARXC.REL
ARXC.REL is four (4) external relays module allowing to control of remote
antenna switches, polarization switches, mast preamplifiers, or anything that
is suitable to be controlled from the ARCO user interface, touch screen, or
VNC for Internet remote control. ARCO uses preset buttons for relay control
and relays can be optionally set as directional antenna control for 8-circle
or 4-square antennae showing direction on the great circle map.
ARXC.MAG
ARXC.MAG is a magnetic azimuth sensor. Mounted-on antenna boom reports
true antenna azimuth and can serve as a main azimuth sensor when an original
sensor in the rotator has malfunctioned and as a watchdog sensor to alert the
user that the antenna is no longer beaming to the calibrated azimuth, that may
happen if the antenna slips in bolt during high wind or storm.
ARXC.Lora
ARXC.Lora is a long-range communication transceiver module operating on the
ISM band converting bidirectional RS-485 communication used by ARCO and ARXC
modules to RF data and back.
ARXC – HARDWARE SETUP
Installation of ARXC consists of hardware and software parts. The mechanical
part of the setup is to insert rubber sealing into the slot in the module case
lid. Trim its length as necessary. Sealing might be installed by the factory,
in this case, skip to next.
ARXC.REL can be mounted anywhere with cable grommets facing down to avoid
water ingress. Although not necessary, it is advisable to mouth box in a place
to protect against rain, snow, or direct sunlight.
ARXC.Lora is good to mount in a place where the antenna is not close to metal
structures, best when the cable entry grommet is facing down and the module is
protected against rain, snow, or direct sunlight.
ARXC.The MAG sensor has to be mounted on the bottom side of the antenna boom
and fixed against slipping. For circular booms package includes alligator
clamps and zip-tight. Keep clamp screws and nuts in case you are removing
them, they are made of nickel-plated brass, steel screws would influence
magnetic sensor functionality.
Before proceeding to software setup it is necessary to set the ARXC module
address (only on ARXC.REL) and connect it to ARCO.
ARXC.REL addressing
To recognize and properly control
particular ARXC.REL module, each module needs to have a unique address. The
address is set by a combination of two DIP switches according to the drawing
on the PC board next to the DIP switch. It is possible to set up 4 different
addresses: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each ARXC.REL module has then its own setup in the
ARCO System menu on respective tabs ARXC 1 – ARXC 4. ARXC.MAG has its address
set internally and ARXC. Lora has no address.
ARXC wiring
In order to control the ARXC module, it must be connected to ARCO first. On
ARCO, the connection port is located at the D-SENSOR connector. The
communication layer is RS-485 requiring twisted pair of wires connected to
port Z (ZA and ZB pins) and two additional wires for module power. 12VDC power
is provided by ARCO at the D-SENSOR port on +12V and GND pins.
If the control cable between ARCO and ARXC module; or between different ARXC
modules for any reason cannot be installed, communication can be established
by RF link using ARXC.Lora module. In this case, an external 12V supply must
be provided on the ARXC side of the RF link.
Each ARXC module has a 4-pole terminal for connecting wires of the
communication cable. ZA and ZB poles serve for communication wires, and +12V
and GND poles serve for power. On ARXC.REL there are two sets of terminals for
simpler daisy-chain connection to additional modules. Both terminals are
connected in parallel, it is not important which one is used if you are
connecting a single module.
We recommend using cheap CAT5 or CAT6 cable. In case of a longer connection
(hundreds of meters), terminate both ends of the communication line with a
150-ohm resistor connected between ZA and ZB poles. Use unused wires in
parallel for each power pole connection to minimize power drop, especially if
you use power leads also for powering other devices like preamplifiers,
antenna switches, or similar devices. For proper ARXC module functionality
voltage at its power terminal should be at least 7V. Maximal consumption
(including powered device) is 500mA limited internally by ARCO. It is ample
power for ARXC devices alone, but if provided power reserve is not enough for
powering controlled devices, use D-SENSOR output only for ARXC modules and
power controlled devices using a separate power supply.
For controlling external devices,
ARXC.REL provides one SPDT contact per relay, allowing it to connect and
implement any kind of switching requirement. Contacts are located at a
pluggable terminal for simpler assembly. Each energized relay is indicated by
an LED indicator and each relay can be manually energized by a related
pushbutton to help with in-field troubleshooting.
| 
---|---
| 
ARXC – SOFTWARE SETUP
After wiring, it is necessary to make a software setup of ARXC modules in the
ARCO menu system. ARXC.LoRa modules have no software setup, they are set to
operate together in the factory. ARXC.MAG and ARXC.REL requires a specific
setup to let ARCO know how to use each module.
ARXC.MAG Settings
Menu->System->ARXC.MAG window serves for magnetic sensor settings.
ENABLE: Enables or disables ARCO communication with ARXC.MAG sensor.
STATUS: This shows the current status of ARXC.MAG sensor
-
WAITING SENSOR RESPONSE = Sensor does not communicate to ARCO.
-
INIT = Temporary state during initialization and data transfer.
-
TURN LIMIT-TO-LIMIT = Sensor is waiting for a full rotator turn.
Turn the rotator 360˚ using CW/CCW buttons. -
ACTIVE = Sensor uses captured data.
-
SENSOR POINTS = Sensor is in user, absolute azimuth calibration state.
RESUME/FINISH LEARNING: When ARXC.MAG is not ARCO’s main azimuth sensor,
the button switches between “collecting” and “using” magnetic data to
determine azimuth. While learning, magnetic data are continuously sampled and
ARCO improves the magnetic curve of the sensor.
ARXC.MAG AZI: Shows azimuth determined by ARXC.MAG sensor
SLIP CONTROL: Enables or disables background checking if the azimuth of
the main sensor on the rotator matches the azimuth determined by ARXC.MAG
sensor within +/- tolerance set next.
ACCEPTED SLIP: Let the user knows the angle of antenna slippage. The
angle should be used as “offset” for antenna #2 or #3 for temporary use until
antenna slippage is fixed. The angle can be manually reset when slippage is
fixed and the antenna is back in its original position.
XYZ: Shows raw magnetic data from the sensor. During rotator movement,
ARCO draws graphical magnetic data used for azimuth computing. Deviations from
circles visualize strong magnetic interference in a given direction.
TEMPERATURE: Shows temperature of ARXC.MAG sensor.
The Menu->System->ARXC.MAG window behaves similarly as
Menu->Heading->Calibration, i.e. when buttons Left or Right are pressed, the
rotator motor starts to turn in a given direction with no ramps, using speed
set as CALIB SPEED in Menu->Heading->Calibration.
In this window, the ARXC.MAG sensor is continuously polled, unlike during
normal operation, when it is polled only when the motor supply is turned on.
Please note, that status transitions described in the following might take
some time to be reflected on the Menu->System->ARXC.MAG window. So, after any
parameter change/click, please allow a few seconds for the displayed values to
refresh.
Using ARXC.MAG Sensor
Initial Setup
Prerequisite:
ARCO is calibrated using the original primary sensor.
- ENABLE Sensor
– Sensor changes STATUS from DISABLED to TURN LIMIT-TO-LIMIT by touching ENABLE box. If the Status did not change to TURN LIMIT-TO-LIMIT, check the prerequisite.
– Turn the rotator from one limit to the other, not necessarily in this window, you can do it in any other way. This sets the baseline ARXC.MAG calibration and changes Status from TURN LIMIT-TO-LIMIT to LEARNING, and azimuth from ARXC.MAG is displayed as ARXC.MAG AZI.
In the “Learning” state, when the rotator is turning, ARXC.MAG calibration is
continuously improved based on the primary sensor’s readings. By clicking
FINISH LEARNING, the Status changes to ACTIVE, and SLIP CONTROL can be
enabled. It is possible to switch from ACTIVE to LEARNING mode by clicking on
the RESUME LEARNING button.
Note, that disabling ARXC.MAG at this point deletes the ARXC.MAG
calibration. After transitioning to an ACTIVE state, it is recommended to
store ARCO configuration in one of the stored configuration slots in
Menu->System->System->Config SAVE.
Slip Control
Prerequisite:
ARXC.MAG is in an ACTIVE state.
- ENABLE Slip Control
- Set tolerance between primary sensor azimuth and ARXC.MAG AZI
- When ARCO detects antenna slippage, the user is warned that the antenna slipped. Until slippage is fixed the main screen shows a “SLIPPED” sign.
- The user has to confirm the new antenna azimuth by a visual check.
- The value of the slipped angle is internally used to automatically compensate software stop limit in the slip direction in order to prevent feedline damage.
- Slipped angle is shown on System → ARXC.MAG tab. If ARXC.MAG sensor is not used as the main azimuth sensor, the user is advised to create antenna #2 or #3 with offset of slipped angle to work with true antenna azimuth.
- Slip Control automatically updates the value of slipped angle if another slippage happens.
- Slip Control is reset automatically after fixing slippage on the antenna and performing new main sensor calibration.
- Slip Control can be reset manually at ARXC.MAG tab after fixing slippage and returning the antenna to its calibrated position.
Switching sensor from rotator’s primary sensor to ARXC.MAG
Choice when ARCO was calibrated with the original rotator’s sensor but the
sensor suddenly failed.
Prerequisite:
ARXC.MAG is in an ACTIVE state.
- In Menu->Rotator->Settings change Sensor from the primary to ARXC.MAG.
ARXC.MAG calibration is automatically used and ARXC.MAG becomes the primary sensor for all rotator operations.
Note, that at this point, the original primary sensor’s calibration is
lost, and after restoring the original sensor as the primary sensor in
Menu->Rotator->Settings->Sensor, new calibration of this sensor is required.
If there is a stored configuration from previous steps, loading it through
Menu->System-> System->Config LOAD restores the setup from that point,
including the original sensor’s calibration, as expected.
ARXC.MAG as the sole azimuth sensor
The choice for rotators without azimuth sensors.
Prerequisite:
ARXC.MAG is selected as the primary sensor in Menu->Rotator->Settings.
- In Menu->System->ARXC.MAG set ENABLE box. Status changes from DISABLED to SENSOR POINTS. It is possible that an interim INIT state is displayed for a few seconds, it is normal. If the Status did not change to SENSOR POINTS, check the prerequisite.
- Now in Menu->Heading->Calibration, turn the rotator to at least 4 evenly spaced points by 90˚ (i.e. North, South, East, West), and enter azimuth for these calibration points using the CUSTOM button. You can add calibration points more densely than that.
- After all Calibration Points have been entered press the FINISH button. Move to the center of rotator rotation and enter its azimuth, to finalize the calibration.
If the rotator has limit switches and they are enabled in
Menu->Rotator->Settings, in Menu->Heading->Calibration an AUTO button is
displayed. By pressing an AUTO button, the motor will automatically move first
to the CCW limit switch, and then while moving to the CW limit switch it will
gather calibration points, assuming that the rotator moves with a constant
angular speed during the whole path between the limit switches. Finally, the
rotator moves into the estimated mid-position. Here, adjust the position of
the rotator to the precise center of rotator rotation and enter its azimuth.
This finalizes the calibration assuming that the angular distance between
limit switches is exactly the TOTAL ROTATION parameter.
As usual, after calibration it is recommended to store the current ARCO state
in one of the Menu->System->System->Config SAVE slots.
Please note, once ARXC.MAG becomes the primary sensor, ARXC.MAG cannot be
disabled and slip is checked on power up and wake up from sleep.
Hardware status
To signal the basic functionality of ARXC.MAG, LED inside module indicates the
polarity of the X component of uncalibrated measurement of the magnetic
vector. In other words, LED is on, if the general direction of the terminal
block of ARXC.MAG is towards the North.
Besides that, LED indicates also the presence or absence of communication from
ARCO: if ARCO communicates with ARXC.MAG (i.e. during rotation, or in the
Menu->System->ARXC.MAG screen, or in Menu->Heading->Calibration screen if
ARXC.MAG is selected as the primary sensor), LED blinks once a second,
otherwise, it blinks once in 5 seconds.
ARXC.REL Settings and Use
Relay outputs of ARXC.REL can be configured for different behavior (Types) and
these types can be combined together.
There are three categories of ARXC Types:
- BCD-N
- 1-of-N
- TOGGLE 1-4
Both BCD-N and 1-of-N consist of a group of the first N relays (where N = 2, 3
or 4), where changing state of relays obeys certain rules; the rest of the
relays in given ARXC are free to be set/cleared/toggled individually. Both
BCD-N and 1-of-N can also optionally represent azimuths; in that case, they
can be used as an Antenna in Menu→Heading, and subsequently be controlled
using the same methods (local, remote) that are used to control the physical
rotator.
In TOGGLE 1-4 type, all 4 relays are controlled freely.
In BCD-N , the state of relays within the group represents a binary
number, relay 1 represents the least-significant bit, and relay N is the most-
significant bit in that number. Presets targeting the BCD-N group can set the
group to a particular number or can increment or decrement the number
corresponding to the BCD-N group. However, individual relays can still be
controlled freely in the ARXC Control window, as well as in Menu→System→ARXCx.
In 1-of-N , there is always exactly one relay switched on. This rule is
enforced even when controlling relays in the ARXC Control window and in
Menu→System→ARXCx. Individual relays can be assigned to Presets, however, when
this Preset is clicked, this relay of the group will be switched on and all
other relays of the group will be switched off. Presets “moving” the active
relay forward and backward within the group, circularly, are available, too.
When one of the Types is selected, the menu window displays multiple items,
depending on the particular Type selected.
In the default configuration, all 4 ARXC are set as “NOT CONNECTED”, and ARCO
behaves as in older versions without ARXC, namely in Menu→Heading and in
Presets setup.
The first step of setting up ARXC, in Menu→System→ARXCx for the given ARXC, is
to select Type.
When changing from one Type to a different one, several related configuration
parameters are reset to default e.g. individual ARXC relays and group names;
if this ARXC’s group was selected as Antenna, this selection is reverted to
default antenna (i.e. corresponding to the physical rotator with given offset
and other attributes, as it was in older versions); and all Presets targeting
this ARXC will be changed to plain AZI presets. To avoid inadvertent loss of
these parameters, changing ARXC Type is subject to confirmation.
TOGGLE 1-4 Type
TOGGLE 1-4 is the simplest Type, and items in its menu are present also in
menus for other Types.
A – this is a “live” visualization of the current state of individual
relays; relays’ state can be toggled by clicking on the individual “buttons”
or their names. If given ARXC is not present on the bus, this field is greyed
out, although the relays state can still be toggled and upon connecting the
ARXC, relays will be switched accordingly.
B – each relay has an editable name, this is then used as a reference in
Presets, etc.
C – this is a live indication of ARXC internal temperature.
BCD-N Type
For the BCD-N type, the menu window is slightly different:
A – the BCD-N group has an
editable name, again used as reference to this group.
B – one of applications of BCD-N group is the control of Four Square-type
of antenna arrays, so if azimuth control is enabled for BCD-N, the primary
direction corresponding to number = 0 is North. The primary direction of
subsequent values increases clockwise, by 90º for BCD-2, by 45º for BCD-3, and
by 22.5º for BCD-4.
C – the frame around individual relay status “buttons” indicates their
grouping.
D – relays within the group don’t have individual names, only the unused
free relay has its own name (consequently, if BCD-4 type is selected, there is
no NAME row at all).
1-of-N Type
The menu window for 1-of-N is similar:
According to the switching rule for the 1-of-N group, when 1-of-N is selected
in Menu→System→ARXCx, the first relay is automatically switched on. Contrary
to BCD-N, individual relays in the 1-of-N group do have individual names, as
they can be used for individual Presets.
When azimuth control is enabled for 1-of-N by ticking the ENABLE AZIMUTH
CONTROL tickbox, its menu slightly changes:
Individual relays in the 1-of-N group can be assigned individual azimuths,
which represent the primary direction for the state when the corresponding
relay is switched on.
There is no requirement on particular values of the azimuth, their order, or
span.
In Menu→Heading, if any of ARXC is set to a group with azimuth control
enabled, headers to columns corresponding to ANTENNA #2 and ANTENNA #3 are not
static labels anymore, but they are pull-down menus. When opened, ANTENNA #x
is always the first option, followed by the names of those ARXC groups, which
have azimuth control enabled. In the following screenshot, for ANTENNA #2 an
ARXC group with the name 1OF3@1 is selected; for ANTENNA #3 the pull-down is
opened and displays the list of available options:
If the ARXC group is selected instead of ANTENNA #x, its name is given by the
name of this group set in its respective Menu→System→ARXCx, and it cannot be
changed in this menu. All other settings apply in the same way as for normal
ANTENNA #x, i.e. ENABLE determines presence in the main screen’s selection,
OFFSET is added to the primary direction corresponding to state of relays
within the group, BIDIR is observed both for display and control, LINK
determines presence in the selection within the LINK group (either locally or
through LAN).
BEAMWIDTH influences only display; azimuth control input is always decoded
into the group state which has the closest primary direction, taking into
account both OFFSET and BIDIR. ARXC group is azimuth-controlled only if this
group is selected as the current Antenna on the main screen.
Non-azimuthal ARXC features can be controlled from the main screen through
extended Presets. To preserve the previous behavior, there is a common set of
Presets, which is by default assigned to all three Antennas. However, as soon
as at least one ARXC is present, each antenna can be optionally assigned its
own individual set of presets. When a Preset is held pressed for more than a
second, the usual control for setting azimuth appears, but it contains a new
“ARXC” button.
Pressing this button, a new window for setting Preset opens:
A – this tickbox determines, whether a given Antenna has assigned an
individual set of Presets, or, if unticked, uses the common set of Presets.
Consequently, in this window, the individual or the common set of Presets is
edited.
B – exit from this window, without changing the given Preset. All other
buttons in this window represent possible options, to which the given Preset
can be set. The currently set option is indicated by green background color.
C – this option opens the ARXC CONTROL window, described below.
D – these options are present only for ARXC which are of BCD-N or 1-of-N
type and advance forward or backward within the values represented by the
group.
E – these options switch individual relays within a 1-of-N group. F –
this option allows switching to a particular value of the BCD-N group (this
option is currently chosen, that’s why it’s highlighted in by green
background). It opens an additional window to choose this value. G – this
is the option available for free relays. It opens an additional window,
allowing one to choose the action for the given relay.
One of the options for Preset is the ARXC CONTROL window. In this window, all
ARXC outputs can be observed and controlled from one place.
The indication and control are similar to that in Menu→System→ARXCx, except for the visual style (buttons instead of the “radio buttons”), and the different handling of BCD-N groups. The ARXC CONTROL window contains “forward/backward” buttons instead of individual relay control, and in between them, the current value, or, if azimuth control is enabled for a given group, the current primary direction is displayed.
microHAM s.r.o.
Maticna 28
92401 Galanta
Slovakia
www.microham.com
microHAM © 2022 All rights reserved
Documents / Resources
|
microHAM ARXC.MAG ARCO Smart Antenna Rotator
Controller
[pdf] User Manual
ARXC.REL, ARXC.MAG, ARXC.LoRa, ARXC.MAG ARCO Smart Antenna Rotator Controller,
ARXC.MAG, ARCO Smart Antenna Rotator Controller, Antenna Rotator Controller,
Rotator Controller, Controller
---|---
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>