TANDD RTR500BC Wireless Base Station User Guide

TANDD RTR500BC Wireless Base Station

Wireless Base Station

RTR500BC Getting Started Guide

Thank you for purchasing our product. The RTR500BC can be used either as a Base Unit or a Repeater. If you are going to use this product as a Repeater there is no need to install the software RTR500BC for Windows for this product. Please see section “Using as a Repeater” on the back side of the printed version of this guide.

What can the RTR500BC do?

Using as a Base Unit

Using as a Repeater
The wireless communication range can be easily expanded by placing a Repeater in between the Base Unit and a Remote Unit. When using as a Repeater, please use the optional AC adaptor or two AA batteries to supply constant power.

Product Specifications

Product Specifications

Compatible Devices| Remote Units: RTR501B / 502B / 503B / 505B / 507B

RTR-501 / 502 / 503 / 507S / 574 / 576 / 505-TC / 505-Pt / 505-V / 505-mA / 505-P

(Including L Type and S Type) RTR-601-110 / 130 / E10 / E30 (*1)

Repeaters: RTR500BC / RTR-500

Maximum Number of Registrations| Remote Units: 32 units (*2) x 20 groups Repeaters: 30 units x 20 groups
Communication Interfaces| Short Range Wireless Communication Frequency Range: 902 to 928MHz RF Power: 7 mW

Transmission Range: About 150 meters (500 ft) if unobstructed and direct Bluetooth 4.2 (Bluetooth Low Energy) (*3)

USB 2.0 (Mini-B connector) Optical Communication

Serial Communication (RS-232C) (*4)

Communication Time| Data Download Time (for 16,000 readings)

Via wireless communication: About 2 min. 20 sec

The same amount of time should be added for each Repeater.

Communication Protocol (5)| SMTP (POP before SMTP, SMTP-AUTH <LOGIN / PLAIN / CRAM-MD5>, SMTP over SSL/TLS, STARTTLS), FTP
Power| USB Bus Power, AA Alkaline Battery LR6 x 2, AC Adaptor AD-06A1 (6)
Battery Life (7)| As a Repeater: About 6 months (When downloading one data logger at full data once a day with one Repeater)
Dimensions| H 96 mm x W 65 mm x D 25 mm (excluding antenna)
Weight| Approx. 65 g
Operating Envi- ronment| Temperature: -10 to 60 °C (-30 to 60 °C with external power connected) Humidity: 90%RH or less (no condensation)
Software| RTR500BC for Windows, T &D Graph
Compatible OS (8)| Microsoft Windows 10 32 / 64bit

Microsoft Windows 8 32 / 64bit

Microsoft Windows 7 32 / 64 bit (SP1 or later)

Other| RTR500BC for Windows

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is required

1. Customers wishing to use the RTR500BC as a Base Unit in conjunction with the RTR-601 series devices, please contact your local distributor for the communications protocol specifications to write your own software.
2. For RTR-574 and RTR-576, registration of one unit will be counted as two units.
3. Bluetooth is available when using the RTR500BW as a Base Unit and making device settings in the mobile app (T&D 500B Utility).
4. Customers wishing to write their own software, please contact your local distributor for the serial communications protocol specifications. (Note: Optional serial communication cable TR-07C is also required.)
5. The protocol is implemented in the software RTR500BC for Windows.
6. When using a USB connection, the RTR500BC requires neither batteries nor AC adaptor. Please prepare two AA batteries or an AC adaptor when using the RTR500BC as a Repeater.
7. Battery life varies depending upon the ambient temperature, radio environment, frequency of communication, and quality of the battery being used. All estimates are based on operations carried out with a new battery and are in no way a guarantee of actual battery life.
8. For installation, it is necessary to have Administrator (Computer Administrator) rights. The specifications listed above are subject to change without notice.

Terms used in this Guide

Base Unit| RTR500BC / RTR500BW

RTR-500 / RTR-500MBS-A / RTR-500NW / RTR-500AW / RTR-500DC

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Remote Unit| RTR501B / 502B / 503B / 505B / 507B

RTR-501 / 502/ 503 / 505/ 507S / 574 / 576

Repeater| RTR500BC / RTR500 (when used as a Repeater)
Current Readings| The most recent measurements recorded by a Remote Unit
Recorded Data| Measurements stored in the Remote Unit

Package Contents

Before using this product, please confirm that all of the contents are included.

Part Names 

1. Antenna
2. USB Port
3. LED*
4. LCD Display
5. Optical Communication Port
6. Battery Cover
7. RS-232C Communication Port
8. AC Adaptor Jack

The appearance of the lamp in the LED changes to show the current status of the product.

LCD Display

• Unit Status
  BAS: Operating as a Base Unit
  RPT: Operating as a Repeater
  The display will change every 2 seconds in the following pattern: [RPT] [User set name (when an RTR500BW is being used as Base)] [Repeater No.]

• Will blink when either Wireless Communication or Bluetooth Communication is in progress.

• Will appear when displaying the name that was set by the user at the time of registration as a Repeater.

• Will appear when displaying the Repeater Number.

• Will appear when setting the Bluetooth passcode.

• Will appear while connected to an external power source, such as an AC Adaptor or USB.

• BLINKING : Will blink when battery power is becoming low.
  Lamp ON: This appears when the battery level is too low to operate.

Installing the Software

Download RTR500BC for Windows and T&D Graph from the T&D Web-site and install them to your PC. * Do not connect the Base Unit to your computer until the software has been installed.
tandd.com/software/rtr500bcforwin.html tandd.com/software/td_graph.html 

Software Settings

1. Open the RTR500BC for Windows, and then open RTR500BC Settings Utility. 
2. In the [Base Unit Settings] window, assign a unique name for each Base Unit.
3. Check and make any necessary changes to settings in the [Monitor-ing / Warning Settings] and [Auto-Download Settings] windows.

The default settings are as follows:

• Monitoring: ON, Monitoring Interval: 10 min.
• Auto-download: ON, everyday at 9:00 a.m.
• Warning Monitoring : OFF

Registering a Remote Unit

1. Connect the RTR500BC with the supplied USB cable to your computer.
2. Have the target data logger on hand and in the [Remote Unit Settings] window click on the [Register] button.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions and connect the Remote Unit to the RTR500BC.
   Upon recognition of the logger the [Remote Unit Registration] window will appear.

RTR501B / 502B / 503B / 505B / 507B
Place a Remote Unit face down on the RTR500BC. Make sure the optical communication area faces down and is aligned with the optical communication area of the Base Unit. 
RTR-574 / 576
For RTR574/576 units, connect directly to PC with a USB cable 

Enter the following information, and click [Register].
Upon Remote Unit Registration, changes in Recording Interval, and the starting of a new recording, all recorded data stored in the Remote Unit will be deleted.

Group Name| Enter a name for each Group to make it identifiable depending on

which frequency channel it is using.

If you wish to register a logger to an already registered Group, select the name of the target Group.

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Remote Unit Name| Assign a unique name for each Remote Unit.
Communication Frequency Channel*| Select a frequency channel for wireless communication between the Base Unit and Remote Units.

When installing multiple Base Units, make sure to select channels that are far apart in order to prevent interference of wireless commu- nication between the Base Units.

One-Time mode

Endless mode

| Upon reaching logging capacity, recording will automatically stop.

Upon reaching logging capacity, the oldest data will be overwritten and recording will continue.

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Recording Interval| Select the desired interval.
Warning Monitoring| To carry out Warning Monitoring, select ON. Settings can be made in each Remote Unit for “Upper Limit” or “Lower Limit” and for “Judg- ment Time”.
Downloading| To carry out Auto-downloading of Recorded Data, select ON.
Channels for Alternating Display| Here you can select the measurement items you wish displayed in the RTR-574 LCD when the unit is using “Alternating Display” as the display mode.
Button Lock| To lock the operation buttons on RTR-574/576 units, select ON. Only the button will be functional for Remote Units when the button lock has been set to ON.

• This setting can only be made when creating a New Group. Once a Registration has been made, changes cannot be made. If you wish to make changes to the communication frequency channel, you must re-register the Repeater into a New Group.

Below are some examples of recording intervals and maximum recording times.
RTR501B / 502B / 505B (Logging Capacity: 16,000 readings)
EX: Recording Interval of 10 seconds x data readings of 16,000 = 160,000 minutes or about 111 days.
RTR503B / 507B / RTR-574 / 576 (Logging Capacity: 8,000 readings)
EX: Recording Interval of 10 seconds x data readings of 8,000 = 80,000 minutes or about 55.5 days.

Upon completion of Remote Unit Registration, the logger will automatically start recording. If you wish to register other Remote Units, repeat procedures from 1.

Installing the Device

1. Place the device in the measurement location. The wireless communication range, if unobstructed and direct, is about 150 meters (500ft.).
2. In the Settings window, open [Wireless Route Settings]-[Test Signal Strength]. 
3. Click [Start] to begin the signal check. When completed, click [Close]. The result will appear.

• Please refer to section [Notes and Precautions for Installing Wireless Communication Devices] under [Please Read First]
• By using a Repeater, it is possible to bypass obstacles and extend the wireless communication range. For details, please see on the back of the printed version of this document.

Monitoring Current Readings

When the RTR500BC Data Viewer is running or is open in the Quick Start menu, current readings (latest recorded values) are automatically obtained, and can be checked at any time.
Default Setting Monitoring Interval: 10 min.

1. Open RTR500BC for Windows, and then open RTR500BC Data Viewer.
2. Click [View] – [Monitor Current Readings]
3. The current readings of the selected device will appear in the [Current Readings Monitor] window. 

Downloading Recorded Data

When the RTR500BC Data Viewer is running or is open in the Quick Start menu, recorded data will be automatically downloaded and saved to the specified location.
Make sure that the RTR500BC Data Viewer is running at the time when data is set to be auto-downloaded.

Default Settings
Auto-Download Schedule: Every day at 9 a.m.
Saving Location: In Documents Folder (Documents\TandD Corp\RTR500BC for Windows\data)

To download data manually, please follow the directions below.

1. Open RTR500BC for Windows.
2. Click on the target Remote Unit to select it.
   • It is possible to select multiple Remote Units by holding down the key or key and clicking on the Remote Units from which you wish to download.
3. In the [Communication] Menu, select [Download Data (Wireless)].
4. Click the [Save As…] button and after specifying the saving location and name click the [Download] button. 

Viewing and Analyzing Recorded Data

Viewing Recorded Data

1. Open RTR500BC for Windows, and then open T&D Graph.

2. Click on [Open with Search] in the [File] menu and after selecting the search conditions, such as folder name or time period, click the [Search] button.
   Open files by double-clicking directly on a recorded data file or drag and drop a file into the graph display area.

3. A list of data that matches the search criteria will appear. By double clicking on the desired data file, T&D Graph will open and display the selected data in a graph.
   If you wish to view multiple files at once, use the Ctr key or Shift key to select multiple files and select [Open] from the right click menu.

Analyzing Recorded Data
There are many features available to help analyze data; such as viewing and saving by time period, inserting comments, shapes and memos in graph area, creating graphs for daily changes in average, viewing averages between A and B, viewing cumulative values, and so on. For details, see the T&D Graph Help.

Printing Recorded Data

1. Open the recorded data, and make any desired adjustments to the graph enlargement, position and aspect ratio to be reflected in the printed graph.
2. By clicking on the [Print Graph] icon or selecting [Print Graph] in the [File] Menu, the Print Preview window will appear.
3. Using the Print Preview Toolbar, make settings for the paper orientation, margin, items to be printed, etc. The graph title, items to be printed, and margin can be set in [Page Setup].
4. Click the [Print] button.

Utilizing the Cloud
With RTR500BC Data Viewer, it is possible to automatically transfer downloaded data to our free cloud server “T&D WebStorage Service”. The transferred data can then be viewed on any smartphone or PC browser, making it possible to check data from anywhere and anytime. For settings details, please see the RTR500B Series Help. 

The wireless communication range can be extended by placing a Repeater in between a Base Unit and a Remote Unit.

Getting Ready

Before registering a unit as a Repeater, please refer to the Getting Started Guide for your Base Unit and complete both the settings for the Base Unit and Remote Unit Registration. When using an RTR500BW as a Base Unit, Repeater Registration can be done via LAN or Bluetooth Communication, as well as, via the cloud. If you wish to carry out registration via Bluetooth or the cloud, use the smartphone app “T&D 500B Utility”. For details, please see RTR500B Series Help.

Registering a Repeater

Do not connect more than one RTR500BC to your computer at one time.

If the Base Unit is an RTR500BC

1. Open RTR500BC Settings Utility.
2. Disconnect the RTR500BC that is being used as the Base Unit from your PC. 

After Repeater registration has been completed make sure to reconnect the RTR500BC Base Unit.

If the Base Unit is not an RTR500BC

1. Open the appropriate Settings Utility.
   • RTR500BW Settings Utility
   • RTR-500MBS Settings Utility
   • RTR-500DC Settings Utility
2. Connect the Base Unit with the supplied USB cable to your computer. 
3. Select the [Repeater Settings] Menu and click the [Registration] button. The following explanation is for the “RTR500BC for Windows” screen as shown below. Please use only as a reference when using a different Base Unit Settings Utility.
4. When the [Repeater Settings] window appears, connect the RTR500BC you wish to register as a Repeater to your PC with the supplied USB cable.
5. After the USB driver installation is completed, the [Repeater Registration] screen will appear. Enter the following information, and click [Register].
   Group Name| Specify the Group in which the Remote Units are registered that you wish to add a Repeater to their route.
   ---|---
   Repeater Name| When using Bluetooth Communication assign a unique name to distinguish the Repeater.
   LCD Display| You can assign up to three alphabet or numbers to be displayed in the unit’s LCD display.
   Bluetooth| To use the Bluetooth communication function, select “ON”.
   Bluetooth Passcode| Assign an arbitrary number with up to 8 digits to be used for Bluetooth communication.

If the screen does not change after connecting the Repeater:
The USB driver installation may not have been installed correctly. Please see [Help for Unit Recognition Failure] in the software launcher for your software and check the USB driver.

6. Disconnect the RTR500BC that was registered as a Repeater from your PC.

When an RTR500BC is being used as Base Unit, reconnect the device (Base Unit) to your PC that has [BAS] displayed in its LCD.

Making Wireless Route Settings

When using an RTR500BW as a Base Unit, this can be omitted because it has a feature to automatically detect and communicate using the optimal route.

1. In the [Wireless Route Settings] window, select the Group Name for which you wish to make settings. 
2. The wireless route can be changed by dragging and dropping the Remote Unit and Repeater icons. 
3. Click [Apply] to apply the settings

Installing the Device

1. Prepare a power supply for the Repeater. Use an AC adaptor (optional product AD-06A1) or two AA alkaline batteries.
2. When using batteries estimated usage time is 6 months if wireless communication is carried out for 5 minutes every day.
   • Battery life varies depending upon the type of battery, the battery performance, the measuring environment, and the frequency of use.
3. Deploy the Repeater in between the Base Unit and the target Remote Unit(s). 
4. Open [Wireless Route Settings] and click [Test Signal Strength].
5. Click [Start] to begin the signal check. When completed, click [Close]. The result will appear.

How to Read Signal Strength Results

Documents / Resources

| TANDD RTR500BC Wireless Base Station [pdf] User Guide
10100, SRD10100, RTR500BC, Wireless Base Station, RTR500BC Wireless Base Station
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References

• Data Management Solutions | T&D Corporation
• T&D Graph | Software/Apps | T&D Corporation

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