Simcenter Testing Solutions Quick Start Guide to SCADAS RS Hardware
2024-05-14T21:34:44.000-0400
Simcenter SCADAS
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| Attachments: | Simcenter_SCADAS_RS_QuickStartGuide.pdf (413 KB) |
Direct YouTube link: https://youtu.be/OJ9Mc7cMgb0
This article explains how to get started with Simcenter SCADAS RS hardware.
Items covered include how to connect and power up the SCADAS RS hardware, connect to the onboard Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App, and how to connect to a PC to use with Simcenter Testlab Neo.
Contents:
1. Connect and Power Up
2. Wireless Connection
3. Wired Connection
4. Simcenter Testlab Neo
5. Changing Password, Network Name, and IP Address
1. Connect and Power Up
Simcenter SCADAS RS hardware consists of different hardware modules. They can be connected to each other by snapping the bottom of one unit to the top of another unit as shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Typical minimum configuration of a SCADAS RS consists of three modules: Power (UPS), Recorder (REC) and conditioning (B24/S24/U12/TC20).
A typical configuration for a SCADAS RS consists of at least three hardware units:
- UPS: A power supply unit
- REC: The main brains or recorder unit
- U12/B24/S24/TC20: A signal conditioning unit
If using with a wall outlet, only one SCADAS RS module will be plugged into power – the UPS unit shown in Figure 2.
Figure 3: The SCADAS RS UPS module provides power for the entire SCADAS RS system.
The power module will be connected in turn to the other SCADAS RS modules. The UPS module provides power to them. Every SCADAS RS module has an IN an OUT for power on its right hand side when facing the module. The lower connector outputs power while the upper connector takes power in. See Figure 4.
Figure 4: All SCADAS RS modules have a power/data in and out port on their right hand side. The output of the UPS power module (top) is connected to the power input of the REC module (middle) to power it. In turn, the output of the REC module is connected to the power/data input of the conditioning module (bottom).
Using the single power button on the UPS module, all attached SCADAS RS units can be powered up.
The cable also transfers data in addition to power. All data is synchronized and transferred to the SCADAS RS REC module where it is stored in a single file.
Multiple signal conditioning units (B24, S24, U12, TC20, etc) can be used with a single UPS and REC. More information about SCADAS RS conditioning units and modules in the knowledge article: Simcenter SCADAS RS for Testing in Harsh Environments.
2. Wireless Connection
The Simcenter SCADAS RS has an embedded application called the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App. It can be run via a browser on any wireless devices as shown in Figure 5:
Figure 5: Data can be acquired and viewed on the SCADAS RS using a web browser from any wireless device.
The SCADAS RS REC module has a built-in Wi-Fi network. To connect wirelessly to the unit, attached both Wi-Fi antennas to the REC unit in the ports indicated in Figure 6:
Figure 6: The SCADAS RS comes with two Wi-Fi antennas (right) that attach to two ports on the REC module (left).
When the SCADAS RS is powered on and both antennas are present, any wireless enabled device will see a SCADAS RS-2G wireless network. Like most Wi-Fi, connections are possible up to 150 feet or about 34 meters away.
After connecting to SCADAS RS wireless network (password SCADAS-RS), use a web browser to navigate to the IP address of the REC (default: 100.123.10.1). When possible, the Chrome browser.
*** Note: The default password and network name can be changed to help secure the data acquisition system. See upcoming section for instructions on how to do so. ***
If this is the first time connecting, a login and password for the device must be entered (this is in addition to the wireless network connection with password) as shown in Figure 7:
Figure 7: Username and password prompt for the SCADAS RS Recorder App.
The default login and password are:
- User: USER or ADMIN
- Password: “SCADAS-RS”
After logging in, the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App appears as shown in Figure 8:
Figure 8: Simcenter SCADAS Recorder App (left) for SCADAS RS hardware (right).
More about using the SCADAS RS Recorder App in the knowledge article: Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App.
3. Wired Connection
It is also possible to connect to the SCADAS RS with a hard wired ethernet connection. An example using a PC is shown in Figure 9:
Figure 9: Example of a wired ethernet connection between PC and SCADAS RS.
Both the embedded SCADAS RS Recorder App or Simcenter Testlab Neo can be used with the SCADAS RS hardware in a hardwired configuration.
To use a wired connection, attach the ethernet cable to the “1Gbe” port on the SCADAS RS REC unit as shown in Figure 10:
Figure 10: The SCADAS RS ethernet cable (left) has a regular CAT 5 connection on one end and a ruggedized connector on the other. The ruggedized connector is plugged in the “1GbE” port (second from the left on the bottom row) of the REC unit.
The SCADAS RS will be set with either a dynamically allocated IP address or a fixed IP address.
For a dynamically allocated IP address (see guide attached to this article for more information):
- In Windows Explorer on the host PC, go to “Network settings -> Ethernet”
- See the network adapters. The adapter’s status should be ‘Unidentified network’.
- Select the adapter and open its properties
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list and go to Properties
- Set “Obtain an IP address automatically” and click OK.
For a fixed IP address configuration (see Figure 11):
- In Windows Explorer on the host PC, go to “Network settings -> Ethernet”
- Select the adapter and open its properties
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list and go to Properties
- Set to manual, IP Address 192.168.2.1
Figure 11: Windows PC network adaptor settings for communicating with SCADAS RS in fixed IP address mode.
On the host PC, open a browser and enter “192.168.2.172” in the menu bar. The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App will appear (login may be needed) as shown in Figure 12:
Figure 12: Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App main menu.
The SCADAS RS Recorder App is used to:
- Setup analog data acquisition channels (including name, power supply, etc)
- Setup digital channels including CAN bus and digital IO
- Calibrate transducers
- Record data including defining triggers to automatically start and stop the measurement
- View time history data
- Download data to a local PC for further processing
More about using the SCADAS RS Recorder App in the knowledge article: Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App
4. Simcenter Testlab Neo
With a hard wired ethernet connection, it is also possible to use Simcenter Testlab Neo software to acquire data from the SCADAS RS to the host PC (Figure 13):
Figure 13: Final fixed IP address settings for PC and SCADAS RS.
Simcenter Testlab Neo has two different applications that can work with the SCADAS RS:
- Time Data Acquisition: Required license, records data to host PC
- Recording Workbook: No license needed, setup only and cannot acquire data
Go to the folder “Simcenter Testlab Neo General Acquisition” or search windows to find these programs.
Double click on either Simcenter Testlab Neo program. New template and frontend selection prompts are shown in Figure 14:
Figure 14: Startup of Neo acquisition prompts for templates and frontend hardware selection.
In the new template selection, Do NOT click on “Work Offline”. In the Hardware selection menu, select SCADAS RS, enter IP address, login: USER, password: SCADAS-RS.
4. Changing Password, Network Name, and IP Address
For added security, the default password, network name, and IP address can be changed using the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App. From the main menu of the Recorder App, select the “Topology” icon as shown in Figure 15:
Figure 15: Select “Topology” icon from main Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App.
To change the Wi-Fi password, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Password Manager” as shown in Figure 16:
Figure 16: To change the Wi-Fi password, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Password Manager”.
Enter a new password.
To change the Wi-Fi network name, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Wi-Fi settings” as shown in Figure 17.
Figure 17: To change the Wi-Fi network name, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Wi-Fi settings”.
To change the IP address, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Network settings” as shown in Figure 18 below.
Figure 18: To change the SCADAS RS IP address, click on the triple dot button on the right side of the screen and select “Network Settings”.
The network can be set to a fixed IP address or to a dynamically allocated IP address (also called DHCP).
Questions? Email nicholas.divincenzo@siemens.com.
Simcenter SCADAS RS and other Acquisition Hardware
- Index of Simcenter Testing Knowledge Articles
- Simcenter SCADAS
- Simcenter SCADAS RS for Testing in Harsh Environments
- Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App
- Simcenter SCADAS RS: Assorted Tips and Tricks
- Simcenter SCADAS Mobile and Recorder Hardware
- Simcenter SCADAS XS: Everything You Need to Know!
- Single Ended versus Differential Inputs
- AC versus DC Coupling
- Working with Charge Accelerometers