Freewave FGR2-C-U

[OkiePC]

Customer lost their master radio which "talks" to four water wells. They could not contact the original integrator so they got me instead. I got a part ordered over night, it was delivered, and I will be en route to the site soon. I downloaded manuals and software (Freewave Toolsuite, Discovery Server).

Does any one have any advice for me to reconstruct what the designer has originally done here?

If it were one of the wells, it would probably be easier to figure out, but since it is the master...

I have no other information at this point. I hope it is connected to an Allen Bradley PLC or a SCADA system for which I have software. If so, I may be able to pick out what is what from that (sans comments most likely). I will not find out any more until we arrive there in about 2 hours.

Thanks in advance!
Paul

 

[dlweber]

I have usually found even if someone claims to have no documentation, ask to look yourself, many times people have turned over and they have really no idea what they have. Even if they have seen it in the past there is a good chance that they had no idea what they were looking at so they dismissed it and shoved it back on the shelf.

 

[OkiePC]

I have usually found even if someone claims to have no documentation, ask to look yourself, many times people have turned over and they have really no idea what they have. Even if they have seen it in the past there is a good chance that they had no idea what they were looking at so they dismissed it and shoved it back on the shelf.

Yes, me too. I thought factories were bad about keeping docs organized, but municipalities are either great at it or 90% of them get the "deer in headlights" look when you ask...

 

[dlweber]

Sometimes I don't mind the deer in the head light look, after all it is better than the guy that "knows more than you do" even though they still had to call you out

 

[OkiePC]

On site we had PLC programs backed up on disc from the original installation with DataRadio models which were put in in 2007. They "upgraded" to Freewaves in 2014.

There is no documentation for the radio settings, but the master PLC (ML1200) was a "match" when I went online with the old code. So I don't think and PLC code got changed, only radios.

In any case, I was able to verify the old radio was dead, installed the new one, connect to it, get it into set up mode, and set the baud rate. I also set it up as "Point to Multipoint Master". I am now seeing the transmit when the ML1200 sends a message, but no replies. MSGs still ER.

I tried to go to the nearest slave radio to pick its brains but could not connect. Not sure why I could not establish communication to it.

The MSGs are 500CPU Writes and Reads. Node numbers in messages all jive. Do I need this node number in the radio settings any where (master is 20)?

So now I am to the point where I see two options:
a) go to another remote site and try to retrieve the radio settings to help me decide how to set up the master
b) play "safe cracker" until I get lucky

I have not contacted Freewave and still have not been able to reach the integrator who installed the radios about a year ago.

Thanks for any advice with the Freewaves.
Paul

 

[OkiePC]

Well I wasn't a very good "safe cracker" today, and ran out of time, so I will have to go back in the morning. On the bright side, I got a message from the original integrator and called him back and he agreed to share with me the original settings when he gets back to his office tomorrow.

The slave sites have the same radio talking to ML1000 Analog set up for DF1 Half Duplex. I was unable to get either of the two I visited to "talk" to the Freewave software or Hyperterminal, even after jumpering them into set up mode.

In the settings there is an option to disable set up mode on either port and I do not have a diagnostic cable to connect to the female header on the circuit board, so I was trying to use the main serial port after unplugging it from the Micrologix cable.

So, I will try to gather the bits and pieces I need to rig up a cable for the header in case I don't get an email from the other guy. He was very kind and polite on the phone even though he is more or less a competitor, so I am pretty sure I can count on him. But this is my first dealing with the guy, so not counting my chicks just yet.

EDIT: Just got an email from him with the Toolsuite config file!

 

[Firejo]

A couple of things to keep in mind.
The PLC’s don’t care how the radios are configured. The radios are completely transparent to the application so as far as the PLC’s are concerned there is a serial cable between them.
The radios are probably configured to use Network ID with all of the other configuration parameters (that matter) at their default settings (Frequency key, min/max packet size, etc…). If this is the case then all you need to do is set the new master to the correct network ID and set it to be a Point to Multipoint Master. However, you need to know what the network ID is which will mean either finding out via documentation (or a stored configuration file) or via going online with one of the remotes and seeing how all of those parameters are set. If the Network ID (found in the multipoint parameters configuration page) is set to 255 then the network is using “call book configuration (which is not good news). If it’s set to something other than 255 between 0 and 4095, then it is enabled and what it’s set to is the network ID that all of the radios are configured to. If it’s not set (it’s at 255), then you will have to go to each remote and set the call book address of the new master. Having said that if you have to go to each remote you might as well set network ID.
As to getting into the existing remotes, if you can’t get in through the diagnostics port you should be able to get in through the serial port. When going through the diagnostics port the software should be able to find the radio without having to push the config button. When you go in through the serial port you have to push the config button when the software prompts you to or when you have Hyperterminal connected.

 

[OkiePC]

They are all the circuit board version (no button) but I was able to get them into set up mode with a jumper wire.

In any case, I was able to open the configuration file for the whole network in Tool Suite and have a look at all the values. I just found the setting in Tool Suite for set up mode and they are all set to "(2) Diagnostic Only". That explains why I could not get connected to the main serial port on the existing slaves. Of course the new one let me in because it has "out of the box" values for everything. I will change that to "(3) Both" on the master before write it to the radio, just in case there is a problem and I need to "get back in" through that port.

They are not using Call Book, but I would have never guessed the Network ID number, and they have the packet size limits set unusually:

Max Packet Size = 8
Min Packet Size = 9

I think (from what I read in the book) those values are critical to successful comms in a multi-point system.

Thanks for the feedback, Firejo, I was hoping you would see this thread!

 

[Firejo]

It’s only important that the min and max packet size match (and aren’t something like 1 and 1). I generally use 9 and 2 without any issues including when using DF1 (which is most of what I do when using serial modems).
I’d get a diagnostics cable from FW just to have in case you do need to get into the existing slaves.
Good luck.

 

[OkiePC]

I’d get a diagnostics cable from FW just to have in case you do need to get into the existing slaves.
Good luck.

Thanks. I will order that cable, but for tomorrow, if I really need to use the diagnostic port, I will redneck my way in there with some bell wire stabbed in the holes.