FEATURES

Mimic Based Visual Interface

Supports Vibration and Process Measurements
Full Trending, Spectral Displays and Archiving
Network and Transducer Diagnostic Facilities
High Speed Live Spectrum Analysis
Virtually Infinite Expansion Capability

PreDiCon Ltd
Suite 8, 330 Lytham Rd.
Blackpool FY4 1DW
United Kingdom
Tel +44 1253 400554
Fax +44 1253 400553
e-mail: info@predicon.net
url: www.predicon.net

Angel
The value of any monitoring system is not in the equipment it is in the data. The data from a
portable data collection system starts to lose value immediately after it is collected because it is
already out of date. To ensure full value from a portable monitoring system the engineer must be
absolutely certain that all of the failure mechanism durations on the monitored machines are
shorter than the data collection interval. If the data is old or if the analysis is wrong then there is no
value in the monitoring system. If the data is new and the analysis is accurate you have full value
continually.
Accurate analysis of vibration data requires a great
deal of experience and knowledge in both the
understanding of how vibration works and a solid
grounding in maintenance engineering. It is vitally
important that the vibration analyst is dedicated only
to this type of work but is trained in all aspects of
analysis techniques.
In the real world of
maintenance and operations it is not always
feasible to allocate one man or sometimes more to
one particular system this is where Angel comes
in.
At set intervals, the Angel portion of the system
transmits all data to our offices (the default is every
midnight) via the Internet. At the start of work the next day our engineers examine the data in
Guardian. The allocated engineer for your system then examines the log file for alarm events and
carries out a full analysis of the data which has gone into
alarm. If any corrective action is required the PreDiCon
engineer calls his contact in your organisation either by
phone, e-mail or fax depending on your preference. Every
week you receive a summary of the condition of all of your
monitored equipment.
The data under analysis is always less than one day old
and you can be sure that trained and experienced
engineers carry out the analysis. Your system will give you
full value for all of its operational life.

The Guardian System

Guardian is a fully featured monitoring software
package for rotating or reciprocating machinery
and other types of plant. It can handle both
dynamic measurements, typically vibration, and
process measurements such as temperatures
and pressures. The software operates with the
ICONET industrial network to provide a highly
flexible distributed data acquisition system.
The Guardian application includes all the common
functions for plant monitoring, including alarming,
trending, analysis and data archiving.
The visual interface is entirely mimic driven giving
clear indication of plant status at a glance. A
simple hierarchy and intuitive controls combine to
set new standards in ease-of-use. Mimics and the internal database are easily modified allowing a
straightforward upgrade path from a handful of points to hundreds.

If its Simple, Operators will Use it

The Guardian application has been designed
to monitor plant with the minimum amount of
operator involvement and intervention.
Overall plant status can be seen by simply
glancing at the front screen mimic. Any
excursions above pre-set alarm limits are
reported immediately, and these are
acknowledged and cleared as required. All
system activity is automatically recorded in a
log so that a complete history of plant
operation is maintained. Operators can even
enter their own notes and observations.
The traffic light display at the foot of the
screen shows the status of all measurement
points. If a point goes into alert or alarm, that
portion of the mimic changes colour accordingly, thus giving clear and unambiguous reporting of
machine problems.

Faults Pinpointed and Clarified

A mouse click brings up a measurement screen
that provides further details of the highlighted
problem. Here, it is possible to tell whether a
problem is, for example, shaft or bearing related.
It pinpoints the precise area of the machine
needing to be looked at.
If several alerts or alarms have occurred
simultaneously, these can be reviewed in turn.

Trends and Levels

Once a problem has been identified on a machine, the next question is inevitably How long can
we leave it running? This is where trending
comes in. The rate of deterioration can be
assessed, and comparisons made with previous
occurrences on this, and other machines.
Flexible comparison and overlay facilities are
available.

Further Analysis
Additional analysis tools are available to determine
the exact cause of a problem. Full time and spectral
analysis displays can be called up with the ability to
overlay and compare with other historical data.
It is also possible to go live to any point on the system and see time/spectral updates in real time.
This is especially useful where machine parameters are changing, such as speed and load.

System Configuration
Configuration of measurement points has been made easy with a single screen entry for each
point. This is what you see is what you get in its simplest sense. For larger systems, a database
editing facility is available enabling a short-hand method of entering hundreds of points.

Scan rates and data storage criteria are fully programmable to optimise system
performance.
Data Archiving
The Guardian software is designed to carry out its monitoring tasks for months and years with a
minimum of system maintenance. Large amounts of data can be recorded over extended periods,
and so straightforward data reduction methods are needed. Guardian provides highly flexible data
archiving methods to ensure that the system operates efficiently and without overloading the host
computers storage facilities.
Archiving can be programmed to occur automatically at pre-set intervals. In this case, no operator
intervention is required, and the system will sift out the important data for safe-keeping while
removing uneventful information.

Global Access
The combination of Guardian and ICONET hardware enables the full power of the internet to be
utilised. Remote access via telephone and internet is possible enabling data to be examined from
virtually anywhere. The system even allows the possibility to go live to a single measurement
point from anywhere in the world!

Security and System Diagnostics

Guardian incorporates a two-level security system to ensure that system parameters can only be
changed by authorised personnel.
The quality of data monitored by the system is only as good as the measurement devices that are
connected to it. Guardian has automatic diagnostic facilities for checking the integrity of acquisition

nodes and even the transducers connected. Failing accelerometers and open circuits or shorts on
their connecting cables can be identified.

for Local Plant Wide ... Global

Condition Monitoring Applications
Imagine a flexible network system that can be
used to gather vital information on your
machinery. One which can be incorporated
into your existing Ethernet networks in the
plant and which can be accessed locally or
remotely. Imagine this can be set up by
anyone who knows how to set up an Ethernet
system and imagine it is so affordable that it
can fit into your budget with ease.
You are now thinking of ICONET on Ethernet.
But dont let your imagination stop there.
Think what you could do if you could access
data directly from your measurement points
anywhere in the world via the Internet. Now
you can realise how ICONET on Ethernet
captures the power
of the global
communications revolution and enables you
to call up real time measurement data on-line,
absolutely anywhere.

You are now thinking: LOCAL ...

PLANT-WIDE ... GLOBAL ...

System Description
Wide Choice of Inputs
ICONET on Ethernet sets out to interface to
just about any sensor type that is
encountered in the field of machinery
monitoring, Typical transducers for vibration
measurement are accelerometers and eddy
current probes, and these are two of the
types that can be used for so-called
dynamic measurements. Often, process
measurements such as temperatures and
pressures need to be monitored. These socalled static parameters can also be
accommodated.
There are three types of node in the ICONET
on Ethernet series, called Type 1, Type 2 and

Type 3. The types of signal input that

each can accommodate are summarised
below:
Type 1
Sixteen multiplexed analogue inputs
Sixteen ICP supplies for accelerometer
interfacing
Optional AC/DC coupling
Accelerometer bias voltage check
Bearing condition measurement
Type 2
Sixteen analogue inputs, multiplexed in
pairs for simultaneous acquisition (X-Y,
orbit etc)
Standard interface to eddy current probes
Type 3
Twenty
multiplexed
process
measurement inputs
Modules available to interface to
thermocouples, RTDs, pressure sensors
(bridge type), 4-20mA etc
The full features of each node type are
summarised on page 4.
Speed and Trigger Channels
Each node type is fitted with the same
trigger/tacho interface. This comprises four
digital inputs that can be set as isolated or
non-isolated. Any trigger input can be tagged
to any of the analogue input channels
allowing maximum triggering flexibility. A
trigger input can be used for any of three
purposes, namely:
1. tacho input for measuring machine speed
(also incorporating a divide-by-N Counter
for taking inputs from gear teeth or
similar);
2. once-per-rev
sensing
for
time
synchronous averaging;
3. input to digital phase-lock function for
order analysis.
Full pre-trigger and post-trigger sampling
facilities are provided.
Gated Measurements
Two of the trigger input channels can be used
to gate measurements from the analogue
input channels. Only when a pre-determined
logic level is present on a digital input will
data acquisition take place. This feature can

be used, for example, to acquire data only

from machines that are running.
Event
Triggers
Measurements

for

Synchronised

Two of the trigger input channels can be used

as event triggers.
These are used to
synchronise
measurement
sequences
between nodes on the occurrence of an
external event.
In addition, the ITA-1
incorporates a high-drive synchronising
output. This can be connected to the event
inputs of a number of other nodes (as in a
master-slave concept) enabling synchronised
data gathering between nodes on a system.
This operates independently of the Ethernet
network.
Bearing Condition Measurement
The Type 1 node incorporates an on-board
hardware demodulator for the detection of
bearing defect signals. These are passed
over the network to be presented either as an
overall value of bearing condition or as a
spectrum highlighting actual bearing defect
frequencies. In this way, bearing problems
are differentiated from shaft related problems.
Watchdog Function
A watchdog function is incorporated that
monitors the operation of the nodes. If, for
example, the supply voltage drops, the
watchdog will automatically reset the node
when power is restored. No user intervention
is needed in the event of a power interruption.
An RS232 serial port is available for
diagnostic purposes.

Acquisition Modes
To optimise system performance in time
critical applications, three acquisition modes
are supported.
Mode 1: Data on Demand the node is
instructed to acquire data, store it, and await
a download instruction from the host
computer.
Mode 2: Data Ready Flag the node is
instructed to acquire data, and then sends a
Data Ready flag to the host computer
indicating that acquisition is complete and
new data is available.
Mode 3: Data Broadcast the node sends
data to the host computer as soon as
acquisition is complete without waiting for a
command.
The above modes can be modified in the
application. For example, the mode could be
switched from Mode 1 to Mode 3 when live
data is required.

Fast Node Control

In order to obtain maximum data throughput,
channel configurations (and the sequence in
which they are called) are downloaded to the
node and stored in flash memory. The node
is then instructed to execute a stored
sequence of measurements, (and keeps
rotating through if required). A large number
of configurations and sequences can be
stored in the node so that, if the order or
configuration of measurements needs to be
changed, this can be done with a short
command instead of having to download a
new set of instructions.
Standard Ethernet
ICONET on Ethernet uses the latest Ethernet
technology ensuring compatibility with
existing
Ethernet
systems.
Communication is possible within the
systems own environment, across
switches and routers, and across the
Internet. Standard off-the-shelf hubs
and PC adapters can be used
throughout. Each node has a unique
MAC address. Physical connection is
10Base-T using the standard RJ45
plug and socket arrangement.

For optimum performance, Icon recommends

a dedicated local Ethernet network is
used to connect the nodes to the PC
as shown in the typical installation
diagram. The ICONET part of the
network can then be linked into
100Base-T Ethernet networks through
standard switches or can be linked to
the PC running, for example, Icons
GUARDIAN or other compatible
software directly.
Several PCs
running
GUARDIAN
can
be
connected to the local network and
remote PCs running GUARDIAN can
interface with the system also through
a switch from the plants Ethernet
highway.
For larger Ethernet
applications, routers can allow global
access to the system. In effect, three
levels of access are possible: Local,
Plant Wide and Global. Both UDP/IP
and TCP/IP protocols are supported.
Wireless Operation and Internet
Being fully Ethernet compatible, ICONET on
Ethernet can be connected in to standard
wireless LANs (including the IEEE 802.11
standard).
In addition, nodes can
communicate live over the Internet anywhere
in the world.
Low System Cost
ICONET is purely a data capture system. It
does not attempt to analyse data in the field
at each node the power of the modern PC
is used to do this at a fraction of the cost.
This keeps the hardware cost to a minimum.
Installation costs are also low. The small
number of points per node minimises sensor
wiring costs while the network wiring uses
low cost CAT5 Ethernet cables and standard
Ethernet components. It may even be
possible to use existing Ethernet network
cabling at effectively no cost.
Enclosures
ICONET is available in a number of
enclosure types. The standard is powdercoated mild steel, but stainless steel and
high-impact plastic are available at small
additional cost.

Nodes can be fitted with power supplies for

mains input at any voltage, or can be
configured for a number of standard factory

dc voltages. Power consumption is very low,

thus putting negligible load on existing power
systems.

Specifications - Guardian

Human Machine Interface

Mimic driven interface
Main and sub mimic levels
Trend plots
Trace plots (time, spectrum and orbit)
Point and click operation
Pop-up alert and alarm notification
Graphic colour change on alert or alarm

DC or AC inputs in 0 to 24V range from

standard eddy current (proximity)
probes
Tacho speed inputs from 1/rev or gear
Results
Scalar measurements
Overall and derived measurements
Spectrum graphs for acceleration,
velocity, displacement and gbrg

Traffic light indication of point status

count

Spectral Bands

Interfacing Features

Phase measurements

Interfaces to ITA-1and ITA-2 nodes

Trigger synchronised readings (sync, pre

and post available)

Up to 4,194,304 sensors possible

Multiple reading types from sensors
possible (eg. accel, velocity and g
from accelerometers)
Virtually unlimited sub mimic levels
Operates under Windows NT or 2000
Uses standard Ethernet interface

Orbits

Orders spectral display using phase lock

loop
Gates available to check data integrity
Alerts and Alarms
Main and sub mimic colour change
Pop up alert/alarm box

System Features

Acknowledge function

Periodic network checking

Clear function (only if condition clears)

Network check on demand

Log entries automatically generated

Bias voltage check for accelerometers at

user definable intervals

Traffic light indication of total

alerts/alarms

System log and network log

Log search facilities
Log print, serial output and shared file
options
On-line help and user accessible HTML help
Measurements with ITA-1
ICP devices (eg. accelerometers)
DC voltages
AC coupled signals
Tacho speed inputs from 1/rev or gear
Measurements with ITA-2
X-Y signal pairs (eg. orbits)

External Outputs
External relay activation
Point Selection
From mimic hierarchy
From Explorer function
From pop-up alert/alarm box
Review of trends Live mode
Live trend graphs
Time scale zoom in/out
Multiple trend view of historical data (up
to 5)
Access to live trace (eg. spectrum)
Review of Trends Browse Mode

Specifications - Guardian
Cursor on trend(s)

Auto peak detect

Timescale zoom in/out with cursor

centred

System Set-Up

Multiple trend view (up to 5 trends)

Security key protected (2 levels)

Point highlight for overlay

Full control over measurement

parameters

Multiple trend overlay (up to 5 of same

type)
Access to trace overlays
Point delete function
Hardcopy print-out
Analysis of Results Spectra

Adjustment of alert and alarm levels

High, low, in-window and out-of-window
alert and alarms (spectrum and
spectral bands)
Furthest from a datum alert and alarms
available

Current spectrum view

Selectable storage frequency depending

on normal / alert / alarm status

Acquire / hold facility

Averaging of results selectable

Real-time mode for instant analysis

Tell user after X consecutive fails option

Single, dual, harmonic and sideband

cursors

Selectable signal gain

Spectral overlay up to 5 spectra, selected

from trend screen
Zoom
Hardcopy print-out
Optional grids

Band set-up and naming up to 10 bands

Trigger set-up for phase lock loop, trigger
and pre and post trigger
Match any trigger channel to any input or
inputs

Auto peak detect

Selectable sifting strategy highest,

lowest, furthest from or typical

Line or bar display

Up to 12 machine relay alarms settable

Choice of Hz, CPM, RPM

Email recipients for alert and alarm

settable by machine

Analysis of Results Orbits

Settable gates to check data integrity

Current orbit view

Acquire / hold facility

Override logging to capture sample data

on all points

Real-time mode for instant analysis

Database Management

Angle / magnitude cursor

True and measurement angle
Overlay up to 5 orbits, selected from trend
screen
Zoom
Hardcopy print-out
Optional grids

Automatic database sifting, backup and

file export at selectable intervals
Associated Applications
Ability to run Iscope1 real time spectrum
analyser utility
Ability to run Iscope2 real time X-Y (orbit)
utility

Specifications - Guardian

TYPE 1 NODE

TYPE 3 NODE

Analogue
Sixteen Multiplexed Analogue Inputs
ICP Power for Accelerometers on All Channels
AC/DC Input Coupling Options
Full Anti-Aliasing
Programmable HP Filters
On-board Hardware Integrator
Programmable Gain in Range 1 to 1000
On-board Bearing Demodulation Function

Analog
Twenty Static Analog Inputs
Configurable Module Types, including
Thermocouple, RTD, 3-Wire Bridge, 420mA
On-Board Excitation Supply
172dB Input Sensitivity Range
Programmable Gain in Range 1 to 100
Automatic DC Offset Removal
Two Isolated Relay Outputs
RS232/RS485 Communications Channel

Triggers
Four Digital Trigger Inputs
5-24Vdc Range, Isolated or Non-Isolated
Averaging, Pre and Post-Trigger Functions
Trigger, Tacho and Order Analysis Functions
Event and Gate Trigger Options
Processing
16-bit ADC
Sample Rate to 51.2kHz
Watchdog Function
10Base-T Ethernet Interface
UDP/IP and TCP/IP Protocol Support

Triggers
As Type 1 Node
Processing
22-bit ADC
Automatic Removal of 50/60Hz Mains-Borne
Interface
Watchdog Function
10Base-T Ethernet Interface
UDP/IP and TCP/IP Protocol Support
Specifications subject to change without notice

TYPE 2 NODE
Analog
Eight Synchronous Pairs or Sixteen
Single Input Configurations
Input Range Compatible with Standard Eddy
Current Probes
Programmable DC/AC Coupling for Optimised
DC Gap and Vibration Measurement
Full Anti-Aliasing
Programmable HP Filters
Programmable Gain in Range 1 to 1000
Fault Protected Inputs
Channel-to-Channel Common Mode
Difference to 40V
Triggers
As Type 1 Node
Processing
Dual 16-bit ADCs
Sample Rate to 51.2kHz
Watchdog Function
10Base-T Ethernet Interface
UDP/IP and TCP/IP Protocol Support