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1. HISTORY.................................................................................................................. 3
2. TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................... 3
3. PRODUCT OVERVIEW .......................................................................................... 4
4. FEATURES............................................................................................................... 4
5. APPLICATIONS....................................................................................................... 5
6. HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ................................................................................. 6
6.1 Main board ............................................................................................................... 6
6.1.1 Processing unit ................................................................................................... 6
6.1.2 Power supply unit .............................................................................................. 7
6.1.3 DTMF decoder................................................................................................... 7
6.1.4 I/O Interface ....................................................................................................... 8
6.1.5 Communication Interfaces ............................................................................... 10
6.1.6 LEDs array ....................................................................................................... 13
6.2 GSM/GPRS add-on module ................................................................................... 13
7. SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION................................................................................. 16
8. HARDWARE INSTALLATION............................................................................ 17
8.1 Installing the cabinet, the main-board and the optional GSM/GPRS add-on module
...................................................................................................................................... 17
8.2 Installing the GSM/GPRS antenna......................................................................... 17
8.3 Installing the battery (accumulator) ....................................................................... 19
8.4 Connecting the external power supply ................................................................... 19
8.5 Connecting the I/O interface .................................................................................. 21
8.6 Connecting the line / alarm line, phone / alarm phone interfaces ......................... 22
9. SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ............................................................................. 24
10. USING MULTICOMM PROGRAMMER ............................................................. 24
10.1 Connecting to MultiComm device ....................................................................... 24
10.2 The Status Screen ................................................................................................. 25
10.3 The Monitoring Screen ........................................................................................ 27
10.4 The Ethernet Screen ............................................................................................. 31
10.5 The GSM/GPRS Screen ....................................................................................... 32
10.6 The Contact ID screen.......................................................................................... 34
10.7 The Callback Server Screen ................................................................................. 35
10.8 Changing the MultiComm password ................................................................... 35
10.7 Disconnecting from the MultiComm device........................................................ 36
11. APPENDIXES ............................................................................................................ 36
12. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 37
4. Features
5. Applications
The Phone to IP/ GPRS Communicator, or simply MULTICOMM, is a highly
versatile device that can be used in many modern communication applications, like:
- wired / wireless communication to remote Ethernet networks / remote
servers
- remote monitoring / measuring / metering
- remote control
- simple automation tasks
- replacement for Alarm Panels Cellular Adaptor
Intranet / Internet
PSTN
PHONE LINE
MULTICOMM hardware consists of two boards: the main board and the
GSM/GPRS module as optional add-on board.
Figure 2 represents the main board overview. All the blocks, connectors and
interfaces are explained in the following subchapters.
The processing unit is build around a powerful RISC microcontroller (MCU). The MCU
performs complex operations and various tasks at a high speed: > 10 MIPS when
running at 41.667 MHz.
The embedded software that runs inside the MCU implements:
- TCP/IP stack and all the already mentioned network protocols
- The GSM/GPRS stack
- A proprietary non-preemptive operating system that handles the
GSM/GPRS stack
- A proprietary powerful encryption system
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is responsible to assure all the voltages and currents
required by all the existing electrical active components of the main board.
The primary power is get from the accumulator (battery) or from an external power
source.
The battery is included and is mounted within the metal enclosure.
The PSU specifications are presented in the table below:
Furthermore, one has the possibility to synchronize the zone inputs to programmable
outputs.
Example:
- Z1 -> PGM2
- Z2 -> PGM3
- Z3 -> PGM1
- Z4 -> PGM4
The programming of the I/O interface is performed by the user by the mean of the
programming IDE (MultiComm Programmer) supplied on the CD.
The latest software can also be downloaded from our web page: http://www.roel.ro/
MULTICOMM has various communication interfaces, as you can see in the figure
below.
PHONE
GSM/GPSR INTERFACE
ADD-ON I2C ON-
MODULE BOARD
INTERFACE INTERFACE
ALARM
PHONE
INTERFACE
ALARM LINE
INTERFACE
ETHERNET SERIAL
INTERFACE INTERFACE LINE
INTERFACE
a) Ethernet Interface
b) Serial Interface
MultiComm feature a standard TTL serial interface that is used for performing
firmware upgrades.
REX file
SERIAL INTERFACE
The add-on module interface basically contains the power lines, the communication
lines and some special lines.
d) Line Interface, Alarm Line Interface, Phone Interface and Alarm Phone
Interface
All these interfaces are resumed in the figure below and are detailed in
chapter
8.6 Connecting the line / alarm line, phone / alarm phone interfaces.
On the main board there are 6 LEDs, as you can see in the next figure.
● The POWER LED is used to signal if the main board is powered or not. When power
is applied to the main board (from accumulator or from an external power supply)
the POWER LED shall light and keep this state as long as the module is powered.
● The PANEL LED is ON (lights) when power is applied to the main-board and the
MCU is running.
● The LINE LED is ON when the phone line is operational.
● The ETHERNET (ETH) LED is on when Ethernet is operational.
● The SIM1 and SIM2 LEDs are indicating which SIM card holder (and implicitly which
SIM card) is currently selected.
1
The LEDs array is also used to display the GPRS signal strength (details on page xxx)
ROEL electronics S.A. Page 13 of 37
Figure 12. Top view of the GSM/GPRS add-on module
As you can see in the picture above, on the top of the add-on module there
are two slots: the SIM card holders, noted SIM1 and SIM2.
SIM1 holder is the primary SIM card holder. If one intend to use only a single
SIM card (i.e. single operator mode), he must insert a valid SIM card in SIM1 card
holder.
The SIM2 holder shall be used only if two SIM cards are inserted (i.e. dual
operator mode). The SIM2 card holder is always used as secondary (backup) card
holder.
The operating mode (single or dual mode) is configured using the
configuration tool, MultiComm Programmer.
When the GSM/GPRS modem is powered and a valid SIM card is connected,
the status LED shall blink, after the terminal equipment (modem) is registered to the
GSM network.
Please note that the modem is not a dual SIM modem. Having two SIM cards
doesn’t mean that. The switching betweens SIM cards is performed by the MCU on
the main board. For each SIM switch, the modem is restarted (using hardware
reset).
Another observation is that if the SIM card used has a PIN code, that PIN
code must be written in a special edit box of the configuration software, MultiComm
Programmer (see chapter xxx).
Because the GSM/GPRS modem requires high peak current when connecting
and when operating in data transfer mode, the switching power supply is designed to
support a 2 Amps peak current. Also, being a switching power supply it has a very
good efficiency and stability.
7. Software description
In Chapter 3 - Product overview, it was mentioned that the processing unit runs
embedded software, also known as firmware.
This software manages the entire system. It can be considered both the heart and
the brain of the system. Because new features can be added later in time, or
optimized versions can be released, one can benefit of these features by simply
downloading the new released firmware. This process is called firmware upgrade.
In order to make a firmware upgrade, one needs the following:
- A USB to serial converter or a RS-232 to serial converter
- Universal REX Programmer
More details you may find on chapter 6.1.6. (See the serial interface description).
Remove the main-board PCB and mount the cabinet securely to the wall with four
screws. Mount the PCB back into the cabinet. The main-board has four mounting
holes in order to ease the installation process. The person that makes the installation
must handle with care the main board, must avoid static electricity discharges or
components breakage.
Insert all system cables into the cabinet using the holes specially made for this
purpose (upper and lower parts of the box).
The case has internal spacers that allow to quickly fix the main-board.
If the optional GSM/GPRS add-on board was also purchased, this shall be
installed after the main-board installation.
The GSM/GPRS add-on board must be mounted above the main-board using the
2 connectors (please refer to chapter 6.2 for more details).
Important notes:
1. When installing the GSM/GPRS add-on module, in order to avoid incorrect
installation please follow the markers on the two boards (guiding keys, see
Figure 8 and Figure 12)
2. It is strongly recommended to disconnect the accumulator (battery) and the
external power supply when installing the main board and the GSM/GPRS
add-on module.
After the installation of the GSM/GPRS add-on module, the next step is to connect
the GSM antenna. The GSM/GPRS modem has a built-in antenna connector (see
Figure 17). The connection to the externally mounted antenna is made by the mean
of the adaptor cable show in the figure below:
Figure 17. The GSM/GPRS modem and the built-in antenna connector
The SMA adapter cable is delivered with the GSM/GPRS add-on module and is
already installed. Therefore, the user must only connect the external antenna to this
adapter cable, using the SMA connector.
The battery must be mounted in the metal case, below the main board. The
battery is not included in the product price and must be purchased separately. The
recommended battery must the following specifications:
The battery must be connected with respect to polarity: the RED cable (anode) to
the positive electrode (anode) of the battery and the BLACK cable (cathode) to the
negative electrode (cathode) of the battery. Please consider that the main board has
protection to reverse polarity but in case of wrong connection of battery, the board
will not operate (the POWER LED will be OFF).
An external power supply can be connected to the main board using the main-
board dedicated connectors.
The external power supply must meet the following specifications:
In the next figure, there is an example of how to use the I/O interface.
Let’s suppose that we want to read a PIR sensor using Z1 zone and every time the
sensor output became active we want to light a bulb lamp, using PGM1 output.
Figure 22. Line / alarm line / phone / alarm phone - connections details
As you can see in the figure above, there are two connection cases:
1. Relay is not energized
After the MultiComm Programmer was installed, the first step is to launch the
application program.
Go to Start -> Programs -> ROEL Products and single click on
MultiComm Programmer.
The following screen should appear:
The IP is the one provided by the ISP. Please note that DHCP is supported.
After all the requested fields are filled, click the “Connect” button.
If the MultiComm device is operational, if the Ethernet connection is working and if
the above information were correctly entered, then you should connect in few
seconds to desired MultiComm device.
a) Active Connections
- Ethernet
- GSM/GPRS
b) I/O Interface
- Input1, Input2, Input3 and Input4 (corresponds to zones Z1…Z4)
- Programmable Outputs (PGM1…PGM4)
2
The signal level can also be checked during runtime by pressing the switch button on the main-board.
The last read signal level shall be displayed on the LEDs array.
ROEL electronics S.A. Page 25 of 37
To read the status information from MultiComm device, press the PhoneIP -> PC
By doing this, the Status window shall be updated with the system latest information
(see
Figure 27).
The monitoring stations (dispatchers) are in fact the reporting remote servers. One
needs to configure the IP address and communication port in order to enable the
reporting to that server. Dispatcher1 is enabled by default and represents the
primary reporting server. Dispatcher2 can be enabled by user and represent the
alternate reporting server. Dispatcher2 usage is not mandatory. The Domain Name
Servers (DNS) IP can optionally be filled.
The Ethernet and GPRS accounts are provided by the monitoring station owner (i.e.
Protection and Security Company) and uniquely identify the subscriber identity.
By checking the “KeepAlive” option, cyclic keep-alive messages are sent over the
Ethernet and GPRS links. The messages sending period is configurable by user.
The line monitoring can be disabled or enabled. If line monitoring is enabled, the
monitoring timeout period is configurable by user.
In the same way, the Line Events Reporting can be enabled or disabled. If enabled,
the event number must be specified.
The Reporting Mode must also be configured. Select the desired dispatcher reporting
mode by choosing one of the available modes:
- Ethernet Only
- Ethernet, GPRS
- GPRS Only
- GPRS, Ethernet
“Ethernet Only” means that the reporting is performed only via the Ethernet link.
This option must be selected if there is no GSM/GPRS add-on module purchased or if
the GSM signal strength in the area where MultiComm operates is extremely weak.
“Ethernet, GPRS” means that dual-reporting mode is selected and Ethernet link acts
as primary reporting channel . MultiComm shall report via the Ethernet link, if
available, or via the GPRS, link if the Ethernet connection is broken.
“GPRS Only” means that the reporting is performed only via the GPRS link.
This option must be selected if there is no Ethernet/Internet connection available in
the area where the MultiComm operates. Of course, the GSM signal strength shall be
powerful enough.
“GPRS, Ethernet” means that dual-reporting mode is selected and the GPRS link acts
as primary reporting channel . MultiComm shall report via the GPRS link, if available,
or via the Ethernet link, if the GPRS connection is broken.
MultiComm can perform periodical tests over the Ethernet and over the GPRS
communication links. These tests can be enabled or disabled by the user, by
checking, respectively, clearing, the option boxe.
The I/O mapping can be done using this screen. Each PGM can be programmed to be
triggered by different inputs or by different events. How each PGM acts when
triggered (pulse or retention) is also configurable by user.
Example:
PGM1 triggered on INPUT1, behavior: Pulse with 1 second duration
Trigger: Input1
Input2
Input3
Input4
Line Fail
Ethernet Fail
GSM Fail
Central Fail
Behavior Types: Pulse
Retention
Durations3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60 seconds
After the user modifies the values in the Monitoring screen, he must download the
new (updated) values to MultiComm. This can be performed by pressing the
If the user wants only to read the settings, all he have to do is to press the
3
Available only when PGM behavior is set to “Pulse”
ROEL electronics S.A. Page 30 of 37
Figure 29. Updated Monitoring screen
Enabling the Inputs Events, the user must provide the CID codes for Open/Close
situation on each Input (Zone).
The Ethernet Screen is used to configure the MultiComm Ethernet connection. The
following information is required to be entered: IP, Mask, Gateway, Primary DNS,
Secondary DNS and port number. This information can be obtained from the Internet
Service Provider.
In this screen you can modify the Contact ID event values for matching your
needs. This is possible only if in Monitoring screen the coresponding input is declared as
Custom.
This is for remote programming via callback. For doing this the Multicomm Programmer
must be started in Server mode (just press Server at login screen). When the multicomm
is connected a pop-up screen will appear, asking for login password.
Password” button.
11. Appendixes
Figure 34. The RSSI level and the corresponding value displayed on LEDs array