Wireless Interface Converter RFC For Petrol Stations: (RS-485/RS-232 To Wireless and Backwards)
Wireless Interface Converter RFC For Petrol Stations: (RS-485/RS-232 To Wireless and Backwards)
Wireless Interface Converter RFC For Petrol Stations: (RS-485/RS-232 To Wireless and Backwards)
TECHNICAL GUIDE
Review date: 02 May, 2017
Revision number: 1.01
TECHNOTRADE LTD
WIRELESS INTERFACE CONVERTER RFC FOR PETROL STATIONS
Revision number: 1.01 Review date: 02 May, 2017
CONTENT
REVISION HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................ 3
PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT .............................................................................................................................. 4
APPOINTMENT ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Example of application on petrol station ...................................................................................................... 6
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 7
GENERAL VIEW ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
PCB BOARD OVERVIEW AND OPERATION...........................................................................................................10
PCB board overview .................................................................................................................................... 10
LEDs indication ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Description of operation ............................................................................................................................. 12
Selection of wired interface ........................................................................................................................ 12
Configuration of wired communication parameters................................................................................... 13
Configuration of wireless communication parameters ............................................................................... 14
CONFIGURATION UTILITY ....................................................................................................................................15
FIRMWARE UPDATE ............................................................................................................................................17
ORDER INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................................18
REVISION HISTORY
This Technical Guide is intended for studying of wireless interface converter RFC for petrol stations. It
contains basic information regarding the RFC converter, its principles of operation, structure, configuration
and adjustments, maintenance by service personnel. Admission to work with device is allowed only to
qualified specialists, who have read and understood current Technical Guide.
Due to a reason that RFC converter is constantly being developed in direction of improvements of its
possibilities, changes are possible in its final version, which are not described in given Technical Guide.
During the system development process given Technical Guide will be also expanded and updated and new
chapters will be added. Latest version of this Technical Guide can be downloaded from the RFC converter
web-page: http://technotrade.ua/wireless-communication-device.html.
TECHNOTRADE LTD hereby permits reproduction of this document as may be required by any of the
customers or OEMs wishing to use it.
This document has been carefully prepared and is believed to be accurate. However TECHNOTRADE LTD, its
employees and its agents do not assume responsibility for its use either directly or indirectly.
TECHNOTRADE LTD shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions which may appear in this
document. TECHNOTRADE LTD reserves a right to make changes to this document at any time without
notice. Prospective users of this document should contact TECHNOTRADE LTD at the time they wish to use
RFC converter with their products to become aware of any updates that may apply.
In case if you find any mistakes, omissions in this document or have any suggestions on improvements to
this document, please feel free to e-mail them to our support mailbox: [email protected]. We
will be grateful to you for this valuable information.
All technical questions regarding the RFC converter are welcome to be asked on support mailbox:
[email protected]. Our support team will be glad to help you.
TECHNOTRADE LTD
Ukraine, 04114 Kiev, Polupanova str. 10, office 1
Tel: +38-044-502-46-55, +38-044-502-46-77
Web: www.technotrade.ua
Mail: [email protected]
APPOINTMENT
Various wired interfaces are often applied for communication exchange between electronic devices at
petrol station: RS-232, RS-485, RS-422, current loop, others. These interfaces have many benefits, but all of
them have a common disadvantage – they are wired, so require putting of cabling for connection. As a rule
wires are put in underground pipes, which requires excavation (removing the top layer of asphalt or other
cover, digging of trenches, laying of cables, etc.).
Wireless communication is an alternative to wired connection, it simplifies the whole process and
eliminates a necessity of placing cabling – electronic devices are able to communicate, but communication
is done over-the-air instead of wired cabling. RFC converter serves for establishing of wireless
communication between the devices and have advantages as quick of mounting, flexibility of settings, high
noise immunity and others.
RFC converter is appointed for establishing of wireless communication between devices having interfaces
RS-232 and RS-485. RFC converter does not bring any changes to exchanged data between devices, thus
RFC converter is a complete analogue to wired cabling connection with the only exception of 35 ms delay at
start of data transmission. Data is encrypted during transmission using keys (changing at each data packet
transfer), which set the final user can program in the RFC converters at configuration.
After switching-on RFC itself scans the radio channel, searching for any other RFC devices in the network
and establishes contact with them without any commands from the device, connected to RFC. Thus,
devices connected to the RFC can exchange data over the air the same way as they did it using wired
communication.
RFC operates in a mode of direct access to the radio channel, thus, external devices can exchange data over
the radio channel, using their own protocols, addressing, coding etc. Using the protocol of addressing
between external devices, RFC can be used to connect a group of external devices into the common
network.
RFC is designed for application in different remote control systems, data collection system, etc. RFC can be
easily integrated into already existing systems without redevelopment of the software.
Application of RFC converter allows to minimize wires placing on petrol station and fasten installation:
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Technical characteristics
Nominal power supply voltage +12 V DC
Power supply voltage range +9 … +18 V DC
Wired interfaces RS-232/RS-485
Weight 45 g
Dimensions 85 x58 x 25 mm
Terms of application
Environment temperature from –20 till +60°С
Upper limit of relative humidity Not more than 85%
GENERAL VIEW
LEDs indication
Description of operation
1. RFC converter has input wired communication interfaces: RS-232 and RS-485. Reception of data done
only from 1 of 2 input communication ports same time: RS-232 or RS-485, which is set by DIP-switch
SA1.
2. Communication mode: asynchronous.
3. Supported baud rates over wired interfaces: 1200…115200 baud.
4. Wireless interface baud rate: 10000 baud.
5. Attribute of a message end is pause with duration 3.5 bytes. All subsequent bytes are considered to be
a new message.
6. Output communication interface is a radiomodule based on chip SI4432 manufactured by company
Silab, USA.
7. Central unit of a board is microcontroller DD2 LPC1754.
8. At power on the RFC converter automatic configuration of the converter on wired and wireless
interfaces is performed.
9. RFC converter receives data through one of wired communication interfaces: RS-232 or RS-485.
Received data is encrypted using RTEA method, packed and sent over the air on 433 MHz frequency
using GFSK frequency modulation. Other RFC converters receive the message on the air, unpack,
decrypt and in case of successful decryption send data on both wired communication interfaces. Same
way data is sent in opposite direction. Thus, it is possible to organize a network with several RFC
converters. Minimal number of RFC converters in network is 2, maximal – unlimited.
10. For avoidance of data losses only 1 RFC converter should be sending data to the air, at this all other
RFC converters should be working in a mode of data reception.
11. LED indicators show signals
RX (reception)
TX (transmission)
ERR (Error) on wired RS-232/RS-485 and wireless RADIO interfaces
LEVEL RADIO (level of input wireless signal)
power supply indicator +3,3 V DC (power supply, is constantly shining)
CPU (blinks periodically – CPU is working correctly)
Alarm (emergency alarm).
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Configuration and logging of RFC converter operation is done using a configuration utility.
Connection to the utility is done by selection of the COM-port, which should be connected to port
Programming in the RFC converter:
Encryption keys are used for encryption of the transmitted and received data packets. Same keys are used
for both operations. All the modules used within a network should have a same set of encryption keys.
Also it is possible to log all operations performed by the RFC converter for debugging of its operation:
FIRMWARE UPDATE
Programming of RFC converter firmware is done using Flash Magic utility from NXP Semicoductors
company, which can be downloaded from official website http://www.flashmagictool.com.
Now the RFC converter is in firmware update mode, now it is needed to send the firmware file to flash
memory of RFC converter CPU:
- Run Flash Magic utility
- Select microcontroller type LPC1754 on panel “Step1 - Communications” by pressing a button “Select”
- Select a required COM-port number in “COM-port” field, set “Baut Rate” = 9600 baud, “Interface” =
None (ISP) and “Oscillator” (MHz) = 10
- On panel “Step2 -Erase” set a checkbox near “Erase blocks used by Hex File”
- On panel “Step3 - Hex File” select a required .hex file of firmware by pressing a button Browse”
- On panel “Step4 - Options” set a checkbox near “Verify after programming”
- On panel “Step5 - Start” press a button “Start”
- Wait until the firmware update process finishes by Flash Magic utility
- Press and release a button SB1 “RESET”
- Remove RS-232 cable from connector X5 “Programming” of RFC converter board
- Now the RFC converter has a new firmware inside its flash memory.
ORDER INFORMATION
Variant of RFC interface converter supply is marked with RFC-y-z, where
- y – type of supply:
o “PCB” in case if RFC interface converter is supplied in a view of electric board;
o “BOX” in case if RFC interface converter is supplied installed in plastic box with hermetic inputs
for connection of wires and a button for power supply switching;
o “PTS” in case if RFC interface converter is supplied installed together with PTS controller in
plastic mounted box with hermetic inputs for connection of wires and a button for power
supply switching;
- z – variant of supply:
o 001 – variant of supply with installed terminal blocks for controller ports
o 002 – variant of supply without terminal blocks for controller ports (connection is made using
connectors for stubs)
Examples of order:
- order of RFC interface converter in a view of electric board: RFC-PCB-001;
- order of RFC interface converter installed in a plastic mounting box: RFC-BOX-001.
- order of RFC interface converter installed in a plastic mounting box together with PTS controller: RFC-
PTS-001.