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RFQ

Device Discovery

Cytec’s latest IF-12 control module comes with expanded capabilities for LAN communications, including a Local Discovery Tool. Legacy control modules will still require an RS232 connection to set the IP address of the device. Follow the instructions for your specific device.

Legacy Product

The control module is set at the factory to the following default settings:

IP Address: 10.0.0.144
Netmask: 255.0.0.0
Gateway 0.0.0.0
Telnet Port: 23
TCP/IP Port 0: 8080
TCP/IP Port 1: 8081
Telnet Lockout: 0 (disabled) Telnet Sessions allowed by default.
Telnet Echo: 0 (disabled) Telnet Sessions do not echo.
TCP Idle 60 (socket will time out after 60 seconds).

To change these you will need to access the serial interface using any standard terminal emulation program from the COM port on your computer. See the section on RS232 communication for further details on setup. Once you have established a serial connection the following commands can be used for configuration:

D command returns a list of current settings:

A1, E1, V0   Answerback = ON, Echo = ON, Verbose = OFF
Baudnumber = 6, RS Handshaking = 1
IP Address = 10.0.0.144
Netmask = 255.255.255.0
Gateway = 0.0.0.0
Port0 = 8080, Port1 = 8081
TCP idle = 60
Telnetlock = 0, Telnet Echo = 0
Battery Ram = 0, Default List = 0

 IFConfig command is used to set the static IP address. The syntax for this command is:

ifconfig aaa.aaa.aaa.aaa nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn

a = ip address in dotted decimal format n = subnet mask in dotted decimal format

Example: ifconfig 10.0.0.100 255.0.0.0

Typing ifconfig and hitting the enter key will return the current settings.

Since you may be connected via Telnet to do this, the IP address will not actually change until you reboot the Cytec switch. This helps prevent anyone from mistakenly setting the IP to an unknown address by accident. It is a good idea to double check the settings with the D command before you reboot.

SNET TCP PORT command sets the Port number for TCP/IP sockets. The syntax for this command is:

SNET TCP PORT n m where = equals one of two sockets and m is the port number

Example:
snet tcp port 0 8088 socket 0 is port #8088
snet tcp port 1 8089 socket 1 is port #8089
Port numbers must be between 1024 and 65535.
The Telnet port (23) may also be available. See TELNETLOCK command.

SNET TCP Idle command sets the socket life for the connection. The syntax for this command is:

SNET TCP Idle n     (n=seconds) (1 to 3600 sec)
Default = 60 sec
SNET TCP Idle (display)
TCP Idle = 60
SNET TCP Idle 0 Socket never dies until the computer that established the socket kills it.

Setting the TCP Idle to 0 will force the socket to stay alive until the program that established the socket kills it.
WARNING: This can lead to issues if there is a network disconnect or the computer that established the socket locks up. If the computer that establishes the socket cannot kill the socket, no one will be able to connect to the switch until the Cytec unit is rebooted.

IF-12 Control Module

Dynamic IP Address (DHCP): The Cytec IF12 is set at the factory to attempt to obtain an address from a DHCP server when the application boots. If you are connected to a network with a DHCP server, then the device IP address, network mask and gateway should be configured automatically. If your PC is on the same DHCP network, you will be able to communicate with the device after a short boot period of 2-3 seconds.

Static IP Address: If the module is plugged in to a network that does not have a DHCP server, you must provide a static IP address, network mask and gateway. These addresses should be provided by your network administrator.

Auto IP Address: The factory application contains an auto IP negotiation system. This allows the device to automatically configure its address in the absence of a central DHCP server, and without the need for a static IP address. This scheme is utilized as a fallback that will activate when both dynamic and static IP addresses fail to initialize. In order to communicate with a device in auto IP mode, the host system must support auto IP.  Auto IP support is included in both Windows and OS X operating systems. By default, auto IP addressing starts in the 169.XXX.XXX.XXX address range.

Find Your Device

Our recommended option to locate the device is to use a local discover utility. You can do this by navigating to the Cytec web site and downloading the tool localdiscover.exe. The executable sends out a request to all Cytec devices on the local network. It opens a browser page on the first device to respond that lists all of the discovered devices, or a page that show that no devices were found.

Note: If these options are failing, there may be a firewall issue blocking the applications from sending the UDP broadcast that is used to locate Cytec devices. Always grant Cytec applications the ability to get through your OS firewall and ensure that UDP port 20034 is open for use.

Find Your Device

Open Device Manager on Windows computers and navigate to Ports. The COM port number will be bracketed next to the device description.

Configure Your Device

The RS232 interface can be accessed using any standard terminal emulation program such as PuTTY which can be downloaded from putty.org.

Enter the COM port number in the field for the Serial line to connect to.
The default values set at the factory are:

      • Speed(baud): 9600
      • Data bits: 8
      • Stop bits: 1
      • Parity: None
      • Flow control: RTS/CTS (Hardware)

The first thing you should do is turn on Echo. This will enable you to see what you are typing. Make sure you turn Echo back off when you are done with the terminal session. Echo being left on will normally interfere with programs written specifically to control the switch.

Echo
Echoes the characters back to your screen while you type them so you can see what you type.

Command:
“E 0 73”
Turns Echo Off
 
“E 1 73”
Turns Echo On
 
 

Answerback
Answerback allows the Control Module to return information to the COM port. Answerback should almost always be left on. If Answerback is enabled, the Answerback byte must be read back by the requesting device. Failure to do so could have unpredictable results.

Command:
“A 0 73”
Turns Answerback Off
 
“A 1 73”
Turns Answerback On
 
 

Verbose
Verbose causes the system to return more specific information when you request status or read answerback characters. It is sometimes helpful when troubleshooting but it slows the interface down a lot. While there may occasionally be a good reason to turn on Verbose during a Hyperterm session, it is almost never used in a programmatic interface. All of the same information can be generated in code based on the non-verbose responses without slowing down the RS232 interface.

Command:
“V 0 73”
Turns Verbose Off
 
“V 1 73”
Turns Verbose On
 
 

Baud Rate: To configure the baud rate use the following table to find the baud number corresponding to the required baud rate.

Baud Rate: Baud #

      • 2400 : 4
      • 4800 : 5
      • 9600 : 6
      • 19200 : 7
      • 38400 : 8
      • 57600 : 9
      • 115200 : 10
      • 230400 : 11
      • 460800 : 12

The baud rate may be modified by the ‘P19’ command. Command syntax: “P19 n 73”. For example, “P19 7 73” sets baud rate to 19200. If the Baud rate is inadvertently set to an unknown rate, the default value may be restored. See the section on Setting Defaults for the procedure. Obviously as soon as you reset the Cytec baud rate you will no longer be able to communicate with the switch until you reset the baud rate on your controlling computer or communication device.

CTS/RTS Handshake: RTS/CTS handshaking is on by default from the factory. This is the recommended setting.

Command syntax: “P6 handshake 73”

      • handshake = 0 Handshaking off
      • handshake = 1 Handshaking on (default)
      Example “P6 0 73” Turn handshaking off.

Also known as GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus), IEEE-488 is the international standard for a parallel interface used for attaching sensors and programmable instruments to a computer. When connecting IEEE-488 cables, some rules apply. The total number of devices should be 15 or less. The total length of all cables should not exceed 2 metres multiplied by the number of connected devices, up to a maximum of 20 metres. And no more than three connectors should be stacked together.

Find Your Device

Our recommended option to locate the device is to use NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), which can be downloaded from their website. Link to NI. Search for instruments in the application and the Cytec device should be found at default GPIB address 7.

Configure Your Device

GPIB Address: Command syntax: “P14 n 73”. For example, “P14 8 73” sets the GPIB address to 8.

Running the Cytec Factory Application on the IF12

The factory application that is included with the IF12 Control module includes:

  • System Parameter Settings
  • Matrix Parameter Settings
  • Remote Switch Control
  • List/Config Management
  • File Management
  • Custom Labeling

  The URL request should look like the following:

http://<Device IP>

Where <Device IP> is replaced with the corresponding IP address. For more information on finding the IP address of your device, please see the previous section of this guide, Device Discovery for the IF12.

  • Port 0:(8080) Listening port for TCP communication. This can be any unused port but it is a good idea to avoid using well known ports such as Port 23 or Port 80 which are reserved for TelNet and HTTP.
  • Port 1:(8081) A second listening port for TCP communication.
  • Socket Timeout:(60) The number of seconds of inactivity to wait before the server drops the connection. A setting of ‘0’ never drops the connection.
  • TCPAnswerback:(1) For TCP Communications this setting enables or disables the transmission of a single character upon completion of all commands. A setting of ‘1’ enables TCPAnswerback and a setting of ‘0’ disables it. A setting of ‘2’ returns a terminating set of square brackets with the answerback character. See the section on command syntax for response codes.
  • TelNet Lock:(0) Disables listening on the TelNet Port (23) when set to ‘1’.
  • RS Handshake:(1) Enables or disables both clear-to-send flow control on transmit (CTS) and request-to-send flow control on receive (RTS) for serial communications. A setting of ‘1’ enables flow control and throttles transmission.
  • Answerback:(1) For RS232 and GPIB communications this setting enables or disables the transmission of a single character upon completion of all commands. A setting of ‘1’ enables answerback and a setting of ‘0’ disables it. The answerback character should always be read back by the requesting device. See the section on command syntax for response codes.
  • Echo:(0) For RS232 communication this setting echoes the characters back to your screen while you type them so that you can see what you type.
  • Verbose:(0) This setting can be used when troubleshooting certain systems to return more specific information but it slows the interface down a lot and should be left off for most situations. ‘1’ to enable.
  • Sys Id Number:(0) A number (0-15) that can be assigned to specific Cytec units.This can be useful for identification when there are multiple Cytec switches being used for one application.
  • Use RAM:(0) When set to enabled or ‘1’ this will load the default list at power up.
  • Default List:(0) The list that is loaded at startup if ‘Use RAM’ is enabled.
  • GPIB Address:(7) The address which is assigned to the Cytec switch for GPIB communications. Can be from ‘1’ to ’30’.
  • Multiplexer Configuration: See the section on Multiplex Parameters. This only applies to 32 channel systems.
  • Number of Matrices: The number of chassis in the system. This will be ‘1’ for Mainframe systems. For systems with MESA Control this number is equal to the number of Expansion Chassis.
  • Max Mods: This parameter is set at the factory according to the configuration requested by the customer. For example a chassis that is configured as a matrix could have 16 physical switch modules which each have 8 relays on them but the system could be configured to be 16 x 8 or 32 x 4  or 64 x 2 and Max Mods would be 16, 32 or 64 respectively. There are other possible configurations, if you have questions about your specific system call the factory.
  • Max Rlys: This parameter is also set at the factory according to the configuration requested by the customer. For example a chassis could have 16 physical switch modules which each have 8 relays on them but the system could be configured to be 16 x 8 or 32 x 4  or 64 x 2 and Max Rlys would be 8, 4 or 2 respectively. There are other possible configurations, if you have questions about your specific system call the factory.

For 32 Channel systems with an IF12 control module it is possible to set the following parameters on the Set System Parameters page:

Manual Control: If MODE is set to Matrix on the front panel the user will be able to latch all of the 32 switchpoints at the same time. If MODE is set to Multiplex on the front panel the user will be able to latch one of the 32 switchpoints at a time in SINGLE 32 mode or one switchpoint per module in QUAD 8 or DUAL 16 mode.

Remote Control: Commands sent remotely will not have the same limitations as the front panel. The coder is able to latch all 32 switchpoints using the Latch command “L”. The Multiplex Modes (SINGLE 32, QUAD 8 and DUAL 16) only affect the Multiplex command “X”, as detailed in the examples below.

Example 1: Configuration QUAD 8. The following commands are sent in the respective order:

  •  Command Sent: L0 0 0 Relay 0 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: L0 0 1 Relay 1 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: X0 3 2 Relay 26 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: X0 0 2 Relays 0 and 1 will be unlatched and relay 2 will be latched. Relay 26 will remain unlatched.

Example 2: Configuration DUAL 16. The following commands are sent in the respective order:

  •  Command Sent: L0 0 0 Relay 0 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: L0 0 1 Relay 1 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: X0 1 14 Relay 30 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: X0 0 2 Relays 0 and 1 will be unlatched and relay 2 will be latched. Relay 30 will remain unlatched.

Example 3: Configuration SINGLE 32 (1X32 MTX SIZE). The following commands are sent in the respective order:

  •  Command Sent: L0 0 0 Relay 0 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: L0 0 1 Relay 1 will be latched.
  •  Command Sent: X0 0 26 Relays 0 and 1 will be unlatched and relay 26 will be latched.

To recap: The latch command “L” will always latch the relay requested if it is in the range of allowable relays. The multiplex command “X” will unlatch all of the other relays if the Mux Mode is set to SINGLE 32. If Mux Mode is set to QUAD 8 or DUAL 16 the multiplex command “X” will unlatch all of the relays on the same module as the requested relay.

The Cytec Application is configured to allow users to send commands to either a Mainframe Chassis or an Expansion Chassis in a Mesa System. For Mainframes the Current Matrix should always be set to 0. This is set in the Matrix Parameters Section and displayed at the top of the Control Grid.

  • The  number of columns corresponds to the maximum number of modules in the chassis.
  • The number of rows corresponds to the maximum number of relays per module.
  • If the option to invert rows and columns is selected then the number of columns will correspond to the maximum number of relays per module.
  • See the Section on Labels for uploading your own labels to the grid.
  • See the Section on the List Manager for information on creating switch groups/configuration to load simultaneously.
  •  There are nine lists that are accessible from the left navigation pane. Selecting a list will clear the switch and add the switch points in the list to the grid and the text area. Pressing ENGAGE will send the commands to the switch. 

The Cytec Application allows users to store nine lists of switch points, List1 through List9,  in non-volatile memory. List0 also exists but is a list of the current closed switch points. 

Clicking on a list shows the switch points that are currently in the list. The name of the list should appear in the Filename text box and a list of all of the switch points currently in the list should appear in the box below this. Click on the grid to add points to the list, or to remove selected switch points from the list.  Press Save List to save the list or Clear List to clear it. 

Once the list has been saved it will be available to use in the Switch Control Grid.

The File Manager allows you to view, download and upload files stored in RAM. 

To view a file click on the link in the first column. To download a file click on the link in the second column.

To upload a file right click on the choose file button and select a file.  Click the Send File button to upload. Note: This is an embedded device and the only file types that should be uploaded are text files less than 16k in size. 

To delete a file type the exact name of the file with the extension into the Delete File text box. You cannot delete List0.cfg.

The GUI looks for specific file names for grid column and row labels. Specifically modLabelsN.txt and rlyLabelsN.txt, where N is the Matrix number. For example, the filenames for a Mainframe system should be modLabels0.txt and rlyLabels0.txt. The format of the file should be

label0
label1
label2
label3

Each label except the last one is followed by a new line (hit enter in notepad). It is recommended that you use Notepad to edit the file.