MegaPoints Controllers System2 Relay-8 Manuale di servizio

MegaPoints Controllers System2 Relay-8 User Reference Revision 1

megapointscontrollers.co.uk Page 1

System2

Relay-8 User Reference

by MegaPoints Controllers

An 8 channel networked relay driver for your model railway. Suitable for DC and DCC frog

polarity switching or general purpose use.

All the convenience of Wi-Fi configuration with a robust bullet-proof,

wired CAN bus two wire network.

User Guide

Revision 1 JAN 2023 Status: Draft

Email: info@megapointscontrollers.com

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Table of contents

What is System2 Air? ..............................................................................................................................3

How to use this document......................................................................................................................3

System2 Relay-8 Driver...........................................................................................................................4

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................4

First use...............................................................................................................................................5

Network cabling..................................................................................................................................6

Getting your first board on your local Wi-Fi network.............................................................................7

Admin Interface ......................................................................................................................................9

Board Location..................................................................................................................................10

V-Ports...................................................................................................................................................10

Feedback V-Port................................................................................................................................11

Reversing a relay channel .................................................................................................................11

Board level configuration......................................................................................................................12

EasyConfig setting.............................................................................................................................12

Locate Board .....................................................................................................................................12

CAN ID management.........................................................................................................................14

Wi-Fi credential sharing....................................................................................................................17

Actions ..................................................................................................................................................18

Reset to defaults...............................................................................................................................19

Save Changes ....................................................................................................................................20

Reload Values....................................................................................................................................20

Erase WiFi Credentials ......................................................................................................................21

Update Firmware..............................................................................................................................21

Reboot...............................................................................................................................................23

Reload Page.......................................................................................................................................24

Documentation .................................................................................................................................24

Network Monitor..............................................................................................................................24

Status area ............................................................................................................................................27

Board Type (1)...................................................................................................................................27

SW Rev (2).........................................................................................................................................28

Templates (3) ....................................................................................................................................28

IP Address (4) ....................................................................................................................................28

Board Name and serial (5) ................................................................................................................28

SSID(6)...............................................................................................................................................28

In conclusion .........................................................................................................................................28

Contacting us ........................................................................................................................................29

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What is System2 Air?

System2 is our new generation of model railway accessory bus products that feature our V-Port

protocol (virtual port) and can address up to 60,000 devices. You can scale an installation from a

single Servo-8 Controller (8 V-ports) right up to a huge layout as your needs grow. Flexibility is baked

in and as we announce new modules that will work right alongside other System2 modules.

The “Air” in System2 refers to how you configure the system. It’s done wirelessly using Wi-Fi. This

means you can configure a device using your PC, tablet or phone and replaces the need for buttons,

flashing lights and extension cables to reach under baseboard locations.

We use Wi-Fi for configuration and a CAN network for data. This offers high speed, low latency and

above all else reliability. You can even shut down the Wi-Fi network when your configuration is

complete making your system secure and robust. It’s not required for operation at all.

Software for all System2 Air modules can be updated over the air if your network allows Internet

access. A single button push is all that’s needed to download and install the latest version. This

means as new ideas and features are introduced everyone gets to benefit from them. You can even

see the changes that have been introduced since your last update and choose whether to install or

not. You won’t get nagging reminders to update. It’s flexible and entirely up to you when or if you

decide to do it.

System2 has been real world tested on some of the largest exhibition model railway layouts in the

UK for over a year before launching, so you can be confident it’s fit for your needs and fit for

purpose.

Each of our System2 boards has the administrative core baked in. You can connect to any board’s

admin web page and from there manage your entire network. There’s no central point of control (or

failure) as they are all peers in their own right.

We use standard web protocols for configuration so that your browser can connect and perform all

administrative tasks without requiring any special apps and app permissions. This leaves you in

control of your network.

System2 Air, for the smallest to the largest layouts and everything in between.

In order to use System2 you’ll need a Wi-Fi router configured for DHCP with optional Internet access.

This is the standard router configuration as supplied by your Internet Service Provider.

Designed and manufactured in Cheshire, England.

How to use this document

Treat this guide as a reference. All settings are documented and examples given where appropriate.

It is designed to accompany the System2 Air –Relay8 video that will demonstrate all the functions

and use cases.

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System2 Relay-8 Driver

Introduction

The Relay-8 is an 8 channel relay driver for System2 networks. It

features a Wi-Fi based intuitive configuration from the comfort of

your PC, tablet or phone.

Each relay is individually configurable for:

oNormal switched operation

oPulsed operation

Pulse duration 50ms to 60 sec

You will also need:

Relay modules and cables (see website).

12 Volt DC regulated power supply.

o500mA per Relay driver.

Network cable (twisted pair).

oTelephone cable

oAlarm cable

oSuch as CW1109B/Y supplied by CPC/Farnell .

See website for cable links. Non twisted pair

cable is OK for testing purposes, not for

installation.

To use the network features of this board you will require:

A Wi-Fi Router that is configured for:

oDHCP (default enabled on most routers)

oAn active internet connection (only required for

software updates).

A current browser that supports HTML5.

This is a 12 Volt device and

should be connected to a

minimum of 2 Amp

regulated power supply.

MegaPoints Controllers use

static sensitive components

that must be handled with

care.

Avoid touching any

components or the circuit

printed on the bottom of

the board.

Avoid placing the board on

any metallic surfaces

including track.

DO NOT connect any part

of this device directly to

your track bus.

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First use

See the image below for connection details.

Connect each board to a 12 Volt regulated power supply, minimum 500mA per Relay8.

Connect the network cable to the two screw terminals. Observe the ‘H’ and ‘L’ terminals.

Ensure all the ‘H’ and ‘L’ wires connect to each other respectively.

Attach the relay cables to each row observing the + (positive) and –(negative) at the top and

bottom. Red lead to +, black lead to -.

With a Relay driver configured as board 1A, operate the Panel Controller push buttons and

observe the relays switch on and off.

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Network cabling

You can fit the termination jumpers to the first and last board on your network if not already fitted

(see above two diagrams).

See the above diagram for network cabling. All cables should be a twisted pair signal cable. Fit any

termination jumpers (supplied as part of a starter kit) to the boards at the ends of the network for a

maximum of two jumpers per network.

You can use droppers to a main bus much like DCC or connect boards to each other in daisy chain

fashion. Ensure the CAN-H and CAN-L connects to the same terminal in all cases.

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Getting your first board on your local Wi-Fi network

The very first board on from your System2 Air should be configured for your Wi-Fi. This will allow

you to connect and adjust the board settings and download future software.

Connect all boards of your starter kit to power and cable the CAN network prior to commencing.

Broadly speaking, here’s how to connect to your first board to Wi-Fi. Apply this procedure to a servo-

8 if available.

Apply 12 VDC regulated power to all starter kit System2 boards.

Observe the RUN LED flashing about once per second.

Press and hold the HOTSPOT button for 1 second; observe the RUN LED flash rate increase

to double.

From your phone, tablet or other Wi-Fi device scan for Wi-Fi networks and locate the

hotspot network for the panel controller (it will be the device name/serial number on the

sticker) such as “serv8-xxxxxx”. See above Servo-8 photo for example.

Connect to the devices hotspot network. You may receive a warning stating this network

does not connect to the Internet. This is normal.

Enter the address “192.168.4.1/admin” in your browser (screenshot below) on your phone

or tablet browser.

Enter the network name (SSID) and password for your local network. Note case sensitivity

(screenshot below). Note the IP Address field (1) is blank indicating no network connectivity.

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After saving (Submit button), reload the page and get the IP address (3). You may observe a

form resubmission confirmation (2). Select OK or Continue. Make a note of the IP address

(3). If you don’t see an IP address then the device has not connected to your network. Enter

the network name and password again and retry.

The IP address is assigned by your network and will probably be different from the example

here.

Revert your phone or table back to your own network.

On a computer or other device connected to your network direct your browser to the IP

address or hostname from the above step. You will see a web page similar to the example

below (next page).

You can now automatically connect every board on your network to your Wi-Fi by pressing the

“Share Wi-Fi credentials” button. YOU ONLY PERFORM THE ABOVE PROCESS ONCE ON YOUR FIRST

BOARD. All subsequent boards will pick up the Wi-Fi credentials from your first board.

Every board that is connected to your CAN bus will report in on the main status page. From there

you can see all boards IP addresses, board types and installed software versions.

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Admin Interface

The admin web page is shown on the page below. It is the place where you will change any settings

for the Relay-8. Each board on the System2 network has its own management web page.

From the main page you can see the following information:

Device name and serial number

Relay configuration for each relay port (1-8) including:

oV-Port assignment

oPulse duration (50mS to 60 sec), 0 to disable.

oReversed option

EasyConfig (if selected)

Locate Board: Will cause the LED on the selected board to flash fast helping you to locate the

board if you have many.

User definable text description or location

Auto CAN ID. You can override the CAN ID if required.

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Share and revoke Wi-Fi credentials with all boards on the network

Control buttons (shown in blue text) to:

oReset the board

oSave changes you’ve made

oReload changes (resyncs the web page with board)

oErase this boards Wi-Fi credentials (will immediately leave the network)

oSelect the firmware update (requires internet connection)

oReboot the board (throws out any unsaved changes if you made a mess)

oReload the web page

oLink to online documentation and support videos

oA CAN network monitor (for those who prefer watching network packets to trains).

The next line shows:

oProduct name (relay8)

oSoftware version

oTemplates version (should usually match the software version)

oThe local IP address

oThe device network name and serial number

oThe Wi-Fi name you are connected to

The last item is a status log (light yellow background). This provides a real time status such as

up to date software, or boards joining the network, whether you saved (or should) save your

changes etc.

Board Location

The board location field (top right) should be used to enter meaningful information to help you

locate a specific board. We are planning an update for this feature in a future release that will

display the first few characters as part of a report when you request all boards to report in (covered

later in this document).

We therefore suggest you begin the text with the most meaningful information such as a baseboard

number or location for example:

Suggested entry types

B2 Fiddle Yard

12 Station throat

A3 Scenic

Avoid

Baseboard B2

Main approach on the left

V-Ports

System2 is an event driven system. This means when a button is pressed an event is generated on

the network. This event is visible to all connected boards and will be acted on by those boards

listening for that event.

At the heart of the system is the “V-Port” or virtual port. The system will allow V-Ports in the range 1

–60,000 which should be big enough for the largest and most sophisticated layouts.

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