SATEC PM180 Operation Manual - Manual (Page 56)

‎Chapter 6 Using PAS Setting up Communications
54 PM180 Substation Automation Unit
onboard logging memory. Set the current over-range to “×400%” if
your device has 20A (ANSI) standard current inputs, or to “×200%”
for 10A (IEC) current inputs.
5. You can add any comments into the “Comments” box, such as
device location or any other data concerning this particular site.
Setting up Communications
You can communicate with your devices via a PC RS-232 serial port, through a
modem, the Internet, or the USB port.
To configure your communications with the PM180:
1. Select Configuration from the Tools menu. Under the
Communication group on the Instrument Setup tab, select the type
of a connection for your device.
2. Set the device communication address you assigned to the
PM180.
3. In the “Sampling Rate” box, select a rate at which PAS updates
data on the screen when polling the device via the PAS Data
Monitor.
The communication protocol and port settings must match the settings made in your
device.
Communicating through a Serial Port
Select Serial Port/Modem Site on the Configuration tab, and then click on the
Connection tab to configure your serial port settings.
Selecting the Communications Protocol
1. On the Connection tab, click Protocol.
2. In the “Protocol” box, select the same communications protocol as
you have in your device.
The remaining settings in this dialog do not normally need to be changed. The
“Response Time-out” box defines the maximum time in milliseconds that PAS waits
for the device response before announcing a failure. When communicating through a
modem, especially over long distances, this time may require some adjustment.
The “Break Time-out” box defines the maximum idle time that PAS waits after
receiving the last message character to close a connection. This setting is important
only when PAS is running the Modbus RTU or DNP3 protocol. It does not affect
Modbus ASCII communications. The default value of 10 ms is usually sufficient for
reliable communications, but the load on your PC can affect it. If there are many
applications running on your PC, PAS might be prevented from responding to
received characters fast enough, so it may close the communication while the device
is still transmitting a message. If you frequently receive the message “Communication
failed”, this could mean that “Break Time-out” should be increased. This time is