Rice Lake iQUBE2 Digital Diagnostic Junction Box - Manual (Page 5)

Introduction 1
About This Manual
This manual is intended for use by service technicians responsible for installing and servicing iQUBE ®2 digital
diagnostic junction boxes. This manual applies to Version 1.0 or later of the iQUBE 2 software. For applications
using the 920i ® indicator as a host device, Version 4.0 or later of the 920i indicator software must be installed.
Configuration and calibration of the iQUBE 2 can be accomplished using Virtui 2 or the Revolution
®
III configura-
tion utility.
For installations using the 920i indicator, the indicator can be configured using the iRev™ 4 configuration utilities,
serial commands, or the indicator front panel keys.
Some procedures described in this manual require work inside the iQUBE 2
or indicator enclosure. These
procedures are to be performed by qualified service personnel only.
Manuals can viewed or downloaded on the Rice Lake Weighing Systems distributor site at
www.ricelake.com/manuals .
1.0 Introduction
The iQUBE 2 is a digital programmable junction box with advanced diagnostic and multi-scale capabilities. A sin-
gle 4-channel iQUBE 2 board can be configured to support up to four individual scales plus their sum. The modular
design allows for the connection of up to four iQUBE 2 circuit boards to define a scale system of up to sixteen full
bridge analog load cells. An ASCII-based command set allows the iQUBE 2 to be configured and controlled by any
programmable host that supports the command set.
Hardware
The heart of the iQUBE 2 system is the CPU board (PN 106390). The CPU board provides four load cell input chan-
nels, four configurable I/O channels, a selectable multi-protocol communications port (RS-232, 2- or 4-wire RS-
485), and an additional port that accepts various RLWS option cards (see Table 1-2 on page 2) for communications
with multiple hosts simultaneously.
System Models
The iQUBE 2 is available in both fiberglass and stainless steel enclosures, with or without a power supply, in 4-, 8-,
and 12-channel configurations. Large (10 x 12-inch) enclosures can accommodate up to three iQUBE 2 boards, for
a maximum of 12 channels; 16-channel system configurations require at least two enclosures. See Table 1-1 on
page 2 for a list of available system models.
Option Cards
Option cards available for the iQUBE 2 include expanded RS-232/RS-485 serial communications, fiber optic com-
munications, USB, Ethernet, and wireless Ethernet. See Table 1-2 on page 2 for a list of available option cards.
Digital I/O
Each iQUBE 2 board provides four channels of digital I/O.
Digital inputs can be set to provide many indicator functions, including four keys plus cell health, and setpoints.
The primary CPU board has four digital inputs/outputs; any secondary CPU boards will be used for cell health
only.
Configuration
The iQUBE 2 was designed for use with any host device capable of sending and receiving ASCII text. A simple
communications program, such as HyperTerminal, can be used to configure the most complex system and monitor
all diagnostic capabilities. However, RLWS provides three additional interfaces for configuring and controlling the
iQUBE
2 :
• The Virtui 2 PC-based indicator and configuration utility
• The Revolution III configuration utility
• With the 920i controller used as the host device, either the 920i menus or the iRev 4 configuration
utility can be used to set up and control the iQUBE 2
Any indicator capable of operation as a serial scale can be configured and used as the indicating element for the
iQUBE
2 .
WARNING