i50 Manual (5.10) Page 1 i50 Manual (5.10) (Last updated: Monday, 2 March 2015) © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. www.datalinksystemsinc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 2 Contents 1.0 Safety Precautions..........................................................................................................................4 1.1 RF Exposure ...............................................................................................................................4 1.2 Antenna Gain ..............................................................................................................................4 1.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 3 8.9 Alarm Interface ..........................................................................................................................38 8.10 Grace Pager ............................................................................................................................38 8.11 Cellular (GPRS/CDMA) ...........................................................................................................39 8.12 Globalstar ............................................
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 4 1.0 Safety Precautions This product may contain one or more radio frequency (RF) transmitters. For safety reasons, the following operating conditions and restrictions must be observed at all times. 1.1 RF Exposure WARNING A separation distance of 20 cm (8″) or more must be maintained between any i50 antenna and all persons 1.2 Antenna Gain The maximum permitted GPRS antenna gain is limited to 2 dBi The maximum permitted Iridium antenna gain is limited to 3 dBi 1.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 5 2.0 i50 Overview The i50 is Datalink’s intelligent asset tracking unit. It is designed for automatic vehicle location (AVL) and two-way data transfer over multiple wireless communications networks via the Datalink DataGate server software. It includes an internal GPS receiver and optional internal modems for a complete solution in one box. Two main i50 versions are produced: the i50B for general commercial use; and the i50C, which includes support for AES-256 encryption.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 6 3.0 Specifications Size: Supply Voltage: 168 mm x 128 mm x 39 mm (L x W x H) (excluding connectors) 7 to 30 VDC continuous operation* Vehicle load-dump protection (internal resettable fuse)† Reverse polarity protection to -60 VDC Power Usage: Normal operation (no modems or GPS): 540 mW ‡ GPS: 340 mW (660 mW during acquisition) excluding antenna Cellular: 300 mW (2.6 W during TX)# Satellite: 410 mW (2.2 W during TX)# Wi-Fi: 1.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 7 4.0 Connections Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the front and back panels of the i50. Each external feature is described below. Figure 1 – Front Panel Figure 2 – Back Panel Pwr & I/O: Program: NET LED: GPS LED: Wi-Fi: Iridium: GPRS: COM1: COM2: COM3: GPS: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. Main power and input/output (I/O) connector (see section 4.1) RJ-45 connector for updating unit firmware (see section 4.3) Network status indicator (see section 4.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 8 4.1 Power and I/O Connector Table 1 shows the pin assignment of the 14-pin power and input/output connector, shown looking into the connector on the front panel. PWR GND IGN VOUT IN1 OUT1 IN2 OUT2 IN3 OUT3 IN4 OUT4 ADC1 ADC2 Table 1 – Power & I/O Connector PWR: IGN: IN1: IN2: IN3: IN4: ADC1: GND: VOUT: OUT1: OUT2: OUT3: OUT4: ADC2: Positive supply. Note: continuous voltage on this pin MUST NOT exceed the rated maximum.
i50 Manual (5.10) © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. Page 9 www.datalinksystemsinc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 10 4.3 Program Connector The i50 Program connector is used to update the unit’s firmware and adjust settings. It may also be used to access the i50 COM1 port (see section 4.5.4). Firmware can be updated by connecting a PC to the Program port and running the firmware update utility. Table 2 shows the pin assignment of the Program connector, including the connections required to attach a female DB-9 connector.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 11 4.4 LED Status Indicators The i50 has two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) attached to the Program connector on the front panel. These lights flash to indicate what mode the unit is in.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 12 4.5 COM Connectors The i50 has three external DB-9 serial connections: COM1, COM2 and COM3. These all use RS-232 voltage levels, with ESD protection. 4.5.1 Automatic Shutdown (i50 hardware versions < 3) The COM2 and COM3 ports will not automatically wake up until a valid external RS-232 signal is present. Once awake, the ports will shut down immediately when all RS-232 signals have been removed.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 13 4.5.3 COM2/COM3 COM2 and COM3 use male connectors, through which the i50 acts as DTE (data terminal equipment). These ports are intended to connect to external modems, but may also be used for other purposes. COM2 provides most handshaking and control pins, allowing full control of external devices and hardware flow control to prevent data loss. Table 4 shows the COM2 pin descriptions.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 14 4.5.4 Using Program connector to access COM1 The Program RJ-45 connector can be configured to access the COM1 signals, in which case the COM1 DB-9 connector is disabled. This allows easy connection of an external terminal, especially one requiring a switched power source (which is provided on the Program connector).
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 15 5.0 Installation The i50 is designed to be installed inside a vehicle or other asset. It operates over a wide temperature range (-20C to 50C), but should not be placed in an engine compartment or anywhere temperatures can exceed the operating values. An external case is recommended if operating the unit in wet or dusty environments. See section 3.0 for detailed specifications. 5.1 Device Orientation The i50 may be installed in any orientation.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 16 5.5 Antennas Before turning the i50 on for the first time, ensure all antennas have been attached. Note: antennas are not normally supplied with the unit. Operating without antennas may cause high voltages on the modem power amplifiers, possibly damaging the modem circuits. See section 1.2 for important information about antenna selection. Note: to allow automatic noise profiling, the GPS antenna should be attached BEFORE turning the unit on. 5.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 17 6.0 Operation 6.1 LEDs The i50’s LEDs will turn on briefly when power is applied, then start flashing. See section 4.4 for details on what the flashes mean. If no LED activity is seen, check that power is being applied to the correct pins, and that voltage and polarity are correct. 6.2 Power Modes The i50 has three power modes: asleep (sleep mode), awake, and periodic wakeup.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 18 6) Otherwise reset the timer and stay awake. When entering sleep mode, the i50 will queue a sleep event, then wait until it is sent. The “Max Send Wait Time” setting limits the maximum time the unit will wait in case there is no network coverage. 6.2.3 Returning to Awake Mode While sleeping, the microprocessor uses these parameters to determine when it should wake up: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) If an alarm input is toggled, enter awake mode.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 19 6.4 Engine Running State The i50 attempts to detect the vehicle engine running state to calculate engine running hours, drive time, and idle time. The engine state is detected as follows (in order of precedence): 1) If OBD-II data is available, engine is running if RPM exceeds 300. 2) If any input is configured as Engine-On, engine is assumed to be on if the input is active.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 20 6.7 Error Handling In the event of a firmware error, a watchdog timer inside the i50 will automatically restart the device after a one second delay. Once restarted, the i50 will send a data packet containing the error details to the server to identify the problem. During the restart delay the LEDs on the front panel will alternate red quickly to indicate the error condition. If further errors occur, the delay before restarting is increased exponentially.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 21 7.0 Configuration Initial device settings can be configured using the i50B Programmer utility (Windows only). This is available on the Datalink web page at http://www.datalinksystemsinc.com/download.html. Download and install the programmer, then run it using the shortcut on the Start menu in the All Programs/DataNet folder. Figure 3 shows the Programmer window. Figure 3 – i50B Programmer 7.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 22 7.2 Programming When the i50 Programmer starts for the first time, it will ask which PC COM port should be used to connect to the i50. This can be changed at any time using the Connection/Select Port menu. Once the port is selected, the programmer will attempt to open the connection and send programming commands to the i50. If the port is open at the time the programmer application is closed, it will automatically be opened the next time the programmer starts.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 23 Figure 4 – Editing Settings Settings can also be read from and written to the PC disk drive for future use using the Load/Save New Values buttons. Note that these buttons work with the local settings copy, and do not read/write to the asset. Click on the Send New Values button to write the modified values to the device. A confirmation window will be shown to indicate which settings will be changed (Figure 5). Click OK to write the values to the i50.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 24 i50 settings are stored in non-volatile memory, so they will be retained if the power supply is removed (even if the internal backup battery is flat). When finished programming, use the Start Device button to have the i50 exit programming mode and begin normal operation. The programmer will automatically close the PC COM port at this stage to prevent sending data to the i50.
i50 Manual (5.10) Sleep Mode Sleep Pin: Sleep Timeout: Periodic Wakeup: Max GPS Wait Time: Max Send Wait Time: Input Pins Report IGN: Debounce IGN: Report Input 1-4: Debounce Input 1-4: Input 1-4: Input 1-4 Polarity: ADC1-2 High Voltage: ADC1-2 Low Voltage: Debounce ADC1-2: Output Pins Output 1-4: Output 1-4 Polarity: VOUT Function: VOUT Polarity: Alarm Alarm State: Alarm ID: Report Intervals City Threshold: Highway Threshold: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc.
i50 Manual (5.10) City Time Reports: City Max Time: Highway Time Reports: Highway Max Time: City Distance Reports: City Distance: City Min Time: Highway Distance Reports: Highway Distance: Highway Min Time: Dual-Mode Min Time/Dist: Events System Events: Overspeed Reports: Overspeed: Overspeed Time: Stop Reports: GPS Stop Speed: Stop Time: Start Reports: GPS Start Speed: Start Time: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. Page 26 the city and highway thresholds, the current city/highway mode is maintained.
i50 Manual (5.10) Use Accel to detect motion: Status Reports: Waypoint Reports: Heading Change: Heading Time: Max Idle Time: Send Tow Alerts: Engine On Battery Voltage: Low Battery Voltage: Invalid GPS Warning: Data Format Send Full Heading: Advanced GPS: Encrypt Packets: AES-256 Key: Data Buffering Buffer Period: Buffer Type: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Cell Buffer: Iridium Buffer: RF Buffer: Self-Geofence Peg Lat/Lon: COM Ports Port A Route: Port A-F: COM1/2 Flow Control: Page 28 Enable position buffering when using a cellular modem. See note on RF Buffer setting. Enable position buffering when using Iridium. See note on RF Buffer setting. Enable position buffering when using an RF modem. Note: since firmware version 4.96, the network buffer settings provide a “Polling” mode.
i50 Manual (5.10) GPRS Signal: Cell Keep-Alive: Cell Username: Cell Pass: GPRS APN: Iridium/Sat Iridium COM Speed: Iridium Portable: PDT COM Speed: Page 29 Signal strength required before attempting to connect to the GPRS network. This may help reduce the number of connection attempts in weak coverage areas. Some networks may require sending a small packet periodically to maintain the assigned IP address. Username for cellular PPP connection, if required.
i50 Manual (5.10) Wi-Fi/Dial-up Wi-Fi Ch: Wi-Fi WEP Key: Wi-Fi SSID: Wi-Fi/Dial-up Firewall: Router IP Address: Transparent UDP Port: Email UDP Port: GPS UDP Port: Dial-up COM Speed: OBD-II OBD-II Report Diag Codes: OBD-II Report RPM: OBD-II Report Coolant: OBD-II COM Speed: OBD-II Max Engine RPM: OBD-II Max Coolant Temp: Engine Displacement: Engine Efficiency: Garmin Garmin Options: Signs AMSIG/NTCIP Msg Slot: NTCIP Sign ID: NTCIP Community: Sign Trans: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Transparent Data Transparent COM Speed: Transparent Serial Config: Transparent Config: Pager Pager System ID: Pager Timeout: Accelerometer Max Acceleration: Max Braking: Max Cornering: Max Tilt Angle: Accelerometer X/Y Angle: Accelerometer Z Angle: Motion Threshold: Extra Settings Unknown Settings: © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. Page 31 Transparent COM speed. COM settings for transparent interface. Select whether the i50 will buffer multiple transparent packets.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 32 7.2.3 Waypoints The i50 can store up to 200 circular waypoints in non-volatile memory. There are two kinds of waypoints: standard and RF zone. Standard waypoints are used to generate alerts whenever the unit enters or leaves these areas. Each standard waypoint can also be configured so that position reports are disabled while the unit is at that location. RF zone waypoints are used when the i50 has WAN mode enabled under Kenwood radio settings.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 33 7.3 Device Info Device information is displayed in the Info frame. Any errors or important values will be shown in red. 7.3.1 Status PC Connected To: Settings: Clock: Time: VOUT: ADC: Accel: Buffer: i50 port being used for programming. Status of settings inside i50. Clock status. Use the Set button to adjust the i50 clock to match the PC. Value of real-time clock (RTC) inside i50.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 34 7.4 Device Ports Window For testing or configuration purposes it may be necessary to communicate with modems or devices that are connected to the i50 serial ports. The Ports screen provides access to all six serial ports, which are: COM1, PROG, Wi-Fi, COM2, GPRS, Iridium, GPS and COM3. Open this window using the Device Ports button on the programmer toolbar. Figure 6 shows the ports window.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 35 Note: to connect a PC to the COM2 or COM3 ports you will need a null-modem adapter with RX/TX pins crossed over. Shortcut buttons are provided on the right side of the window, allowing quick access to modules using the default port and COM speed for each module. The Test Wi-Fi command sends a request to the current port for the Wi-Fi version number. Use the Send ATI command to quickly send an ATI request to the current port.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 36 7.5 Test Window The Test window is accessed using the Test button on the main screen. It shows the status of various i50 inputs, and allows control over outputs. Figure 7 shows the Test window. Figure 7 – Test Window The Serial Ports frame contains checkboxes that activate the i50 and PC serial control outputs. If the programmer is connected to i50 COM1 or COM2, labels will be shown to indicate the status of serial inputs.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 37 8.0 Port Assignment The i50 supports a wide variety of internal and external devices. This section lists each device, providing descriptions and operating instructions. Only one of each device can be selected at a time (except the NMEA Output option, which can be configured on multiple ports). Note that in order to reduce firmware size, the i50 is normally provided with the following external devices disabled: PDT100, Sentry, Globalstar, RF, OBD-II, and Garmin Driver logging.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 38 connection), or from a DataHost client, to the network server. The data is then forwarded to the i50, which will send the data out the transparent COM port to the attached serial device. Data sent by the serial device is buffered by the i50 to prevent loss. Transmission occurs after a gap of 200 ms between characters, or if the data buffer (1500 bytes) is more than 2/3 full. The i50 settings control whether multiple transparent packets will be buffered at one time.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 39 8.11 Cellular (GPRS/CDMA) The unit supports several GPRS modems, as well as Cypress and Airlink CDMA modems. An internal Enfora GPRS modem is available as an option. Important note: Some Enfora GPRS modems allow control of their settings from external IP addresses when using their default settings. Make sure you use the AT$APIPWD command to set a password to prevent unauthorized access. The i50B Programmer provides a button to quickly set the Enfora password (see section 7.4).
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 40 8.17 Messages A simple messaging interface is available for sending and receiving text messages and emails using the i50’s network connection(s). The port is opened using the COM speed set for the Dial-up port, with 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit. See section 11.0 for details on the messaging protocol. © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. www.datalinksystemsinc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 41 9.0 Accelerometer An optional internal accelerometer is available on the i50. This enables the i50 to detect motion and monitor driving style. Events can be sent when high acceleration/braking/cornering forces occur or a high angle of tilt is detected. The events will contain the peak acceleration detected, and the period of time the threshold was exceeded. See section 7.2.2 for more information on setting these thresholds.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 42 9.1.1.1 Manual Calibration The i50 orientation can be programmed by setting the “Accelerometer X/Y/Z Angles” using the i50 Programmer. The value zero is reserved for calibration, so use a small value (such as 0.1) instead of zero when setting values manually. The X/Y/Z angles are measured in degrees relative to the starting position shown in Figure 8.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 43 10.0 Dial-Up/Wi-Fi Interface A PC or other hardware can establish an IP connection to the i50 in two ways: using a serial dial-up link (PPP); or via a Wi-Fi connection. This allows the hardware to communicate directly with the i50, or forward data to an IP modem (cellular or Globalstar) for Internet access. 10.1 Dial-Up Configuration Use the i50 Programmer to assign the Dial-up feature to the desired i50 port.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 44 10.2 Wi-Fi Configuration Wi-Fi connections are made using an ad-hoc (computer to computer) link, using the SSID and encryption key assigned in the i50 settings. The i50 includes a DHCP server, which assigns an IP address to the connecting computer. Note: as this is an ad-hoc connection, no indication will be given if the wrong encryption key is entered. If no IP address is assigned when connecting, first check that the encryption keys are configured correctly. 10.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 45 10.3.3 Status/Messaging over UDP This feature operates like the transparent option described above, except it adds a basic interface to handle message addressing and status monitoring. Any UDP packets sent to the i50’s IP address and email UDP port will be parsed as message data. Likewise, any messages received from the DataGate server will be broadcast to the UDP port. Setting the UDP port to zero will disable this feature. See section 11.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 46 11.0 Status/Messaging Protocol The i50 uses a basic protocol to allow text messages and emails to be sent and received over its network connection(s), and to query/set internal status. This protocol can be accessed over the dial-up/Wi-Fi connection using the email UDP port, or through a COM port configured for “Messages”. When using the COM port, the port speed is set to the same value as the dial-up port speed.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 47 Where the parameters are: Message ID (0-16777215) User ID if addressed to a single DataHost/WebGate user.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 48 Use the “Query status” command to check which network the i50 is using. This command should be sent periodically to confirm the i50 is still turned on and connected. Initially, this command can be sent to the broadcast IP address (255.255.255.255) when connecting via dial-up or Wi-Fi. When the i50 replies, its IP address will be contained in the from address of the response. Further packets can then be sent directly to the i50’s IP address.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 49 11.3 File Transfer File transfer packets contain a single parameter, which contains several binary values. These packets do not end with characters, but instead contain a length field to indicate how long the packet is. When sending these packets, the full data packet must be sent before any further commands can be issued.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 50 11.4 Status/Messaging Examples 1) Check status. i50 response shows it has an active cellular connection, it is currently transmitting data, and has 5 packets waiting in its buffer. TX: N RX: n110015 2) Email received from user@example.com: RX: R1Subjectuser@example.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 51 12.0 Garmin Interface The i50 can talk to any Garmin terminal supporting the Garmin Fleet Management Interface (FMI) version 2. Specifically, it must support Garmin protocols A602, A603 and A604. A special data cable (available from Garmin suppliers) is required to connect the Garmin terminal to the i50.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 52 13.0 I/O Configuration 13.1 Digital Inputs Digital Inputs can be configured in the following ways: - General Input. Used to monitor external circuits. Priority Input. When active, i50 will not enter sleep mode. Alert Input. Used to trigger panic alerts. See section 13.4. Engine-On. Indicates when engine is running (used to count engine hours and detect idling). See section 6.4 for details. Geofence.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 53 13.4 Alarm Mode When an input is configured as an “Alert Input”, it can be used to test the system, and trigger alarms. It should be connected to a switch or push button (configured as active low with the other side of the switch connected to ground). To monitor the i50 alarm mode, one digital output should be configured as an "Alert Output".
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 54 14.0 Firmware Updates The i50 firmware can be updated by connecting a programming cable to the RJ-45 Prog connector on the front panel, and using the Rabbit Field Utility (RFU) program. Programming cables may be purchased from Datalink Systems, or made up using the pin outs defined in section 4.3. The RFU program is available at http://www.datalinksystemsinc.com/download.html. Figure 9 shows the program’s main screen.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 55 Figure 11 – RFU Communications Options Use the File/Load flash image menu to select and send the firmware data. Contact Datalink to obtain firmware update files. Note: the programmer may not work reliably when using a USB to serial converter connected through a USB hub. If you have problems, try connecting the converter directly to the PC. © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. www.datalinksystemsinc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 56 15.0 Programming Settings from DataGate The DataGate server can send and receive individual i50 settings using the Remote Config button on the Asset Properties window (Modems tab). Each setting is referenced by ID, with integer and string values in separate lists. Many of these settings are crucial to the correct operation of the device, so take care when making changes. These changes can also be made by an administrator via the WebGate interface. 15.
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i50 Manual (5.10) Page 62 16.0 Contact Information For further support, email: support@datalinksystemsinc.com © 2015 Datalink Systems, Inc. www.datalinksystemsinc.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 63 17.0 i50 Variants 17.1 i52 Marine This board uses two Molex connectors to provide all power and I/O signals. The following diagram shows the pin assignments, looking into the connectors on the PCB.
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 64 17.2 i30 Compact The i30 has one onboard Picoflex header, which handles all power, I/O and serial lines. Pin 1 of the header is next to the PCB’s main inductor (L1).
i50 Manual (5.10) Page 65 18.0 Troubleshooting 18.1 GPRS Modem Follow the procedure below to detect problems with the internal GPRS modem: 1) Use the iSeries Programmer to connect to the i50 and enter programming mode. Click on the Device Ports toolbar button, then select GPRS to open the GPRS modem serial port. 2) Type ATE1. If the modem is powered up, you should receive an OK response.
