16 March 2004 1

PXL-500 Installation

Site Preparation

16 March 2004 2

Purpose of Site Preparation

• Quick and efficient site setup– Ensure the site has all

necessary facilities– Ensure the site has all

necessary materials– Plan for placement of

equipment into maintainable locations

– Ensure proper site cabling

– Provide safety and equipment protection

16 March 2004 3

We’ll be Covering . . .

• Earth Ground– EMI– Transients

• Utility Requirements– Power Outlets– Analog Phone Lines

• Controller Mounting– Central versus

Distributed– Master Controller

• Reader Mounting– Enrollment Reader

• Cabling

16 March 2004 4

Earth Ground

• Required by building codes for safety

• Provides the best controller operating conditions– A poor earth ground

degrades system performance

16 March 2004 5

Earth Ground versus EMI

• Reduces susceptibility to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI):– Brings all electrically

neutral lines to the earth’s surface potential (zero potential)

– Provides a return path to ground for electrical interference

16 March 2004 6

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

• EMI is radiated electromagnetic energy from one electrical device that may affect the operation of other electrical devices

• Data lines are particularly susceptible

16 March 2004 7

Common EMI Sources

• Power Supplies– Use only commercially

built, regulated power supplies

• Computers/Monitors– Placing a computer

monitor near a proximity reader can drastically affect the reader’s read range

• Power Lines– Power lines radiate EMI

16 March 2004 8

Common EMI Sources

• Electric motors• Power transformers• Air conditioning and

heating units• Cable routing

– Separating controller power lines from data lines provides an extra level of EMI protection

16 March 2004 9

Earth Ground versus Transients

• Reduces susceptibility to power line transients (quick, brief surges in power):– Helps protect the

controller from electrical transients such as power surges and lightning strikes

16 March 2004 10

Transients

• Electrical surges or spikes conducted through power, input, or output lines that can easily damage electrical components

• Commonly generated when electric devices are turned on or off– Door locks– Motors– Floodlights

16 March 2004 11

Suppression Using Transorbs

• Protects against quick surges• Acts like a bi-polar diode, passes voltage up

to a certain point and then clamps off, preventing higher voltages from passing through

16 March 2004 12

Suppression Using MOVs

• Metal-Oxide Varistor• Protects relay contacts• Acts like a capacitor, absorbs the initial surge

and releases it slowly into the system

16 March 2004 13

Suppression Using Isolation Relays

• Protects against major surges by separating the path with transients from the path connected to the controller

16 March 2004 14

An Earth Ground Increases Safety

• A poor earth ground is a safety issue, introducing the possibility of electric shock

16 March 2004 15

Earth Ground Sources

• Possible earth ground sources:– copper shrouded ground

rod– metal, cold water pipe– steel building framing (if

framing is embedded into the earth)

– electrical system ground (at the breaker/fuse box)

– telephone system ground

16 March 2004 16

Utility Requirements

• Power Outlets

• Analog Phone Lines

16 March 2004 17

Utility Requirements

• Power Outlets– Must have one for each power supply supporting

controllers, electric door locks, and all other accessories

– Must be easily accessible– Must be grounded

16 March 2004 18

Utility Requirements

• Analog Phone Lines– Two are needed if communication between access control

network and host computer is done via modems

16 March 2004 19

Controller Mounting

• Review site requirements to determine where controllers should be mounted– Costs (installation and maintenance)

versus controller security

• There are two types of controller mounting to consider– Central Mounting– Distributed Mounting

16 March 2004 20

Central Controller Mounting

• All controllers mounted in one location (i.e. a facilities closet, telco room, server room)

16 March 2004 21

Central Controller Mounting

• PROs– Easier controller maintenance– Can provide greater security– Shorter cable runs for the controller network

and for unit power– Units can share a larger power supply

16 March 2004 22

Central Controller Mounting

• CONs– Longer cable runs to support readers, inputs,

outputs, door lock, etc.– May use much more cable than Distributed

Mounting

16 March 2004 23

Distributed Controller Mounting

• Places a controller by each door

16 March 2004 24

Distributed Controller Mounting

• PROs– Controller/door proximity– Easier to troubleshoot– Shorter cable runs to support readers, inputs,

outputs, door lock, etc.– May use less cable than Central Mounting

16 March 2004 25

Distributed Controller Mounting

• CONs– Longer cable run for the controller network– Needs individual power supplies for each

controller– Harder to maintain controllers– Harder to secure controllers

16 March 2004 26

Master Controller Location

• Consider locating the master controller in a more easily accessible place:

• Advantages– easier to perform diagnostics (particularly if an

LCD-1 is installed on the controller)– easier PC to network access– enrollment reader access for presentation

enrollment and for lost card identification

16 March 2004 27

Controller Mounting

• Mount controllers in environmentally suitable locations– For indoor controller installations - mount

enclosures on any type of solid wall surface– For outdoor controller installations - controllers

must be in water tight, weatherproof enclosures

16 March 2004 28

Controller Mounting

• Easiest way to mark drilling holes for the enclosure is to have an associate hold the enclosure in place and mark the drilling holes with a pencil

16 March 2004 29

Controller Mounting

• Individual controller panel PCBs can be mounted the same way, but mounting must be done using standoffs to provide PCB/wall clearance

16 March 2004 30

Controller Mounting

• Note the cable routes to the controller and remove the enclosure knockouts that best accommodate the cable routes

16 March 2004 31

Enrollment Reader

• The “A” reader on the Master Controller– Used for presentation

enrollment– Not needed if all cards

are block enrolled

16 March 2004 32

Enrollment Reader

• Place the reader near the host computer for ease of presentation enrollment– But not too close because EMI from the computer will affect

the reader

16 March 2004 33

Enrollment Reader

• Can also be used for access control if desired, but:– Proximity to host computer may be an issue;

starting the enrollment process, then running to the reader to complete the enrollment

– Access requests are ignored during presentation enrollment which may confuse users

• The Show Face and ID Card functions also use the Enrollment Reader

16 March 2004 34

Reader Mounting

• Users need clear access to readers– It should not be mounted in a way that affects

traffic paths

• Be aware of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements that can affect where you place the reader

16 March 2004 35

Cabling

• You must use proper cabling for best operating conditions– Shielded to minimize EMI– Proper gauge to

minimize voltage drop over long run lengths

– Routed in a way that allows for maintenance

16 March 2004 36

Cable Requirements

• RS-232 - Controller to Host Computer– Three conductor, shielded, stranded, AWG 24

(or larger gauge)– 50 feet maximum length (per RS-232 specification)

16 March 2004 37

Cable Requirements

• RS-485 – Controller to Controller Network– Two conductor, shielded, stranded, twisted pair, AWG 24 (or

larger gauge)– 16,000 feet maximum network length when installed using

Keri networking guidelines

16 March 2004 38

Cable Requirements

• Power– Two conductor, stranded,

AWG 18 (or larger gauge)

– 200 feet maximum length• Watch for a drop in

voltage over long power runs due to resistance in the cable length

• The controller must have 12 VDC at the controller for proper operation

16 March 2004 39

Cable Requirements

• Earth Ground– Single conductor, AWG

18 (or larger gauge)

16 March 2004 40

Cable Requirements

• Inputs and Outputs– Two conductor, stranded,

AWG 22 (or larger gauge)

– The lock output relay may require a heavier gauge of wire depending upon the current demands of the lock and the length of the wiring run

16 March 2004 41

When Routing Cable

• DO– Route cables in accessible areas for easy

maintenance– Use transient suppression across electric devices

attached to the PXL-500 or SB-593 output relays (at the device itself)

– Use an isolation relay if connecting to a parking gate, turnstile, elevator car, or any application using a large electric motor (at the device itself)

16 March 2004 42

When Routing Cable

• DO NOT– Route cables near EMI sources

• Cables can act as antennas, receiving EMI that affects controller operation

• EMI sources include power lines (including air conditioning or heating lines), door lock and power supply lines, network data lines

– Stretch cables– Route cables over sharp edges or hot objects