Advanced Channel Settings

To access the Advanced Channel Settings, click on the Advanced or Change Mode buttons on the Channel settings dialogs.

 

 

 

Channel Modes

 

Channel Modes involve various ways in which the Catalyst can process a channel's raw data to derive new data useful for monitoring and alarming applications. Each mode may also have additional, mode-specific, configuration options. The default messages for both text and speech depends on channel mode. The allowable modes depend only on the raw input data type.

 

Note: Successful operations of certain modes depend on the channel scan time and latencies.

 

Discrete Mode

 

In this mode, discrete raw value channels current reading is unchanged.

 

Analog Mode

 

This mode is allowed for analog (16-bit, 32-bit, IEEE32) raw type SNAs only. This is simply the mode in which non-discrete raw value channels operate.

 

Value Scaling

 

The Scaling Options allow you to change how the raw channel value is interpreted. By leaving the value scaling setting at "Default (raw)" the channel's current reading will be unchanged. The Physical Input type and the SNA determine the channels raw value type as either DISCRETE, INTEGER or IEEE32.  Table 1.1 details the logic here. Raw channel values are always numeric.  The range of values for physical analogs will depend on the resolution of the ADAC hardware.

 

SNA

Description

Data Type

Raw Type

0*module*point

Physical Input point

Catalyst only supports

module=1 and point=1--4

Boolean or uint16 per point's

configuration

DISCRETE

or

INTEGER

1*…*0xxxx

Remote discrete output

Boolean

DISCRETE

1*…*1xxxx

Remote discrete input

Boolean

DISCRETE

1*…*3xxxx

Remote analog input

uint16

INTEGER

1*…*4xxxx

Remote analog output

uint16

INTEGER

1*…*5xxxx

Remote analog output

float

IEEE32

 

Table 1.1

 

Operators have several options in transforming the raw value into the value used by the alarm criteria and reports.  These options are listed in table 2.1 below.  The result of this scaling determines the channel type.

 

Remember that raw values are reported only when using the direct channel reading or read external net address screens in Alarmware or via the FP code 03Z.  All other reports and commands use the value resulting after the scaling has been applied.  

 

Raw Type

Option

Description

Channel Type

DISCRETE

Default

No scaling, raw value.

 

DISCRETE

INTEGER or IEEE32

Default

No scaling, raw values and types.

INTEGER or IEEE32

 

Scaled

Gain / Offset

Conversion to engineering units using

slope-intercept concept.

 

IEEE32

 

Scaled

2-point

Conversion to engineering units using

2 sample point concept.

 

IEEE32

 

Table 2.1

 

Also, certain scaling options require rapid sampling of the underlying data. They can only apply to channels using physical IO points. The default transformation for all channel types is raw.  Alarmware must be used to select any other option.  There are no Front Panel codes for configuring these options.

 

For the scaled options, any data that would result in an infinite or zero gain is rejected with an error message.  The same applies for data resulting in an infinite offset.