Enrolling M1XEP ethernet adaptor on M1G

fleetz

Active Member
I am scrathing my head at the moment! I am trying to make sense of enrolling a M1XEP on my system.

Firstly system appears bullet proof have enrolled input, output and serial expanders on the system no problems what so ever. I realise the ethernet adaptor doesn't communicate via the RS-485 port and it appears you have to manually enroll the ethernet adaptor on the system.

This is where the head scratching comes in. I carry out the enrolling procedure per page 5 on the XEP installation manual and I can not see where through out this process you enroll the XEP. Using the keypad I access Menu 1 Bus Module Enrollment from the Installation Programming menu and do a roll call and it reports all the RS-485 devices but no where can I enrol the XEP. Have I missed something really obviuos?

It clearly states in bold print on page 5 that enrolling the XEP is necessary to ensure that the XEP will function properly. At this stage the system can not see the XEP and until I sucessfully enroll the XEP there is no point moving n to the conf and setup mode.

I have also tried to enroll the XEP via RP software still doesn't see the XEP. By the way the serial port on the XEP is connected the RS-232 on the MIG at 115200 baud.

I have also tried a serial expander module via it's RS-232 to the XEP both via a 2>3 3>2 RS-232 crossover cable per advise from the distributor here but no joy. This advise is somewhat flawed as from the documation I have the maximum baud rate on the XSP is 38400 baud and the XEP serial port only appears to communicate at 115200 baud.

There also is no reference to the crossover RS232 comms cable and using a XEP to talk to the XEP ethernet adaptor.

Documentation appears a bit thin hence the the scratching head.

Hope someone can put me on the straight and narrow!!

Thanks

Fleetz
 
Fleetz,

First off since the XEP does not connect to the 485 bus, it will not appear anywhere under enrolled devices at the keypad. When you do the bus enrollment you will not hear it announced or see it in the list - don't worry about it. In RP under Send/Rcv > Show KP & Expanders there should be a section that shows "Ethernet Expander".

So, do you see it under Show Expanders? In RP under account details do you see the M1XEP Setup button at the lower right along with IP address and Port fields? Can you click the Setup button? Under Setup, can you click Find and locate the XEP?

Are you planning a dynamic or static ip? Are you behind a router? If so, there are some tricks to look for. Have a look at THIS thread. There is another link in my message in that thread that has info re: static ip etc.

Worst case connect a laptop directly to XEP via known good crossover cable, make sure you set ip and subnet mask correctly on both XEP and laptop and see if you can communicate.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you still need more and post specific details.
 
Steve's comments are exactly right. The purpose in going through the enrollement process for the XEP is for the M1 to discover if a XEP is present on the system. After that the M1 will poll the XEP to make sure it is on line. If it goes off line there will be an Ethernet Trouble message on the keypad. As Steve noted, during the enrollment process the XEP will not show up on the list that is shown on the keypad.


Normally if you can not "FIND" the XEP through ELKRP, the upper three octets in the PC's IP address are not set the same as the XEP. Change the PC's IP address to match the XEP, connect to the XEP, change the XEP's IP address to match the PC's upper three octets, and change the PC's IP address back to what you want.

Make sure your routers and cable or DSL modem is passing all the ports listed in the XEP documentation, otherwise you will not be able to get to the XEP and M1 from outside your local LAN network. Many people fail to enable all the required pass through ports on there routers and internet modems.

Ethernet can sometimes be a pain to get setup, but once setup it is fantastic.
 
I enrolled the XEP last week, but it didnt respond to the Find, even when my PC IP (internal address) was 192.168.0.3 and the address assigned to the XEP by the router was 192.168.0.5. Is this what you mean having the same three upper octects, Spanky?

I found the address assigned to it in the router and allocated this address to the MAC address of the XEP. Then entered the information manually in the RP and it worked.

I redirected the 2601 port on my router to the the XEP address, but still need to test it from outside. I dont know how to test from inside.
 
Hi Steve and David,

Thanks for that prompt and positive response.

I now understand what the system is looking for and what exactly the enrollent process is with the XEP. I am postive it will be a walk in the park from here, I was getting a litlle wrapped around the axiles on the enrollment bit. Maybe a little more detail in the Installation and Hookup section of the XEP would be useful.

The only thing I need to clarify if I can beg your indulgence is the XEP RS-232 connectivity to the system. I have conflicting information as I stated in my previous post.

I have also tried to enroll the XEP via RP software still doesn't see the XEP. By the way the serial port on the XEP is connected the RS-232 on the MIG at 115200 baud.

I have also tried a serial expander module via it's RS-232 to the XEP both via a 2>3 3>2 RS-232 crossover cable per advise from the distributor here but no joy. This advise is somewhat flawed as from the documation I have the maximum baud rate on the XSP is 38400 baud and the XEP serial port only appears to communicate at 115200 baud.

There also is no reference to the crossover RS232 comms cable and using a XEP to talk to the XEP ethernet adaptor.

Documentation appears a bit thin on the XEP RS-232 to the system serial.

Where does the XEP RS-232 connect to? The Comms port on the M1G or a XSP? I have been told use a XSP and the Comms port on the M1G is "only for service use".
The XSP only supports 38.4k where the M1G supports up to 115.2k, the XEP clearly states that it serial port must be 115.2k so it tends to throw the using the XSP RS-232 port out the window.

I am currently test bedding the system in my study but ultimately the system will be located 5000km away where I will want to monitor and control our second house. Be nice to get the proper serial configuration bedded.

The only manual reference to connecting the XEP to the system is via the serial port on the M1G with what I assume is a straight through serial cable. As opposed to using XSP expander for the RS-232 connection to the XEP using a crossover cable crossover serial cable ie 2>3 3>2.

Hope you can help clarify the correct XEP serial port connectivity and setup.

Thanks again for your excellent responses...it is appreciated!

Regards,

Fleetz
 
Fleetz,

Didn't the XEP include its own serial cable? I just connected the cable that came with the card to the M1G serial port and did the setup above (obviously, also connected ethernet and power).
 
The XEP should come with a serial cable. It MUST connect directly to the controllers serial port. It WILL NOT work with a serial expander.

From the manual:
The DB9M 9-pin male connector should be connected to the DB9F 9-pin female serial port (port 0) on the Control using a standard 9-pin male to female serial cable (included). The unit should be mounted within 10 feet of the Control. The baud rate of the Control's serial port must be set to 115,200, which is the factory default.
Ok - so the serial cable is standard and goes straight to controller. The crossover cable I referenced is an RJ45 Ethernet crossover which is only used if you need to connect your pc/laptop direct to the XEP for testing without a hub or switch.

As far as the manual goes, I think there is always room for improvement however most of these things are covered in it. If you follow the steps exactly as written and in the order listed you should be ok.

For example, about the enrollment, the manual states in bold:
Note: The M1XEP does not connect to the RS-485 data bus on the control, therefore it will not appear in the list of devices enrolled into the control. However, the enrollment process is necessary to ensure proper supervision of the device. If the M1XEP is removed, it must be "un-enrolled" by completing the Bus Module Enrollment process to prevent an "Ethernet Trouble" from occurring.
which tells you it will not be listed in the devices.

Don't have to make any assumptions, just read the steps very carefully - or just ask us here. Don't make it any more complicated then it needs to. Take a deep breath, and follow the steps in order without second guessing and you'll be fine. ;)
 
Fleetz,
All I can say is Ditto from Steve.

The XEP's RS232 port connects to the M1's RS232 Port 0 set for 115K baud.


You can test the XEP and PC with an Ethernet crossover cable from the PC's Ethernet port to the XEP's Ethernet port. With the IP Address octets set as you described above you should be able to click the FIND button on the M1XEP setup screen in ELKRP. The screen should show the MAC address of the XEP and port information, normally 2101 or 2601. Once you have found the XEP, click the "USE SELECTED" button to copy the XEP information to the ELKRP Account setup screen.


If you are still not FINDING the XEP, then respond for another round.

Thanks Steve and all.
 
Thanks very much for all the feedback and clarifying all the above. I am sure that ethernet/RS-232 will now be a breeze as any variables implanted in my brain have now been removed.

THanks Steve and David...
 
Back
Top