My system is not working:

Most of the settings for Orion are fixed to make system setup easier.

If the system is not communicating here are some tips to get it going.

First, the system baud rate is set and cannot be adjusted. This system is fixed at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, Even parity and 1 stop bit so all controllers on the link must match these settings.

The software is also fixed for a specific communication port.  This is a RS485 port that connects directly to the controller through a simple 2 wire connection using the Orion CA-2010-20 cable. This cable connects directly to the 9 pin female port on the back of the Orion display.

By fixing the baud rate and port configuration we take 2 of the most common problems out of the system.  If you have the controller programmed for a unique address and a baud rate of 9.6KB , your half way there.

(see section on “Setting up the communications” in the manufacturers manual)

Here are a few things to check:

1.        Is the RS485 network wired to match the drawing on page 7 of this manual?

2.        Are all controllers on the link setup for the proper address and baud rate?

3.        Does each controller on the network have a unique address programmed starting at address #1?

4.        Is the Orion compact flash card installed in Orion’s compact flash slot and seated securely?

5.        Is the compact flash card installed correctly?  The card holder is keyed so it’s pretty hard to install

the card improperly but worth checking anyway.

6.        Do you have the proper number of controllers and the correct type for each address programmed at the  

Orion configuration software?  Selecting the incorrect control type for a specific address (selection in the configurator does not match the actual controller on the link) in the configurator will cause Orion to report communication errors. 

7.        Setting the configuration software for more addresses than are actually on the link will create the same

problem since Orion is trying to communicate with controllers that are not physically on the link.

8.        Is your first controller on the link programmed at address #1.  It really does not matter in what order you

put the addresses in, just so one of the controllers starts at address 1 and ends with the last address to equal the number of the controllers on the link.

9.        When calibrating the touch screen, A “System Settings” tabbed dialog is displayed.  One of the dialog

tabs that is not supposed to edited is “Set Serial Port”.  This setting changes the communications type for the Orion system to FDC controllers.  Do not make changes or modify this tab.  Changes to this tab will stop Orion from communicating to controllers on the Orion link.  The tab default should be set for “RS485-2wire”.