Description

The X-ACT Active Command Tablet is used in conjunction with a battery operated Bridge Controller to allow remote control of Explosive Blast Simulators. The X-ACT Bridge Controller is available with optional WiFi or Bluetooth modules. The X-ACT Tablet is shipped with matching X-ACT app.

Figure 1: X-ACT app main page in WiFi mode, disconnected

This User's Guide describes how to connect the tablet to the X-ACT Bridge Controller, and how to operate the simulators through the app.

Installation

The X-ACT Bridge Controller must be installed such that it can have radio contact through the XBee module with all the simulators (X-O, X-CAL or X-RPT).

The X-ACT Bridge Controller must also be within range of the X-ACT Tablet used for control.

When using the WiFi option, the range between the Tablet and the Bridge Controller is about 50 to 100 feet in a building, sometimes less depending on the building construction.

When using the Bluetooth option, the range is typically 15 to 30 feet, also depending on building construction.

The Bluetooth option may be preferred under certain circumstances when the X-ACT Tablet does not maintain WiFi connectivity in the absence of Internet access. This is an Android issue that varies depending on the Android device and the operating system version.

The Bluetooth module may also be prefered when it is desirable to maintain Internet access with the tablet while being operated. When using the WiFi module, the Android tablet will not be able to maintain Internet connectivity at the same time.

 View Currents

Each time a simulator is fired (X-O, X-CAL), the controller records the currents at 1mS interval. Currents in the valves, the spark module and the accessory output (smoke machine) are recorded separately and can be viewed in the app.

To view the valve current for instance, go to the View Current page in the app after firing a simulator. 

Make sure the right simulator is selected (if there are more than one; in this case there is one X-O at address 0 and it is selected), select Valve Current and click Fetch. The app will download and display the valve current waveform:

This waveform shows a characteristic hump on the left. This is due to the plungers moving in the valves. That takes typically about 10-12mS, depending on the type of valve and the battery voltage. Once the plungers have finished moving (at the low point in the current waveform), the current keeps increasing until it reaches a steady state value, which is the nominal valve current if you measured with a hand held meter. 

The cursor (the purple line about 2/3 of the waveform to the right) is automatically placed on the waveform about 60% of the screen width, where the current should be stabilized. It indicates that the valve current is about 1760 mA 37 mS after the valve was powered. You can move the cursor to measure the current at different points in the waveform.

These particular walves are rated 8W each and both together are drawing 1760mA @ 12V, or 21W, a little above the manufacturer's specification of 16W. This is not unusual and is perfectly normal.

Sometimes a valve can get stuck, due to a defect or inpurities in the gas or inpurities being introduced in the hoses during installation. Of course, the simulator will not operate normally with a stuck valve. If a stuck valve is suspected, the View Currents feature can be used to troubleshoot these problems.

This is what the waveform looks like with a stuck valve:

You will notice that the hump is much less pronounced but the total current (as indicated by the cursor) is normal, indicating that one valve is stuck and the other one is working normally. To easily determine which valve is stuck, use the two buttons at the bottom of the screen. First, close both gas regulators to minimize the amount of gas that will be dispensed. Then press the Check Oxygen Valve button. The simulator will go through a very short oxygen-only valve cycle and immediately display the valve current:

You can see that the Oxygen valve current does not look anything like the waveform in the first picture but the peak current is 928mA, which is normal, indicating that the Oxygen valve is stuck and not open circuit or short circuit.

Please note that the app automatically rescales the current waveform to full screen, therefore even though the peak current is half, the waveform appears to have the same amplitude. To verify the magnitude of the current, use the cursor readings.

To confirm that the oxygen valve is stuck, press the Check Propane Valve button:

This waveform is perfectly normal, confirming that the oxygen valve is the culprit.

Note that if a valve was open or disconnected, the waveform during a normal fire sequence would look like in the last picture (normal waveform, half amplitude).

This feature can also be used to detect worn out rechargeable batteries. Old rechargeable batteries not only do not hold charge very well but their internal resistance increases. This can create a situation where the battery voltage seems correct during normal operation right after being charged, but the voltage will drop rapidly under load such as when the valves are fired. It can be frustrating anf difficult to troubleshoot but the View Current feature will help.

Here is a picture of the valve current with an old battery:

Notice that the total current is low and the hump is distorted compared to the "normal" picture. In this case, it is necessary to replace the batteries. Note that different types of valves may respond differently to low or worn out batteries, but a low total current will always indicate batteries that need to be replaced.

 Scripts

For instance, let's assume that you have 4 simulators connected through an X-ACT Bridge Controller, at addresses 0, 1, 3 and 5. A script may allow you to fire the simulators in any order, with any delay between them in a predictable and reproducible way.

A script is a text file stored in the Download folder of your tablet that contains a sequence of commands and optional delays. Here is an example:

	0
	w 500
	#0,0
	#1,0
	#1,3
	#1,4
	w 5000
	#1,2
	

• "0" this is an ID Query command sent to the X-ACT Bridge Controller (WiFiBox)
• "w 500" this command is a 500mS delay
• "#0,0" this command instructs the X-ACT Bridge Controller to send command "0" (an ID Query) to the simulator at address 0.
• "#1,0" this command instructs the X-ACT Bridge Controller to send command "0" (an ID Query) to the simulator at address 1.
• "#1,3" this command instructs the X-ACT Bridge Controller to send command "3" (an ARM command) to the simulator at address 1.
• "#1,4" this command instructs the X-ACT Bridge Controller to send command "4" (a FIRE command) to the simulator at address 1.
• "w 5000" this command creates a delay of 5 seconds.
• "#1,2" this command instructs the X-ACT Bridge Controller to send command "2" (an IDLE command) to the simulator at address 1.

The built-in delay between commands (due to latency in the network) is about 200mS.

Note that the delay programmed with command "w xxx" is an additional delay between commands and does not include the built-in delay. In effect, the delay is measured between the response to the previous command and sending the next command.

The execution of a script is verified on the screen. The picture below shows the execution of the script above:

Figure 8: Example of script result

In the screen shot above, the app displays the response to commands ARM, FIRE and IDLE as a cryptic 4 character string. This indicates successful execution of the command. A command that cannot be executed would ellicit a response of "NAK", for Not Acknowledge.

Editing a script

Figure 9: Example of script editing

You can use these buttons to respectively insert a new record, delete a record, edit a record and save the new script, under the same name or under a new name.

You cannot create a new script from scratch or delete an existing script drectly within the app but if you want to create a new script, it is easy to open the demo script, modify it and save it under a new name.

The scripts are saved in the Download folder which makes it easy to exchange scripts via emails. Email attachments can be easily saved to the download folder and opened from within the X-ACT app.

 Settings

Figure 10: X-ACT Settings page

If the X-ACT Bridge Controller is not connected or has disconnected, click on the Connect button. Otherwise, if the Unit ID label is green, click on the Refresh button. The app may ask you if you want to display the X-ACT Controller's settings or those of one of the simulators. Click on the desired unit. The app will query the available settings for the selected device and display them in a list on the screen.

To change a parameter, scroll the list up and down until you see the parameter you want to change, click on the parameter. This will copy the parameter‘s description and current value in the boxes just above the list (see Figure 9), and a new drop down list is displayed, showing the available settings.

Note that some parameters are Read-Only and cannot be changed. If you click on one of those, the app will flash a brief error message near the bottom of the screen indicating that this parameter cannot be changed.

Select the new setting and click the Save button. A message at the bottom of the screen will indicate if the operation was successful. You can always click Refresh to verify that the parameter was changed as anticipated.

Figure 11: Example of editing a setting

Note that simulators with firmware version below 2.0.0 can be controlled throught the Control screen and Map View but do not provide access to the Setting screen.

Fault Troubleshooting

In section 2, we saw that simulators with firmware version 2.0.0 or more recent can display faults. In the example, the simulator was showing a "Valve(s) Overcurrent" fault. You can troubleshoot this fault further through the settings menu. By looking up the settings immediately after a Valve Overcurrent or Battery Undervoltage fault occurred, you can help determine the source of the problem.

Here is the Settings for the faulted simulator:

Figure 12: Checking Faults through the Setting screen

 Debug

The Debug feature is reserved for troubleshooting under guidance from Explotrain personnel.

Figure 12: Debug page

The event log records all commands and actions with a time stamp and can be saved to a file on the tablet and emailed later.