The Protocol - Sep/Oct 2000

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ADS Performs Multi-Vendor Alarm Monitoring

Yet another DPS solution has entered the telemetry industry this year. The Alarm Distribution Shelf (ADS) duplicates source alarms to multiple vendors giving each one their own private copy of the alarms.The ADS gives owners complete control over the building and facility and which alarms are duplicated.

ADS: ADS monitors up to 256 ground closures and distributes alarms to up to 20 users. Two shelves can be cascaded together for high density applications.

The ADS is a great solution for site owners with multiple vendors all scrambling for visibility of the same alarms. At co-located equipment sites, each company might have its own rack, but since the equipment is in the same room it is subject to the same environmental alarm-producing conditions such as extreme temperatures, humidity, water, power or security.

The ADS effectively isolates the individual alarm systems, allowing potentially non-compatible systems to co-exist. This is accomplished through a dedicated set of 16 relays for each user, giving you the ability to monitor all types of equipment with one monitoring device.

User flexibility: Use the software to program the Boolean logic equations.

Additionally, a copy of all the source alarms are provided for the facility owner so they can keep track of the site in its entirety. ADS is designed to connect directly with DPS' KDAs for the site owner notification of the alarms.

The ADS is easy to install, and eliminates the rat nest of wires that would otherwise need to be used to distribute alarms. Not only is it a clean install, it creates a system that documents the wiring with alarm point lists.This allows you to easily change or upgrade your equipment.

Housing for the ADS is provided in a 13-slot, 460-type shelf for 23" rack mounting. The ADS is a scalable solution. One or two shelf applications are available. Capacity can be from 32 to 256 source alarm inputs, and from 1 to 20 user outputs, plus a copy of all the source alarms for the site owner.

User output points are programmable and can be patched directly, filtered or summarized with Boolean logic functions. T/ADS, a Windows™ configuration utility, is used to compile the mapping rules and to program the Boolean logic equations (see figure 1). The Boolean logic gives a great amount of flexibility in determining which alarms are sent to each user.

User flexibility: Logic functions provide the user flexibility by filtering and summarizing alarm points.

A user may receive a point-for-point copy of the alarms that are pertinent to their equipment. By using the Boolean operators AND/OR, this provides control over summarizing and filtering alarm data and can be used in cases where a vendor wants to know if any one of a group of alarms was triggered.

With the ADS' programmability and scalable capacity, it is the clear solution for co-located equipment alarm monitoring needs. Call DPS today to find out about tailoring the ADS to suit your needs.