Software

Software Manual

© 2017 AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection / Technical Support: 1-800-645-9721 / espsurgex.com 1

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IV. SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

1. Computer Requirements

a. Minimum 133MHz Pentium processor (or equivalent), minimum 64MB of RAM,

minimum 10MB free hard drive space, VGA or higher resolution monitor,
keyboard, mouse, CD or DVD drive, minimum screen resolution of 1024x768,
Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10.

2. Hardware Requirements

a. For use with enVision enabled products and Data Interface Cable (XG-PCS-1C-1)

3. Download and Install Software

a. Download the Software Installer from www.espsurgex.com

b. Unzip and run the installation utility.

c. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation of the software.

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4. Install Data Interface Cable

a. Automatic Installation (Requires Internet connection)

i. Plug the USB side of the Data Interface Cable into an available USB port.

ii. Windows will automatically detect and install appropriate device driver
files for the Data Interface Cable.

• If a “Found New Hardware” pop-up box appears, follow the on-

screen instructions and allow Windows to search online for driver
files.
• The installation could take several minutes to search for and
download appropriate driver files. Once the files are found, follow
the on-screen instructions to install.
• Note: The driver installation process will first install USB Serial
Converter driver files, and then will install USB Serial Port drivers
separately.

b. Manual Installation

In the event that the automatic driver installation process was not successful, or if
no internet connection is available, the Data Interface Cable driver files may be
installed manually.

• Select “Install Drivers” during the Software Installation process.

• Or run “Interface Setup” from: Start/All Programs/ESP
SurgeX/Diagnostic Tool

c. Once the Data Interface Cable has been successfully installed, it will appear
in Device Manager as “USB Serial Port (COMx)” under “Ports (COM & LPT)”.

V. USING THE SOFTWARE

1. Physical Connections

a. Plug the USB side of the Data Interface Cable into an available USB port.

b. Plug the RJ-11 side of the Data Interface Cable into the RJ-11 “OUT” jack
labeled “Data Port” on the unit, which is the jack closest to the
LCD.

2. Start the Software

a. Double-click the desktop shortcut labeled “ESP SurgeX

Diagnostic Tool”, or use the “ESP SurgeX Diagnostic Tool”
Start Menu shortcut located at:

Start/All Programs/ESP SurgeX/Diagnostic Tool

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3. Configure the Data Interface Cable and COM Port

a. Click the COM Port Setup button labeled COM.

b. Click Configure.

i. The auto configuration process will automatically set the correct device
parameters of the Data Interface Cable to operate properly with the
software and Next Gen.

• Note: This process only needs to be done once for each new
Data Interface Cable installed on the PC.
• Note: This process edits Windows registry values, and so may be
blocked by MS Windows User Account Control (UAC) in Windows
Vista/7/8/10. It may be necessary to exit the software and restart it
with administrative rights by right-clicking the software shortcut
and choosing “Run As Administrator”. It may also be necessary to
run the compatibility wizard by right-clicking the shortcut, selecting
“Troubleshoot Compatibility”, and following the prompts.

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ii. The COM port may also be manually configured using the Device Manager:

1. Open Device Manager

a. Click on Start button

b. Type the following command in the Search box: devmgmt.msc

c. Press Enter

2. In the Device Manager, expand “Ports (COM & LPT)”

3. Right-click on the entry labeled “USB Serial Port (COMx)” and click
“Properties”

4. In the USB Serial Port Properties pop-up box, click the “Port Settings”
tab, and then click the “Advanced” button.

5. In “USB Transfer Sizes”, change both the “Receive” and “Transmit”

values to 4096.

6. In “BM Options”, change the “Latency Timer” value to 2.

7. Leave all other settings at default.

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c. Click Detect.

i. The auto detect process will automatically detect the COM Port number
assigned to the Data Interface Cable.

ii. If the auto detection process is successful, click Save. The software is
now properly configured and ready for use.

iii. If the auto detection process is not successful, verify that the Data
Interface Cable device drivers are properly installed, and that the physical
connections between the enVision and the PC have been made correctly.

d. The language may also be selected in this mode.

4. Software Modes

The Next Gen software is organized into several operational modes. The modes are
activated by clicking the corresponding button at the bottom of the software interface.
Note: Some features are only available when used with an enVision PCS product.

Press the Help Button (“?”) in the upper right for additional information on the features
available in the current mode. Hovering the mouse cursor over items will also display
additional information.

Scope Mode, Chart Mode, Historical Data Mode, and Settings Mode
include a Save function. Press the Save button to save data to a CSV file.
Time Stamped data may also be saved as a report in PDF format.

Chart Mode and Historical data may be analyzed by an automatic Expert

Analysis tool. Press the Expert button to perform an expert analysis of
recorded time-stamped event data or chart measurements and generate a
PDF report of potential conclusions and recommendations.

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a. Multimeter Mode

i. The Multimeter Mode provides information traditionally acquired from a

handheld digital multimeter, as well as an overview of the recorded power
quality events. ±2% Typical Measurement Accuracy.

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ii. Real-time display of electrical parameters

• Line Voltage: AC RMS Volts. Peak Measurement Type

• Neutral-Ground Voltage: AC RMS Volts Neutral-Ground. Peak
Measurement Type. Available with 120V models with firmware
version 2.00 and later. ±1V accuracy from 3V-10V.

iii. Number of recorded power quality events

• Surge Events: SG
• Overvoltage Events: OVrec
• Undervoltage Events: UVrec
• Power Outage Events: PO

b. Chart Mode

i. The Chart Mode enables a chart style data logging function of electrical
parameters. Data point measurements are acquired once per second.
The measured parameters may be enabled or disabled by pressing the
corresponding button.

ii. Chart display of electrical parameters:

• Line Voltage: AC RMS Volts. Peak Measurement Type

• Neutral-Ground Voltage: AC RMS Volts Neutral-Ground. Peak
Measurement Type. Available with 120V models with firmware
version 2.00 and later. ±1V accuracy from 3V-10V.

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c. Outlet Control Mode

i. The Outlet Control Mode enables control of the AC outlets and provides
information about wiring faults and abnormal line voltage.

ii. Use the green On/Off button to manually turn the AC outlets on and off.

• Pressing the blue Power Cycle button will result in the execution
of a power cycle. When commanded, the outlets will turn off, and
then back on, after a 90 second delay. The Power Cycle
indicator will be illuminated while a power cycle is active.

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d. Historical Data Mode

The Historical Data Mode allows for the retrieval and display of the power quality
event data stored in the Next Gen internal memory.

i. Time Stamped Power Quality Event Data

▪ Next Gen is able to store and timestamp the 60 most recent

power quality events in its internal memory. Press the Import
Time Stamped Data button to download the event data.

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Four types of events are logged:

▪ Surge: Next Gen has been exposed to a transient voltage in one of the 3 possible
modes (between Live and Neutral, between Live and Ground, between Neutral and
Ground) with a peak amplitude of 500V* or higher and a frequency of 20 kHz or
higher. *500V surge voltage amplitude applies to IEEE C62.41 Category B Impulse;
surge voltage amplitudes necessary for detection of other surge types may vary.

▪ Over Voltage: Line voltage exceeded the over voltage record threshold.

▪ Under Voltage: Line voltage dropped below the under voltage record threshold.

▪ Power Outage: Loss of AC power.

ii. Import Data

Previously saved data files may be imported by entering the Historical Data Mode while no
product is connected. This may be achieved by removing the data interface cable or by selecting
and saving an invalid COM Port number.

Press the button that corresponds to the type of data file to import and browse to the location of
the file.

Note: “Import Historical Data from file” applies to enVision PCS, not Next Gen PCS.

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e. Settings Mode

The Settings mode enables the specification of the user-configurable parameters of Next Gen.
When this mode is entered, it displays the parameters currently in use. Firmware versions prior to
1.53 (120V models) and 1.02 (208-240V models) do not support the Auto Transmit feature.

i. Auto Transmit: Enables/Disables the automatic transmission of status information every 30

minutes. Primarily intended for use with Remote Portal RP-IP.

ii. Update ID: Sets the product identifier specified in the text box. 10
character limit. This is a temporary setting intended to set an ID for saved reports.

iii. Update Limits: Sets the voltage thresholds specified by the voltage threshold selection
fields. Press Default to select factory default limits.
Note: Restore points may not be specified for Next Gen PCS.

x. Language: Select the software’s display language.

xi. Save: Save the current settings for reference.

Limit When Activated Action Factory Default

120V 208/240V
Over Voltage V > OVShutdown Outlets turned Off and 150 260
Shutdown event recorded
Over Voltage OVShutdown > V > OVRecord Outlets stay On and 135 260
Record event recorded
Over Voltage V < OVRestore After OVShutdown Outlets turned On 140 250
Restore
Under Voltage V > UVRestore After UVShutdown Outlets turned On 105 190
Restore
Under Voltage UVShutdown < V < UVRecord Outlets stay On and 100 180
Record event recorded
Under Voltage V < UVShutdown Outlets turned Off and 0 140
Shutdown event recorded (Disabled)

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f. COM Port Setup Mode

i. The COM Port Setup mode is used to configure new Data Interface
Cables for use.

ii. Detect: Automatically detect the COM Port when the Next Gen, Data
Interface Cable, and PC are properly connected and powered up.

iii. Configure: Automatically configure the advanced settings of the Data Interface Cable.
May require running the software with elevated permissions (right-click program shortcut
and choose “Run As Administrator”) on Windows Vista/7/8/10 with UAC (User Account
Control) enabled.

iv. Save: Saves the COM Port selection.

5. Command Line Operation

Usage: ESP_SurgeX_Diagnostic_Tool (/o output_file) [-a] [-t] [-c] [-m]

Example : ESP_SurgeX_Diagnostic_Tool /o C:\Users\Robert\Desktop\log.txt -a -m

Option Meaning
-a Append output file. If output file already exists, column headers will not be written.
-t Write Timestamped data.
-c Write Event Counts.
-m Write Measurements.
If neither -t, -c, nor -m is specified, all will be written.
If -a is not specified, output file will be overwritten.

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VI. TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom/Error Message Possible Cause What To Do

Unable to automatically determine Data interface cable not properly Check interface cable connections
COM Port connected. at PC and XG.
COM Port not successfully Windows User Account Control Exit the software, right-click the
configured. has prevented the software from desktop shortcut, and select “Run
automatically modifying the COM As Administrator” or select
Port settings in the system registry. “Troubleshoot Compatibility” and
follow the wizard.
Unable to locate or read dictionary One or more language dictionary Uninstall the software, and then
file. files cannot be found in the reinstall the latest version.
installation directory.
Problem communicating with XG. Data interface cable not properly Check interface cable connections
connected. at PC and XG.
COM Port Settings are not correct, The COM Port has not been Configure the COM Port following
which may result in non-optimal properly configured. the steps listed in the Configure
operation. the Data Interface Cable and
COM Port section of this manual.
Wrong or corrupt file. A file import operation has been Select a valid data file for import.
attempted with an invalid or corrupt
data file.

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