Communication module failure description

1. Vango Communication module failure description

1.1 CCO module

 Product Overview

The VTM6230C-V02AIH communication module is a routing module with dual

communication channels of HPLC and HRF. The product is modularly installed in the DCU,

supports hot swap, and cooperates with the STA module on the meter side to form a

communication network to provide users with high-speed power consumption information.

collection service.

 Structure and function description

Function Description
Three-phase line carrier sending
1 HRFCommunication Antennas 4、5、6 indicator light, A, B, C lights are on at
the same time when sending
Power light, always on after power Power grid three-phase line carrier
2 7
on signal coupling interface
The red and green two-color lights
are the receiving and sending status
lights of the carrier and wireless, the
red light is receiving, and the green Module and DCU communication
3 8
light is sending. Dia lights also have interface
self-diagnostic light language, as
explained below.

Dia light self-diagnosis lamp language description:

The routing module starts self-diagnosis after power-on. The self-diagnosis uses the red light
of the Tia light. The light language is as follows:

Short flash: means 0, the light is on for 200ms and off for 700ms.

Long flash: means 1, the light is on for 1000ms and off for 1500ms.

Intermittent is the start sign and fault indication sign of the light signal: the self-test passes,

normal operation, the intermittent light is off for 3000ms; the self-test fails, abnormal indication,

the intermittent light is on for 2500ms, and off for 500ms.

Use the light language to display the channel information of the PLC frequency band and RF

where the routing module is located, the PLC frequency band and the RF channel are displayed in

turn, the PLC light language is 2 digits, the RF light language is 4 digits, and there is an interval of

3 seconds. Use the pause time to indicate if an exception occurred.

CCO running status Light language example

Normal Band Intermitte shor long Intermitte shor shor lon shor Intermitte ...
1（01）C nt off t nt off t t g t nt off .
hannel
2（0010
）
Abnorm Band Intermitte long shor Intermitte shor shor lon long Intermitte ...
al 2（10）C nt bright t nt bright t t g nt bright .
hannel
3（0011
）
.. ..... ....

 Fault cases and solutions

serial Fault description Solution

number
1 If the Power indicator is off, the The working power of the routing module is
fault is that the module is not provided by the DCU, and the related power
powered on. supplies should be checked in sequence:
a. Check the working status of the DCU to
make sure that the DCU is in normal working
status;
b. Check whether the routing module is
plugged in properly, and make sure that the
pins are correctly inserted into the DCU pin
base;
c. Check the 12V power supply provided by
the DCU for the module, and measure the
 voltage of the "structure and function
description" mark ⑧ terminal block base
(terminals 9 and 10 are GND; terminals 11 and
12 are VCC);
d. After the above troubleshooting, it can be
confirmed that the module hardware is faulty,
and the routing module needs to be replaced.
The troubleshooting process is as follows:
a. Check the DCU three-phase power line to
see if any terminals are not tightened or fall
off;
After the routing module is
b. Measure whether there is voltage at the
powered on, the Dia light is on
DCU three-phase power supply terminal and
for 2.5s and off for 0.5s. The fault
the "structure and function description" mark
2 is that the routing module
⑦ terminal block base;
detects that there is a phase loss
c. Check whether the three-phase coupling
in the three-phase voltage
terminal pins of the routing module are
coupling.
correctly inserted into the DCU pin base;
After the above troubleshooting, it can be
confirmed that the module hardware is faulty,
and the routing module needs to be replaced.
3 No data can be collected for the Such faults should be checked from top to
entire station area bottom, from the master station side to the
DCU side. The troubleshooting steps are as
follows:
(1) Check on the master station side
a. Check whether the online status of the DCU
is offline, and check whether there is no data
uploaded to the master station because the
DCU is offline;
b. Check the event records reported by the
DCU to see if there is a power outage event,
and rule out that the DCU is not working due
to the power outage of the station substation;
c. Check the master station files, concentrator
clocks, collection tasks, and check the failure
files, parameters and other reasons.
(2) Check on the concentrator side
a. Check whether the DCU is powered on and
works, and whether the three-phase power
supply is normal, and eliminate the DCU
power supply and hardware failure problems;
b. Check the uplink communication status of
 the DCU and observe the indicator light of the
4G module to see if it is offline. The DCU
offline may be caused by factors such as
incorrect master station parameters, SIM card
failure, unopened communication services,
weak 4G signal, and unplugged modules.
Check one by one;
c. Exclude one by one according to the above
faults 1 and 2, and eliminate faults caused by
power supply, DCU, routing module hardware,
etc. ;
d. Connect the routing module through the
debugging tool, check the module status
information, white list, network access list and
other information, so as to determine whether
the routing module is working normally,
whether the file exists, whether there is an
electric meter connected to the network, etc.
4 Failed to collect data from some This fault can basically eliminate the operation
electric meters faults of the DCU and the routing module. It
should start with the analysis of common
problems such as the manufacturer, version
information, and point distribution of the
meter for reading and receiving, and perform
fault location and troubleshooting one by one.
The troubleshooting steps are as follows:
a. Check the file information of the failed
electric meter through the main station
system to see if it is the electric meter of the
same manufacturer, so as to eliminate the
problems caused by the key, version, clock and
other factors of the electric meter;
b. Obtain the installation coordinate
information of the electric meter, and conduct
point analysis in combination with the GIS
map. If the electric meter fails to collect and
has regional characteristics, it can be basically
judged as a communication island. Solutions
include supplementary DCU in the island area,
point selection in the critical area of carrier
communication, and electric meter in the edge
area of the island. Replaced with a dual-mode
STA module. Precise judgment is required for
 the selection of solutions, and site surveys and
program tests should be carried out to
determine which solution is most suitable.
If the collection of scattered ammeters fails,
the ammeter end should be located for
troubleshooting. The troubleshooting steps
are as follows:
a. Check the file information through the main
station system, such as the meter asset
number, communication address code, key
and other parameter errors, resulting in
collection failure;
b. On-site check whether the meter is in the
power-on state;
Failed to collect scattered c. On-site check whether the meter module is
5
electricity meters working normally, observe the module
indicator light, whether it is a communication
problem between the STA module and the
meter or other faults;
d. Monitor the running status of the STA
module on site, connect the meter to the
controller to monitor the communication,
check whether the beacon frame can be
received, and judge whether the meter is a
communication island. If so, the dual-mode
STA module needs to be eliminated. You need
to use 4G module to eliminate the gap.
6 Acquisition data is unstable The phenomenon of unstable data collection is
mainly due to the fact that data can be
collected, but the data collection of the meter
is incomplete. Basically, the file problem on
the master station side and the hardware
failure of the DCU and routing module can be
ruled out. It should be checked from the
working status of the DCU and routing module
and the operation of the meter side. The
troubleshooting steps are as follows:
a. Check the message log of the main station,
check whether the DCU is frequently going
online or offline, and rule out whether the
DCU has network communication problems
and the data cannot be collected back to the
main station due to frequent online and
 offline;
b. On-site check whether the DCU three-
phase R, S, T voltage is stable, and whether
there is a line communication problem caused
by the lack of phase voltage;
c. DCU manufacturers cooperate to capture
DCU logs, analyze the meter reading process
and task execution, and analyze the reasons
for collection failures;
d. Check the running status parameters of the
routing module, obtain the STA module
network access information, routing level,
success rate of uplink and downlink
communication, etc. , and analyze the
networking information of unstable meters. If
the routing level is too deep (greater than 4
levels) and the success rate of uplink and
downlink communication is as low as 80%, you
need to consider using dual-mode
optimization.
1.2 STA module

 Product Overview

STA modules are divided into HPLC sta module and HPLC+HRF sta module, among which the

VTM6201S-E05AIH communication module is the sta module of HPLC communication. This

module adopts OFDM technology, and the working frequency range is 0.7MHz-12MHz. It has

high speed and strong anti-interference ability. and other characteristics, cooperate with the

routing module on the DCU side to establish a communication network to provide users with

high-speed, high-frequency power consumption information collection services; the VTM6220S-

V02AIHR communication module is a sta module of HPLC and HRF dual communication channels,

using HPLC as the main The dual-mode converged communication solution supplemented by HRF

breaks through the local communication multi-mode low-cost wide-coverage technology, and

performs dual-mode optimization for carrier "islands".

 Structure and function description

 VTM6201S-E05AIH VTM6220S-V02AIHR

Function Description
1 Power light, always on when power on, 5 Power grid single-phase line carrier
Net, Rxd, Txd will light up briefly and signal coupling interface
then go out when power on, Power light
keeps on
2 Net light, network status light 6 Module and meter communication
interface
3 Rxd light，communication receiving light 7 Antenna interface for HRF
communication
4 Txd light，communication transfer light
Combination light language description:

light status Illustrate

Meter synchronization status (attempt to read meter
number). Txd light, Rxd light: 250ms on, 250ms off. Net light:
always off.

No network to join state. Txd light, Net light: always off. Rxd
light: on for 1s, off for 1s, blinking.

It is found that the network is waiting to join the network

(trying to build a network). Rxd light, Net light: always off. Txd
light: on for 500ms, off for 500ms, and blinking.
Successful network access status (connected to the Internet).
Txd light, Rxd light: always off. Net light: see Net light
language.

Data receiving status. Txd light: always off. Rxd light: on for
50ms. Net light: see Net light language.

Data sending status. Txd light: on for 50ms. Rxd light: always
off. Net light: see Net light language.
 After receiving the beacon status of the copy controller, stop
networking (in the beacon of the copy controller). Txd light,
Rxd light: always off. Net light: always on.

Under the upgrade source, the status of the upgrade is

complete, and all the lights are on.

Net light language is described as follows:

Use the NET light language to display the PLC frequency band or RF channel number that the

STA has joined the network, and display the current PLC frequency band or RF channel number

(choose one of the two) according to the channel used by the proxy node, and the light will be off

for 3 seconds in the middle.

The coding adopts binary, and when the PLC is connected to the network, the lamp language

has 2 digits. When RF is connected to the network, the light language is 4 digits.

Short flash: means 0, the light is on for 200ms and off for 700ms.

Long flash: Indicates 1, the light is on for 1000ms and off for 1500ms.

Intermittent is the start sign of the light signal, and the light is off for 3000ms.

STA network access Light language example

method
PLCnetwor Band Intermitten shor long Intermitten ......
k access 1（01） t t t
RF network Channel Intermitten shor shor long shor Intermitten .....
access 2（0010） t t t t t .
RF network Channel Intermitten shor shor long long Intermitten .....
access 3（0011） t t t t .
...... ...... ......

 Fault cases and solutions

Serial Fault description Solution

numbe
r
1 STA module is not powered on The troubleshooting steps for STA not powered
(the Power light is off). on are as follows:
a. Confirm whether the meter is powered on and
working;
b. Check whether the STA module and the
electric meter are plugged in correctly;
c. Check whether the 12V power supply provided
by the ammeter to the module (terminals 3 and
 4 are GND; terminals 1 and 2 are VCC) is normal.
If it is abnormal, it can be confirmed that the
ammeter is faulty;
After the above troubleshooting, it can be
confirmed that the STA module is faulty and
should be replaced.
After the module is powered on, it will first
interact with the meter synchronously. It is
necessary to eliminate the communication
failure between the meter and the module. The
troubleshooting steps are as follows:
The STA module failed to
a. On-site check whether the communication
synchronize with the meter and
cable between the meter and the STA module is
has been in a synchronous state
2 correctly inserted;
(Txd light, Rxd light: on for 250ms,
b. Use a new STA module for trial installation,
off for 250ms. Net light: always
and observe whether the STA module can be
off).
synchronized with the meter. If so, it can be
confirmed that the atomic module is faulty;
After the above troubleshooting, it can basically
be judged as a hardware failure of the meter
itself.
The troubleshooting of this fault can start from
three aspects:
a.Use the controller to monitor the
communication network of the location of the
faulty meter. If the network is not monitored, it
means that the meter is in a communication
The meter is not connected to the island, and dual-mode and 4G fault elimination
network, and the indicator light solutions should be considered;
shows that there is no network to b.The electric meter and the DCU are in different
3
join (Txd light, Net light: always off. substations, and the attribution file relationship
Rxd light: on for 1s, off for 1s, and needs to be changed;
blinking). c. The upper limit of the DCU load is full, and the
module cannot join the DCU network, which can
be solved by properly adjusting the upper limit of
the DCU (if the upper limit of the load cannot
meet the requirements of the meter reading
task, you need to consider 4G to eliminate the
lack of or increase the DCU program).
4 The STA module is in the state of In this state, the STA module cannot be
receiving the beacon of the connected to the network. It is a normal
controller (Txd light, Rxd light: performance when the on-site controller is used
always off. Net light: always on). for operation and maintenance. Otherwise, it
 indicates an abnormal fault. How to troubleshoot
this fault:
a. Confirm whether there is a copy controller on
site that has not been removed. After the copy
controller is removed, wait for 3 minutes for the
module status to be automatically released;
b. If the above is eliminated, it is a hardware
failure and the STA module needs to be replaced.
It is a normal performance during on-site
operation and maintenance. If it is not in the
case of operation and maintenance, it indicates
that the fault is abnormal. How to troubleshoot
this fault:
Upgrade source completion status
5 a. Confirm whether there is a copy controller on
(all lights are on)
site that has not been removed. After the copy
controller is removed, wait for 2 minutes for the
module status to be automatically released;
b.If the above is eliminated, it is a hardware
failure and the STA module needs to be replaced.
This fault should be eliminated in the master
station first, the power meter file and the key
problem, and then after the above fault is
eliminated, the follow-up steps are as follows:
a. Check whether the single-phase line carrier
signal coupling interface of the power grid is in
poor contact;
b. Use the copy controller to check the
communication parameters of the STA module
(read the configuration parameters of the STA
6 The meter fails to collect data module, such as transmission power, working
frequency band, and noise, etc. ), and modify the
transmission power for communication
optimization;
c. Check the routing information of the routing
module on the DCU side, check the routing level,
network access information, and success rate of
uplink and downlink of this module, and judge
whether there is communication instability
caused by poor communication quality. If so, use
dual-mode to eliminate the gap.
7 Indicator light status of non- This fault exists when the blinking cycle of the
combined light language light signal is abnormally slow. There may be a
module aging state, directly replace the new STA
module for processing.