3500 Operation and Maintenance - Section 14: Page 1

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Troubleshooting the
3500 Monitoring System


Topic Objectives:

You will be able to explain the various kinds of problems that can potentially occur
with a 3500 monitoring system installation.
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Potential Connection Problems


There are several wiring issues that can affect the 3500 monitoring system, including the
following:

open or shorted field wiring from the transducer system to the monitor rack
improper connections at the monitor rack, and/or at the transducer interface
monitoring rack or I/O jumpers incorrectly installed for the given configuration
corrosion on the field wiring connections
grounds loops

When the wiring is complete and uninterrupted, there may still be wiring issues.
Grounding of the transducer wiring anywhere but at the rack, or at the selected single
point ground can create voltage potential differences, and noise. In addition, placing the
low voltage transducer signal wiring near high voltage wiring or fields may also
introduce noise, or unexpected effects.
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Configuration of the Monitor


In most cases, the 3500 configuration software will not allow the improper use of a
monitor or I/O module. However, the following conditions can still cause problems:

incorrect or unusable setpoint adjustments
incorrect configuration of the transducer devices
incorrect scales and/or limits for the direct measurement, or for any of the related
variables

As mentioned in an earlier section, the best practice for configuring a set of monitors and
channels is to set the first of each kind of monitoring channel very carefully, and review
the configuration. Then, use the Copy process available at three levels (i.e., channel,
channel pair, and monitor) to configure the remainder of that group of monitors. This is a
much easier, and much safer practice.
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Configuration Issues


Some dynamically configured devices, such as the rotary potentiometer Valve Position
transducer or the LVDT Case Expansion measurement, must be partially configured
while the software is connected to the monitoring system. This is a significant
convenience, since it allows the ability to calibrate the monitor using the actual
transducer signal. The process is implemented by allowing the lowest and highest
voltage or measurement inputs to be set in the software, and then downloaded to the
monitor. Without the software process, a voltage measurement and manual entry would
be required to set the lower and higher limits. However, it is critical that the steps
specified in the Rack Hardware Installation, Operations, and Maintenance manual are
implemented properly and in the correct order for these devices to be properly
configured.
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Use of I/O Modules


As with monitors, the software will not allow an improper I/O module to be downloaded
to the rack. The configuration software displays the proper module when the monitor
data has been uploaded from the rack.

It is recommended to use the 3500 Configuration software and perform an upload from
the rack before the initial software configuration is done. When uploading the
configuration, this will include all inserted monitors and I/O modules causing less
likelihood for a mis-match.
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Compatibility Issues


Older monitors and modules may cause problems when applied to newer devices and/or
installations. In most cases, an older monitor can be updated by way of either
downloading the firmware through the configuration software, or replacing an EPROM
(erasable read only memory) chip on the board.

The configuration software allows the user to view the firmware revisions in most of the
newer monitors, and as mentioned earlier, it is possible to download the new firmware to
some of the newer monitors via the configuration software.

An older monitor that does not seem to respond to the proper configuration process, or is
not acting properly after a configuration process may need to have a firmware upgrade.

When updating firmware on the 3500/22M Transient Data Interface (TDI), the TDI DSP
update will need to be applied also. Contact your local Bently Nevada representative to
assist in this process.
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Disabling (Bypassing) Monitors


Monitors may be bypassed at any time from the configuration or display software by
selecting the appropriate channel or monitor switches and changing their state(s).
Bypassed or Not OK channels are not allowed to drive alarms, so this will not change the
state of any relays.

As an added note here, and as mentioned previously in this course, it is actually possible
to change a relay state by placing a monitor into bypass. An example might be if two
monitors are Normally ANDed. If one is already at the appropriate level (i.e., Alert or
Danger), and the other is REMOVED from the logical equation, the relay will change
state on the information provided by the monitor already in alarm. In other words, the
relay will change state, potentially (and unexpectedly) taking a machine off line. Once
again, it is always a good idea to identify the voting monitors, and place them into the
appropriately bypassed or inhibited state when making configuration changes to any of
the monitors.
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Disabling (Bypassing) Monitors


Monitors and power supplies are designed to be removed from the monitor rack while the
monitoring system is powered up; this is called Hot Swapping. The monitor will place
itself in bypass when it is reinstalled, and during the time period required for it to go
through its self-test process.
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Hot Swapping Components


As mentioned earlier, monitors and power supplies (one at a time) can be removed with
the power applied to the rack. However, it is recommended that the following not be
Hot Swapped:

the Rack Interface Module (RIM) and Transient Data Interface (TDI);
communications to outside devices and monitor management will be lost causing
unreliable or unexpected results
I/O modules are not designed for removal during power on conditions. For safety
reasons, as well as for potential voltage arcing, power interface modules (PIMs)
should not be removed or installed with power applied to the device
finally, considering that there are usually several wires and cables in the back of a
monitoring rack, any of which could be bumped, and possibly cause problems, it is
generally a good practice, when possible, to only work behind the monitoring
system when the power to the rack is off, and the machine is not running
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Review
Wiring, miswiring, system jumpers
Monitor configuration
Use of proper I/O modules
Firmware and hardware compatibility
Bypassing or disabling monitors
Hot swapping monitoring system
components


Name some wiring conditions that could stop the data transfer from the transducer system
to the monitoring rack.

Identify some monitor configuration issues that could cause problems with the
monitoring system.

Explain what could happen if older monitors are used with newer monitoring systems,
and identify the way this can be resolved.

Explain how monitors can be bypassed using the display or configuration software.

Explain some rules or guidelines for Hot Swapping monitors and I/O modules.
3500 Operation and Maintenance - Section 14: Page 11
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Troubleshooting the
3500 Monitoring System


Topic Objectives Revisited:

You will be able to explain the various kinds of problems that can potentially occur
with a 3500 monitoring system installation.
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