The Communication Bus is subject to a number of physical factors that can affect performance. Consider the following list of common physical problems that affect the Communications Bus:
- Check the status LED to verify power at the controller.
- Check wires
- Verify that the wire is a 0.6 mm (22 AWG) three-conductor, twisted, shielded cable.
- Verify that the shield is continuous and hard-grounded at one end.
- Check wiring
- Check for and eliminate T-Taps, wire configurations that create a T shape, and star configurations.
- Ensure that the bus is wired in a daisy-chain fashion.
- Verify that appropriate devices have three wires entering and exiting each terminal. Devices at the ends of the trunk do not have this wiring.
- Check EOL switch settings
- Verify that only the EOL switch at the end of the system bus is set to ON, and all other system bus EOL switches are set to OFF.
- Check connections, polarity, and lengths
- Verify that communications loops are less than approximately 304 m (1,000 ft) total in length.
- If you are using one transformer to power multiple devices, verify that the device 24 VAC power connection follows the polarity of the common and 24 V terminations.
- Check for opens and shorts
- Check terminations
- Check addresses
- Check for duplicate addresses.
- Verify that the address range is sequential.
- Check for sources of interference
- Check bus voltages:
- (+) to COM must be within 2.0 VDC to 3.0 VDC
- (-) to COM must be within 1.5 VDC to 2.54 VDC
- (+) to (-) must be within 0.3 VDC to 1.0 VDC
Note: Values may fluctuate due to ongoing communications. This operation is normal provided that the voltage is within the defined range.