This applies to SA380 units from Mod. State 4 onwards, bearing serial numbers above 4000, manufactured from 2024.

For older versions, see https://utils.mpec.co.uk/downloads/sa380_ug.pdf

Copyright

Copyright MPEC Technology Ltd. 2023.

Versions

Overview

The SA380 & SA380C are data capture devices intended to monitor railway signalling relays in interlockings and at level crossings. A single device can monitor up to 384 separate relays, safely, reliably and precisely. That data is not only recorded locally, but transmitted live to our Centrix back-office service for graphical replay. This enables faults and operational incidents to be investigated faster, in more detail, and with less time spent on-site.

The MS4 update to the SA380 provides enhanced software and connectivity, while remaining a drop-in replacement for most existing SA380 installations.

A typical installation comprises a single device, and up to eight break-out-boards, to which spare contacts on relays are wired. However, multiple devices can be networked together, enabling up to 3072 relays to be monitored with the same timing precision.

Physical description

SA380

SA380C

Long Breakout Board

Intended to be mounted vertically on Unistrut racking

Compact Breakout Board

Intended to be mounted on BR930 style relay racks

Specifications and Ratings

Human interfaces

Ports

Performance

* Sufficient for five months at a major London terminus.

Communications

• 100Mbps Ethernet (with MDI-X)

• 4G cellular modem (Speed dependent on network operator)

Methods of configuration

The device can be configured:

• Using the built-in touchscreen

• Remotely using Centrix

(MPEC Connect app support coming soon)

Back-office services

Designed to connect to Centrix for:

• Graphical event playback

• Near-real-time monitoring

• Customisable fault alarms

• Push notifications

• Remote configuration and firmware upgrade

• Integration with data from other MPEC products

Certificates & Approvals

Product-Approved for use on Network Rail infrastructure, and rigorously tested for long-term reliability

Environmental

Electromagnetic

Options and accessories

SA380 and SA380C devices can be supplied with a number of fitting and accessories.

Standard accessories (supplied with all units):

• Cellular antenna with 6m cable

• Mains flex

• External USB disk

Specified accessories (to requirements, at no extra cost):

• Breakout boards (standard / compact)

• SCSI cable for breakout boards (lengths up to 4m)

• Mounting brackets (wall / unistrut)

Further accessories (at extra cost)

• Antenna cables longer than 6m

• Ethernet switch w/ PSU

• Ethernet cables

• SCSI cable for breakout board (longer than 4m)

Contact MPEC to discuss requirements for your installation.

Common tasks

Routine inspection

The SA380 is designed to be a low-maintenance system, and should not require replacement parts during its rated life.

The following should be periodically confirmed:

• All cable connections to the device are secure

• The red “Fault” indicator light is not showing

• If mains power is disconnected from the device, it continues to operate for at least 15min

• The device is kept dry and clean. Dust with a soft cloth if necessary.

Servicing, including replacing the internal battery, can be carried out by the manufacturer.

Removing USB disk for investigation

In the event of a serious incident, the investigating authority may require recorded data. This is stored on the external USB disk.

• Touch the display to activate

• Press “Eject USB disk”

• Press “Yes”

• Remove USB disk from the the bottom of the device

Installation

Competence

N.B. This guide is not a substitute for the purchasing organisation's rules, standards and policies, which must be adhered-to at all times.

• Wiring must be installed to Signal Works Testing Handbook.

• Testing is to be carried out by a signalling tester competent to Section 3B (I)

• Commissioning is to be carried out by a competent Instrumentation Engineer.

• Before any work takes place, a risk assessment and method statement for the installation and commissioning of the datalogger must be approved by the infrastructure controller.

Mechanical

Mounting

When ordering, specify mounting type required. This can be:

• For 21mm Unistrut racking (Shown above)

• For direct attachment to a wall

These brackets are secured to the back of the device using 6mm M4 machine screws. Use of longer screws may seriously damage the device.

Allow 100mm below the bottom of the device to avoid sharp bends in the cables connected

Breakout boards

Each breakout board can be connected to up to 48 relays. these are also available in two variants:

• Full-length (Standard)

• Compact (for mounting on BR930-style racking

Either type of breakout board is connected to the device with a SCSI cable. These cables are available in a range of lengths. Specify when ordering.

Full length breakout boards have space to label each terminal. MPEC can supply adhesive labels printed to requirements.

Antenna

Installations where the cellular radio is used to connect to the internet require an external antenna.

Details of placement will depend on local circumstances, but we recommend:

• Antennas should be high up, facing upwards.

• Antennas should not be mounted inside or underneath structures

• Special consideration may be required in remote or hilly areas

The antenna wire should be screwed onto the SA380’s SMA connector to finger-tightness. Overtightening with tools will damage the device.

USB Memory Stick

• This should be plugged into

• A faulty or absent USB disk will cause the Fault LED to light

Electrical

Power supply

Each device is supplied with an IEC C13 lead, to be connected to an AC power supply.

• This can be either 110V or 230V nominal

• An external isolation transformer is not required

• The device contains internal over-current protection

• The supply should be fused at 1A, but a higher-rated fuse or MCB may be used where 1A is not available

• Where the supply is protected by an MCB, this should be of a B-curve type

• A wire retaining loop is provided to secure the power inlet connector. Ensure this is positioned around the incoming flex.

Relay wiring

• SA380 Breakout Boards are designed to be connected to a spare contact pair on each relay.

• This may be a Back (Normally closed) or Front (Normally open) contact

• No other devices may be present in the circuit from relay to breakout board

• Special care must be taken with Geographical Interlockings, as each set may include many internal connections. In no circumstances may Breakout Board terminals be connected to live signalling circuits.

Auxiliary DC Output

If specified, the device can be supplied with an auxiliary DC output, intended for connection to an ethernet switch used in master-slave networks. Use only the cables provided.

Configuration

SA380s are supplied with standard software configuration which is suitable for most purposes:

• Judicial logging is active by default

• Cellular networking is enabled by default, with automatic fallback to ethernet (using DHCP)

• Centrix connection is automatic.

All installations will require:

• A configured site name

• A set of relay-channel mappings

Both of these can be configured using the built-in touchscreen interface, or (optionally) can be pre-configured by MPEC.

If using ethernet to connect the logger to Centrix, consult the person responsible for your network.

By default, loggers are configured for use with O2 SIMs. Customers using other mobile networks should consult their documentation for appropriate APNs and credentials.

Master-slave networks

Multiple SA380 loggers can be connected together, using an ethernet LAN. This allows them to share an internet connection, and ensures precise relative timing and ordering of events. We recommend this for monitoring interlockings with more than 384 connected relays.

MPEC can preconfigure master-slave networks for faster installation

To configure a master-slave network:

• Connect all the devices together using the ethernet switch and ethernet cables provided.

• Connect the ethernet switch power supply to the power output on the Master logger

• Using the touchscreen UI on each device, navigate to Setup Networking, disable “DHCP Client”, and set a static IP address

  • These must be unique on the network

  • We suggest 192.168.0.1 (master) 192.168.0.2 (First slave), 192.168.0.3 (Second slave) (etc)

• On each slave device navigate to “Setup Centrix Server”, and set the “Centrix domain” to the chosen IP address of the master logger

• Do not change the “Centrix Server” settings on the master device

• On the master, navigate to “Setup inputs”

• Press “Autoconfigure”, and confirm you have connected an ethernet slave logger if asked

• Restart each device, and wait for a minute

• Navigate to Setup Inputs → Autoconfigure again

• The slave devices will now appear in the list of inputs

• Map channel names in the same way as if for a single device

Indicator LEDs

The Power LED indicates the presence of a power supply to the processor. This can be either from the external mains, or internal battery.

The Run LED blinks in a “heartbeat” pattern to show the device’s firmware is running.

The Disk LED lights when data is being written to the external USB disk.

The Server LED lights when a connection has been established to Centrix, or to a Master logger in a local network

The Internet LED lights when the logger has access to the internet

The Fault LED lights in the event of an internal device fault. Note that this will also be lit during device startup.

The MPEC Connect button flashes when Bluetooth connectivity is enabled, and lights solid when a connection has been made to a phone/tablet.

If the button is not lit, pressing it will enable Bluetooth.

Using the touchscreen

The SA380 has a built-in touchscreen display, which can be used to monitor and configure most functions of the device.

Throughout this guide, the route through the menu system from the Home screen is marked with a compass (🧭 ) icon.

To save energy, the display will turn off after a period of inactivity. touch any part of it to reactivate.

The coloured “Status” dot in the top-right of the page indicates overall device health using a “traffic light” system.

Press the “Eject USB” button before removing the external USB disk. Failure to do so may cause data corruption.

Information

The Information page describes the product and current firmware.

Please quote Model, Serial number and Firmware when contacting customer support.

Status

The Status page indicates the status of the device’s software functionality. The specific set of entries may vary depending on configuration, but a typical set is shown here.

Each entry has a status dot, indicating its current performance.

• Green: Good

• Yellow: Degraded

• Red: Fault

• Black: Disabled

• Other: Special state

Touch entries shown with a bevelled border to see more detail.

The SA380 Inputs entry describes the status of the onboard digital inputs. In master-slave systems, this becomes a selectable list of devices in the network.

Network

This page shows both connections to the internet, and local LAN

• Ping time should be under 30ms for wired connections, and under 300ms for most cellular connections, dependent on network operator and usage

• Multiple IP addresses may be shown when a local master has a cellular internet connection.

Battery

The SA380 has an integrated UPS battery which will degrade over the course of several years. This should be checked periodically for satisfactory performance.

• When fully charged, the internal battery voltage should be above 13.5V

• The battery is considered fully discharged at 12.0V

• A satisfactory battery voltage while the logger has external power does not indicate satisfactory capacity or performance

• To test battery capacity:

  • Disconnect the external power supply

  • Observe that the logger remains functional for a sufficient period (e.g. 15min)

  • Reconnect mains power

  • Confirm that the battery is now indicated as “Charging”

Judicial Logs

The Judicial Logging system writes a standardised record of input events to an external USB memory device, for use in the event of an operational incident.

This page shows the status of those records, and will indicate if the external memory device is absent or unusable.

Centrix

This page shows how the logger transmits data to other MPEC products. In most cases, this is our Centrix server, but the same system is used by Slave devices to communicate with a Master device.

The “Queued” figure shows the number of events waiting to be sent to the remote service. In normal operation, this number should be and remain small. A large or increasing number indicates an inadequate network connection, or a misconfigured connection to the server.

Processes

The processes list shows the status of internal software functions.

Live channels

This shows a paged view of every channel currently being logged, including those from slave dataloggers, and system-internal metrics.

Each channel has a preview graph, showing value against time. Channels that have changed recently are shown green, others are shown in grey.

Press any channel name to see more detail.

Channel detail

Depending on channel type, details displayed include:

• A live graph of recent values, with the option to pause/resume

• Its present value (and units if applicable)

• Front/Back contact status

• Acquire-on-change sensitivity

• Time since last value

Live events

This shows a list of the most recent digital events on the logger, with the most recent at the bottom. The page is updated live, and can be useful when investigating the sequence of relay operation.

Note that changes on Analogue channels are not shown

Event log

Select the date and hour to view digital events

N.B. We highly recommend using Centrix for graphical playback and analysis of this data

System log

The system log shows a record of the device’s internal functions.

Use this page to investigate misconfigured or malfunctioning devices

Configuration

N.B. The factory default passcode is ‘12345’. We recommend changing this to discourage tampering.

Most functions of the SA380 can be configured using the touchscreen. Advanced users can also configure the device remotely through Centrix.

The main configuration page typically shows seven entries:

• Placename: This is the name that will appear on Centrix and in logs. Typically the name of the interlocking, signalbox or REB

• Setup Inputs: This allows to to name and configure input channels, including on slave loggers

• Setup Networking: How the logger connects to the internet

• Centrix server: How data is sent over the network either to Centrix or to a local master logger

• Setup passcode

• Extra options, including loading/saving configuration and firmware using a USB memory stick

• Shutdown / Reboot

Setup Inputs

This page lists sources of data for the logger, each of which can be configured separately.

• The top entry “SA380 Inputs” is for built-in digital channels

• In a master-slave network, slave loggers will appear as additional entries

• The “Autoconfigure” button will add entries for new slave loggers

Select an input device to configure its input channels

Input device

• An input device can be given a custom name. This is primarily useful in master-slave networks

• An input device can be assigned a prefix. This is used for automatically-detected channels that do not appear in the configuration

• Select “Configure” to set-up individual channels

Input device channels

N.B. Naming large numbers of channels using the touchscreen can be a slow process! MPEC customer service can convert Excel spreadsheets to SA380 configuration free of charge.

• Each entry on this page corresponds to a logged input channel

• The left-hand column shows the original ID of each channel. (e.g. A03 is Input card ‘A', channel number '3’)

• The centre column shows the name of the device being monitored. Typically the name of a relay.

• The right-hand column shows whether the relay is monitored using a Front or Back contact

  • If 'F' is selected, the channel is “On” when the circuit is closed

  • If 'B' is selected, the channel is “On” when the circuit is open

• Use the buttons in the bottom corners to see more channels

Setup Networking

The Networking page allows you to control how the device connects to the internet, and to local ethernet slaves.

The top four items relate to cellular networking:

• If you are using a cellular network, the modem must be “On”

• APN, User and Pass will depend on your network provider

• Loggers installed by Network Rail typically use APN “mobile.o2.com”, User “o2web”, and Pass “o2web”

• Cellular connections always use an IP address provided by the network operator

Lower items relate to ethernet connections:

• DHCP Client: If enabled, the device will automatically use network settings provided by another device on the same network, which could be a router, or another datalogger.

• IP Address: If DHCP Client is disabled, use this to set a static IP address. Use CIDR notation to indicate a subnet mask (e.g. ‘/24’)

• Route: The IP address of your router

• DNS: The IP address of your DNS server (Usually the same as Route, above)

Using the web interface or app

The SA380 MS4 has provision for use with the MPEC Connect app for on-site wireless configuration and investigation.

This feature will be developed in future firmware releases. Until then, we recommend using Centrix for similar purposes.