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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Firmware Updates for Dranetz HDPQ & Dran-View 7

Dranetz is pleased to announce the release of V1.2.8 for the Dranetz HDPQ family and V7.1.01 for Dran-View 7. Both are available for download on our web site at:
www.dranetz.com/technical-support-request/612-2/
On this page you will find a link to download these new versions, as well as installation instructions. 
Dranetz HDPQ V1.2.8 corrects several known bugs and anomalies. We always recommend that you upgrade to the latest version of firmware in order to take advantage of these enhancements. Note that this firmware upgrade applies to all Dranetz HDPQ instruments – Visa, Guide, Xplorer and Xplorer 400, and the same firmware update files can be installed on any model instrument.
In addition to being posted to our web site, Dran-View V7.1.01 has also been posted to the Dran-View update server, so it should automatically update if that feature is enabled in your copy of Dran-View. You can also upgrade immediately from within Dran-View by clicking the “Check for Updates Now” button in the Automatic Updates area of the Dran-View Options menu. 
IMPORTANT: It is very important to note that when upgrading your Dranetz HDPQ to V1.2.8 (or newer), Dran-View 7 software must also be updated to V7.1.01 (or newer). V1.2.8 includes a new database format that greatly improves the compression in order to reduce the size of the database, so Dran-View 7 must also be upgraded to be compatible with this new database format. Dran-View V7.1.01 is downward compatible with all Dranetz HDPQ versions prior to V1.2.8.
To Contact Dranetz: 

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Dranetz Power Quality Services


www.Dranetz.com      |       Contact Sales      |      Contact Technical Support

Dranetz offers a wide variety of services to our customers, both pre and post-sale. As the recognized leader in Power Quality, Demand and Energy instrumentation and monitoring systems, Dranetz proudly offers the following services to our customers:

Complimentary Services
  • Local pre-sale support via our worldwide network of authorized sales representatives and distributors.
  • Local post-sale support for products purchased via our worldwide network of authorized sales representatives and distributors.
  • Technical support via email and phone – available worldwide 12 hours/day (8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST).
  • 1/2 day power monitoring educational seminars are held periodically throughout the USA.


Fee Based Services
Dranetz Product Service and Calibration
  • Factory service, calibration and repair of all current and many legacy Dranetz products. Trade-in’s are available for legacy  products that are not serviceable or beyond their useful life.

Extended Warranties
  • Extended warranties are available on a per instrument, or a per system basis.


Field Services
Priced per day, plus expenses
  • Instrument commissioning and installation support. Note that Dranetz does not perform physical hardware installations - we will assist the installer.
  • Instrument, system and software setup to ensure that your product and/or monitoring systems are operating optimally for your application.
  • Operational training – we will train your operators on the proper use and configuration of our products and monitoring systems.
  • System performance optimization and troubleshooting - provide a health check-up of your monitoring system, diagnose problems and optimize the settings for the best results.
  • Group product operational training is held periodically throughout the USA.
  • On-site PQ facility investigations, monitoring and reporting – we will diagnose your power quality problem and recommend solutions.**
  • Basic and custom PQ training workshops.


Remote Support Services
  • Report writing and analysis service – we will remotely analyze the data that you collected on your instrument and provide a report.
  • FW upgrades – we will remotely upgrade your instrument or monitoring system.
  • System performance optimization and troubleshooting - provide a health check-up of your monitoring system, diagnose problems and optimize the settings for the best results.


Service Contracts
  • Tailored to the customer’s specific needs. May include:
  • On-site support for system installation, optimization, maintenance, analysis and troubleshooting.
  • Repair and calibration.
  • Loaner instruments


Engineering Services**
  • Laboratory testing of 3rd party products for PQ problem susceptibility.
  • Forensic analysis or type testing.


**These services are fulfilled by our sister company Electrotek Concepts

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Dranetz HDPQ® 3G/4G Cellular Wireless Applications

www.dranetz.com

INTRODUCTION 
Dranetz HDPQ Power Quality, Demand & Energy instruments have state-of-the-art communications capabilities that allow for full remote control of the instrument and data downloading from any location with connectivity to the instrument. The Dranetz HDPQ instruments offer standard VNC communications for remote control and the free Dranetz App is also available for Apple and Android devices. 

These remote capabilities greatly enhance the user’s safety and productivity. Dranetz HDPQ instruments can easily connect to any Ethernet and Wi-Fi (model dependent) network, but what can you do if there isn’t a network available? 

Cellular wireless data networks are a great way to overcome this situation. This application note describes how to use the Dranetz HDPQ instrument with a typical cellular wireless router. 

3G/4G CELLULAR MODEM APPLICATION 
Cellular modems use the same data networks as Smartphones, but are dedicated to data communications. Cellular wireless modems can be purchased from a cellular carrier or 3rd party sellers, and like any smartphone, they require a contract or data plan. Note that the cellular modem and data plan/contract is the responsibility of the end user and is not included in the purchase of the Dranetz HDPQ instrument. 

The cellular modem bridges the Dranetz HDPQ instrument to the Internet, making it available for VNC remote control, the Dranetz HDPQ App and data downloading from any Internet connected computer. 

Most 3G and 4G cellular modems connect to the Dranetz HDPQ by using Ethernet communications, although some newer models can connect to the instrument using a Wi-Fi connection (model dependent). Regardless, they work very much the same. An example using Ethernet is shown in Figure #1. The Ethernet link from the cellular modem to the instrument can be a direct connection (as shown), or through a local Ethernet router or switch.  


 Figure 1. Typical Wireless Modem Application
 

For all remote communications, including cellular wireless, the Dranetz HDPQ instrument must be assigned an IP address that’s addressable from the remote network that the computer, tablet, or Smartphone is connected to. In other words, if you want to use the Internet, both the Dranetz HDPQ and the remote computing device being used to communicate with the instrument must be properly connected to the Internet. The same is true for any network - public or private. In this application, the cellular modem connects to the Internet and assigns an IP address to the instrument. The VNC viewer or other remote application communicates with the cellular modem which acts as a go-between and ‘forwards’ information between the Internet and instrument. 

There are two types of IP addresses – Dynamic (DHCP) and Static. Dynamic IP addresses are usually automatically assigned by the networking hardware. Dynamic IP addresses can change regularly, so the IP address assigned today can be different tomorrow. Static IP addresses are pre-assigned by the network administrators and don’t change. It’s for this reason that it’s highly desirable to obtain a Static IP address for your cellular modem from your wireless carrier - the cellular modem is what’s connected to the Internet and it’s much better for it to be fixed and not changed automatically. 

DRANETZ HDPQ INSTRUMENT SETUP 
When using a cellular modem, the communications setup of the Dranetz HDPQ instrument is very straightforward and is the same as when used on most networks.

Step #1Select ‘Setup Communications Options” from the Setup menu. 






Step #2 - Select the Ethernet tab (bottom left) and select “Yes” for DHCP. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to a device. In this case the cellular modem is providing the Dynamic IP address to the instrument. A static IP address can also be used, but the cellular modem must be configured for this option. 


Step #3Select the “VNC” tab and make sure that VNC communications are enabled and “VNC Enabled = Yes”. 


CELLULAR MODEM SETUP 
The setup of the cellular modem is manufacturer and model dependent and there are too many variations to describe here. As mentioned above, regardless of where you purchase your cellular modem, you will have to work with a cellular carrier and obtain a data plan/contract. It’s also recommended that you ask that a Static IP address is assigned to your cellular modem so the IP address doesn’t change. 

COMMUNICATING WITH A REMOTE DRANETZ HDPQ 
A VNC viewer is needed on your computer, tablet or Smartphone to remotely control the Dranetz HDPQ. These are readily available for download on the Internet and most will work well. ‘Real VNC’ is commonly used for PC applications and there are also versions available on the Apple and Android stores for tablets and Smartphones. Once you’ve installed the VNC viewer, you can easily communicate with the Dranetz HDPQ by entering the IP address of the cellular modem. 



If everything is working, you will be prompted for a password, which is "Dranetz" by default.

TO CONTACT DRANETZ 
Call 1-800-372-6832 (US and Canada) or 1-732-287-3680 for Technical or Sales support. 
To submit a support request online, please visit: 
http://www.dranetz.com/contact-us-2/technical-support-request/