RC-16 Relay Controller

Order RC-16 Relay Controller - $199

* 16 relay contact outputs
* Relay contacts can swith to either ground or up to 4 different voltage sources
* 8 antenna configurations per band for up to 4 radios plus RX antennas
* 12 bands plus 8 custom frequency segments
* Fuse protected against reverse power and short circuits
* Anodized aluminum enclosure with laser engraved panels
* Custom panel labelling available

The Hamation ShackLAN RC-16 Relay Controller provides an elegant solution to automate your existing remote antenna switches, such as SixPaks, StackMatch, 4-squares, etc with the ShackLAN control system. The RC-16 provides sixteen separate relay contact outputs that can switch to ground or up to 4 different voltage sources. You may have different relay configurations for multiple radios and up to eight antenna configurations per band. It may also be used to automate RX antenna switching, such as beverages or K9AY loop systems. Each antenna macro may use any combination of outputs. Output connectors are pluggable screw terminal connectors to allow easy connection of your control cables. The unit is fused for protection against reverse polarity power and short circuits on the outputs.

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Installation

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ADDR	SW1	SW2	SW3	SW4
1	On	Off	Off	Off
2	Off	On	Off	Off
3	On	On	Off	Off
4	Off	Off	On	Off
5	On	Off	On	Off
6	Off	On	On	Off
7	On	On	On	Off
8	Off	Off	Off	On

Network address

The first step is to set the address of the relay driver. The factory setting is unit #1. All ShackLAN relay controllers in your system must have a different address. If you have only a single unit in you system you may use the factory default setting and skip this step. DIP switches 1 thru 4 are weighted 1,2,4,8. The address is determined by adding the numbers for each switch in the On position. For example. if you have switches 1 and 3 on the address would be #5. Switches A, B, C and P should be in the Off position. Switch positions for each address are shown in the table. The photo at the right shows address #1 selected.

Relay common selection   The RC-16 has 16 relays divided into 4 groups of 4. Each group of 4 relays has a common connection. This common connection may be selected, when a relay is activated, to switch to ground, supply 12v or supply an externally applied voltage. These selections are made using jumper pins in the unit.	Supplies 12vdc when activated. "C" pin is ground. (Factory default selection)	Supplies 12vdc when activated. "C" pin is not connected.
The jumpers for each group is located behind the corresponding relay connector. The factory default is to provide 12vdc when the relays are activated and should cover most installations. To change the common selection, remove the 4 screws from the rear panel and slide the board out far enough to access the jumpers. Shown to the right are 4 selection options.	Switches to ground when activated. "C" pin is not connected.	Connects to the power source on the "C" pin

Power and network connections

 The first step to connect the RC-16 to your system is to connect it to the network. Instructions for wiring the network connector are here. Either network connector may be used as they are in parallel. It is recommended that the Shacklan power be applied to the RC-16 and distributed to other devices via the Shacklan network connection.

Relay connections

Relay connections are made via the pluggable 5-pin connectors. No soldering is required. Each connector has outputs for 4 relays plus a pin for the common connection for that group of 4 relays. Attach the control wires by inserting them into the holes in the connector plug and tightening the screw to secure them.

USB connection

The USB connection may be connected to your PC and used to configure the unit and update firmware. It may also be used to control all other devices on the ShackLAN network.

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Configuration

Before you begin

You will need to download and run the ShackLAN Control Center software before you can configure and operate the RC-16 Relay Controllers.

Antenna macro names

 This step is optional but if you have more than one antenna on a band it is highly recommended. If this has not been done previously, such as configuring one of the Shacklan antenna switches, instructions for naming the macros is here.

Naming the relay outputs

 This step is also optional but is highly recommended as it will make the relay configuration much easier. Open the Relay Controller Configuration window by pressing the gear icon in the main Control Center window and then press then Relay Controller button in the Setup window. Start by setting the address of the relay driver you want to configure. You do not need to be connected to the RC-16 to name the relays. Press and hold for a few seconds on each relay button and enter a description name for that relay. These names are saved for each relay driver address. This will make the configuration process go a lot smoother.

Establish communications

 Configuration may be done via a USB connection directly to the Relay Controller or any ShackLAN unit as long as that unit is connected to the network. You first need to establish communication with the network.
The next step is to establish communications with the Relay Controller you wish to configure.  Select the address in the Unit ID box and wait for the RC-16 to connect.  You are now ready to start configuring the unit.

Assigning relay outputs to the macros

 Now on to configuring the macros (the actual mapping of relay outputs to the antenna selections). You must be connected to the relay driver before you can start this process. First, be sure you have set up the ShackLAN Network Communications and that the Control Center is communicating with the ShackLAN network.

Select the Radio and Band you wish to configure and wait for the "Data received" message to appear. This confirms the current configuration for this Radio and Band has been downloaded from the relay driver. Press the Load button if the current data does not load automatically. The macro buttons should also show the names you have given each macro (antenna selection). If these names do not appear, be sure you entered the Macro names for this band.
1 - Click on the button in the Macro panel for the macro (selection) you wish to configure.
2 - Select the desired relays in the Selected Relays panel. These buttons are push on/push off.
3 - Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each macro (selection) for this radio and band.
4 - Click on the Save button when finished with each radio/band combination to save to configuration to the RC-16 and wait for the message saying the update was successful.
Repeat steps 1 thru 5 for each radio/band combination.\

Configuring the frequency segments

 The frequency segment function of the relay controllers can used to automatically control matching networks, primarily on low band antennas. These segments should NOT be used to select an antenna, only for control of matching networks. Use the band configurations for antenna selection. Start by selecting the segment in the Band/ Segment box and then press the Load button to load the current segment settings if it does not automatically load. There are eight frequency segments you can configure to your frequency preferences. Set the frequency range of a segment by entering the upper and lower frequencies in the indicated fields. Be sure to enter the frequency in KHz (no decimal points). Press the Save button to save your frequency settings. Wait for the message that the update was successful. Do this for each segment you intend to use in your system. Configuring the relay outputs for each Macro in a segment is identical to setting the relay outputs for each band, the only difference is you select a segment instead of a band. There are eight macros available for each segment but you would normally use the same macro that selects the antenna used with the matching network. Press the Save button after configuring the relays for each segment and wait for the message that the update was successful.