RackInjector Hardware Installation Manual

This manual describes the steps you need to go through to set up the RackInjector Hardware. It does not contain information about operation of the web interface – that information is contained within the Firmware Operation Manual.

Unpacking the RackInjector and Internal Configuration

Because of the flexible nature of the RackInjector, some setup is needed to ensure that the RackInjector is configured to meet your needs.

Unpack the RackInjector and Open the Top Panel

1. Remove the RackInjector from the packing material, being careful not do discard any accessories which are contained in the RackInjector packaging.

2. Set on a flat surface, oriented such that the labels on the front panel are right side up.

3. Remove the 9 screws which hold the top panel in place:

   

4. Remove the top panel and set aside.

5. Ensure you have found a bag of connectors and jumpers during unpacking. Originally we placed these inside the metal enclosure. More recently, we have been taping this bag to the top of the RackInjector just before placing it in it’s shipping box.

Become Familiar with the Parts of the RackInjector

The RackInjector is designed to be flexible, bench-repairable, and bench-upgradeable. To accomplish that, inside the RackInjector there are several circuit boards, each of which can be removed and replaced.

Warning

The RackInjector is not designed to be manipulated with the power on. Once deployed, it should be treated as a fixed device with the configuration being changed only in a controlled work environment.

The illustration below shows the key components of the RackInjector.

Understanding Power Distribution in the RackInjector

On the front panel, there are three green colored power inputs, labeled “Pwr A”, “Pwr B”, and “Pwr C”. Each of these inputs is designed such that it can accept a different voltage. All of the power inputs share a common return – they are not isolated from each other.

Each input is designed to handle voltages from -48VDC to +48VDC nominal, with a ±60VDC absolute maximum. Exceeding ±60V will likely damage the unit.

In a typical setup, you will use more than one of these inputs to provide power to the RackInjector and the PoE powered devices attached to the RackInjector. It is important to understand that each of these inputs connect directly to each of the injection boards, and that the RackInjector does not convert the voltage. If you connect 24VDC to Pwr A and 48VDC to Pwr B, then Power A on all boards will be 24VDC and Power B on all boards will be 48VDC. Each injection board will be able to select one or more power sources to use.

Note

Revision A2 and earlier control boards require that at least one of the power sources must be of positive polarity – they need at least one positive voltage in order to operate. Revision B0 boards have a small DC-DC converter onboard which removes this caveat.

Each input is capable of carrying a maximum of 10A. Keep this in mind when determining the configuration of your RackInjector. Depending on your configuration, you may need to connect power sources of the same voltage to more than one input to ensure you have sufficient current available at that voltage.

Configure Jumpers on Power Injection and PDU Board(s)

Each type of power injection board is a bit different as to how you configure it for use. The following will explain how a typical board is configured and is applicable to all currently-shipping board types.

Selecting the power source

The RackInjector system has 3 power inputs. Each port on each injection board can be set to pull power from any one of the three inputs. The power input needs to be supplied with sufficient power for all devices powered from that input device. In addition, it also needs to be of the correct voltage for that device.

Note

The Canopy Injection board does not support negative (-48VDC) power sources. If there are no positive power sources available in a RackInjector, it will not be able to power on, and will not show in the web interface. All other boards support both positive and negative power sources.

The RackInjector does not transform the voltage received, so to provide the correct voltage to a particular powered device, you will need to both connect a power supply matching the voltage needed to a specific input on the control board, and also select the correct power source on the port that the device will be connected to.

Once you have determined which power source will be attached to each power input on the control board, you then need to select the correct power source for each port using jumpers. Near the rear of each board are four sets of pins which are labeled “Power Source Jumpers”, one for each port. Each pin set has three positions to place a standard jumper (provided) – one horizontally on the left two pins, one vertically on the middle two pins, and one horizontally on the right two pins. The illustration shows the three possible positions, and one port with no jumper attached.

Note

Because of the position of the signaling ribbon cable in the RackInjector, you may find it easier to remove the ribbon cable before changing these jumpers. Please see the Hardware Installation Manual for this procedure.

To select a particular power source, set the jumper as appropriate for the power source you are selecting for that port. The left position selects Power source A, the center position selects power source B, and the right position selects power source C. With no jumper in place the port will not be powered.

There is a drawing of the jumpers in the upper right hand side of the board to help you remember if you are configuring a board without the help of this manual.

For Cambium and PDU boards, this is all of the jumpers you will need to set for each port.

Configuring the Injection Scheme (Canopy and Agnostic Boards)

Near the front of the board there are four more sets of pins. Adding jumpers to these pins sets the PoE scheme for each port. Each port can be configured to any PoE scheme where both wires in a given pair are assigned to the same polarity. This is the case with most, if not all, modern Gigabit PoE devices.

Each block has four columns of 3 pins. Each column sets the voltage polarity for one pair in the CAT5 cable. For example, the first pin sets the voltage polarity for the pair which is attached to pins 7 and 8 on the CAT5 cable (normally brown). Both pins will be connected to the same polarity. The remaining columns are for pins 4&5, pins 3&6, and pins 1&2.

In each column there are three options for the jumpers: no jumper installed, jumper connecting the middle and top pin, and jumper connecting the middle and bottom pin.

With no jumper installed, no power is connected to this pair. In most power schemes, you will find that there will be two columns with no jumpers installed, however for higher-powered schemes, all 4 will be needed.

With a jumper installed across the middle and top pin, that pair will be connected to the Vin terminal for the selected power source. With a jumper installed across the middle and bottom pin, that pair will be connected to the Rtn terminal for the selected power source.

The picture above shows the jumper settings for some common PoE injection schemes that we have encountered.

• Port 1 is configured for traditional Cambium PtMP radios such as the 100, 450 and 450i series.
• Port 2 is configured for a high powered Cambium PtMP radio such as the 450m.
• Port 3 is configured for traditional Ubiquiti or Mikrotik radios.
• Port 4 is configured for high powered Ubiquiti radios such as the airFiber product line..

Verify RackInjector is Ready to Close and Replace Top Panel

1. Verify all circuit board mounting screws are tight (do not over tighten, as this will damage the boards)
2. Verify all connectors are firmly attached
3. Verify Micro SD card is seated
4. Verify coin cell battery is fully in its socket
5. Verify jumpers are correctly installed as per the appendix for each injection board
6. Replace the top panel and 9 screws

Wiring the RackInjector

Note

The following includes all of the steps to get a RackInjector ready for deployment. For bench testing, we expect many customers will only wire enough of the device to power up the device and connect an Ethernet device. It is perfectly acceptable and probably safer to take this approach. If you’d like to do this, simply wire one compatible power supply to the RackInjector and connect the Ethernet port as described below and proceed to the Firmware Operation Manual. Once you are done with the initial testing and configuration, return to this chapter for the remaining steps needed to complete the configuration of your RackInjector.

Mounting

The RackInjector can be mounted in a standard 19” rack just like any other 19” rack mount device using standard hardware.

No ground connection to the case is needed. There is no internal connection between the electronics in the RackInjector and the case.

When deploying the RackInjector (as opposed to bench testing it), we recommend you mount the RackInjector before completing the steps below.

Wire the Power Sources

At this point you should have determined (during board configuration) which voltage should be on which input. Wire each power source to an input while keeping the following in mind.

1. Size power supplies based on the load.. Add all power requirements for all ports connected to each voltage input. The total power consumption will dictate what type of power source you need. Be mindful that each input can only handle 10A, so if you find that you are over 10A on any supply (for example, 480W on a 24V supply = 20A), you will need to adjust your configuration.

2. Each power source should be externally protected against over current.

   1. If you are using a power supply that has built-in over current protection which roughly matches the 10A rating or less, then you should be able to connect it directly. For example, a 48V 500W power supply or a 24V 250W power supply.
   2. If you are using a higher current power source (a high wattage supply or directly from batteries), then you will need to provide over current protection in the wiring from the power source to the injector. A 10A fast-blow fuse is ideal for this. Slow-blow fuses are generally too slow to protect the injector.

3. For each input, wire the power source wire to the Vin terminal, and the return wire to the Rtn terminal. A terminal block is provided for this purpose. For a positive voltage source (+24V, +48V) this means that the + wire will be on Vin, and the – wire will be on Rtn. For negative voltage sources (-48VDC), the – wire should be on Vin and the + wire should be on Rtn.

4. The return terminals on all inputs are connected together internally and are NOT fused. If you cannot safely wire together all of the wires you are planning to connect to the return terminals, you should not connect them to the return terminals, as the internal wiring in the RackInjector will effectively wire them together.
5. If your control board is revision A2 or earlier, at least one of the power supplies needs to be positive, with a minimum of 12V. Revision B0 and later control boards have a small DC-DC converter onboard which permits them to be powered from either positive and negative power. The control board will use whichever positive voltage is highest to power itself. For revision B0 boards, if there is no positive voltage available which is above approximately 12 volts, the most negative power source will be used instead.

Hook up the Management Ethernet Cable

The RackInjector is managed through a single Ethernet port on the front panel. To manage the device you will need to connect this port to a network connection using a straight through CAT5 (or better) cable. For ongoing management, this device can be connected to a LAN, but for initial configuration, we recommend connecting the device directly to a laptop or workstation.

Connect the GPS Receiver for Synchronization if Required

The RackInjector is able to receive a synchronization signal from a PacketFlux GPS receiver (SyncBox or SyncPipe). If you are intending to utilize one of these devices with the RackInjector, it can be connected at this point. Simply use a straight through CAT5 or better cable from the GPS receiver to the GPS In port.

NOTE: As of this writing, suitable PacketFlux GPS receivers are SyncBox 12, SyncBox Junior Basic and Deluxe Versions, and SyncPipe Basic and Deluxe, Rev H or later.

If you have multiple RackInjectors at a site, each one does not require a separate GPS receiver. Instead, they should be connected together using a CAT5 cable from the first RackInjector’s GPS Out port to the second’s GPS In port.

Connect Radios or Other PoE Powered Devices

There are 4 sets of RJ45 jacks on the front of each power injection board, arranged in 4 columns of 2 jacks. Each column corresponds to one port. In each column, the top jack connects to the powered device (radio, etc), and the bottom jack connects to your Ethernet switch or similar. Use standard CAT5 cable or similar to make the connections, respecting the length limitation of Ethernet.

Connect Direct DC Powered Devices

There are 4 output terminals on the front of the PDU board, arranged in 4 columns of 2 jacks. Each column corresponds to one port. In each column, the top jack connects to the powered device (radio, etc), and the bottom jack connects to your Ethernet switch or similar. Use standard CAT5 cable or similar to make the connections, respecting the length limitation of Ethernet.

Where to go from here

Once the RackInjector Hardware is configured, you should refer to the RackInjector Firmware Operation Manual for information about how to configure and operate the firmware.

Supplemental Information

Removing and Installing Boards

The boards in the RackInjector have been designed to be able to be replaced (or added/removed as needs change).

Removing a Board

To remove an existing board, perform the following steps:

1. If not already open, open the enclosure using instructions found elsewhere in this manual.
2. Remove the ribbon cable entirely from the RackInjector. Instructions on how to work with the ribbon cable connectors are found below.
3. Remove the power connector(s) from the board you are replacing. This involves squeezing the tab on the side of the connector and pulling upward. If the connector does not pull off easily, then you are probably not correctly squeezing the tab. Note: If you are replacing the control board, be sure to label these connectors before removing them since the order matters.
4. Remove the 5 screws which hold the board in place.
5. Remove the board from the chassis.
6. If you are not going to install a replacement card, close the enclosure using instructions found elsewhere in this manual.

Replacing a Board

To replace a board, perform the following steps:

1. If not already open, open the enclosure using instructions found elsewhere in this manual.
2. Place the board in the chassis, aligning the 5 screw holes which hold the board in place.
3. Install the 5 screws which hold the board in place. Be very careful NOT to over tighten as the boards are relatively fragile.
4. Connect the power connector(s) to the cable. On the control board, be careful of the ordering: the power connector nearest the front of the case should correspond to slot 4, and then the remaining 3 connectors are for slots 3, 2, and 1 respectively.
5. Reconnect the ribbon cable. Instructions on how to work with the ribbon cable connectors is found below.
6. Configure the board hardware if necessary. Once you are done inside the enclosure, close the enclosure using instructions found elsewhere in this manual.

Ribbon cable connector instructions

The connectors for the ribbon cable utilize lifters to make the insertion and removal of the ribbon cable easy, assuming you know how to operate the connectors.

To remove a cable, push the two lifter handles outward. The connector on the ribbon cable itself should simply pop out.

To insert a cable, ensure the two lifter handles are pushed outward. Then center the ribbon cable connector in between the lifter handles and push firmly. The connector should easily go into place, and the handles should automatically move inward and click to place. You should hear a click as each connector snaps shut.

Note: The ribbon cable is polarized. If the cable does not easily go in the way you try first, try the other way (generally the stripe on the cable should be toward the rear).