How to connect safety devices and access controls- Written by STE Mark Bernal

 Connecting Access Control and Safety devices

This post applies to all Viking control boards including the 1st gen (GateTor) board.

 

The most common question we get at our Technical Support department is "How do I hook up this _____ to your control board." The 2nd most common question we get is "I also have a _____ and a _____, can you tell me how to hook these things up too?" It's really quite simple IF you understand some fundamentals and terminology we often use regarding this.

 

 

How does it work?

In relationship to our control board, all of these different access control devices are simple relays that come in an assortment of different housings with different purposes. But they all communicate in the same way to the Viking control board; they create a contact (or short), across two wires when they want the gate to do something.

 

In other words, when you use your radio receiver, photoelectric beam, key pad, etc, its built-in relay will create a contact, or a bridge, across two of its terminals when this device is triggered or activated.

 

With the example of a radio receiver, the signal it receives from the radio transmitter is what triggers its relay, creating a contact across its Common and Normally Open terminals. This contact is what tells the VFlex board to open the gate. The "Radio" LED will illuminate on the board while this contact is made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ü If you connected your device to our VFlex board properly, the gate will respond as you intended.

û If you didn't, no worries! Our control boards are short circuit protected. However, you will need to connect your device properly

 

Terminology:

Terminal:
This is where you will be connecting wires to the VFlex board.

Terminal Block: The green removable blocks, on the VFlex board, containing multiple terminals. Example: The "Exit", "Fire" and "Strike" terminals are all located on the "Open Commands" terminal block.

Input Terminal: On the VFlex board, any of the terminals which are labeled for a specific command or "input" (i.e. "Re-Open", "Radio", "Open", etc.). The N.O. , Normally Open, contact from your device is to be connected to an Input Terminal.

Relay: The component of an access control or safety device that provides the input, or command, to the VFlex board.

Trigger: This is what will tell the Relay to change state, creating the bridge between Common and Normally Open. The type of trigger depends on the device. I.e. the trigger for a radio receiver is the signal from the transmitter, a Photoelectric Beam is triggered when the beam is interrupted and a Keypad is triggered when the code is punched in.

“C”: The relay Common terminal. This is the terminal that will make contact (short or bridge) to the N.O. terminal when the relay is triggered. Always wire this relay terminal to any “GND” terminal at the VFlex board.

“N.O.”: The relay Normally Open terminal. This is the terminal that has an open contact to “C” while the relay is not triggered and a closed contact when the relay is triggered. Almost always use this relay terminal and wire it to an “Input Terminal” at the VFlex board,

“N.C.”: The relay Normally Closed terminal. This is the terminal that has a closed contact to “C” while the relay is not triggered and an open contact when the relay is triggered. This terminal is rarely used when connecting to a Viking control board.

Coil: The component of an access control or safety device that receives 24VDC power from the Viking control board, used to power the device.

“+”: The positive power terminal of the coil. Always connect this to any “+28V” terminal at the VFlex board.

“–”: The negative power terminal of the coil. Always connect this to any “GND” terminal at the VFlex board.

 

Now that I know the basics, how do I hook it up?
Well, first you will have to know:

1.      Who is the manufacture of this device?

2.      What is the model# of this device?

3.      How do you want the gate to respond to it?

 

The Who & What and Why you need to know this:

Tip: You need know what the terminals or wires, on your device, are designated for. But you threw away the instruction manual. No worries! By knowing the manufacture and model#, you can easily Google search for the manual of this device.

 

Once you know which terminal or wire color is designated for + , - , C and N.O., the rest is simple!

 

As you probably noticed, there are typically 5 terminals, or wires, on your device. However, you will only use 4 of them. Three of the four will ALWAYS connect to the same place on the control board:

·         Two are used to power the device.

+ , or positive, from the device will ALWAYS connect to a "+28V" terminal.

NOTE: There are 3 terminals labeled +28V. It does not matter which one you use.

- , or negative, from the device will ALWAYS connect to a "GND" terminal.

NOTE: There are many terminals labeled GND. It does not matter which one you use.

·         Two are used for the device to tell (command) the board what to do and when to do it..

"C", or Common, from the device will ALWAYS connect to a "GND" terminal.

NOTE: There are many terminals labeled GND. It does not matter which one you use.

"N.O.", or Normally Open, from the device will connect to an input terminal. (i.e. Exit, Reopen, C. Loop, UL, Radio, etc.). Which input terminal to use only depends on how you want you want the gate to respond to your device.

 

The How:

How do you want the gate to respond to this device?

The table below describes how the gate will respond when each of the Input terminals are shorted to a "GND" terminal.

Tip: You can simulate your device being triggered, and how the gate will respond, by simply contacting these two terminals together with a pair of needle nose pliers.

 

 

 

Viking chasis corrosion resistance

Corrosion is a chemical reaction between a metal and its surroundings during which the metal is oxidized, creating gradual disintegration of the material.

UL325, which sets the standards for gate operator safety, stipulates in section 11 the necessary Protection Against Corrosion in a gate operator or systems as follows; “UL325 11.1 Iron and steel parts shall be protected against corrosion by enameling, galvanizing, plating, or other equivalent means, if corrosion of such parts could result in a risk of fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.

The steel chassis of the Viking Access Systems Gate operators comply and surpass the requirements set by UL325. Viking Chassis have a zinc coating uniformly applied to an average of 0.00061in or more on each surface. Besides the zinc plating provided, Viking Chassis have an extra coat of organic finish in the form of powder coating. Viking Access Systems has invested in extra protection not just for the reliability and durability of the equipment, but to present an aesthetic gate operator that sets new standards within the industry. Viking has tested the corrosion resistant chassis in special laboratories where the units are submitted to salt-spray vapor. After the test we can say that not only do we comply with UL325, but also ASTM B 117-07a the military’s standard for the salt spray test.

Viking Access Systems is committed to providing a quality product. For more product information feel free to call. (800) 908-0884

USER DEFINED SETTIGNS, pin headers. why?, and what's a Pin Header anyways?- Written by Mark Bernal STE

 

 

 

 

 

"Auto Open" is just 1 of 2 options the VFlex board provides you as an alternative to battery backup operation when there is a loss of primary power.

·         Installing a shunt or pin jumper here will Automatically Open the gate when incoming AC power is loss.

·         How does it work? It simple!

1.      The VFlex board monitors the 24VAC that it is receiving from the Power Harness green and white wires.

2.      When that power drops out, the board has no choice but to pull power from the batteries.

3.      This feature uses the batteries to open the gate and keep it open, until the board is supplied 24VAC again.

 

"Last Open" is the other option that the VFlex board provides you as an alternative to battery backup operation when there is a loss of primary power.

·         This option is my favorite of the two! Allows the gate to operate on the battery backup, but when the batteries become critically discharged, the Last operation will be to automatically Open the gate.... Last Open

·         Just like the Auto Open, the board is monitoring the 24VAC supplied to it.

How do we send 24VAC to the control board if you are supplying 110 or 230VAC to the operator??Well, that question will be answered in this blog sometime in the future. So keep checking back here.

 

"Pre-Warning" is a feature often used on industrial applications that require an audible or visual warning that starts 3 seconds prior to the gate moving.

·         Installing a shunt or jumper here will Initiates two triggers for an audio or visual warning, 3 seconds prior to gate motion, and will continue:

1.      Until gate reaches the closed limit: the “Magnetic Lock” terminals provide a contact between “COM” and “N.O.”.

2.      Until gate reaches either limit: the “AUX. PWR” terminals provide 24VDC to power an accessory.

 

“Sync” If you are not going to Synchronize a barrier arm with your Viking gate operator, then don't worry about it. But, for those of you that are, will or do, then this feature will make the task simple.

·         Once you activate this feature, with a shunt or jumper on the pin header, it's as simple as connecting four wires between the barrier arm control board and the VFlex control board.

·         Works perfect with the Viking B-12 Barrier operator and the Mega Arm with their K1 relay.

·         FYI, the Viking B-12 has been temporarily discontinued.

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“EXT” Stands for Extra. It has been left open for future developments.

VFlex adjustable dials. What do they mean and what do they do?- Written by Mark Bernal STE

Adjustable dials... what do they mean and what do they do?

"Timer" is our Hold Open Timer

·         Also commonly referred to in our industry as a Close Timer or Timer to Close....

·         Tip: if you want the gate to close immediately after it opens, DO NOT set this dial right at the "0" mark... that is too close and sometimes may be Off and other times may work the way you want depending on atmospheric conditions. That's not because of the component quality; it's just way temp and humidity affect adjustable contacts.

·         It is important to know that this feature will directly affect the way the gate responds to an input from a radio receiver. Check back later to this blog for more information regarding this!

 

"ODS" is our acronym for Obstruction Detection Sensor

·         Also commonly referred to in our industry as EDR or Reverse Sensor.

·         There is no typical setting for this dial, as every gate is different, and should be adjusted according to each and every installation.

·         The rest of this feature is pretty much self explanatory.

 

"Overlap" Delay is typically, used on double swing gates that overlap each other while closed due to design or when using a magnetic lock or lock solenoid.

·         Also referred to in our industry as a Delay Timer or Delay to Close Timer.

·         I wanted to say that the name of this feature also explains itself, but it doesn't.

·         What is important to know about this feature is that it will delay the master side from opening, and the slave side from closing, however many seconds it has been set to. The "0" setting is zero or no delay.

·         Which side is the Master and which side is the Slave???
Well, if you have a dual G-5, X-9 or i-8, I'm sure you will figure it out if you don't already know. As for the other operator models, this is a very good question and a whole nother topic that I will discuss later in this blog.

 

"Speed" Control is a very helpful feature that allows you to adjust the gate travel speed. But, use this feature appropriately and thoughtfully, as it can give you grief if not applied appropriately.

·         The factory setting compiles to UL 325 class 1 & 2 applications and should remain at this setting for these applications.

·         For swing gates, decreasing speed can improve control of long and/or heavy gates by reducing the potential for inertia to be created. This is a good thing, but may not be necessary.

·         For slide gates, decreasing speed can reduce motor current (amps) by boosting motor torque. This is also a good thing.

 

Note: The LCD display screen on the VFlex board will show the percentages or seconds of all the settings we have talked about. These can be accessed by pressing the diagnose button until you get to the desired function.