Issue
Steps in obtaining a Return Authorization (RA) number for a defective Niagara R2 UNC.
Product Line
TAC IA Series
Environment
Niagara R2 UNC
Cause
Failed unit requires repair or replacement.
Resolution
Before calling Customer Service for a Return Authorization, review the following steps to ensure the unit needs to be sent back to the factory.
Symptom: Unit has a constant / steady heartbeat LED
A UNC with a steady heartbeat LED indicates that the unit is not booting to the operating system. If a power cycle does not correct, there is not a way to recover without repairing with the factory fixtures. The only alternative is to provide a return authorization for repair or replacement. UPDATE: There are some issues that have been identified since this article was originally published that are field repairable. To identify these field repairable issues, connect the serial console (see Need to correct invalid IP address or subnet mask entered into a UNC 520), power cycle the UNC and capture the console output. Provide the console output information when you contact Product Support.
Symptom: Unit has a rapid heartbeat
A rapid heartbeat typically indicates a memory issue. During shipping the memory card has been known to have shifted in its socket. Power the unit down and remove then reseat the memory card in the UNC several times and then power up and monitor.
Symptom: Unit is continuously rebooting
In a new unit, this continuous rebooting could be a memory issue. During shipping the memory card has been known to have shifted in its socket. Power the unit down and reseat the memory card in the UNC several times and then power up and monitor.
Typically, if the fuse is bad you would see a watchdog or battery failure in the standard output window every 15 minutes or so. The fuse in the UNC-410 and UNC-520 is soldered into the board and is not field replaceable. The UNC-510 fuses are field replaceable. Remove the shield from the UNC enclosure and remove the board from the shield. The main fuse (F1) is a 5 X 20 mm Fast Acting 1.5 amp 250 volt (Bussman GMA-1.5). The battery fuse is a 5 X 20 mm Slow Blow 2.0 amp 250 volt (Bussman GMD-2A). The battery fuse is the fuse on the right when the power connector is oriented to the upper right. Both fuses are labeled on the circuit board legend.
The control board tests the battery’s charge every 5 minutes by placing a momentary short across the battery and monitoring its recovery. A failing battery will cause the unit to reset and reboot when self- tested. Remove the battery red wire and if the unit continues to operate, replace the battery. To test the battery, disconnect the battery and measure the voltage across its terminals with a voltmeter. It should read above 12 Vdc. The charging circuit in all UNCs usually provides a voltage of 13.5 Vdc (approximately).
Replacement battery, part number UNC-500-BAT.
Notes: UNC will power itself down within 5 minutes after the power fails.
- The battery will retain the clock and other dynamic memory data for about 12 hours.
- A fully discharged battery will recharge in about 12 hours.
- The life of a battery is 3 to 5 years under normal conditions.
- Excessive discharge cycles or operation at high ambient temperature (>122F) will shorten the life of the battery.
UPDATE: There are some additional issues that have been identified since this article was originally published can cause the UNC to continuously execute a Watchdog Reset and become disabled. See I/A Series R2 (Niagara) station opened in the Admin Tool displays "Disabled"), for more information on this issue.
Symptom: AC power failure or Transformer problem
The UNC-410 and UNC-520 have an internal transformer. The transformer voltage and wiring should be verified before returning the unit.. This is a center-tap transformer and is wired to the first three terminals on the circuit board connector. The wires, top to bottom, should be Green, Green Yellow, and Green respectively. The voltage should read approximately 30 VAC Green to Green and approximately half the value (15 VAC) between either Green wire to the Green Yellow wire.
Returning unit for repair
The symptoms above are a sample of common, sometimes field repairable, failures in a UNC. If the UNC-410 or UNC-520 needs to be sent to the factory for repair, you will only need to return the circuit board (UNC-410-500 or UNC-520-500), not the entire UNC. The printed circuit assembly will be exchanged or repaired and returned. The repaired UNC will come with a 3 month warranty.
To issue a Return Authorization (RA#) the factory will need to know the following information:
- The product part number
- Is the unit still under warranty? Warranty note: Warranty on a new UNC is 2 years from date of manufacture. The date code format is yyww. Example: 0815 is 2008 week 15
- Serial number
- Job name (site name for unit)
- Factory order number
- Project ID
- Host ID (in the license file)
- The reason for return
- Network settings (IP, Subnet, name)
- Username and Password
- Station DB Username and Password
- Any special shipping instructions
- Have a purchase order number ready when you call. Note: Customer Support Services sends/bills for advance warranty replacement units. When the customer returns the correct unit within 30 days, a credit is then issued.,
Call Schneider-Electric at 888-444-1311 and select option 2 (Product Support). Product Support will enter a support case identifying the unit and that an attempt to troubleshoot was done prior to issuing the RA number. The caller should request the Product Support Case number and RA number for future reference.
An RA will be issued based on the following criteria:
- Credit AWR (Advance Warranty Replacement). Customer is sending back an inoperable unit to the factory for credit and needs a replacement unit right away.
- OOWR&R (Out of Warranty Repair and Return). Customer sends back an inoperable unit to the factory for repair and return.
- IWR&R (In Warranty Repair and Return). Customer sends back an inoperable unit to the factory for repair and return.
NOTE: When issuing an AWR, hold the defective unit and use the packaging from the replacement to return the UNC board. This will help guarantee that the units are not damaged during shipment. When the units are received damaged and improperly packed, they are returned as received and no credit issued.
Ship the device to:
Schneider Electric
1354 Clifford Ave. Dock 3
Loves Park, IL. 61111
Attn: Repair Dept. RA ######
Put the RA # on the outside of the box.
Include your return address in the box.
