MEGGITT VM600 machinery protection system (MPS)

MEGGITT VM600 MPS Mechanical Protection System Hardware

The VM600 series mechanical protection and status monitoring system is designed based on a 19 inch standard chassis (1U or 6U) and integrates multiple functional cards. This system is mainly used for vibration monitoring of rotating machinery, ensuring the safety of key equipment such as turbines, compressors, and generators during operation. VM600 MPS can operate independently (stand-alone) or achieve centralized management through networked configuration, meeting various application needs from simple protection to complex monitoring.

System Overview and Hardware Composition

The basic hardware components of VM600 MPS system include:

Chassis: ABE04x (6U, 19 inches) or ABE056 (1U, 19 inches) chassis.

Power module: RPS6U (applicable for ABE04x) or RPS1U (applicable for ABE056) chassis power supply.

Processing card pairs: MPC4/IOC4T (mechanical protection card pair) and AMC8/IOC8T (analog monitoring card pair).

Relay cards: RLC16 (16 way relay) and IRC4 (intelligent relay card, configurable as 4 DPDT or 8 SPDT relays).

Network Controller: CPUM/IOCN card pair (for networked chassis).Chassis and Backpanel

ABE04x system chassis (6U)

Size: 19 inch chassis, height 6U, depth varies depending on configuration.

Card slot allocation: There are a total of 21 VME slots (slot 0 to slot 20). Slot 0 is used for CPUM cards; Slot 1 and 2 are used for RLC16/IRC4; Slot 3-14 is used for processing cards such as MPC4/AMC8; Slot 15-20 is used for power modules and relay cards.

Backplane structure: including VME bus (P1), analog bus (P3), and P2/P4 direct connection channels.

ABE056 thin chassis (1U)

Size: 19 inch chassis, height 1U.

Card slot allocation: Limited slots, supporting MPC4/AMC8 processing cards and corresponding IOC cards.

Slot coding: The thin chassis assigns slot numbers to the rear card components through micro switches on the backplane.

Power module

RPS6U (applicable to ABE04x)

Version: Early version (300 W) and later high-power version (330 W).

Input type: AC input (115/230 VAC) or DC input (24/110 VDC).

Redundant configuration: Two RPS6Us can be installed to achieve power redundancy. When one power supply fails, the other can independently supply power to the entire machine.

Auxiliary Sensor Power Supply (ASPS): Optional module that provides power to external sensors.

RPS1U (applicable to ABE056)

Input type: AC or DC input version.

Power status relay: provides dry contact output for+5V,+12V, and -12V power supply in normal state.

Bus Architecture

The VM600 backplane integrates multiple dedicated buses to achieve signal interaction between cards:

VME bus: used for communication between CPUM and processing cards such as MPC4/AMC8 (not supported by MPC4SIL security version cards).

Tacho bus: an 8-wire bus used for transmitting speed and phase reference signals, supporting cross card sharing.

Open Collector Bus (OC Bus): 96 wires, divided into 6 groups (16 wires per group), used to transmit alarm signals from the IOC card to the RLC16 or IRC4 relay card.

Raw Bus: 64 lines (32 pairs of differential lines), used for sharing raw analog signals (such as vibration signals) or supplementing OC Bus alarm signal routing.

Detailed explanation of core processing card pairs

MPC4/IOC4T mechanical protection card pair

MPC4 card version

Standard version: Supports VME bus, all processing modes, suitable for standard protection systems.

Independent circuit version: Complies with CEI/IEC 60255-5 insulation coordination standard.

Safe version (MPC4SIL): No VME bus interface, can only be configured through RS-232, does not support tracking vibration Smax、 Dangerous bypass (DB), Trip Multiply (TM), and channel suppression functions are suitable for SIL level safety applications.

Signal input and processing

Measurement channel: 4 dynamic signal inputs (vibration, pressure), supporting voltage (1 V/V) or current (0.3245 V/mA) signals.

Speed channel: 2 speed/phase inputs, supporting proximity probes, magneto electric sensors, or TTL signals.

Signal conditioning: AC/DC component separation, DC component is used for OK system inspection (monitoring sensor health status), AC component is output after programmable gain amplifier, integrator, anti aliasing filter and digital signal processing (DSP).

Output interface:

Front panel BNC: RAW OUT (raw signal), TACHO OUT (TTL speed signal).

Rear panel IOC4T: 4-channel DC output (4-20 mA or 0-10 V, configurable), 4-channel local relays, differential raw signal output.

Alarm function: Each channel can be configured with four alarm levels: Alert+/- and Danger+/-, supporting delay, hysteresis, and alarm locking. Support adaptive monitoring (dynamically adjusting alarm thresholds based on parameters such as speed) and Direct Trip Multiply (external signal switching alarm coefficient).

OK system: Monitor the DC level of the input signal. If it exceeds the user set OK range (continuous>250ms), a sensor fault alarm will be triggered.

AMC8/IOC8T analog monitoring card pair

functional positioning

The AMC8/IOC8T card pair is mainly used to monitor quasi-static parameters such as temperature, pressure, liquid level, flow rate, etc.

Signal input and processing

Measurement channels: 8 input channels, supporting thermocouples (J, K, T, E, etc.) RTD（Pt100、Cu10、Ni120）、 Voltage signal (0-10 V) or current signal (4-20 mA).

RTD connection: Supports 2-wire, 3-wire, and 4-wire connections.

Multi channel processing: Multiple single channels can be combined into "multi-channel" to achieve minimum, maximum, average, and difference calculations.

Time domain processing: supports direct output, average value, maximum value, minimum value and other processing, with a configurable time period (0.1-10 seconds).

Linear compensation: Supports linear and nonlinear compensation for thermocouples and RTDs (polynomial table).

Output interface: 8 DC outputs (default 4-20 mA, optional 0-10 V, factory configuration required), 4 local relays.

CPUM/IOCN Network Controller Card Pair

functional positioning

The CPUM card serves as the "chassis controller" to achieve centralized configuration and data management of networked chassis.

communication interface

Ethernet: Supports both primary and backup Ethernet interfaces (via the NET port on the CPUM front panel or 1/2 port on IOCN).

Serial communication:

RS-232 (CPUM front panel)

RS (IOCN, configurable as RS-232 or RS-485)

A and B (IOCN, RS-485, with optional serial communication module)

Modbus: Supports Modbus TCP and Modbus RTU.

Chassis security function

CPUM access lock: It can restrict access to MPS configuration through Ethernet to prevent accidental or unauthorized modifications.

Relay card

RLC16 relay card

Channel: 16 relays, each providing NO, NC, and COM contacts.

Configuration: Select relays as normally excited (NE) or normally demagnetized (NDE) through jumper wires, and assign OC Bus or Raw Bus signals to specific relays through a jumper matrix.

IRC4 intelligent relay card

Channel: 8 relays, configurable as 4 DPDTs or 8 SPDTs.

Intelligent function: Configure logic equations through IRC4 Configurator software to achieve complex alarm logic combinations.

Processing mode and application

VM600 MPS supports multiple processing modes and is suitable for different monitoring scenarios:

Processing Mode Description Application Scenarios

BBAB broadband absolute bearing vibration accelerometer/velocity sensor for monitoring bearing vibration

NB narrowband tracking vibration tracks vibration at specific speeds (such as 1X, 2X)

RS axis relative vibration eddy current probe monitors the relative vibration between the shaft and the bearing

The vector sum of absolute vibration of AS shaft bearings and relative vibration of the shaft

Smax maximum vibration displacement: Two orthogonal probes (X/Y) are used to calculate the maximum vibration amplitude

The bending amount of the EC eccentricity monitoring shaft at low speed

RSC/RST/SEP shaft relative expansion measurement of thermal expansion difference between rotor and stator using different probe arrangements

HE/DHE shell absolute/differential expansion monitoring of turbine shell expansion

QSP/DQSP quasi-static pressure/differential pressure monitoring pressure or differential pressure

QST/DQST quasi-static temperature/temperature difference monitoring temperature or temperature difference

Installation and Configuration

Chassis Installation Requirements

Ventilation: Reserve at least 50mm (ABE04x) or 20mm (ABE056) space above and below the chassis to ensure natural convection heat dissipation. If the ambient temperature exceeds 40 ° C, it is recommended to use forced air cooling.

Grounding: The chassis must be directly and permanently connected to the protective earth (PE) through the grounding conductor of the external power cord.

Partition: The top and bottom of the chassis must be equipped with partitions (metal or UL94 V-1 grade material) to prevent electric shock and the spread of fire.

Card installation and hot plugging

Hot swappable support:

MPC4, AMC8, IOC4T, IOC8T, RLC16, and IRC4 support hot swapping.

CPUM、 The RPS6U with a single power configuration does not support hot swapping (power off required).

Hot plug precautions:

Before removing the rear IOC card, the corresponding front processing card must be disconnected from the backplane.

Card configuration and slot binding (via electronic key control mechanism). If the card is inserted into a non original slot, the SLOT ERROR LED will turn red.

IP Address Configuration (CPUM)

Factory default: 10.10.56.56

Modification method: Connect the VT100 terminal (or emulator) to the RS-232 port of CPUM for configuration.

Troubleshooting and maintenance

LED Status Indication

MPC4 Global DIAG/Status LED:

Green light constantly on: normal operation

Green light flashing: configuration download in progress or signal processing error

Yellow light constantly on: Trip Multiply (TM) activated

Red light constantly on: Danger Bypass (DB) activated

Red light flashing: hardware malfunction or input error

MPC4 channel status LED:

Green light constantly on: Input signal valid, no alarm

Green light flashing: Invalid input signal (OK system malfunction)

Green light flashing slowly: Channel suppression activated

Yellow/red light: corresponding level of alarm activation

AMC8 Global DIAG/Status LED:

Green light constantly on: normal operation

Red light constantly on: multi-channel danger alarm activated

Red light flashing: hardware malfunction or not configured

Common Fault Handling

Front end issue: If a channel status LED flashes green, it indicates a sensor or cable malfunction. The channel suppression function can be used to temporarily bypass the channel and replace the sensor while the device is running.

Power issue: Check the status of the RPS6U panel LED (IN/AC/DC). If the LED goes out, the power module needs to be replaced.

Slot position error: If the IOC card SLOT ERROR LED lights up red, it indicates that the slot position code of the card does not match the backplane, and the micro switch setting needs to be adjusted.

DSP Overload Check

Phenomenon: The DIAG/Status LED of MPC4 is flashing yellow.

Reason: Simultaneously performing broadband filtering on four channels results in high DSP load.

Solution: Reduce the frequency ratio of LP/HP filtering, or decrease the slope of the filter (such as from 60 dB/octave to 48 dB/octave).

Inspection: Read the MPC4 system status through VM600 MPS software and check the "DSP Load" value (0x0064 represents 100% load).

Environmental specifications and lifespan management

Environmental Parameters

Working temperature: -25 ° C to 65 ° C (depending on the specific card version)

Storage temperature: -40 ° C to 85 ° C (short-term)

Humidity: 0-90% (working), 0-95% (storage), no condensation

Altitude: up to 2000 meters (altitude increase affects heat dissipation capacity)

Long term storage

Preparation: After fully wiring the chassis, store it separately by removing the battery (CPUM card).

Conditions: Temperature of 10-30 ° C, humidity of 50-70%, no dust, no vibration, no direct sunlight, maximum storage time of 3 years.

Scrap disposal

WEEE compliance: VM600 products belong to electronic and electrical equipment and are required to comply with the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) for environmental disposal in Europe. The symbol "Forked Wheel Garbage Can" on the device indicates that it cannot be disposed of as regular garbage.