Starview – user guide

Introduction
StarView is software provided free of charge by Star Cool and can be downloaded from the Star Cool
website at www.starcool.dk

The software can be used for retrieving data logs and for monitoring the state of the unit online.

Settings
When the ".exe"- file has been downloaded it can be saved to any known folder - E.g. C:\Program
files\StarView. Installation is not necessary. The file can be executed by double clicking on the file
icon. Two sub directories will be created: "/PCLog" and "/Retrieve" when running the program for
the first time. When selecting “Print and save window” in Help menu a third folder named “/Bitmaps”
will be created.

The default communication port is Com port 1. This is normally the Com port number of the serial
port on the laptop, but since newer laptops aren’t equipped with a serial port a "USB to serial port" –
adapter is needed. This adapter will usually obtain a Com port number different from Com port 1.
There are two ways to make StarView work with a "USB to serial port" – adapter.
One way is to change the port number of the adapter (refer to the user manual of the adapter
and/or Help file for Windows) or second way is as follows:

- Create a short cut to the "starview.exe" – file and e.g. place it on the desk top
- Right click on the short cut and choose "Properties"
- Find "Destination" E.g.: “C:\Program files\starview\StarView.exe”
- Add a space and "port=x" after the text written in the "Destination" field. X is the desired
port number. E.g.: “C:\Program files\starview\StarView.exe” port=5
- Click "Ok"
- Test the setting by double clicking the short cut icon.

Connection
Connect to the Star Cool unit
In order to establish a connection between the Star Cool unit and the laptop a retriever cable is
needed. The unit end must have a 5 pin connector and the pc end must have a 9 pole SUB D
connector. Newer laptops are not equipped with a serial port. If this is the case a "USB to serial
port"- adapter must be used.
Please refer to the user manual for
the installation of the adapter and the
previous section for the settings in
StarView.

The controller of the Star Cool unit

must run either on main power or in
battery mode in order to communicate
with the StarView program. Refer to
the operation and service manual on
how to switch on the unit.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bjerndrupvej 47 • 6360 Tinglev, Denmark • Phone: +45 7364 3400 • Fax: +45 7364 3569
CVR/SE no.: 13 82 37 74 • starcool@starcool.dk • www.starcool.dk
 Menu functions

File

Exit
Closes the program.

Unit

System View

In system view temperatures, pressures, current,

frequency, voltage readings and other values are displayed.
This feature makes it easier to troubleshoot on a faulty unit.
In the system view you can see which components are
presently active.

Please note that T0 (evaporation

temperature) and Tc (condensing
temperature) are calculated values
based on the pressure readings.

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Alarm list
This shows a list of active and inactive unit
alarms/warnings.
The user can clear only the inactive alarms/warnings.

The ID column refers to the alarm

code. See operating and service
manual for detailed description of
each alarm code.
By pressing "Acknowledge All", all
inactive alarms/warnings will be reset.
"Acknowledge" only resets the
highlighted alarm/warning.
Please note that the coloured field at
the bottom of the screen indicates the
alarm state. By double clicking this
field the alarm list can be accessed
directly.

Tool

PCLog
Provides the option of creating a log file with the laptop
connected to the Star Cool unit. A good option for trouble
shooting purpose.
The log interval can be set from 10 seconds and upwards.

- Put in the desired file name for the

log file in the field “Filename” and set
the desired log interval. A shorter log
interval will create a larger data flow
and slow your laptop. If your laptop
isn’t able to log the file, try to
increase the log interval.

- Click “Start” and the log will be

saved in the “/PCLog” folder. Logging
will be stopped when selecting “Stop”.
Logging can be paused by pressing
“Pause”.

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Retrieve data log
Download the controller data log file to the PC.
First step is to choose how much data that will be
downloaded. In most cases it is a good idea to choose "All
data".

The next step is to add a comment if

required. This option is useful if the
log is downloaded due to a specific
incident.
The last step is to click on "Retrieve
from unit…" and choose where to save
the log file. The default folder is the
subfolder: "/Retrieve", but any
location can be selected. Click on
"Save"

When data is stored on the hard disk,

the suggested Star Cool CSV text file
name is made up of the first six digits
of the container ID plus a two
character alphabetic serial number in
the range "aa" to "zz". The file
extension is CSV.
During the download the progress bar
in the bottom of the screen will
display the progress of the download.
Upon completion of the download, the
file information will be displayed in the
window as shown to the left.
The file has now been saved on the
hard disk.
The signature insures that nobody
tampers with the file e.g. in case of a
claim.
Please notice that the "controller ID"
is the ID of the "controller PCB –
818510B", and not the ID of the
"controller door, complete –
818320B".

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The data from the file can now be viewed. Click on "Show report"

The first two columns show the date

and time of an occurrence.

In the third column the colour

indicates what kind of an occurrence
the set of data represents.
Green is an event, such as: Power up,
Power down, Defrost start and Defrost
stop, PTI steps and the change of set
points etc.
Blue is a timed data log. The interval
can be adjusted from 15 to 240
minutes.
Red is for alarms and warnings.
The fourth column is for event ids. For
alarms and warning the number refers
directly to the operating and service
manual for further information, but
nonetheless the short text gives a
good indication of the problem.

Par 1 – 5 refers to parameters for each alarm/warning and event. These parameters can be found in
the operating and service manual in conjunction with the current alarm/warning number.

An example of alarm/warning parameters – Warning 418, U 2-3 under voltage

Par 1 Par 2 Par 3 Par 4 Par 5

Manual writes: Active/Inactive Low limit High limit Voltage A/D channel
Log file writes:
Active Low 335.0 High 525.0 Act 268.3 1
W i
The definition of each parameter for this warning:

Par 1: State of the alarm/warning - The warning is active

Par 2: Lower limit for the voltage between phase 2 and 3 - The limit is 335 volts
Par 3: Upper level for the voltage between phase 2 and 3 - The limit is 525 volts
Par 4: Actual voltage reading between phase 2 and 3 - The reading is 268.3 volts
Par 5: A/D channel. Not relevant for troubleshooting. - Applies to A/D Channel 1

The columns that follow Par 5 all display a value or a status of a component in the system at the
time of the logging. Refer to "Legend" in operation and service manual for the definition of the
abbreviation used.

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 By default all information is shown in
the report, but if less information is
required on a printout, this can be
adjusted in "Report setup".
E.g. if you only want warnings/alarms
to be shown, you can uncheck all but
the alarm check box or if you want to
make a report of the temperatures
only, you need to uncheck "Alarm"
and "Extended data 1 & 2".

Return to "Show report" to see the

report.

Open saved log files:

To open a saved log file click on

"Open from disk…". A window will pop
up. Choose the location of the saved
file. The default directory is
"/Retrieve".
Select the right file and click "Open".
The file can now be viewed by
selecting "Show report"

Setup of the report is done as

described in the previous section.

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PTI test
Execute and monitor Pre Trip Inspection test.
The Fail/Pass result of each sub test step is shown in the
list.

FT: Function testing system

components (10-20 minutes)
PTI: Pre Trip Inspection test is a
Function test plus a longer duration
capacity test.

If requested the current test can be

aborted by clicking "Abort".

The electrical current can be monitored

during the test. Notice that the displayed
current does not include the current
obtained by the FC/Compressor.

Setup

Container ID

Change the 11 character Container ID

text by entering 4 letters and 7 digits
and then click "Set new Container
ID", the new ID will be displayed in
blue in the top field.
The check digit is automatically
calculated and appended if only 10
characters are entered.

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Sensor calibration
USDA and Cargo temperature probe offset adjustment.

When placing the USDA and cargo

probes in ice water, they should
display 0° C. If any reading deviates
from this value the probe requires
calibration.
Calibration is simply done by clicking
the "Calibrate"-button for the probe
which requires calibration. This action
will need a confirmation before it can
be completed.
Max offset calibration is 3K. If more is
required, the probe must be replaced.

Unit configuration
In unit configuration it is possible to customize the unit for
the specific customer.

Chill / Freeze limit:

Here you can adjust the limit that
defines chilled and freeze mode on the
unit.

Quest mode default:

Here you can adjust default setting for
Quest mode. If Off, then Quest need
to be enabled in Operation menu on
the controller in order to run the
Quest program. If Auto, then Quest
will run automatically when a set point
from -1°C to +30°C has been entered.
This setting only applies to units which
are capable of running Quest.

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Software upload
Occasionally new controller software is released on the Star
Cool website. It’s always encouraged to update controller
software to the latest version.

The first step in the update process is

to download and save the controller
software (RCCU0xxx.bin)
to a known location on your hard disk.
After connecting to the unit, click "…."
in order to choose the controller
software. In the pop-up window
change "File type" to ".bin" and
choose the software from the
directory where it was saved.
Click "Open".
Click on "Program" in order to proceed
with the upload.

StarView is also compatible with

".A90" controller software files.

The progress of the upload is

displayed on the bar at the bottom of
the window.

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 The controller won’t be affected by
the upload until it has been
completed.

Upon completion the text in the

"Software upload status" text field will
change to: "Upload successful".
The controller will restart by itself,
and resume normal operation with the
new software.

Window

Cascade
To arrange the open program windows on top of each other.

Tile
To arrange the open program windows beside each other.

Help

Instruction
Opens a window with a simple help file.

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Print and save window
Print and save the active window as a graphics file in BMP
and JPG format.

The file is placed in the "/Bitmaps"

sub directory.
The "Print Screen" keyboard button
dumps the entire screen contents to
the clipboard.

About StarView…
Shows the software version number for PC program and for
the connected controller.
The unique controller ID string used by the data logger can
also be found here.

Further questions
Please don’t hesitate to contact the Star Cool service department: service@starcool.dk or
+45 73643500 for any further questions relating to the StarView software.

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