MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

INTRODUCTION
(You do not have to read this, but do not blame me if you do not understand something later)
This guide will not teach you the MKV. For that you have the Salem manuals. It will however take you
step by step thought an installation in a simple, logical and sequential manner and it will help you avoid
the mistakes that I and hundreds of other TAs have done while installing a MKV. You will burn cards no
matter what, but if you proceed according to this guide you will burn less and nobody will notice it was
your fault.
No specifications or other reference data will be given here either, well try to tell you the important stuff
you will need to know while doing the job and that is not in the manuals.
During the installation, this book will guide you through two different processes:
The first one will be related to checking the hardware.
The second one has to do with setting up the software. Since the computer standards adopted in the MKV
seem to have been brought directly from another planet and have nothing to do with the user-friendlyuniversally accepted-Computer-Industry standards, I will try to walk through the procedures and the
hundred of files that Salem managed to put inside the MKV without really telling you what they do (they
probably do not know it either) , and will show you which ones are really necessary, like maybe two or
three.
I did not included here information that is easily accessible in the Salem manuals. But since the
information in these manuals seemed to have passed through a scrambler before it was printed, I will try
to tell you where is the stuff that you need to find in a hurry, like the location of the MKV Power On
switch *.
I have added a few BAT files that will help you locate stuff easier, like signal names, alarms and the like.
One more thing. This guide is based in a MKV for a large steam turbine, which I think is as big as the
MKV gets. There are things here that you may not need, just ignore them.
Format conventions.
I have written this guide using only one font, it is up to you to figure out if it is a file name, a command or
what.

* It does not have one.

1.

WHEN DO I POWER ON?

1.1 You have been anointed the MKV TA for the site, have been guided to where the MKV has been
waiting for you and have been given the keys. You are looking at it in awe, wondering why it looks
different to the one you saw in the training center.
You may be tempted to power it on. DONT!. You are still eons away from being able to energize it.
Lets see what you must do before.
First, you need to take inventory to see what has been received with the MKV. There are things that you
may need to reorder and the sooner you do it the better.
1.2 Documentation.
The first thing to do is check the documentation that came with the MKV. You will need to make a visual
inspection of the MKV and without certain drawings you can not determine if the empty socket you see
should be there or not. Find the box with the manuals and check inside. This is what you should have, at
the very least:

The Application Manual

The Maintenance Manual
The Users Manual
The CSP and the cross reference hard copies
The Case Wiring Drawing
The Case Layout Drawing
The IO Report.
A set of four floppies with the G: files and one floppy with the customer specific files.

If you are missing any of this you will have difficulties later on. Order whatever is missing as soon as you
can.
The IO REPORT file.
If it is not in the floppies, request also a text form file of the IO report, tell Salem to zip one and e-mail it
to you. The original file is written in Alpha4 or generated by Bobcat and you need special knowledge to
export it as text.
This is the most important document you need to install a MKV, make copies of it and hide some under
your mattress.
The reason you need an IO report in text file format is that you need to copy it into a directory of the <I>.
Later on, when you are testing the I/Os or running the turbine, it is much easier and faster to find signals
and connection points by doing a search in the <I> than by going through the whole printed copy. Take
my word for it.
1.3 Visual Inspection.
OK, lets assume that you have all the documentation listed above. Now, in solemn silence, you can go
ahead and unlock and open the doors to the MKV.
Check first for the logical things: cores loose, shipping damage, stolen parts, etc, You know what I mean.
Then the most important part: with a flashlight and consulting the Case Wiring drawing, open each core,
then open each card and check that all the cables and ribbon connectors are OK. This means checking that
all cabling is going to the right place, that all connectors are firmly in place and that the empty sockets
should really be like that.
The Case Drawing shows all point to point connection for the cabling in the form of doted lines. Check it.
If your MKV is missing a cable, make sure thats the way is intended to be.
You may find this hard to believe, but I once installed a MKV which would not read certain IOs and it
was because a ribbon cable was not connected in one end, with the loose connector carefully hidden so it
was not immediately noticeable.
If you really want to do things right, unplug every connector and plug it back, it may help or not, but it
sure will make you feel much better.
Check also that all relays are firmly placed in their sockets, sometimes they get loose.
See that no foreign objects have been dropped between the cards, like paper, clips, small screws and gas
pipe wrenches.

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

One more thing. Do all this yourself, do not tell anybody to do it while you chat with the opposite gender
TA at the site. Unless they are your parents, whoever you ask to do the job will open and close the core
doors and tell you that everything is OK.
Once you have done as we tell you, you can go to the next step.
(By the way, this is a good time to ask the customer for a table or desk and a chair and place it next to the
MKV. Youll need it later to set up the <I>s.)
1.4 Preparing to Power On.
Notice that we said Preparing, not Powering ON. (This may start getting in your nerves, but believe
me, you will thank us later.)
The MKV, once commissioned, is a beautiful machine. It can run a whole LST and do crochet at the same
time. The control logic sent by Salem is unbelievable good.
But hardware wise, it has an unusual characteristic. In some IO circuits, the card themselves act like
fuses. When you are watching a Start Trek movie and see one of those scenes where the flight deck
computers turn into fire works, those are MKVs. Ive seen it.
If you are smart, you will put this guide down right now and order some TCRA and DTBD cards, but you
probably will not do that; just remember we told you.
So now, proceed to do the following.
1.5 Disconnecting the power to the field solenoids.
Find all the DTBD cards and disconnect all the J8 connectors. (If you have a PLU core, dont forget the
one there.) Just do it, later we will tell you what they do.
OK, if you really want to know now, open the Application Manual and in Appendix D, find one of the
figures named Relay Outputs. (In GEH-6195D is figure D-5, but I will give figures names rather than
numbers since Salem likes to change the figure numbers from one revision to the next).
On the upper-right most corner of the figure it says POWER. Thats the 110 VAC line coming from the
customer through a series of terminal boards and connections. That is the line that will power the AC field
solenoids. Follow the line from the <PD> sign, to the left through the upper line on the J8, down trough
the PX jumper, to the left through JS1-JS8 to the TCRA card , upwards through the normally open relay
contacts, right though the JS1-JS8 again and back to the DTBC card, out through the NO contact to the
field solenoid, back from the solenoid trough SOL, through the MX jumper, and return upwards to the
other side of the AC line, closing the circuit. (I will copy and paste this paragraph in the section IO Loop
Checks, so do not worry about memorizing it).
So you can see that if the J8 connector is out, there is no way to send power to the solenoids. Another way
to do it is to remove all the PX and MX BJs (thats Berg jumpers to you) and you will have to do that
when checking each solenoid during the IO Loop Checks. But for now you can just remove all J8
connectors.
Then find in the PTBA card in the <P> core (I will omit the word core from now on, if you see an upper
case letter inside the funny marks, it is a core) Disconnect all wires to the Electrical Trip solenoids.
1.5 Checking for internal grounds.
Grounds are something you definitely do not want to fool around with.
One type of ground fault occurs when a wire from a device or circuit is connected to or touching ground
when it should not. At best, the circuit will not work. At worst, it will work badly and drive you crazy for
weeks.
Fortunately, the MKV has an easy way to see if something is incorrectly grounded. This is explained in the
Application manual in the Section EQUIPMENT GROUNDING (2-7 in Rev. D) and in the Maintenance
Manual CONTROL PANEL ENERGIZATION section, (5-3.1.2 in Rev D) but it is so important that I will
expand briefly on it.
As the manual says, you need to disconnect the ground wire from the CCOM (computer common) and
also disconnect the capacitor.
The capacitor is strategically located in a place where it will be completely hidden by the wires coming
from the field, such that it should take you several hours to find it if you do not know where it is.
So, go to the upper left side of the MKV cabinet, next to the <S> and look under the cables, it is there.
Disconnect the capacitor and the pig-tail wire connected to the MKV frame.XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Then go to the <PD>. Across the top, between <PD> and <C> there is a connection bar. On the right of
this bar it is bolted a thick cable connected to the MKV frame, probably to a ground shield. This is the
MKV main ground and later well talk more about it. For now just disconnect it.
Now you have isolated the MKV electronic ground.
Next, get a VOM, connect one lead to the frame and check the resistance between the frame and the
MKV circuits. With the free lead, touch the CCOM bar. The VOM should show a high resistance, in the
order of several Kohms.
If the VOM reads a short or low resistance value, like a couple of hundred ohms or so, there may be a
ground and you need to find it.
Notice that if the field IOs have been connected by the time you are doing this, some field devices may be
grounded on the field, sometimes incorrectly. So, if you detect a ground, although it may be right, you
need to determine the cause.
1.6 Looking for grounds
Lets explain in more detail what we are doing here. If you already know, just skip the paragraph, you
wise guy.
The electronics in any computer have certain circuits that need to be connected to ground in order to
work. For instance, differential amplifiers have one side connected to ground so they all know what a zero
voltage reference point is, so to speak. Those circuits should be grounded to work correctly.
But sometimes, other circuits in the cards or in the wires touch some part of the frame, by getting pinched
in the core door, or by some object like a paper clip touching the board, or buy burning a path to ground,
or the like. This causes a ground in a part of the circuit that should be isolated.
Fortunately, the people who design electronic circuits, instead of connecting all necessary circuits to
ground individually, tie them up all together and connect them to a common bar, which is isolated from
ground. From this bar, which in the MKV is called CCOM, a single wire connected to ground.
If you lift this wire, all circuits become isolated from ground. If you now measure the resistance between
any part of the electronic circuitry and ground, the VOM should read infinite, or in practice at least a
couple of Mohms. If the meter reads a low resistance value, like a short or a couple of hundred ohms, it
means that some part of the circuitry is touching ground through an undesirable path.
If that happens, you need to find the incorrect ground. This is done by isolating each circuit one at the
time and thus reducing the part of the total where the ground resides, until you localize the ground in a
certain sub part of component that can be replaced or fixed o replaced, or until you get fed up and decide
to take a vacation.
Locating grounds in a computer is a slow and methodical job and if you do not have experience in doing it
you may need some help. The thing is, if you think there is an incorrect ground, do not ignore it. It may
show up sporadically and give you much undesired trouble later on.
1.7 Connecting the MKV computer ground.
Remember we told you that if there is an incorrect ground in the MKV cards it can give you weeks of
headaches? Thats nothing compared to what could happen if the computer ground is not connected right.
You definitely do not want that to happen.
Like we said, the thick cable coming from right side of the bar atop the <PD> is the MKV main ground.
The customer may try to tell you that the MKV is already grounded by the bolts that fix the frame to the
floor and may try to connect this cable to the MKV frame. Do not let him do that.
Unless somebody can produce a blue print of the site grid and prove to you conclusively that the part of
the grid where the MKV is bolted to is a perfect electronic ground, and you are in conditions to
understand it and agree, which is a think absolutely nobody can do, do not let them do it.
I have been in sites where, years after being commissioned, the control computers were failing so
sporadically that people were resigned to live with it, tripping, rebooting and do it whatever they had to
keep going. That is what an incorrect ground problem looks like. It is about the hardest thing to fix in a
computer other than the door latches.
But there is an uncomplicated way of doing this right. In the site where you are installing the MKV, there
is very likely a DCS computer, a Bailey or something like that. This computer is the Central Controller
and it is used to control the boiler and to serve the operator consoles in the control room. It is normally a
large frame computer with several cabinets. All these cabinets are connected to a special ground. Find out
where that ground is and connect the MKV to the same ground, using at least a AWG#4 cable. This way,
the MKV and the DCS will share the same ground.

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

If the ground connection is too far, tell the customer to connect the MKV ground cable to the common
ground bar inside one of the DCS cabinets. This is not as reliable as the method before because the MKV
ground will be in series with the DCS ground, but it normally works satisfactorily.
Still more about grounds later, when we talk about IO loop checks.
1.8 Checking the power to the MKV.
The MKV can receive its power from one or two AC power sources. It also has a connection ready for a
DC source.
But your MKV is very likely connected to AC. If it has a PSS (power source selector), there should be two
AC lines, probably from UPSs (uninterruptible power supplies) connected to the MKV TBs.
There is only one thing to worry about this.
Originally, the AC lines to power the MKV were connected to a TB1 located right under the <PD>. Later,
Salem decided to install two new TBs and connect the power to one of these. The problem is that some
customers made their drawings by the first premise and for whatever reasons never made the change.
The new TBs are masterfully located in a place where nobody can see them, right under the <CD>. You
need to lay on the floor to see them. (so your particular MKV does not have a <CD>? I told you to ignore
it!)
Furthermore, due to the scarcity of names in the TB market; Salem has also named one of these boards
TB1, just like the old one under the <PD>.
So sometimes, the site electricians connect the AC lines to the wrong TB and try to punch you in the face
when you tell them they have to do it all over again.
The old TB is in sheet 06A of the Case Wiring drawing. The new TB1 and TB2 are shown in sheet 06B.
The two, (or one) AC lines must be connected to this last TB2. From there, the AC goes to the new TB1
and from there to the old TB1, by factory connections.
So, there is no reason to connect anything to the old TB1 under the <PD>. If you see something there that
looks like a field connection, find somebody you do not like and tell him to go tell the electricians how to
do it right.
Later, when you are really ready to power up (you are not even close yet), well tell you again how to make
sure the power sources are connected right.
Still one more thing. Open the <PD>. The little black tubes are fuse holders. Folded in a pocket in the
back of the core door there is a drawing, and in the upper right corner it shows the value for each fuse.
Check that the each fuse is of the correct value. It is very difficult to distinguish between a 5 amp fuse and
a .5 amp when the panel is being assembled, so you may find some of the wrong kind. Replace them.
Salem normally send a whole box with all kind of fuses (except the one you need). In the same box there
is a prom puller (dont panic, it is OK) and bunch of Arcnet T connectors and terminators. Keep them;
youll need all of them.
1.8 Setting up the <I>s.
What! I havent even powered up yet! Whats going on?
Ill tell you. If you have done everything explained so far., you are ready to power up the MKV. But all
youll see are a bunch of lights and if you are lucky, the coveted A7 sign in each core. And thats it. You
can not do anything or really fix anything yet. You need to talk to the MKV.
You could use your PC, a TIM connection and Kermit or the like (as explained in the Maintenance
Manual Section 4-13.2), but I assume that if you knew how to do that you would not be reading this
guide.
And if you really want to power up, skip this section and come back later, I will not get mad.
So now, if you do not mind, lets continue.
Unpack one <I> (you get two or more with each MKV) and place on a table or desk, next to the front of
the MKV, where you can see the screen if you are standing in front of the cores. If there is no space, put it
anywhere you can, as long as it is in the same room.
Unpack the monitor and place it next or on top of the <I>.
At this point it is useful if you also install one of the prehistoric dot matrix printers also supplied at the
cost of several thousand dollars each, but it is not strictly necessary.
Connect everything (you know how to do that, dont you?). The <I> and the monitor are either 110 or 220
VAC. The printers I know about would make whole in the roof if you connect them to 220.
By the way, before connecting anything in a new installation, mainly if you are in a 220 VAC user country,
always check the power in the plug. Do not believe what they tell you.

If you screen is of the touch sensitive kind, the kind that you use your finger instead of the track ball and
always pick up the wrong target, besides connecting the clearly marked octopus cable you need to connect
the normal monitor signal cable. For that, there is a 19 pin connector wisely hidden somewhere under the
monitor, never in the same place.
Once you have the <I> with its powerful state-of-the art 486 processor all set up, you do the same with the
second <I>. This is not a redundant action. You will need both <I>s next to each other to display
conditions on one and make changes in the other one. Also it will impress more all the people that
concentrate around you looking as soon as you get anything on the screens.
You can connect the Arcnet lines from one <I> to the other one and from there to the <C> core, from
there, using the other hub, you can connect to <D>. (You do not have one? What did I tell you?)
Do not forget the T and the terminator at the last <I>.
The cable for Arcnet is RG 62 A/U, the terminator is 93 ohms. If you have a Historian in your system, you
also have an Ethernet card and network. The cable for the Ethernet link and the terminator may look
exactly the same as the Arcnets, but if you swap either, the system will not work. So make sure you use
the correct wire and terminator for each.
You do not need a terminator on the MKV end, just connect the cable to any of the two Arcnet connections
under the <C>, they are both common.
You now will have five nodules in the Arcnet network, The two <I>s, <C>, <D> and the terminator**,
which is also considered a nodule. I know from highly confidential sources who wish to remain
anonymous*, that more than eight is trouble. If you have an EX2000, it will take another two connections,
which leaves one left. When you are ready to start the turbine,, you may decide to place one <I> in the
MCR (Master Control Room), so that will take two nodules (remember the terminator?). Just keep it in
mind to find the best way to connect the network.

*Tom Samuelson
** The terminator is a resistor used at the end of the cable to prevent the signal from bouncing back
and forth in the wire, creating all kinds of electronic noises.

There is an <I> set up explanation in the Maintenance Manual section 5-2. Also, at the beginning of the
Maintenance Manual CHAPTER 2 and in the Application manual CHAPTER 9 there is an interesting
explanation about the MV Communication Network. If you read these last parts and you understand them,
you should take the Microsft MSCSE tests and get yourself a job making a lot more money.
Once ready, power up one <I>. It should have been loaded at least with all the G: files, so it should boot
up at least to the point where it shows the DOS prompt. (if you are strictly a Windows person and do not
know what DOS is, I am going to have a lot of fun with you).
If the site specific files have been loaded up, it should show the main screen. In Steam MKVs, this is the
Load Control screen.
It does not matter whats loaded in the <I> at this point. The files in the floppies are probably the latest
version, so you need to reload everything, the G: and the site specific files, (which from now on I will call
F: files, since is easier to type.)
The instructions to load up the floppies are written in the labels and in the Application manual and, like I
said before, I will not go into things that are explained there. However, if the <I> boots up all the way to a
screen, you need to get the DOS prompt to make any changes (actually it is the IDOS prompt, but I will
use either one indistinctly, since you probably do not know the difference.)
To get out of the Main menu and into IDOS, you can do two things.
One is to go to the Password Control screen and type the Salem password for this <I>. There is also a
universal password but for security reasons I can not tell you what it is *.
The other one is to do a hard reboot (by turning power off and on again or pushing the button next to the
A: drive) and typing CTL/C repeatedly when the unit is booting up. The problem with this last way is that
after you load up the floppies youll still need to know the correct PW in order to change it, so call Salem
and ask them.
*Hold the control key and type D E L E T E. You can also find the password in the DYNAMIC.BIN, starts
with the first character after the smily face.

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

So far we assume that the <I> is working fine, which they generally do. If they dont, and you do not
know what to do, well give you some advise later*.
* But very little.
Once one <I> is ready, do the same with the other one.
Next, make sure they are talking with each other. From DOS, type the command ARCWHO. Each <I>
should see the others address and its own.
If you want to check the Arcnet addresses in the cores, you may refer to the Maintenance Manual sections
5-3.2.1, but it really does not matter what they are, as long as no other device (nodule) is using the same
address.
1.9 Powering up (you are finally here, my little cricket).
When you buy almost any electrical powered device, like a home appliance (toasters excepted) or a
CRAIG XXF2 Hydrogen Cooled Multy-Processor Super Computer, they come with a Power ON-OFF
switch.
The MKV does not have one. The customer will ask you why, so have an answer ready, like I do *.
*I will not tell you mine, you think of one.
The way you turn a MKV ON is by telling the site electricians boss to do it. If he likes you, in a couple of
hours hell locate the breakers and switch them ON. Even if you know where the breakers are, DO NOT
turn them on yourself. You do not know what else is connected to these breakers.
Before the breakers are turned ON, open the <P> door and turn off all the individual cores power
switches, there are eight of them. That will ONLY remove the power from part of the core circuitry, so do
not assume that you can go around sticking your screwdriver all over.
(The MKV power distribution is shown in Appendix E of the Maintenance Manual. If you understand how
that works, please call me and explained to me, I havent been able to figure it out so far.)
Also, before powering up, check again that somebody did not plugged the J8 connectors
back in.
So now, and after reading and obeying other related instructions in all pertinent manuals and GEKs ever
published( see Desclaimer at the beginning of this guide) you turn the MKV power On.
Before turning ON each core, get a VOM and make sure the correct power is being supplied. Measure the
voltage on TB! under the <PD>. You must have 110 VAC between TBs 7 and 8 or 10 and 11, depending
which source is selected..
Now comes the moment of truth. What happens now will decide if youll march forward towards a shinny
future and a rewarding career or end up your days sucking from a paper bag in some dark alley.
So, using the <PD> switches, power up one core at the time and look at the LEDs.
What! Wait, dont panic yet, its all right.
The people who designed the software included a list of messages to be displayed every time a core
reboots, which have nothing to do with what is going on inside the core and say things like IO FATAL
ERROR, SYSTEM TOTAL FAILURE and GET OUT NOW WHILE YOU STILL HAVE TIME.
They do not mean anything. Actually the programmers were trying to find out how many words they could
form with an LED system designed to show only numbers and they are now sitting in their chairs
laughing, thinking of your face and the customer when seeing these displays.
2. Bringing up the cores.
Power up <C>, <D> ,<R>, <S> and <T>. Do not power up the IO modules yet. If you do not see any
sparks, or feel any fuses blowing up, you are half way there.
Next you should check all power TPs (test points) in each core. Turn the power off to each core and open
the cards until you can see the last card, which is the one with the power TPs. Check that the +15, -15
and whatever else you see is OK. Volt tolerance is pretty good in the MKV and varies with the load, so
unless you see something well off you can assume is OK. If there is something really wrong the cores will
not work and you will check the main voltages in the diagnostic screens later. There is a little blue pot in
each card to adjust the 5 volts, but it changes the 15 and 24 volts also, plus is very hard to reach under hot
heat sinks, so stay away from it.

Ideally, all cores will display A7 now. It sometimes happens. A7 is the equivalent of the core saying I
am feeling gooooood!
If the cores are not at A7, you need to determine why. It is not use to try to ignore it and come back
tomorrow to see if things have changed. You need to fix it.
So the first thing you do is to reboot the sick core again (the MKV is the only computer I know that you
get different results if you reboot twice, kind of like all the chips were not paying attention the first time).
You can reboot by pushing the little button on each core of by using the core power switch in the <PD>.
The result to both ways looks the same, although Ive been told by MKV experts that is not (I think they
lie).
If rebooting does not fix the problem (did you really think it would?), there is a million reasons why the
cores will stay under A7 and I will tell you the two I know.
In lay terms, if the display is showing something like A4 or A5, there is a possibility that one of the IO
cards in the core is faulty, or more likely has the wrong IO data on it. To find out which card is the sick
one, you use the display buttons.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Now we know what card is bad. This is a problem that looks worst than it is.
If you have a spare card or you can swap the card with the same from another core, you can do that. But
more likely, there is a chance that the day they loaded the IO configuration files in that card was league
bowling night and they used the wrong files.
Check if you have communication between the <I> and the MKV. If you can talk to the MKV, you can
download the correct files and fix the situation. <C> may not be at A7 and you still may be able to
download.
2.1 Downloading the correct IO configuration files (or My God!, what have I done!)
The IO Configuration files are mysterious, intangible things. To set up the correct IO configuration is
probably the most complicated thing one has to do on a MKV. There is a rumor out that of the thousands
of MKVs installed and working with no problems all over the world, not one has the exact IO
Configuration. That should tell you something about how good a machine the MKV is.
The first thing you need to do is see if there is communication. Do an ARCWHO in the <I> and see if it
catches the <C> (or <D>) address, normally 31 and XXXXXXXXXXX.
If you can not talk to either one, you are up the creek, call Salem.
If you can talk to one of them, later well tell you how to fix the other one, assuming that downloading the
correct configuration files will fix the problem.
In the meanwhile, the first thing to do is to do a card ID. A Card Identification command from the Main
Menu will upload * the revision number of the IO Configuration installed in each card, in the form of a
prom version.
*Upload: from the MKV to the <I>. Download: from the <I> to the MKV. Get it?
If you are I a hurry and like to live dangerously and do not care to learn about IO Configuration
downloading, you can go straight to the Getting the right revision paragraph.
This is extremely important, so lets expand on it, lets get the whole business of the IO Configuration fles
out of the way right now. It is very confusing, mind you. It also very clearly explained in Klingon
language in the Application manual, section 3-9 and in Maintenance manual, section 4-4.
The MKV, like any Process Control Computer, uses IO signals to know whats going on in the field. (this
is probably as far as you will go understanding this explanation).
The MKV has to convert these field signals into something it can use.
The way we tell the MKV how to interpret these signals is by entering information for each IO in the IO
Configuration screens for each card and downloading (I just told you) this information to the MKV.
The first screen of each card shows the revision number of the card. It has a mayor revision number
followed by a dot followed by a minor revision number, like 4.5.

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

This revision number does not look like much, but it is VERY important. Remember that.
Before the information that we entered on each screen is downloaded, it has to go through several steps.
First, when you select Save and Exit from the IO Configuration program, it creates several data files,
with names of the form IOCFG_x.DAT. This are data files. You can not read them. If you try to read them
they look like Persian rugs made out of numbers. They only make sense to the MKV.
Next, you need to download these files to their correspondent cards in each core of the MKV.
To do that, you select the EEPROM downloader option from the Main Menu or type the download
command directly from IDOS while your default* is set to the \UNIT1 directory.
*In DOS, we use the term Default very often. It is normally applied to define things that never happen,
like for instance: By default, you get an orientation session from your manager before you leave for your
new assignment
The download command for the IO Configuration files looks something like this:
EEPROM DOWN T1 (core letter) IOCFG
This smart command sends the IO Configuration data from the files to the correct card in core.
For more confusing information on downloading, see EEPROM DOWNLOADER in section 4-4 of the
Maintenance manual.**
** I am giving you the sections of the manuals according to the manuals I have. But section 4-4 now can
be section 4-5 next month and 67-765B next year. All I am doing is letting you know that there is also
information on the manuals and showing you approximately where it might be. You are warned.
Now, where is this IO Configuration data stored, so the MKV can use it?
After you download and reboot each core (you need to reboot, the MKV will ignore any information you
download until you reboot), this data is stored in EEPROM chips.
Now comes the hard part, so pay attention. Remember the Revision number on the first screen of each
card, which I warned it was very important? That revision number is downloaded as part of the IO
Configuration data for each card. But there is a trick.
Each EPROM has also its own revision number. It is in Firmware (meaning there is no way you can
change it without very sophisticated equipment used mainly by people who makes pirate copies of chips
illegally).
If the revision number you download to the chip and the chips own revision number dont agree*, the
chips get all bent out of shape and start creating trouble of the worst kind. The manual does not tell you
that. The people want you to screw up and call them on the phone so they keep you holding while they feel
important.
* I understand that only the mayor revision (the first number) is important, but if I were you I make sure
they are both right.
When will it be the case when some of these revision numbers would not agree? (always.)
Many times the MKVs is shipped at a different time than the <I>s and the floppies with the software.
Sometimes with months of difference. In those cases, the software loaded by the supplier in the <I> or the
software shipped with the floppies may be newer (a later revision) than the EEPROMs in the MKV.
If the IO Configuration files that you download to certain cards (nobody knows exactly which ones) are a
newer version that the EPROMS*, after you reboot, you may loose communication.
*We did not forget one E. The MKV uses both EEPROMS and EPROM, in different ways.
EEPROMS are the chips where you download the data from the <I>s. You do not need to touch these.
EPROMS, also called proms, are where the version number I stored in firmware. These are the ones you
might need to change.
Also, when you say EEPROMS, it sounds like you have a stutter.
What does this mean? It means that if you do not know what you are doing (not your own fault) and you
go ahead and download to <C> first without bothering to check the revision numbers I told you, <C> may

never again come even near to A7 and you will not able talk to it anymore. Meaning that even after you
correct the files, you can not do anything, unless you download from <D>, if you have one.
I know all this because I went through it once. In order to be able to fix up the mess I made and get <C>
talking again, I had to physically remove the EPROM from <D> (which I had not screwed up yet), install
it in <C> and download the correct files.
So remember:
NEVER DOWNLOAD THE CONFIGURATION FILES TO <C> FIRST.
If there is a single piece of advise that Id like to give to the young TA it would be Buy Microsoft. The
second one is the one above.
Always download first to <R>, <S> or <T> and reboot and see if they go to A7. If they dont, you can keep
downloading until you get it right. Once they are all up and happy in A7, then download to <C>.
Of course, <C> and <R, S and T> use different files, so you still can screw up. But if you have <R>, <S>
and <T> OK, more likely by now you know what you are doing. Which is what we tell you next.
2.2 Getting the right Revision.
After doing a card ID, you write down the information or print the screens, and now you have the revision
versions of all the EPROMS. Next go to your <I>, run the IO Configuration program from the Main
Menu, and compare version numbers between the cards and the EPROMs.
Of course the DTMTMC (Department To Make Things More Confusing) at Salem made sure that the
Card names (like LCC1) that you get with Card ID and the actual card names are not exactly the same,
but they are close enough so you can figure them out, sometimes by elimination.
You probably have newer configuration files that the MKV, meaning your configuration files for some of
the cards have a later version than the correspondent EPROM.
Sometimes you can have an older file version, if somebody forgot to update it in the floppies.
(Forget about having the correct version for all your files and EPROMS, it will never happen, maybe in
the MKV XXVII).
How do you get the correct files and EPROM chips? First you do this: You print the Card ID results and
you print also a list of your the files in the \PROM directory and send it to Salem. They need both things
to see if you have need of both files and proms (EPROMs), which is mostly the case.
In case you do not know, one easy way to print a directory in DOS is to do a command DIR>DIR.LST .
This will create a file called DIR.LST (you can use any name) which you can print or e-mail to Salem.
Once you have done this there is nothing else for you to do so you can go back and talk to the opposite
gender TA who by now probably gave up on you and has date with the guy in charge of the software at the
MCR, who she knows has a more sophisticated job and makes more money than you.
But if you are a Gung-Ho guy and want to continue, there is something else you can do. This may not
bring everything to their latest revisions, but it might allow you to download your IO configuration
correctly and keep working on the MKV. This is what you do, and do not screw it up.
1. Get the list of the proms version you got from Card ID. This is in Firmware, so we can not change
that.
2. In the <I>, save all your IO Config files in UNIT1, in case you need to put everything back. If you do
not know how to do this, do the following:
3. In IDOS, type CD\. This will set the default as F:\
4. Type MD \SAVE, this will make a directory F:\SAVE
5. Go back to the UNIT1 directory and type COPY IO*.* \SAVE. This will save the files.
6. To restore the files, go again to the UNIT1 directory and type COPY \SAVE\IO*.*
7. Run IO Config in the <I>.
8. Check the revision version on the first screen of each card against the prom revision. Write down all
the cards with different revision number. At this point, you may try to Default the card and check
if that fixes the revision. You will change all the data for that card, but if you need a new file for
it you will later do that anyway. If Defaulting the card does not give you the correct version
number, exit IO Config WITHOUT saving and start again.

10

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

9.

Once you have the list of all the cards with wrong version numbers, you need to find out if in the
PROM directory there is a file with the right version, one which matches the EEPROM. You may
need a newer file or an older file than the one you have now.
10. Lets use an example. Assume that your IOMA card for <Q> (Thats <R,S & T>) shows Rev. 4.5 and
the CARD ID tells you that the IOMA version on the prom is 4.4. You need a file with a 4.4
revision.
11. You go to the PROM directory and check all the files that start with IOMA. You find the following
files;
IOMABBDC.DAT
IOMABBDC.DAT
IOMAQBDC.DAT
IOMAQBDD.DAT
IOMAQBDE.DAT
IOMAQCFG.DAT
The first two files we reject immediately because the fourth letter B is telling us that this file are for the
<B>, meaning <C> or <D>.
From the next three files, we select the one that has the correct version, 4.4. That would be the file which
ends with DD (A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, comprende?). So, IOMAQBDD.DAT is the file we need.
8. Next, you copy this file IOMAQBDD.DAT to IOMAQCFG.DAT. Why? Because when we go
back to the IOCFG screen for the IOMA card, and we Default the card, all the new data will
be taken from this last file. Every time you default a card, the information you have on the
card is replaced by the data in the xxxxxxCFG.DAT file.
9. Now you run IO Config again, go to the IOMA card and default the card. The new card version
should be 4.4, which is what we needed.
10. Do the same with the rest of the cards. If you are not sure if the file is the one you need, you can
look at it with a text editor or using List. The very top of each DAT file in the prom directory
will tell you what the file is for it. If you scan down to the point where it says Screen 1,
immediately after that are listed the mayor and minor revisions.
11. By the way, I am not sure what the fifth letter in the file name means, but I have it from a good
source that by convention it is the initial of the first name of the programmers girlfriend. If you
find out different, let me know.
A small tip here. If you never heard of List, get a copy. Is an old application but it is unsurpassed for
looking at files in DOS and doing lots of other useful stuff. And it is intuitive, which is more than you can
say for any application in the MKV.
You need to install List, which consists of several files, in the Path. Since throughout this guide you will
be suggested to add several utilities like this one, you may as well go ahead and create your own directory
of utilities to put all your personal programs in. You do not want to mix your programs with the customer
MKV files since you will lose track of which files are yours and you probably want to remove them when
you live the site.
So, just create your own directory C:\util and put in the Path.
To put in the Path you need to edit the Path command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file in C:\. Just add
;c:\util at the end of the line, in upper or lower case.
For instance, my path command looks like this:
PATH C:\DOS;C:\CUSTOM;C:\UTILITY;G:\EXEC;c:\util;c:\me
The added part is in lower case.
You noticed that I also added another directory to the path, me. Thats is where I keep my test editor,
MultiEdit. You will be doing A LOT of text editing, so you need to familiarize yourself with a text editor
that you like. I think that the standard text editor supplied with the MKV sucks, so I use my own.
Why do you need to install List.exe in the path?
When you want to run a program in DOS, you just type the name of the program. DOS then looks for the
program in the following way. First it looks in the default directory (the directory where you are when
typing the command) for the program name with the extension COM (like DISKCOPY.COM). Then it
looks for the same program with the extension EXE. And then with the extension BAT. These are the
three types of programs you can run in DOS.

11

If DOS does not find any of these three in the default directory, it looks in all the directories listed in the
Path command. If it finds it there, it runs it.
If any time you need to know what the Path, just type PATH. DOS will list the actual Path.
By the way, this is true only for programs. It does not work for data files, DOS does not look for data files
in the path.
Going back to downloading.
Once you have all the correct versions for all the <Q> and <B> (<C and D>) cards, download the IO
Config files. If you were paying attention you know that you must download one the <Q> first.
If you downloaded and rebooted <R> and it gets to A7, you can go ahead with the rest.
We have not told you how to fill in the data in the IO Configuration screens yet. That will come later, after
you have proved yourself worth it.
When the new proms in their neat black boxes and the new files finally arrive from Salem, you need to
replace the proms in the cards*, download the new configuration files and go through the whole process
again. You can easily identify the proms in each card by the white label with a U number and the revision
number. The people who stick the label to these chips are very careful to make sure that when the chip is
inserted in the card the label ends up upside down.
This is probably the most important software-hardware update that you need to do in the MKV, so take
your time and do it right. And that night at your favorite hang out, you can look at the opposite gender
person next to you in the eyes and say Baby, I got all my cores at A7! and see how she or he moves to
another seat.
* You may not believe this, but there is a prom that actually has one row of legs less than the socket. There
are no marks, so there is a 50-50 chance that you may plug it wrong. We do not know exactly what
happens then because the damage is so extensive that every TAs whos done that has been immediately
fired. No, we will not tell you which one it is.
And now you would have a accomplished the following: You have a MKV happily humming waiting to do
something. You have two <I> which are taking to themselves and telling each other what a cute clot you
are. You have not gotten back the opposite gender TA, but we are working on it.
The next logical thing to do is to start working in the IOs. First, you need to revise your IO list and then
enter and check all the IO signals in the IO Configuration screens.
3. Creating the right IO signal list.
By now you must have a printed copy of the IO Report* and a text form of the same file in a floppy.
*In former systems, the IO Report used to be called the IO Signal List or simply the Signal List.
Everybody knew what it was. But the DTMTMC decided that the name was too obvious and not dignified
enough, so they renamed as a Report. Which is the same as calling the CSP the Certificate of Sequence
Performed. But thats how it goes.
The IO Report lists all signals from the field to the MKV, what we call the IO signals. They are sorted by
core, by card and by terminal screw in the card. This is very handy if you know where in the MKV the
signal you are looking for is connected. But since you do not know that, to find a signal in the IO Report
you need to scan the whole report.
Hence the need for an IO Report in your <I>.
You copy the IO Report file to any directory you like. It has to be in text form, not in Alpha 4 or any other
screwy format, because most search utilities only work well with text files.
You name this file IOREP.TXT (you can use another name, but then you must substitute it on the BAT
files that Ill give you). Do not use more than 8 letters plus three on the extension.
Since the <I> does not have many files in the root directory C:\, I put my IOREP.TXT there. This means I
lied to you before when I said you should put all your personal files in your own directory.
Then, using my text editor, I created the following BAT file in the \UTIL directory, it is a batch file of
only one line:

12

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

GREP %1 C:\IOREP.TXT
I save this file with the name SEA.BAT (SEA stands for search, but is easier to type).
When I want to find any signal in the IO Report, let say WHATSTHIS, I enter the following command:
SEA WHATSTHIS
Immediately DOS lists all the lines of IOREP.TXT which contain the string WHATSTHIS, including
connection points and everything else. Not too shabby, eh?
And I can type this command from any directory. Why? because SEA.BAT is in the Path!
Another tip. GREP is a program used to find strings of text in files. It is like the DOS program FIND, but
much better. GREP is a COM file. That means it is written in Macro language, which makes it very
powerful and fast. It automatically converts the string from upper case to lower case and vice-versa, so you
do not need to care in which case you type. Also you can use wild cards * in the file name, which allows
you to search in multiple files. If you do not have GREP, get it and copy it to a directory in the path. It is
shareware, like List. Well use extensively throughout the MKV set up and it will save you a lot of time.
Now that you have the IO Report ready, lets talk about another file: IO.ASG.
The IO Report lets you know where the IO signals are connected. IO.ASG tells the MKV the same
thing. The MKV does not care about the IO report. You can show the IO report to the MKV a hundred
times and it will not even blink. It only cares about IO.ASG.
So, why dont you also use IO.ASG instead of the IO report? Because IO.ASG tells the location of each
signal with code names like Q_Q1_CI05, from which the MKV can interpret exactly which card and
screw the signal is connected to, while you cant. You are not that smart. So you need the IO Report.
These two files should agree in the location and type of each signal. Both are normally generated by a
Salems tool called Bobcat, which works pretty well.
The only way to be absolutely sure that these two files agree on every signal, is to check them by hand.
But there is no need to do that, since during the IO loop checks you will check every signal individually
and find any discrepancy. Unless you can convince the opposite gender TA that you need her help and she
should meet you in your place after dinner for a couple of hours of file checking.
3.1 Compiling the <I> files.
You have loaded all the site files from the floppies to the <I>. You do not know what is on those files. You
just hope they were not created on a Friday afternoon during the Annual GEDS Bowling Tournament and
hold the GEDS latest handicap scores.
The first you do is to run MK5MAKE. This program collects all the signals from the different files where
they are defined and places them all in an enormous file called UNITDATA.DAT. And if you do not stop
it, it will go ahead and compile the CSP segments (remember those?). It also checks if the constant units
are correct and a couple of other things. It will not tell you things like if a signal defined for <C> is being
used in <Q> or if the opposite gender TA is going into the condenser with the DCC programmer. You
need to find out that by yourself.
So you need to do a MK5MAKE and correct all the errors. Later well tell you about the most common
types of errors and how to fix them. Right now lets concentrate in the IO.
Our immediate objective is to get the MKV ready to start doing the IO Loop Checks, which take quite a
lot of time.
At this time, we do not care if the CSP (Certificate of Sequence Performed) or if the alarms are right. We
care about getting all the IO in shape. For that, we need to get the IO Configuration screens data right.
One more important thing before we leave this subject and go out to the corner for beer and pizza. We
need a fast way to find out how all the MKV signals are defined. We are talking not only about IO Signals,
all the signals in the MKV, which are listed in UNITDATA.DAT and are in the thousands.
We will need to know pronto where are defined and what units they use. It is essential information.
Almost all signals are defined in one of the following files: IO.ASG, FACTORY.ASG, SITE.ASG and
ALLOCSSP.ASG. Some mysterious signals are defined in UNITDATA.TPL. And they are all listed in
UNITDATA.DAT.

13

So again, we create a batch file as follows:

GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\IO.ASG
GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\FACTORY.ASG
GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\SITE.ASG
GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\ALLOCSSP.ASG
GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\PROM\UNITDATA.TPL
GREP %1 F:\UNIT1\UNITDATA.DAT
Save it in the \UTIL directory as FASG.BAT (FASG stands for find assigned signal, or something like that,
I forgot. But it works).
Now, if I want to see if a signal is defined and where, I enter the command:
FASG WHATSTHIS
IDOS will search all the files named before and list any lines containing the string WHATSTHIS.
3.2 Setting the IO Configuration screens.
Everybody agrees that this is, by far, the most difficult part of installing a MKV. The lack of information
in the available documentation is legendary. Much of this information is unwritten, like flamingo guitar
music, and is passed by word of mouth from teacher to apprentice, in a kind of mystic tradition now
deeply rooted in some generations of TAs.
We told you before we were going to tell you how to set up these screens. But the magnitude of covering
the data for all the screens escapes the scope of this work*. So well give you some tips that are not in the
manual and that will hopefully prevent you for throwing your hands in the air, declaring yourself a useless
TA and applying for a job as a Black Belt.
*We lied.
3.3 Understanding MKV units.
Next we will show you how to work with MKV units while we set up one IO Config screen.
First, lets tackle the 4-20 mA inputs. You can find some 4-20 mA input signals in the TCCA card, screen
4/7.
In order to fill the data for these signals (also called parameters, since it is information you pass to a
program) correctly, you need to know first what type of units the signal is assigned to. Once you know
that, you need find out what the maximum count for that type of unit is ( the so called CDB full value).
Lets illustrate this with one example. Lets enter one MAI signal data in the IO Config screens.
You take the IO Report and see that one MAI in <C> (MAI04) is the signal AP_HF, Hydraulic Control
Fluid Pressure.
This is what you do.
1. Find out how the transmitter that sends this signal to the MKV is calibrated. That would be PT-281,
and it should be listed in the Device List for this site or wherever the calibration data is for all
field transmitters. We see that it is calibrated from 0 to 2000 lbs. That means that when the
hydraulic pressure is 0, the MKV will get a 4 mA signal, when the pressure is 2000 lbs., the
signal will be 20 mA.
2. Next, you need to see how the signal AP_HF is defined, meaning what type of units it uses. If you
have the batch file we told you before, you go to IDOS and type SEA AP_HF; if not, you can use
List or a text editor and find the signal name in IO.ASG. It will show the connection location,
which you can use to verify the IO Report is correct and it will also show that AP_HF has been
assigned to the unit PRESS..
3. Next, you find the maximum CDB value for the PRESS type signals. You search the file
SCLEDATA.DAT for the definition of the PRESS unit. SCLEDATA.DAT is the file which defines
all units in the MKV. It is copied automatically from one of two files: ENGLISH.SCA if you are

14

MKV INSTALLATION FOR DUMMIES

4.

5.
6.

7.

using English units, and METRIC.SCA if you are in a country where people likes soccer better
than sex.
If you are working in English units, SCLEDATA.DAT will show that PRESS is unit number 105
(code type number 105, actually). It also will tell you a few useful things about this type of unit. It
says that the maximum count number (also known as CDB Full Scale Value) for any signal with
this unit is 2048 counts. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that the MKV will create in
memory a value proportional to the value of this signal, that will be always from zero to 2048.
So, when the signal is 4 MA, the count will be zero. When it is 20 mA, the count will be 2048.
So now you run IO Config, and find the TCCA card screen 4/7, which holds MAI01 to MAI08. We
see in the I O report that AP_HF is assigned to MA04. In the CDB Value Full Scale column for
this signal, you enter the value 2048.
The headers of the next two columns are deceiving. They are CDB value at 4 mA and CDB value
at 20 mA. If you look at the default values in any position of this columns, youll see they have
decimal points. That tells you that these can not be counts, since counts are Integer numbers.
What you enter here is the value that you want the MKV to display according to the value of the
signal. In the 4 mA column, we enter 0.0, since that is the pressure when the signal is 4 mA..
In the 20 mA column, we enter 2000, the pressure value at 20 mA.
You might be a little confused for the first two or three years, but when you get the knack of it
happens to be an OK way to enter IO data. Imagine that this same transmitter can not be calibrated
from 0 to 2000 lbs. Lets assume that for any logical reason, like the tech had a really bad hangover
that day, the transmitter was calibrated from 0 to 2134.5 lbs for 4-20 mA. No problem. You go back to
the screen as before and in the column for the 20 mA enter 2134.5 instead of 2000. Now, when the
pressure is 2000 lbs the signal will be 18.75 mA and the MKV will do the math and display correctly
2000 lbs. The MKV will never know that you tricked it. This comes handy on those rare occasions
(every time) that the factory sends you transmitter so far out of range that can not be calibrated by the
specs. Of course there are limits as how far you can go with this, since among other things you lose
resolution on the conversion of the signal. Experiment and see how it works and how far you can
reasonably go and then go back and put back all the defaults.

Since we are in subject of units and also very concern about you doing things right, lets see something
else that may come handy.
We said that the SCLEDATA.DAT file, besides giving you the max CDB count for all signals with that
unit, also gives you something else. In the 4 th column you have the Offset. That means you can make the
count start from something other than zero, but that escapes the scope of this guide*.
The 5th column is neat. It tells you the number of decimals that will be shown when you display the value
of the signals on the screen. I do not know why you would need to change that, but it is your MKV and
you can if you want. Just remember that if you change any parameter for one type of unit, all signals in the
MKV defined with that unit will be affected.
*I do not know how to use it, stay away from that.
The 6th and 7th columns are an interesting case. I definitely would like to get some of what these people
were inhaling when they designed this system. All MKV signal use two type of units. Display units and
Engineering units. The 6th column show units that are used only for displays. Nothing else. The 7 th
column shows the engineering units. What these are used for is a mystery to me. Except that if for
instance we look at the units numbers 102 to 105, well see that while they all will display as psi, the
engineering units are different. Unit number 102, PRESH, has huge max count, hence more resolution.
That is used to store very high pressure with more definition. Unit PRESSL, instead, has a max count of
only 32. Thats used to show pressure with much less resolution, hence saving two precious bytes.
The fun starts when you want to do things like define a new constant. You know that to define a new
constant in the MKV, you need to enter it in two files. In FACTORY.ASG (or SITE.ASG) you enter the
constant name, with the Engineering units. In CONSTANT.SRC, you enter the constant value,
with the Display units.
Some silly people have suggested that this could have been accomplished with only one file and one type
of units. Id like to see them trying to design a MKV and keeping the bowling handicap scores up to date
at the same time.

15