1. Choosing an Appropriate Location

1.1. Structural Requirements

The OP14xx test benches are fairly heavy sets of equipment (up to 600 kg for the heaviest models when incorporating optional equipment), thus care should be taken when choosing the installation location for the test bench. OPAL-RT highly recommends that the building structure where the bench will be sitting be designed to support at least one metric ton (1000 kg) of weight not to put stress on the building.

1.2. Available Space

The final location for the OP14xx test bench should take into account the dimensions of the chassis (shown on the image to the left).

Please note that the two side panels and the rear panel are hinged doors that may need to be opened from time to time to reconfigure the wiring or for maintenance reasons. Although it is not necessary to provide permanent clearance for the side and rear doors, it is recommended to at least confirm that there is enough space and enough loose wiring to roll the chassis in order to gain access to the doors.

Early versions of the OP1400 models had a reduced height of 1270 mm (50").

1.3. Environmental Conditions

OPAL-RT requires that the following environmental conditions be met at the installation site of the OP14xx test bench:

1.4. Availability of Electrical Connections

1.4.1. EU models

• Two dedicated circuits for the monophasic power bars (220Vac 10A), except for OP1400-10 and OP1400-20 which have only one power bar.

• One four wire (3 phase + protective earth) cable to connect to the terminal block inside the test bench. This cable must be connected to a 380/400/415 Vac 3 phase circuit. Refer to 3 Phase AC Mains Supply Line to the PDU (Power Delivery Unit) for the circuit dimensioning requirements.

1.4.2. North American models

• Two dedicated circuits for the monophasic power bars (120Vac 15A), except for OP1400-10 and OP1400-20 which have only one power bar.

• One four wire (3 phase + protective earth) cable to connect to the terminal block inside the test bench. This cable must be connected to a 480 Vac 3 phase circuit. Refer to 3 Phase AC Mains Supply Line to the PDU for the circuit dimensioning requirements.

2. Unpacking

2.1. OP14xx Test Bench Crate

The test bench cabinet and included components will be received in a crate. The following procedure must be executed in order to safely unpack the test bench: Uncrating a Large OPAL-RT Hardware Product.

Once the crate has been unassembled, locate the following items:

Ensure that all items are present and undamaged.

2.2. Separately Packaged Equipment

In order to minimize the risk associated with shipping and handling, the following components are removed from the test bench before shipping and are packaged separately:

OP8110 PHIL 4Q Power Amplifier

DC Power supplies

The following quantities of each item should be expected depending on the purchased test bench model:

Ensure that all these components have been received. Once unpacked, ensure that all items are undamaged.

3. Installation Procedure - Physical Assembly

There are two sections to the installation procedure: physically assembling the rack and the making the electrical connections. In the physical assembly, the OP8110 amplifiers and I-Tech DC power supplies are mounted on the chassis, and the red, PDU disconnector switch is installed. After the assembly is complete, the electrical connections between the chassis' components are made. 

3.1. Physical Assembly - Mounting the DC Power supplies

The DC power supplies must be stacked inside the chassis and screwed onto the rails. Please follow the steps below:

1. Find the appropriate height to mount the DC power supply. For your particular OP14xx bench please refer to the diagrams below, the sections indicated with the red rectangles are where the DC power supplies ought to be placed. The mounting screws for the power supply unit(s) can be found on the chassis side rails at this height.

2. Remove the screws from the chassis side rails, reserve them for step 4.

3. Insert the power supplies in their appropriate locations, stacking the bottommost one the pre-installed support brackets inside the chassis and stacking the remaining supplies (if any) on top of another.

4. Install the screws on the side rails to fix the power supply unit(s) in place.

3.2. Physical Assembly - Mounting the OP8110 Amplifiers

The cabinet is configured with removable slides (as displayed bellow) to allow easy manipulation of the amplifiers. These slides must be reinstalled on the amplifier units in order to reassemble the units on the cabinet. The following steps must be executed:

1. Locate the installation height of the amplifier units using the diagrams below (OP8110-6 amplifiers must be placed on top of OP8110-3 amplifiers if both models are present). The slides are preinstalled on the chassis.

2. Disassemble the inner portion of the slides by sliding them out and by pushing the lock button, reserve them for step 4.

3. Detach the mounting screws from the both sides of the amplifier, reserve them for step 4.

4. Fix the inner rail of the slides onto the amplifiers using the mounting screws.

5. One amplifier at a time, carefully align the amplifier with the mating slides on the chassis. Once the slides are properly aligned, slide the amplifier into the chassis, pushing on the lock buttons if necessary.

6. Mount the amplifiers to the chassis side rails using the screws that are already present on the side rails.

Slides for OP8110 mounting

3.3. Installing the PDU disconnector switch cap and knob

The disconnector switch knob of the Power Distribution Unit (or PDU) must be reinstalled. The PDU is located on the rear face of the cabinet. The knob must simply be aligned with the existing disconnector switch holes as in the images below. Ensure the alignement of the "ON" and "OFF" labels are as in the final image. Finally, use a flathead screwdriver to fix the switch into place.

4. Installation Procedure - Electrical Wiring

The steps for wiring the cabinet are fairly straightforward, the main connections between the test-bench components will be done in the same order as the power flows through the OP1400 test-bench. But before the cabinet is wired the Three-Phase AC Mains to the PDU must be installed. Thus, the steps are as follows:

1. Installation of the Three-Phase Main, and connection to the PDU

2. Connection from the Three-Phase Main to the PDU

3. PDU → I-tech DC power supplies

4. I-tech DC power supplies → OP8110 Amplifiers

5. Auxiliary AC Supply Lines for the OP8110 Amplifiers

6. Grounding the OP8110 Amplifiers

7. Synchronization cables between the Amplifiers

8. Cable Routing

4.1. Three-Phase AC Main Supply to the PDU

After the PDU is connected to the Three-Phase Main, while the PDU is not energized, make sure that the qualified electrician sets the disconnect switches inside the PDU to “ON.” If this step is not done even when energized the PDU will not allow power to flow to the DC power supplies. Refer to the “PDU Connections with the Three-Phase AC Main” section on how the connections need to be made.

A 4 wire (3 line conductors + 1 protective earth conductor) cable must be connected inside the PDU box of the test bench. The circuit must provide the following voltage levels and frequency:

The circuit must be dimensioned for the following maximum load current:

*Phase currents are unbalanced for these models, worst line current is thus specified

Refer to the ratings label on the equipment in case of doubt.

4.2. PDU AC supply to the DC Power Supplies

The AC supply cables must be screwed on the AC input terminals of all DC power supplies. Locate the AC supply cables inside the chassis which have the following appearance:

AC electrical connections from the PDU

Install them on the following locations on the DC power supplies. Be sure to respect the color schemes as in the images (actual wire colors may vary from image). For OP14x0-30 and OP14x0-60 models, ensure that the AC phases are properly interleaved between the 3 power supplies (as in the image) in order to balance out the currents of the three phases:

Also, make sure to reinstall the plastic covers on top of the connections to provide protection against electric shock:

4.3. DC Supply Connection between the DC Power Supplies and OP8110 Amplifiers.

Now that the PDU has been connected to the DC power supplies, it is now necessary to connect the high power cables between the DC power supplies and the amplifiers. The #113-1277 cable is used to connect these two components. For the DC power supplies the cable uses ring connectors which will be screwed onto the DC terminals. The opposite end of the cable will interface with OP8110 amplifiers via banana plugs. Locate the DC-end of the DC supply cables inside the chassis, they have the following appearance:

Install the DC-end of the 113-1277 cable on the DC power supply terminals, the terminals are indicated by the red circles in the images below. Be sure to not invert the polarity of the cables; red must be on right side, black on left side.

For OP14x0-30 and OP14x0-60 models, ensure that the labels on the DC cables match with the intended numbering scheme, note that the number scheme for some newer benches may be different. If you need clarification please contact OPAL-RT support.

Use a 5mm Allen key to tighten the DC connections.

Also, make sure to reinstall the plastic covers on top of the connections to provide protection against electric shock:

Newer power supply models have electrode protection cases as indicated below:

4.4. DC Supply connection to the OP8110 Amplifiers

After securing the DC supply cable to the DC power supplies, each OP8110 group (OP8110-3 has 1 group, OP8110-6 has 2 groups) must have its dedicated DC supply lines connected. Locate the DC supply lines inside the chassis which have the following appearance:

Install them on the following locations on the OP8110 amplifiers. Be sure to not invert the polarity of the cables (red must be on left side, black on right side). For OP14x0-30 and OP14x0-60 models, ensure that the labels on the DC cables match with the intended numbering scheme. The numbering scheme may be different on newer PHIL test-benches:

4.5. Auxiliary Supply Lines on the OP8110 Amplifiers

Each OP8110 group (OP8110-3 has 1 group, OP8110-6 has 2 groups) must have its dedicated Auxiliary supply cable connected. Locate the auxiliary supply cables inside the chassis which have the following appearance:

Install them on the following locations on the OP8110 amplifiers:

Please be careful and align the connectors and auxiliary terminal receptors, if you attempt to force the connection, the amplifier will be severely damaged and will require repair.

4.6. Grounding of OP8110 4Q Amplifiers

Each OP8110 unit has a dedicated grounding cable that must be connected to the ground terminal on the rear side of the unit. Locate the ground cables which have the following appearance:

Install them on the following locations on the OP8110 amplifiers:

4.7. Synchronization cables on the OP8110 Amplifiers

The OP14x0-30 and OP14x0-60 test benches come with optical synchronization cables that must be installed on the rear face of the OP8110 units:

The optical synchronization cables must be installed the following manner:

4.8. Cable Routing

The customer power cable must be routed through the rear door of the OP14xx chassis.

It must then be routed inside the PDU through the pre-installed cable gland.

4.9. PDU Electrical Schematic

4.9.1. PDU Connections with the Three-Phase AC Main

The OP1400/1420 test bench may be equipped with one of the following PDU models depending on manufacturing date and test bench power: