Configuring EXO Interface Ports

EXO has two low voltage interface ports (Port A and Port B) that allow you to connect external devices, which are then triggered based on events detected by EXO. As of July 15, 2024, you can configure how these ports behave.

EXO’s ports are commonly used for external beacons as well as sirens for loud, field-level warnings. In some cases, these ports can be connected to safety equipment such as ventilation fans or door locks. When safety notifications are triggered on the EXO, the A/B interface ports act as switches by sending ON or OFF signals to connected accessories.

Previous behavior

Before Triggering events were previously hard coded to display the following behaviour:

High gas threshold

When EXO detected gas levels at or above the high gas threshold, Port A applied power. A device connected to Port A was activated. The port turned OFF when gas levels returned to normal.

Low gas threshold

When EXO detected gas levels at or above the low gas threshold, Port B applied power. A device connected to Port B was activated. The port turned OFF when gas levels returned to normal.

New EXO Port Configuration Options

Starting July 15, you can now choose what kind of events trigger each port using your EXO’s Blackline Live configuration profile. Ports A and B can individually be configured to trigger on one or more of the following:

• Incoming text message or mass notification
• Incoming AlertLink notification
• On-board Low gas threshold event
• On-board High gas threshold event

Normal port pin power behavior (apply power when triggered by an event)

The normal (untriggered) state for the power applied to the pins on the ports is as follows (Figure B):

• Switch between PIN 1 (for power input from external device) and ground is open.
• Switch between 18V power and PIN 3 is open (no power on PIN 3).
• Switch between 3.2V power and PIN 4 is open (no power on PIN 4).
  
  

When the port is triggered by an EXO event, the switches are activated to the following conditions (Figure C):

• Switch between PIN 1 (for power input from external device) and ground is closed.
• Switch between 18V power and PIN 3 is closed (placing 18VDC on PIN 3).
• Switch between 3.2V power and PIN 4 is closed (placing 3.2VDC on PIN 4).

Port inversion option (remove power when triggered by an event)

In your EXO configuration profile in Blackline Live, you can reverse this switch behavior. Each port can be independently configured for a port inversion option.

In the reversed option, the normal (untriggered state) has all the switches on all pins closed as shown in Figure C. On the triggering event the pin conditions reverse to the open positions shown in Figure B.

This option allows you to choose the normal and triggered conditions on Ports A and B depending whether you want your fail-safe mode to be with power or without power on those pins.

Configuring EXO Ports in Blackline Live

On the EXO configuration page in Blackline Live, the Interface ports section allows you to configure the desired behavior of EXO’s Interface ports.

In this section, you can configure each port (Port A and Port B) to trigger on any combination of 4 possible triggers: High Gas, Low Gas, Text message or AlertLink message.

NOTE:You can select one or more of these inputs to trigger each port.

In the Define how EXO will supply power section, you can change the power conditions on those ports from the normal Power applied on trigger, to Power removed on trigger.

Port Trigger synchronization

After a port is triggered, the port(s) are reset when the following conditions are met:

• AlertLink message is acknowledged, times out or is cleared from Blackline Live.
• Text message is acknowledged on the device.
• From a low gas threshold, when the gas readings drop below the low gas threshold.
• From a high gas threshold, when the gas readings drop below the high gas threshold.

Support

For more information on EXO ports and port configurations, refer to the EXO Technical User Manual.

If you have any questions about EXO port configurations, please reach out to our Technical Support team for assistance.

North America (24 hours)

Toll Free: 1-877-869-7212 | support@blacklinesafety.com

Europe (8am-5pm GMT)

+44 1787 222684 | eusupport@blacklinesafety.com

International (24 hours)

+1-403-451-0327 | support@blacklinesafety.com