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Installation Guide CAT-1 Series 3

Installation Guide


The Valley Group, Inc.
871 Ethan Allen Hwy.
Suite 104
Ridgefield, CT 06877

(203) 431-0262
(203) 431-0296 FAX
tvg@cat-1.com Installation of Load Cells for CAT-1 Systems

A load cell (Figure 1) is basically a machined stainless steel body, on which are mounted
foil-type precision resistors (strain gauges). The stainless steel body, the strain gauges,
compensating resistors, and protective elements are hermetically sealed inside a stainless
steel canister. Although the load cells supplied to you are highly durable, certain
handling and installation procedures must be followed to prevent possible damage.

Figure 1: 10,000 lb (44,482N) Stainless Steel Load Cell with 80 ft (24m) cable and
connector

The load cells must not be subjected to bending or torsion. This may introduce errors,
and in the case of serious bending or torsion, may permanently damage the load cell. The
hardware used to mount the load cells between the dead-end insulator and the structure
must allow sufficient freedom of movement to avoid these types of stresses. Y-clevis
hardware is the preferred choice for installation of the load cells.

The load cells should be handled carefully during installation. Do not lift the load cells
by the cables. Avoid dropping or jarring the load cells, as the resulting severe shock can
potentially damage the sensitive strain gauges contained within the canister body.

Prevent water and other foreign substances from coming in contact with the load cells
threaded connector. The connector may be capped and placed inside a plastic bag and
taped if installation is taking place in a wet or dirty environment. Step-by-step Installation Instructions

1. Test assemble the load cells and mounting hardware prior to installation to ensure that
it fits loosely enough to allow movement without bending. Measure the overall
length of the load cell and associated hardware. (Note: for Load Cell dimensions see
supplement 2) An equivalent length must be removed from the existing insulator and
hardware arrangement to ensure that the slack in the line is not changed through the
addition of the load cells. Options for achieving this are: removing unnecessary
hardware links, reducing the amount of insulators used in the insulator string, pulling
up an appropriate amount of conductor.

2. Depending on your companys work practices, load cell installation may or may not
be possible during energized conditions. In either case, during installation, take care
to prevent applying torque on the load cells. Y-clevis (Figure 2) or shackle (Figure 3)
hardware
Figure 2: Load cell and Y-clevis hardware

is recommended to prevent torque and bending. The load cells are to be installed
between the structure and the cold (un-energized) side of the insulator string
Figure 3: Load cells with shackle hardware on steel structure.


3. (Optional: Additional protection for your Load Cells)
Electrically bypass the load cell (for flashover protection) with a copper braid of at
least 200 kcmil (100 sq. mm). In typical installations, ground rod clamps or stainless
steel hose clamps are used to attach the ground strap to hardware on either side of the
load cell. The ground strap and connectors are not provided with the load cells;
having them selected and checked for fit prior to the installation of the load cells can
save a significant amount of time.

4. At least one side of the load cell must be grounded. A solid path to ground through
the attachment hardware to a grounded metal structure is adequate. On wood poles, it
may be necessary to run a separate ground wire to the attachment hardware. Follow
whatever grounding guidelines your company uses to determine the size of the
structure ground and bonding wire to be used.

5. Make note of which load cell is installed on which line section. The load cells have
been marked with the serial number and port number of the CAT-1 with which they
are to be used. Make sure that the correct load cells are installed at each location, as
the CAT-1 units have been pre-configured with the zero offsets associated with each
load cell.

Example: Data to record during Load Cell installation
CAT-1 S/N
Port Number
Load Cell S/N
Line Section
Direction
327-99 1
321456
Brookfield NE
327-99 2
321577
Milford SW
328-99 1
454376
Wallingford
N
328-99 2
234534
Naugatuck E

6. Mark the connector end of the load cell cable with the load cell port number. This
can be done with a permanent marker on the amphenol connector body. This will
make it easier to identify which cable goes in which port on the CAT-1 unit.

7. Secure the load cell cables to the structure to avoid damage that may occur if they are
left to sway in heavy winds. Conduit may be used if available to provide a clean
looking installation that will prevent damage from both sun and wind. Coil excess
cable and fasten it to the structure near the main unit, leaving a drip loop in the cable
below the main CAT-1 port connectors.

8. If the load cells are installed on the structure without the CAT-1 unit, the load cell
connectors should be capped and placed inside a plastic bag and taped to prevent
moisture ingress into the cable connector.
CAT-1 and CAT-PAC Installation

The Load Cells are necessarily mounted close to the phase conductors, but the remaining
structure mounted equipment should be kept as far from the energized conductors as is
practical. Utility personnel normally install CAT-1 systems high enough on the structure
to prevent public access but low enough to provide easy access by utility personnel.

Attachment hardware is not included with the CAT-1 Main Unit. The typical installation
on lattice and wood structures is done by attaching unistrut to the structure, and then
attaching the CAT-1 Main Unit and CAT-PAC to the unistrut.

The CAT-1 and the CAT-PAC may be mounted side-by-side or vertically stacked with
the CAT-1 Main Unit in the top position. The vertically stacked arrangement is usually
the most convenient for wood pole installations (Figure 1).




Figure 1: CAT-1 and CAT-PAC vertically stacked installation.

The solar panels must be mounted so that they are facing south. The position of the
CAT-1 and CAT-PAC should be selected to accommodate this requirement. Make note
of the surrounding structures and foliage to ensure that the proposed location of the units
will not result in shading from the sun on either the solar panels or the NRS.

(Note: CAT-1 Series 3 cellular units do not make use of the CAT-PAC unit. In such
installations there will be just a single NEMA-4X enclosure to mount on the structure.)

Step-by-step Installation Instructions

1. Locate the CAT-1 system on the south side of the structure. Compasses do not work
well under transmission lines. Check the orientation of the transmission line on your
plan and profile drawings or transmission maps, and use the conductors as a direction
reference for finding the south side of the pole.

2. The unistrut may be attached to the pole via thru-bolts or pole bands, or any other
convenient method commonly used by your company for attaching equipment to
wood structures. The unistrut should be mounted far enough down the pole to
minimize shadowing of the CAT-1 components from the conductor and insulator
assemblies. Placement of the CAT-1 Main unit and CAT-PAC is limited by the Load
Cell cable length (80 ft, 24m) and the antenna cable length (30 ft, 9m). Allow for a
minimum of 18 (457mm) and a maximum of 36 (914mm) separation between the
CAT-1 Main Unit and the CAT-PAC. (For CAT-1 Main Unit and CAT-PAC
dimensions, see supplement 3)

3. Mount the CAT-1 Main Unit to the unistrut. Check the position of mounting tabs on
the bottom of the unit enclosure and verify that they are oriented so that the solar
panels may be connected to them and face to the south.

4. Mount the CAT-PAC to the unistrut. Do not install the batteries into the unit prior to
mounting to the structure. The battery restraint system within the CAT-PAC is
designed to hold them in place only after the unit has been mounted. Installing the
batteries prior to mounting may result in the batteries shifting during mounting which
can cause damage to equipment or wiring in the enclosure.

5. After having secured the CAT-PAC to the structure, remove the fuses from the
battery terminal leads. Install the batteries into the CAT-PAC, carefully noting
polarity, RED to positive, BLACK to negative. Both batteries should be placed so
the terminal lugs are facing the center of the box and face toward the front of the box
(Figure 2). Secure the batteries with the battery retainer bar and tighten the wing
nuts.
Figure 2: Battery orientation

(Note: Do not install the fuses into th