Design Considerations for the Mx-1 Controller

This section provides design and planning information about the Mx-1 one-door controller.

• The Mx-1 controller is packaged in a compact lightweight plastic case, can be powered by either PoE+ (providing a nominal 25.5 Watts) or 24V - 28VDC power from an external power supply, and can be installed either “at the edge” (close to the door and readers) or stacked.

• The Mx-1-ME controller is packaged in a traditional metal enclosure with a locking door, a tamper switch, a power supply, a standby battery pack, and room for optional expansion boards. Controllers with this type of enclosure are typically located in a safe and secure area, such as an electrical room, telephone equipment room, closet, or the security operations office. The back of the metal enclosure has holes for attaching it to the studs in a wall. (Because the Mx-1-ME model includes a power supply, its Ethernet connection does not include the Power over Ethernet functionality which is included on the standard Mx-1 model.)

• An environmentally managed room is not required, because the Mx-1 controller can be operated in ambient temperatures of 0 degrees Centigrade (32 degrees Fahrenheit) to 60 degrees Centigrade (140 degrees Fahrenheit), with a maximum relative humidity of 90% (non-condensing).

In addition to monitoring, reporting, and controlling a variety of devices, an Mx-1 controller can typically power the attached entry reader and optional exit reader. Other devices, such as interior motion sensors and certain types of readers, may require power from a separate power supply.

If you are designing a security system that must meet certain standards (such as UL 294), see “UL Requirements”.

Electrical Ratings

An Mx-1 or Mx-1-ME controller has the following electrical ratings:

Mx-1 Controller Design

The Mx-1 controller manages a single supervised door with an entry reader and an optional exit reader. The readers are connected either using the two Wiegand reader terminals, or using the OSDP RS-485 readers terminals. (When an exit reader is used with the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP), it is wired “through” the entry reader, as shown in “Wiring Diagram for OSDP Readers”.)

Two input terminals are used for connecting analog inputs such as the multi-state alarm inputs provided by the line module that detects changes in the status of a door's components (for example the position of the door contacts and the press of a Request to Exit button or the triggering of a motion detector); a door relay terminal is used to control the door's locking mechanism (such as a magnetic lock or an electric strike); and an alarm relay terminal is used to control external alarm devices (such as activating an audible alarm, turning on lights, or initiating the recording of surveillance video).

An Mx-1 controller has built-in SNIB3 capability, so it includes an integrated Ethernet port for easy connection to the Velocity Server and an RS-485 Chaining terminal for connection to other controllers on a SCRAMBLE*NET network. The functionality of the Command and Control Module (CCMx) is also built into the mainboard (unlike previous controllers where the CCM or CCMx was on a separate replaceable module).

The Mx-1-ME model also supports certain optional expansion boards, as discussed in “Expansion Boards for an Mx-1-ME Controller”. The dimensions of the Mx-1-ME controller’s metal enclosure and the Mx-1 controller’s plastic case appear near the end of Table 1-1 in the section “Mx Series Controller Models”.

Supplying Power to an Mx-1 Controller

The Mx-1 controller can be powered either through its PoE+ Ethernet connector, or through its 2-pin Power terminal. When using PoE+, it should be sufficient to power the controller and the readers, but you might need to provide an external power supply for the door’s locking mechanism.

For the Mx-1-ME model, the 2-pin Power connector is wired to the included power supply (a UL-listed 2.0 A switching power supply at 110 - 240VAC and 50/60 Hz providing 30VDC power) at the factory. Because the Mx-1-ME model includes a power supply, its Ethernet connection does not include the Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality which is included on the standard Mx-1 model.

When using AC power, follow these guidelines:

• Locate the controller near a dedicated AC power source. A 15 Amp dedicated, unswitched circuit is required.

• If the power in the building is correctly grounded, there is no special grounding required for the controller.

• The entry point for the primary AC power is through the bottom or back of the enclosure. Connect AC power under the protective cover onto the supplied terminal strip, as shown in Figure 3-4, “Cable Inlets of the Mx-1-ME Controller’s Enclosure” in section “Separation of Circuits”.

Separation of Circuits

The Class 1 high-voltage AC input power for an Mx-1-ME controller is routed through either one of the two knockouts at the bottom of the enclosure, while the cables for the controller’s Class 2 circuits (such as inputs, Wiegand reader terminals, and OSDP reader terminals) are routed through several knock-outs located across the top and sides of the enclosure. This technique is shown in the following figure.

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The Mx-1-ME controller’s Class 2 limited-power circuits include the following connections (as shown in Figure 3-2, in section “Mx-1 Controller Main Board”):

• Two 3-wire analog Door Input and Aux. Input terminal blocks (for the line modules used to supervise doors, tamper circuits, and RQE devices).

• Two 8-wire terminal blocks (for connecting the wiring from a 12VDC keypad or reader with a Wiegand interface). These are designed to support a variety of 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz readers and credentials.

• One 5-wire terminal block (for connecting the wiring from a 12VDC keypad or reader with an OSDP RS-485 interface).

• One Expansion Board Connector (which is used to link any expansion boards mounted in the controller’s enclosure to the controller’s main board, using a flexible EBIC5 ribbon cable).

• One 6-pin RS-485 Controller Bus connector which can be used to create a chain of controllers, where the first (master) controller communicates directly with the Velocity Server using the PoE+ Ethernet connector, and the other (downstream) controllers communicate along the chain using RS-485 wiring. Otherwise, an Mx-1 controller can communicate directly with the Velocity Server across a network using the PoE+ Ethernet connector.

All reader circuits are protected by resettable thermal fuses, which automatically restore circuit integrity after the overcurrent has been removed. When routing the wires for the Class 2 limited-power circuits, make sure that you maintain a safe separation of at least 0.25 inches from the wires for the standby battery pack.

A complete list of the Mx-1-ME controller’s Class 2 limited-power connects is available in “Class 2 Limited-Power Connectors on an Mx-1-ME Controller”.

Mx-1-ME Controller Standby Battery Capacity

The Mx-1-ME controller comes factory-equipped with a 24V 1.3Ah battery pack, which consists of two 12-volt batteries connected in series for a full 24V standby unit. (These sealed lead-acid batteries should not be fully depleted.)

If still more backup power is required, the provided internal standby battery can be replaced by larger-capacity external 24VDC batteries (up to a limit of 14 amp-hours), or by a charger and batteries (such as those made by AlarmSafe). A 120/240VAC UPS can also be tied into the main power, providing the controller with both surge protection and emergency power. (UL has not tested these configurations.)

When using external batteries or a charger and batteries, remember:

• When using an external battery pack, remove the controller’s internal battery and connect the new power line into the unused standby battery input on the controller board. Remember: connecting two similar batteries in series doubles the voltage.

• When using a UPS, connect the UPS into the AC power line.

Use this formula to determine how much backup battery power a controller requires:

( I_Devices + I_Controller ) x hours = Battery Life Required

This is the sum of the load at 24VDC of all the attached devices plus the load at 24VDC of the controller itself, multiplied by the hours of battery operation required.

The next table provides the extended standby battery requirements (current draw in Amps) for the Mx-1-ME controller and several different Identiv TouchSecure readers, based on quiescent (idle) conditions.

For example, suppose an Mx-ME controller is connected to a door with a TouchSecure ScramblePad reader and a relay in Wet mode which is Normally Closed.

The installed example system’s current draw is itemized:

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A factory-installed 7.2 Ah battery pack could support this configuration for:

However, if you specify that the extended standby battery backup requirement must be at least 24 hours of operation without primary power, then:

0.79 A x 24 hours = 18.96 Amp-hours

Obviously the included 1.3 Ah battery pack is not sufficient for this extended requirement. To operate this system without primary power for a full 24 hours, you will need to provide either an external battery or a front-end UPS, with the necessary capacity.

Here is another example for an Mx-ME controller which connected to a TouchSecure ScramblePad reader (enabling two-factor authentication for entry) and a TouchSecure Standard reader (for card-only exit). This example system’s current draw is:

The factory-installed 7.2 Ah battery pack could support this configuration for:

Power Provided at the Mx-1 Controller’s Reader Terminals

An Mx-1 or Mx-1-ME controller provides 12VDC power at its two Wiegand reader terminals, and 12VDC power at its RS-485 OSDP readers terminal. (For the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP), when an optional exit reader is needed, it is wired “through” the entry reader.)

The following table shows the power provided for Wiegand and RS-485 OSDP keypads/readers by an Mx-1 or Mx-1-ME controller.

Mx-1 Controller Power Draw Capacity

When planning to use Mx-1 controllers as part of your physical access security system, you must consider how to supply adequate power for each controller, its entry reader and optional exit reader, the door’s access device (such as a magnetic lock or an electric strike), and any related optional devices for activating an audible alarm, turning on lights, or initiating the recording of surveillance video. This topic provides nformation about the power used by the Mx-1 controller and some Identiv TS readers, to help you determine whether you need to supply separate power for some of your peripheral devices.

The following table shows the current and power used by the Mx-1 controller, TS Scramblepad readers, and standard TS readers, when the controller’s input power is either DC or PoE+, so you can determine whether there is sufficient power available for the door’s access device (or whether you will have to provide separate power for that device).

The following table shows the current provided by the Mx-1 controller to its Door relay and Aux. relay, when the controller’s input power is either 24VDC or PoE+, so you can determine whether there is sufficient current available for the devices controlled by those relays (or whether you will have to provide separate power for those devices), and you can determine the correct power mode jumper setting (either Wet at 24V, Wet at 12V, or Dry) for those relays.