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Upgrade EtherTRAK and RemoteTRAK I/O Modules to EtherTRAK-2 or E3 modules

06 Jun 2025

Abstract

The EtherTRAK-2 and E3 I/O modules are a suitable upgrade from the EtherTRAK or RemoteTRAK I/O modules in most cases. The process to upgrade a project from using an EtherTRAK or RemoteTRAK I/O module is relatively simple. This document explains the steps required to upgrade I/O modules.

Products

ET-16DI2-H/ET-16DO2-H/ET-16AI2-H/ET-8INS-U/ET-8CNT-U/ET-8DI2-8DO2-H/ET-8DI2-8AI2-H/ET-8AI2-4AO2-H/ET-4RTD-4DI2-U/ET-MIX24880-D/RM-8DI2-F/RM-8DI2-U/RM-16DI2-H/RM-8DO2-F/RM-16DO2-H/RM-8AI2-F/RM-16AI2-H/RM-8INS-U/RM-4AO2-F/RM-8AO2-F/RM-4DI2-4AI2-U/RM-4DI2-4DO2-U/RM-RTU-8440-F

Use Case: Upgrade I/O modules to EtherTRAK-2 or E3 I/O modules.

Required Software

  • EtherTRAK-2 modules are configured with the Sixnet I/O Tool Kit. Version 3.60.118 or later is recommended.
  • E3 modules are configured with Crimson 3.1 software. Version 3112.00 or later is recommended.  

Selecting the appropriate replacement

  1. The first step in upgrading an EtherTRAK or RemoteTRAK I/O modules is finding suitable EtherTRAK-2 or E3 I/O module replacement. In most cases, the EtherTRAK-2 has I/O channels with equivalent or similar specifications. Also, EtherTRAK-2 I/O modules, in general, have a lower per-channel cost, so replacing two or more EtherTRAK/RemoteTRAK modules can be quite cost-effective.
  2. To help find the EtherTRAK-2 or E3 module models that are available please start with the I/O module selection tool on redlion.net in the product selector guide (https://www.redlion.net/product-comparison/rtus-io-modules).

    select6.png

  3. The product selector tool will display all available EtherTRAK-2 and E3 models in a table. This is useful for selecting the product that could replace the EtherTRAK or RemoteTRAK I/O Module. For example, the figure below shows the part number, description of the I/O type and the number of channels for each model.

    select1.png
  4. To filter this list to only relevant models use the checkboxes to the left of the of the product list. Select the I/O quantity that best match the module to be replaced. For example, an ET-16DI2-H has 16 discrete input channels. Find Discrete Inputs and select “16.” It is usually best to select everything with 16 channels and above as shown in the figure below.

    select2.png

  5. The results show a few EtherTRAK-2 and E3 modules that would be suitable replacements. Consider these modules in the context of the whole project because very often one EtherTRAK-2 or E3 module can replace more than one EtherTRAK and/or RemoteTRAK module. To get more information click on the hyperlink on the part number to get details about the specifications of the module. In this case, the best replacement for the ET-16DI24-H is either the E2-32DI24-D or E2-32DI24-1 because of the similar wiring and specifications.

    select3.png

Comparing the wiring diagrams

  1. Wiring diagrams for all modules are available on redlion.net, so comparing the similarities and differences of the wiring may be done by looking up the appropriate files.
  2. Find EtherTRAK-2 and E3 wiring diagrams by clicking on the selected part number to navigate to the product page. Download the user manual to view the wiring diagrams. The figures below show where to download and where all the EtherTRAK-2 wiring diagrams are.

 select4.png

select5.png

  1. The EtherTRAK and RemoteTRAK wiring diagrams are archived in the documentation section of redlion.net. Go to Support-Documentation-Data Sheets. Enter the I/O modules in the “Product Category” field, and EtherTRAK or RemoteTRAK in the “Product Family” field.
  2. Compare the two wiring diagrams and find the EtherTRAK-2 or E3 module that best fits the application. For example, the figure below shows that the wiring diagram between the ET-16DI2-H and the E2-32DI24-D are very similar.

    select7.pngselect8.png

Upgrading the Tool Kit project file

  1. Make a copy of the original project file, so no changes are made to the master project file.
  2. Open the copied project file in tool kit version 3.60.118 or later.
  3. Take note of the configuration parameters specific to the EtherTRAK/RemoteTRAK module. It may help to click on the “Ports” tab in the main window for reference when the new station is added.

    mceclip0.png

  4. Click on Configure New Station then select EtherTRAK-2 as the new station type. Click OK. Select the Station Type that will be installed. Step through the configuration wizard configuring the parameters the same as the EtherTRAK/RemoteTRAK module.
  5. Once the configuration is complete the two modules should have the same IP address and RS485 port configuration parameters. The yellow highlighting indicates duplicate IP addresses.

    select9.png

  6. To copy tag names from one station to the other go to the “All Tags” tab in the main window, sort by “I/O Type”, highlight the tags to copy, then go to Edit> Select the first DI channel in the EtherTRAK-2 module and go to Edit-Paste.

    select10.png

  7. After all the configuration options are complete delete the ET module from the project, then load the configuration to the EtherTRAK-2 module.

Creating a new Crimson 3.1 database

  1. When an E3 module is selected to replace the EtherTRAK/RemoteTRAK I/O module Crimson 3.1 must be used to configure the E3 module.
  2. Start by adding a new station. Select the E3 module that will replace the EtherTRAK/RemoteTRAK module.
  3. Configure the station number, IP address and RS485 parameters in the “Communications” pane.
  4. Configure the I/O parameters in the “I/O Channels” pane.