3/24/2019 Replacing a Stamford MX321 by Basler Electric DECS-100 | Generator control and protection systems

Replacing a Stamford MX321 by Basler Electric

DECS-100
If you would like to replace an aging Stamford MX321 AVR by the Basler digital AVR DECS-100,
please read the instructions in this post. Please find below some reasons for the swap:

The DECS-100 is in stock in at Powerdist, thus reducing the lead time to 1-2 days
Extremely Cost effective replacement
Support available around the clock from Australia (details here)

DECS-100’s Built-in Over & Under Excitation limiters to protect the generator from operating outside
its capability
DECS-100’s Built-in Loss of sensing detection is included in the DECS-100, to prevent over voltage
damage following a sensing fuse blown or a bad connection in the sensing circuit

The problem is that upgrading an AVR introduces additional engineering costs. The purpose of this post is to
reduce this cost by providing guidelines for the upgrade process and explaining the differences between the 2
AVRs and provide instructions to bypass the differences. The DECS100 is not an exact like for like
replacement but fortunately the replacement does not require a lot of effort. Some considerations are
necessary when implementing the upgrade:

Mechanical Considerations

The DECS-100 is slightly larger & deeper than the MX321:

• MX321: Approx W203 x L153 x D40 (mm)
• DECS100: W135.6 x L274.8 x D72.1 (mm)

The temperature, shock and humidity ratings are similar for both devices so the DECS-100 can withstand
anything the MX321 will.

Terminal names & Numbers

Both terminals blocks are almost identical. A few more terminals are available on the DECS100 for
additional functions. See the table below shows the cross connections between a DECS-100 & a MX321:

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Terminal description MX321 DECS-100

Voltage sensing Phase Red E1 E1
Voltage sensing Phase E2 E2
White
Voltage sensing Phase Blue E3 E3
Field Output F2, F1 F-, F+
Power supply P2 3
Power supply P3 4
Power supply P4 5
Droop CT (1) S1 CT2 (See note A below)
Droop CT (2) S2 CT1 (See note A below)
Voltage adjust (Pot) 6 1 (See note B below)
Voltage adjust (Pot) 7 2 (See note B below)
Excitation ON/OFF K1 Not used (See note C below)
Excitation ON/OFF K2 Not used (See note C below)
External trip B0 AL1
External trip B1 AL2
DECS-100 Only – See note D below

NOTE A: If the voltage sensing is A-B-C as shown in the table above, the CT has to be connected on phase
WHITE. If the CT is on another phase, the voltage sensing can be modified to allow for the difference

NOTE B: The set-point adjustment on the DECS-100 is done via either RAISE/LOWER contacts or via a
wet +/-3V biasing signal. On the MX321, this is done using a potentiometer. The easier option is to replace
the old potentiometer by a RAISE/LOWER Switch

NOTE C: The DECS100 doesn’t need a Start/Stop signal. the AVR start to operate as soon as the generator is
started; the voltage will increase as per the soft start settings or the volt/hertz limiter if the generator
frequency increases slower than the soft start.

NOTE D: The additional terminals B1, B3, 52J, 52K, 52L, 52M, VM, VMC of the DECS-100 are for more
functions and can simply be left disconnected if not used.

Features Comparison: Same features

Power input: The DECS-100 accepts a wider voltage range than the MX321.

MX321: 170 – 220 Vac, single-phase or three-phase, 100-120 Hz.

DECS-100: 88 to 250 Vac, single-phase or three-phase, 50 to 400Hz.

Generator voltage sensing input: The DECS-100 accepts a wider voltage range than the MX321.

MX321: 190 – 264 Vac, single-phase or three-phase, 50/60 Hz.

DECS-100: 85 to 660 Vac, single-phase or three-phase, 50/60 Hz.

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3/24/2019 Replacing a Stamford MX321 by Basler Electric DECS-100 | Generator control and protection systems

Soft start:

MX321: 0.4 to 4 secs

DECS-100: 1 to 7,200 secs

Droop CT: The DECS100 is fitted with a CT input for parallel control (droop). The secondary CT has to be
specified when ordering with the following style:

CT secondary 1A: “DECS100-A01”

CT secondary 5A: “DECS100-A05”

Generator Over-voltage protection: The over-voltage protection is available in the DECS100 (set-
point adjustable from 100 to 120% and time delay from 0 to 10s)

Contact output for circuit breaker trip: The terminals AL1 – AL2 (ALARM) on the DECS100 can be used to
trip the generator circuit breaker in some circumstances (Generator over-voltage Field over-voltage Loss of
voltage sensing, Over excitation limiter or Under excitation limiter). The operation of this contact is
programmable.

Features Comparison: Differences

Field output:

MX321: 120Vdc, 3.7Adc, 15 Ohms min

DECS100: 63Vdc, 7Adc, 5 Ohms min

The only difference is that the DECS-100 maximum output voltage is less than the rating of the MX321. In
most cases the rated voltage is actually less than 63Vdc. If you are not sure, we can double check the ratings
of your exciter.

Setpoint adjustment: On the MX321, the set-point adjustment is done by potentiometer. On the DECS100,
the set-point has to be adjusted by dry contacts: raise / lower or using a biasing signal. The biasing signal
needs to be wet +/-3V. The easier solution is to replace the old potentiometer by a RAISE/LOWER Switch.

DECS100 additional features

Metering & step response analysis screens are useful tools to tune & troubleshoot the AVR.

Pre-calculated PID settings for enhanced performance and easy tuning

Over excitation limiter (OEL) to avoid rotor over heat
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3/24/2019 Replacing a Stamford MX321 by Basler Electric DECS-100 | Generator control and protection systems

Under excitation limiter (UEL) to prevent pole slipping, loss of synchronism

Manual mode (FCR) available
Over voltage protection
Loss of sensing detection with possible transfer to Manual mode (if VT fuses are left opened after a
shutdown, the voltage will automatically shut down on start-up

DECS100 optional features

Upgrading to a DECS100 could be the opportunity to include a few optional features available in this AVR,
such as:

Voltage matching function: allow tracking of the bus voltage for quick synchronisation. If required, the
style number has to be “DECS100-X1X”.
Power factor or reactive power regulation modes are available in the DECS100 with the style
“DECS100-BXX”.

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