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FTe Installation Guide for a Heavy Vehicle

Marisa Potgieter
  • Updated

professional device fte

FTe Installation guide for heavy duty vehicles

Document Information

This guide is intended as a quick instruction set for the FTe device along with it’s heavy duty harness.

Installers Tool Box

The following tools are required for installation:

  • Complete set of screwdrivers
  • Ratchet crimp tool
  • Clamp connectors (crimp)
  • male / female ring / cylinder (red and blue)
  • Small spools red and black wire
  • 1,5mm2 (15 AWG)
  • 2,5 mm2 (13 AWG)
  • Wire cutters
  • Wire strippers
  • Heat shrink
  • Electrical insulating tape
  • Digital Multimeter
  • Industrial cable ties
  • O-rings
  • Soldering iron and solder
  • Cordless drill
  • Self-tapping screws
  • Cable ties for fixing the unit to the vehicle
  • Adhesive thread locking solution/liquid

What is in the box

  • x1 FTe
  • x1 FTe heavy duty harness
  • X1 3A fuse (included in harness for power)
  • X1 1A fuse (included in harness for ignition)
  • x1 Canbus harness
  • X1 FMS harness connector
  • x1 extension cable for Tachograph

Pic 1: Truck FMS

PIC 2: EasyCAN Plug&Play

Additional

  • Temperature sensor(s)
  • easycan adapter

Before you start

READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE STARTING THE INSTALLATION.

Fusing

The FTe is not a sealed device, and therefore must be installed in a location that is protected from moisture, excessive sunlight and high temperatures.  

The FTe harness is fused with a 3Amp fuse, which protects the installation in the event of a short to earth.  

If the fuse has blown, inspect the wiring to ensure a short to earth is not present before replacing it with the same size and type fuse as originally provided. Using an incorrect fuse or installing the fuse in any other location can potentially cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle in the event to a short to earth.  

Wiring requirements

All wire terminations must be soldered and properly insulated with good quality electrical tape or glue-lined heat shrink or crimped using a professional ratchet crimp tool using insulated connectors. The FTe power and ground input wire terminations must be connected directly to a main power and ground source.  

To prevent false alarms, and increased drain on the vehicles start battery, ensure that all wires that are unused in the installation are properly insulated once the installation is complete.  

The FTe device should be connected to the onboard Voltage (for ex. with FMS connection) from the vehicle, which supplies the 12/24v power input to the device. The FTe will automatically switch to sleep mode with vehicle ignition, and will reduce its current load to between 6mA to 22mA during sleep mode when the vehicle ignition is OFF. 

GPS and RF antenna position

The combination GPS and RF antenna optimal mounting location is the vehicles roof, with a direct line-of-sight to the sky for optimal satellite acquisition, and the writing ‘POSITION UPWARDS’ facing up. The combination GPS and RF antenna can be mounted on the vehicles dashboard, however GPS acquisition will be compromised because of the window and tinting. 

If the vehicle window has a solid dark coating around the edge, do not place the GPS antenna behind the coating as this will drastically reduce satellite acquisition. Any metallic objects between the antenna and satellites will degrade the signal and reduce the overall performance. 

Connect the antenna to the appropriate connectors using the adhesive thread locking liquid to avoid tampering. 

Installation

CAN bus connection for vehicle data reading

There are 3 options connecting to the vehicle depending on whether the vehicle is a truck or a bus and whether it has FMS enabled. 

Main heavy duty harness

  • A: 14 and 16 pin connectors go to the FTe unit
  • B: 8 pin CANI connector for power (3A fuse), ignition (1A fuse) and CAN bus can have 3 connection options
  • Truck FM
  • EasyCAN
  • Bus FMS
  • C: 4 pin CAN2 connector -› for digital tachograph connection

Truck FMS

Connect the provided adapter with the FMS connection of the vehicle. The truck FMS connection cable has Power, Ignition and Ground embedded in the cable. 

  • A: FMS socket
  • B: main harness 8-pin 'B' connector

EasyCAN

Vehicle without FMS option

When FMS is not available the EasyCAN connection cable should be used: 

  • Run the positive (red) wire to the constant power (+12/24 volts DC at all times) and splice an in-line fuse holder to the end. This is to protect the wire against a short to earth.
  • Run the ground (black) wire to a suitable chassis ground by using the crimp ring terminal.
  • Run the ignition switch input wire (green) to the primary ignition wire in the vehicle.

Locate the appropriate wire under the dash. When the ignition key is turned to the “On or Run” position, this will show +12/24 Volts DC. 

  • Connect EasyCAN according to vehicle specific manual.
  • Connect theEasyCAN to the CAN bus harness.

EasyCAN adapter

  • A: EasyCAN
  • B: main harness 'B' connector
  • C: power, ground and ignition wires in the vehicle

EasyCAN

  • A: internal vehicle CAN bus wires
  • B: EasyCAN bus harness 'A' connector

Bus FMS

Connect bus FMS connector to FMS socket in the vehicle 

  • Run the positive (red) wire to the constant power (+12/24 volts DC at all times) and splice an in-line fuse holder to the end. This is to protect the wire against a short to earth.
  • Run the ground (black) wire to a suitable chassis ground by using the crimp ring terminal.
  • Run the ignition switch input wire (green) to the primary ignition wire in the vehicle. Locate the appropriate wire under the dash. When the ignition key is turned to the “On or Run” position, this will show +12/24 Volts DC.

Locate the appropriate wire under the dash. When the ignition key is turned to the "On or Run" position, this will show +12/24 Volts DC.

  • A: vehicle FMS socket
  • B: main harness 'B' connector
  • C
  • RED: +12/24v power
  • BLACK: ground
  • GREEN: ignition

K-line

Run the blue/white cable to position D8 on the tachograph. 

Use the extensions cable (blue/white) if required. 

Extension cable

Optional 5 meter CAN bus and K-Line extension cable for digital tachograph

  • A: digital tachograph CAN bus and K-Line
  • B: connects to the main harness 'C' connector

RFID Add-on

Normally there is no RFID reader connector on Heavy-Duty harness because we read Tacho driver card. In cases that RFID reader needed:

  1. You can order separately RFID add-on adapter, item 105843.
  2. Or connecting it manually.
RFID Reader Function FTe pinout
Green pin1 +BAT pin1 of FTe 14-way connector
Blue pin2 DOUT2 pin9 of 14-way connector
Grey pin3 DIN3 pin4 of 14-way connector
Brown pin4 1 wire data pin3 of 14-way connector
White pin5
Yellow pin6 GND pin8 of 14-way connector

*Note: Drexia reader should have only +15 instead of constant power.

CANBUS connection manuals

Information available in Ruptela resources:

Vehicle support list Vehicle specific installation instructions

Digital tachograph connection (CAN2)

Use the included extension cable to run the CAN2 wires to the tachograph. Can wires on extension cable:

Yellow: Can-High Green: Can-Low

If the tachograph C and D connectors are free, you can use a second CAN line on the FTe device to read the tacho directly. It is recommended to use the extension cable provided, to avoid any damage to the main heavy duty harness. 

Tachograph remote download

When connecting to the tachograph directly, you must check if there are no third-party devices connected to the tachograph already:

  1. Turn the ignition off.
  2. Ensure that the tachograph port C is not sealed.
  3. Connect FTe.
  4. Measure the resistance between pins C5 and C7.

i) The measured resistance for available remote dwonload must be approximately 60 Ω.  In order to achieve a total resistance of 60 Ωhms some vehicles require PINS C7 and C8 on the tachograph to be interconnected as shown above. The C8 pin will add 120Ωhms resistance in parallel so total resistance will be approximately 60 Ωhms. Every external device connected to C5 and C7 it should add 120 Ωhms resistance according to standards.

1/Rtotal=1/R1 +1/R2+…1/Rn

ii) Any value lower than 60 Ω indicates that there are probably more than two 120 Ω bus termination resistors present.  iii) A value bigger than 60 Ω typically indicates that there is at least one bus termination resistor missing or the bus terminators have a wrong resistance value.

  1. Connect the D8 pin of the tachograph to the Blue/white loose wire from the extension cable for the K-line.

Finalizing the installation

Connect the 14 and 16 PIN connectors of the main heavy duty harness to the FTe unit.

  • Install the unit securely under the dash, with up to 4 zip ties over the unit to secure it tightly on the surface.

Note: do not mount the device against air ducts inside the dash. 

  • Do not mount the device against air ducts inside the dash.
  • Ensure that the FTe has a direct view of the sky, unobstructed by any metal panels.

Note: windshields that contain metal particles may affect GPS reception and reduce device functionality. 

  • Mount the optional external GPS antenna where it will not be obstructed by any metal or windshields that contain metal particles for optimal GNSS signal reception and run the cable to the FTe.

Login into Installer Portal, and update the asset with Vehicle ID, reading in the Dispatched Job details, then confirm the job as complete. 

Installer portal

When installation is complete, installation verification must take place in the installer portal.

  1. Login using your personal PIN code:

  1. Choose the correct reseller (optional):
  2. Enter device IMEI (can be found on device box and on the device itself) and press "Lookup"

  1. Validate incoming data from the device:

5.

  1. Data should be coming in
  2. Ignition should be switching
  3. GPS signal should be OK
  4. CAN data should be coming in

  5. Check if digital outputs should provide data Immobilizer DOUT2/Buzzer DOUT1 and if needed try to toggle the mode with the buttons On/off/Follow Org Settings Enter calibration table:

  6. Enter calibration table:

  1. Click "Tank!"
  2. First row should be 0=0

  3. Second row should be 100=XXX, where XXX is full fuel tank capacity in deciliters.

  4. Generate installation report and fill in all installation details:

  1. Vehicle plate number should be entered in capital letters and digits
  2. Brief description of where the unit is installed, connected wire colors etc.

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