Installation Guide

ECN 7000 Series Hardware Guide 17
an Itron
®
Energy Gateway with an Itron Encoder-Receiver-Transmitter (ERT
®
)
module.
The end points for such multi-utility meters typically transmit their register
readings periodically (for example, every 8 seconds for a Badger meter), so the
reader must be able to capture these readings and transmit them to the ECN,
which forwards the information to the back end software.
Digital
The ECN external connection panel includes a digital input connector that
connects the measurement processor to external devices. The measurement
processor monitors changes in state of the input, and raises an alarm for state
changes. You can monitor the alarms remotely.
GPS
The ECN has a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) modem operating at
1575.42 MHz. The GPS antenna is an active 12-channel antenna, mounted near
expansion slot 5 in the outer plastic enclosure.
Antenna Support
EV-DO modems operating in the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, or modems that
operate within 900 MHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands,
typically require two dual-band antennas for diversity operation. If both
antennas are mounted with the same polarization, the antennas must be
separated by approximately 16.5 cm (6.5 in). However, if one antenna is
mounted vertically and the other antenna is mounted horizontally (that is, they
have polarization diversity), the two antennas can be located in close proximity to
one another. The antenna for an EV-DO or ISM radio system is a ½ wave length
antenna that does not require a ground plane or counterpoise. Thus, the antenna
is approximately 12 cm (5 in) in length.
The antennas are mounted in the outer plastic enclosure and connect directly to
the expansion card using coax cable.
Expansion Card Architecture
An ECN device can accommodate a variety of expansion cards depending on form
factor, power requirements, and communications technology. Because each
application has different requirements for its expansion card, the ECN provides
six expansion slots, each of which can support one or more types of expansion
card.
All expansion slots support a USB power interconnect (+1.8 VDC to +12 VDC
variable-voltage input determined by the expansion card) and USB data
interconnect. Expansion slot 6 also provides an Ethernet connection.
See the Edge Control Node 7000 Series Expansion Card Developer’s Guide for
more information about the requirements for each expansion card type. The
guide also describes the requirements for each device’s antennas.