User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1. Introduction 5
- Chapter 2. Using the RTU 9
- Chapter 3. Performing Advanced Functions 17
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- . "Introduction," which gives some general information and document conventions.
- . "Using the Base Station," which details the installation and use of the receiving unit.
- . "Using the RTU," which details the installation and use of the remote telemetry unit.
- . "Performing Advanced Functions," which discusses technical information for the advanced user.
- What are addIT devices?
- Installation issues
- . In general, the maximum “line-of sight” distance an addIT RTU can communicate is 800 m (approximately half a mile). This is va...
- . As with all wireless communication devices, the higher the transmitter is, the better the communication will be. Mountainous or hilly terrain makes for poor communication.
- . When using the addIT RTU with an A73x or A74x system, Adcon strongly recommends limiting the number of RTUs to under 6 per A73...
- . addIT RTUs cannot route data.
- . All addIT devices accept the standard Adcon sensors. Waterproof connectors are used to provide IP65 class protection. All sens...
- Conventions
- Chapter 2. Using the RTU
- Opening the packages
- Installing the RTU
- 1. Review the installation area and choose the best site.
- 2. Perform a connectivity check using the LED tool:
- a. Insert the LED tool in the POWER connector and wait up to 10 seconds. If the unit connects to at least one station (or a base station), it will light up the LED for about 4 seconds.
- b. Keep observing the LED tool and, after another several seconds, the LED will blink one or more times (the number of blinks indicates the number of stations it has contacted).
- 3. Using a hammer, drive the supplied aluminum rod into the ground. How far you drive the rod into the ground depends on your application. Put a plastic cap on top of the rod to protect it.
- 4. Using a ring clamp, fasten the solar panel onto the aluminum rod. Ensure that the panel is facing south (north if you are located in the southern hemisphere) and out of the way of the addIT RTU.
- 5. Fasten the addIT RTU to the top of the rod using another ring clamp. Adcon recommends that you perform another connectivity test, if you can, to check the positioning of the device.
- 6. Attach the sensors to the I/O connectors and the solar panel to the POWER connector by turning the plugs’ fastening screws clockwise until secure.
- 7. Secure the extra length of the sensor cables to the rod with ties.
- More about the LED tool
- Configuring an addIT RTU in the A840/A850 Configurator
- Maintaining and servicing the RTU
- The RTU battery
- Changing the battery
- 1. Open the lid by unscrewing the four screws in the corner of the addIT RTU.
- 2. Gently remove the lid (the battery is fixed on the lid and is connected to the electronics board by means of a connector).
- 3. Remove the battery’s plug from the PCB connector.
- 4. Remove the battery pack from the lid (it is taped to the lid) and replace it with a new one (obtainable from Adcon).
- 5. Insert the battery plug into the PCB connector.
- 6. Mount the lid back, taking care that the rubber gasket sealing the box is not out of place.
- 7. Screw the four screws back in, applying a moderate force.
- Chapter 3. Performing Advanced Functions
- Device series
- Understanding connectors
- Configuring the devices
- Serial communication protocol
- General format of a command
- . ID is the destination device. If you include an ID as part of a command, the node checks whether ID=ownID. If it does, the nod...
- . Command is the command proper, which can be composed of a variable string of characters (for example, SLOT). Each node can imp...
- . Param1 Param2 ... ParamN represent the parameters, which are command dependent. If you type no parameters when you issue a com...
- General format of an answer
- . ID is the answering device. If a command was further routed, it is the ID of the end device. The answer must always contain the ID on return.
- . Command is the string representing the original command. It is supplied so that a master can distinguish between the answers i...
- . Result1 Result2 ... ResultN are the result values returned by the remote node. If the ErrResult is not zero, all other possible characters and/or strings until the end of the line may be ignored.
- . ErrResult shows whether the command was successfully executed. If this value is 0, the command was successfully executed. If t...
- General format of a command
- Using terminal commands
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- remarks
- Returns
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Examples
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Table 2. Connectors
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- SLOT 38193 SLOT 900 1 900 15 900 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 #Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameters
- Returns
- remarks
- remote
- Example
- Command
- Description
- Parameter
- Returns
- Remarks
- remote
- Example
- . dd mm yyyy is the date
- . hh mm ss is the time
- . si is the size of the frame
- . ft is the frame type (38 for addIT devices)
- . d1 d2 ... dn are the data values (the frame content)
- . cs is a 16-bit checksum obtained by summing the bytes and discarding the carries over 0xFFFF
- . rf_in and rf_out as a decimal
- . date as dd/mm/yyyy
- . time as hh:mm:ss
- . ver as x.x
- . clk, stack, and cop as decimal; they represent internal housekeeping parameters and are implementation dependent.
- . batt as battery level using the standard voltage conversion equation (0 is 0 volts, 255 is 20 volts)
- . temp as internal temperature in the A720 housing, which is device dependent. The precision of the sensing element is very low ...
- . days_uptime in days; together with min:sec_uptime, it represents the amount of time the device is up without a reset or watchdog
- . min:sec_uptime in minutes:seconds format
- . rssi as decimal; it is the programmed value with the RSSI command
- . pmp_low and pmp_high are the programmed values with the PMP command
- . type is used to represent the device type; following types are assigned currently: - 0 for A730MD - 1 for A720 - 2 for A730SD ...
- . slot and samples are the actual values programmed by means of the SLOT command. The slot interval shown, is the shortest one t...
- . err_level is the error value; 0 means no error
- . The Port Number selects a the port that will be affected by the command. For the A723S4, only 0000 and 0001 are accepted.
- . The Command Code specifies the operation that will be applied to the selected port.
- . digibyte (SOLARCELL as bit 8)
- . battery voltage (0..255 = 0..20V)
- . temperature (0..255 = -68..332 C)
- . relative humidity (0..255 = 0..100%)
- . external voltage (0..255 = 0..20V)
- . digibyte, with IO pin states *ONLY* for the given connector (for IOD, the expansion port is included); bit numbers are the same as with PORT RDP (PORT 0)
- . analog values for cabling 1..3 (0..65535 = 0..2,5V for standard channels, 0..250mV for channels with low voltage amplifier activated)
- . counter value
- Notifications
- Returned errors list
- Command line interpreter
- Device descriptors and storage handler
- . 10 - device not found (attempt to perform a command on a nonexistent device)
- . 11 - device already exists
- . 12 - reserved
- . 13 - no more space for descriptors (too many devices)
- . 14 - no more records for the specified device
- . 15 - temporary communication break, no more data (the last request was not successful)
- . 16 - time-out (the handler blocked or is busy)
- . 17 - internal error
- . 18 - attempt to insert a reserved device ID number (0 or 65535)
- Real time clock
- Radio interface
- Notifications
- Appendix. Specifications
- Credits and Colophon
CHAPTER 2
Maintaining and servicing the RTU
13
be fully charged after two consecutive sunny days, but you
should get an LED light-up after several minutes of charging
in the sunlight.
Configuring an addIT RTU in the A840/A850 Configurator
If you’re using an addIT RTU with an A73x or A74x system, you can
configure the RTU by following the steps described in the
A840/
A850 Base Station User Guide.
Maintaining and servicing the RTU
The A723 Series 4 unit needs virtually no maintenance. It is water-
proof and designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions (-
30 to +70 °C, or -22 to 158 °F), high RH values, water, and other
noncorrosive liquids. It conforms to the European protection class
IP65. This applies also to the connectors, as long as they are
mated. Don’t let unmated connectors on either the addIT RTU or
the sensors be exposed to the environment for extended periods
of time.
The RTU battery
The internal battery supplies 6.2 volts and consists of a NiMH
pack. The internal electronics manage the battery charging/dis-
charging process, ensuring it a long life. This approach, coupled
with a remarkably low average consumption (some mere 6 mW),
allows an addIT RTU to operate at least one month on a fully
charged battery, with the following conditions:
• The channel has moderate radio activity, with requests every
15 minutes.
• Total consumption of attached sensors is no more than 50
mA.
• The sensors are sampled once every 5 minutes and an
averaged slot is stored in the internal memory every 15
minutes.