USER MANUAL DECEMBER 2016 E T H E R N E T R E L AY C A R D VM204 W W W. V E L L E M A N P R O J E C T S .
Table of contents Introduction 3 1. Connecting the VM204 4 1.1 Using the iOS and Android app for the first time 4 1.2 Using the PC application for the first time 8 2. Controlling the VM204 10 2.1 Relay 10 2.2 Input 11 2.3 Analog input 12 2.4 API 13 2.5 Factory reset 13 3. Editing the VM204 14 3.1 Credentials 14 3.2 Network settings 14 3.3 Email settings 15 3.4 I/O settings 15 3.5 Notification settings 17 3.6 API 18 3.7 API references 18 3.8 About 18 4.
Introduction to the VM204 The VM204 is an Ethernet controlled board with 4 relay contacts, 4 digital inputs and 1 analog input. You can connect these I/O’s to different devices and control or check them from anywhere you like using your PC, smartphone or tablet. The VM204 can also send email notifications when the status of an input changes and features an embedded webserver. If you wish to control your VM204 with your smartphone or tablet, free apps are available for Android® and iOS®.
1. Connecting the Ethernet relay card or VM204 First of all make sure you have a DHCP enabled network. If you don’t know what DHCP is then don’t worry, a regular home network is usually DHCP enabled. u Please make sure to upgrade your firmware to version 1.1. Download here: http://www.vellemanprojects.eu/support/downloads/?code=VM204 Please see section 4 of the user manual for more information on upgrading the firmware. Connect both the Ethernet cable and the USB cable into the VM204.
2. Tap the button below to search for your VM204. 3. Your VM204 should pop up in the list, be sure to select it.
4. Fill out the default credentials: Login: admin Password: VM204 (capital letters). We will explain how you can change your credentials later on. 5. Continue by tapping the button, there should be a Relay card added to the list now.
6. Tap on the name of your newly added relay card (standard name is VM204) to go to the control page of your VM204. Head forward to chapter 2. Controlling the VM204 and discover all the possibilities. 7. To edit your relay card, go back and slide over the name of your relay card to the left (for iOS) or long press the name of your relay card (for Android) and tap . If you wish to delete your relay card, tap .
1.2 Using the PC application for the first time If you choose to use your PC to control the VM204, make sure your PC is connected to the same network/Wi-Fi as the VM204. Then open the VM204 discovery application and follow these simple steps to connect your VM204: 1. Click the button. 2. A new row will be added. Click on your device and a webpage should open. 3. Fill out the default credentials: Login: admin Password: VM204 (capital letters).
4. You now have access to the VM204 and will be able to control it. Head to the next chapter to discover the possibilities.
2. Controlling the VM204 The VM204 has 3 different Input/Outputs: relays, inputs and an analog input. By using these I/Os, you can read statuses from sensors or switches via the inputs and control devices via the relays. 2.1 Relay A relay (electro-mechanical switch) is used to switch external connected electrical devices. An external supply is used that suits the connected device. The relay does not generate any power; therefor it is a dry contact.
Controlling the relay You can control the relays you connected via the Main page of your control panel by tapping/clicking on the or button. The toggle buttons represent the current state of the relay. This means that if you see ON in the button, the relay is closed and is passing through current. If the button says OFF the relay is open and is not passing any current. 2.2 Input Inputs are used to sense whether 2 terminals are connected to each other or not.
The status of the inputs can also be checked on the main page, here: 2.3 Analog input The analog input is a special kind of input which does not read 1’s and 0’s but measures the exact voltage on the input. This means you can read sensors like a thermistor or an anemometer. The grafic below shows an example of an analog and a digital signal: ANALOG 5V 2.
The analog value can be read from the main page, here: 2.4 API (Application Programming Interface) The VM204 has an API which makes it easier for developers to control the relay card from their own application. The complete reference for accessing the API calls can be found in ‘Settings’ and then ‘API Reference’. 2.5 Factory reset To return to the default settings, follow these steps: 1. First, make sure the power of the card is on (the yellow and red LEDs should be on). 2. Place a shunt (not incl.
3. Editing the VM204 To start editing the VM204, go to ‘Settings’ in the left menu bar. 3.1 Credentials u WARNING changing the credentials will reboot the VM204 and all relays will be deactivated, make sure no machines are connected while doing this! If you want to control or edit the VM204, you must first be authenticated. The default Login and password are still: Login: admin Password: VM204 (capitals) If you want to change the credentials go to ‘Settings’ then ‘Authentication’.
3.3 Email settings The VM204 is capable of sending emails even with SSL/TLS encryption. This makes the VM204 compatible with Gmail, Outlook, etc... In the email settings, you can enter the email address from which emails will be sent via the VM204. Go to ‘Settings’ in the left menu bar and scroll down to the Email section. Fill out the credentials of your ISP or any webmail service and press to finalise. You can test your credentials by clicking .
3.4 IO settings It is possible to customize the IO names, set the Pulse time of the Relays, customize the look and feel and even the functionality of the website. Changing the IO names The name of the VM204 and all the relays and inputs can be changed by going to ‘Settings’, ‘Customize’ and then fill out a new name in the name field of either the card name, relays or inputs (blue arrows). Don’t forget to click when you are done.
The look, feel and functionality The two next fields in the Custom section are ‘Custom js’ and ‘Custom css’. They allow you to add a URL to Javascript or a CSS file, which can alter the looks and functionality of the website. 3.5 Notifications The ‘Notification’ settings allow you to enable and disable email notifications for different actions. When an action is triggered an e-mail will be sent from the account you gave up in your email settings.
A. Input rising: An email will be sent if the corresponding Input transfers from a low to a high (or from off to on) state. For example: when the doorbell goes off. This can be done for each individual input. ON OFF TIME EMAIL OFF = OPEN OFF = OPEN ON = CLOSED B. Input falling: An email will be sent if the corresponding Input transfers from a high to a low (or from on to off) state. For example: when the heating is turned off. This can be done for each individual input.
C. Boot: When the VM204 is powered up and has an IP, the card will send an e-mail notifying you it started up. For example: when the power is rebooted after a power failure. D. Analog threshold: When the analog value reaches a specified value, it will send an email. If the analog value goes below the threshold and then above, it will send an email again. For example: if the temperature outside drops below 0C°. The analog treshold is in this case 0.
3.6 API The API key allows the user to login to the relay card without the credentials but with only a single key. This key is only valid when accessing the API urls that can be found in the API Reference page which will help you to control the relay card from your own programme. 3.7 API reference The API reference shows you a list of all commands and requests that can be made with your own programme. 3.
4. Upgrading the firmware In case there is new firmware available or if there should be any problems with your Ethernet relay card, you can always reinstall/upgrade the firmware by following these steps. 1. Before we start, it is important to copy/remember/note your IP address for later on. You can find this either in the ‘settings’ page of the VM204 app or in the IP column in the discovery software. You won’t be able to do this after step 3. 2.
5. Open the VM204 FW application which is included in the VM204 PC software. You can download this PC software on the product page here: http://www.velleman.eu/support/downloads/?code=VM204 5. Hopefully you remembered your IP address! Copy it into the ‘IP Address’ field and press . Normally, you should see ‘device connected’. 6. Press and open the Hex file you downloaded during step 2.
7. Press , this will first reprogram the VM204 and then restart it.
ORDERCODE: VM204 REVISION: HVM204’1 VellemanProjects @Velleman_RnD VELLEMAN nv - Legen Heirweg 33, Gavere (Belgium) vellemanprojects.
