Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt And Inclinometer Sensor

Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt And Inclinometer Sensor

Introducing NCD’s Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor, boasting up to a 2 Mile range using a wireless mesh networking architecture. This Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor incorporates a high-accuracy acceleration sensor for measuring tilt and inclination angle.  These acceleration changes are used to determine mechanical movement (tilt and inclination).  When Roll and Pitch angle exceeds the user define a threshold, this Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor will send a wireless message to a remote gateway or modem and then go back to sleep for a pre-configured period of time.  This device makes extensive use of interrupts to enter the lowest possible power state while sleeping.  This device sends data once tilt has been detected and at regular intervals to “Check-in,” letting you know the Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor is still in operation and ready to go to work.

Advanced Feature Settings

This Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor have numerous configuration parameters available that may be fine-tuned for your specific application.  Set parameters for Roll and Pitch to trigger alerts when the sensor exceeds these predefined thresholds.

Powered by just 4 AA batteries and an operational lifetime of 600,000 wireless transmissions, 10-year battery life can be expected depending on environmental conditions and the data transmission interval.

The long-range, price, accuracy, battery life and security features of Industrial IoT Wireless Tilt and Inclinometer Sensor make it an affordable choice that exceeds the requirements for most of the industrial as well as consumer market applications.

Transmission Interval

This device sends data periodically, based on user-preset timing intervals.
This device sends data when input thresholds exceed user-defined preset limits.

Sensor Data Overview

NCD IoT Sensors send a lot more than just sensor data.  For instance, a unique serial number is sent so you can always identify a particular sensor on the network.  A Node ID is also included, which a single byte of data that you can use for anything, such as the floor of a building or to help identify which group a sensor belongs to.  Also included in the data packet is a firmware version, battery level, and sensor type.  This allows your software to positively identify and manage the health of NCD IoT wireless sensors.  While signal strength data is also available, it is handled in a different way, and is not included in the sensor data packet (but rest assured, signal strength data for each sensor is available).  Please see the Resources tab to see detailed information on the data structure of this device.  

Good to know…

NCD wireless sensors transmit data and require a receiver.  There are many options available for receiving data from NCD IoT devices, which will be discussed in much greater detail below. We highly recommend at least one USB Modem for the purposes of sensor configuration (available during checkout). Also, our LabVIEW software is typically used for advanced sensor configuration, which is located in the “Resources” tab above.

How long Will the Batteries really Last?

Most NCD IoT Sensors are rated for 300,000 to 500,000 transmissions until the batteries become so weak they are unreliable.  You could spread these transmissions out over a 10 year period and send 50,000 transmissions per year.  This would allow up to 136 transmissions per day, or about 5 transmissions per hour (for a 500K sensor, or 3 per hour for 300K sensor).  If you only need the batteries to last 3 years, you could send 166,666 transmissions per year, or about 456 transmissions per day (about 19 transmissions per hour for a 500K sensor).  As you can see, battery life is really up to you.  By altering advanced settings in the NCD IoT sensor, you have control over longevity.  Please note the 500,000 transmission rating is for premium alkaline batteries.  NCD ships all sensors with premium Lithium batteries, which include a ultra-wide temperature range that typically lasts in excess of 600,000 transmissions for some sensor types.  These batteries weigh less than half of alkalines, and they work in the freezer!  A word of caution though, putting a sensor in configuration mode will drain the batteries very quickly.  It’s important to configure your sensors and exit configuration mode as soon as possible or use a external power supply during configuration (if supported by the sensor).  The table below indicates how many Transmissions Per Hour (TPH) your can expect from different sensors over a lifespan of up to 10 years.

Battery Life:	3 Months	6 Months	1 Year	2 Years	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
300K Sensor	136 TPH	68 TPH	34 TPH	17 TPH	11 TPH	6 TPH	3 TPH
400K Sensor	180 TPH	90 TPH	45 TPH	22 TPH	15 TPH	9 TPH	4 TPH
500K Sensor	228 TPH	114 TPH	57 TPH	28 TPH	19 TPH	11 TPH	5 TPH
600K Sensor	272 TPH	136 TPH	68 TPH	34 TPH	22 TPH	13 TPH	6 TPH

TPH = Transmissions per Hour

The Truth About Battery Life

Under the best of circumstances, the best non-rechargeable batteries commonly available today are limited to a 10 year non-working shelf life in a room temperature environment. Factors such as actual usage, temperature, and humidity will impact the working life. Be wary of any battery claims in excess of 10 years, as this would only apply to the most exotic and expensive batteries that are not commonly available. Also note that most battery chemistries are not rated for use in extreme temperatures. NCD only uses the best Non-Rechargeable Lithium batteries available today, which are also rated for use in extreme temperatures and have been tested by our customers in light radioactive environments. Lithium batteries offer a 10 year maximum expected shelf life due to limitations of battery technology. NCD will never rate sensor life beyond the rated shelf life of the best batteries available today, which is currently 10 years.

How Do I Change Settings and Examine Raw Sensor Data?

Using our long-range USB wireless modem, users can expect easy operation over a virtual COM port at 115.2K baud.  Simply open the virtual COM port of the USB modem and watch data stream in.  Optionally, we offer a Wireless receiver that operates over Ethernet.  Data from NCD sensors will appear over TCP/IP on port 2101.  Simply open a TCP/IP socket, port 2101, to the IP address of the Ethernet modem and see your data stream in to your local area network.  We have developed LabVIEW® software for each sensor to change advance sensor settings using both Ethernet and USB modems.  Alpha Station also allows display of sensor readings as well as limited configuration (this feature is still in development).  Of course gateways are also available for sending data to popular cloud platforms such as Amazon® AWS® IoT, Microsoft® Azure® IoT, and Losant (more information below).  We take software samples seriously, so be sure to to check out the “Resources” tab to see code samples for Raspberry Pi, Visual Studio, LabVIEW®, Arduino, Python, and more.

 

What Frequency Do I Need?

Range and Frequency of NCD Wireless Sensors

During purchase, you will see three frequency options.  Not all options are legal for use in all areas, so it’s important to make the right selection during purchase.  We will build your product and accessories based on the options chosen.  Here, we will explain these options in much greater detail, but please check your local laws BEFORE purchase.

900MHz for North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico)

If you are located in North America, the 900MHz Option will provide the longest range currently supported with the best penetration through walls, buildings, industrial equipment, and trees.  This option is also the best choice for long range applications.

900MHz Wireless Sensor Range

The official Line of Sight rating for this option is 2 Miles with included antennas or 28 Miles with high-gain antennas.  These distances are characterized for direct line of sight applications with no obstructions.  Real-world range will vary greatly depending on surrounding buildings, trees, and other objects that may cause reflections or interfere with the transmission.  900MHz has excellent RF penetration characteristics, and we have successfully completed installations in excess of of a half mile on a automotive factory floor with active robots in between.  We have also seen excellent penetration in mild radioactive installations making this a possible candidate for use in nuclear energy applications.

We suggest contacting Digi.com for a high-gain antenna recommendation if required.  Please check your local laws before choosing this option.

868MHz for Europe Only

If you are located in Europe, the 868MHz Option is the longest range choice available at this time. This option offers better penetration through walls, buildings, trees, and industrial equipment than 2.4GHz. The official line of site rating for this option is 14.5km using 2.1dBi antennas. Please check your local laws before choosing this option.

2.4Ghz for Worldwide Use

The 2.4GHz option should be chosen if 900MHz and 868MHz are not legal for use in your country.  This option is now certified for use worldwide, including Europe, United States, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. Please check your local laws before choosing this option just in case 2.4GHz is not legal in your area.

Not Sure?

If you are unsure of which sensor option to choose, please contact us.  We may be able to help determine which sensors are legal for use in your area.

Applications:

• Wireless Industrial Tools Monitoring
• The machine on/off state detection
• Machine Tilt Detection
• Object Balance Detection
• IoT Security Applications
• Wireless Activity Monitoring for AWS® and Azure®