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ContentsIntroduction 2

Getting Started1.1 What You Need 41.2 Software Installation & Setup 51.3 USB Receiver Hardware Installation 71.4 Ethernet Receiver/LAN Logger Hardware Setup 81.5 Ethernet Receiver/LAN Logger Software Setup 91.6 Tinytag Connect Gateway Software Setup 121.7 Connecting to a System from Another Computer 151.8 Enabling the Tinytag Connect Navigation Pane 161.9 Radio Logger Setup 171.10 Using a Tinytag Connect Device 181.11 Logger Icons 19 System Information2.1 System Components 222.2 System Overview 232.3 Gateway Configurations 272.4 Data Logging 302.5 Data Transmission 312.6 Alarm E-Mails 322.7 Exporting Data 332.8 Modbus 362.9 Power 392.10 Troubleshooting 42

Radio3.1 Radio Specification 443.2 Positioning & Mounting Instructions 453.3 Installation 473.4 System Configurations 493.5 Receiver Configurations 513.6 Mesh Network Behaviour 533.7 Radio Configuration 573.8 LED Flash Patterns 60 Ethernet/LAN4.1 Mounting Instructions 624.2 Alarms 634.3 LED Flash Patterns 65

Appendixa System Requirements 66b Software Licence 67c Regulatory Compliance 67d Approvals 67e Further Information 67

IntroductionThis guide explains how to set up and run a Tinytag Connect system.

It covers the installation of a system, an overview of how it works and then specific information on the different types of logger the system supports (radio and LAN connected products).

All users are advised to run the latest version of the Tinytag Explorer software. The latest version of the software can be downloaded from:

www.tinytag.info/support

2introduction

Getting Started

41.1 What you need

1.1 What you needTo use a Tinytag Connect system you will require the following:

• AcopyoftheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftwareCD• ATinytagConnectactivationcode(thiscanbefoundinsidethefrontcoverofthismanual)• ATinytagConnectdevice(Radioreceiver,loggersand/orLANlogger)• Associatedprobesandcables• Associatedpowersupplies(ifrequired)

You will also need a computer to run the system; it is recommended that the software be run on a server if possible.

For further information on system configurations, please see the System Information section of this document.

5 1.2 SoftWare inStallation & Setup

1.2 Software Installation & SetupFor information on system Requirements refer to the Appendix.

Warning! To install Tinytag Explorer, you will need to have Windows Administrator Access rights on the server or computer you are using.

• PlacetheTinytagExplorerCDintotheCDdriveofyourPC.TheTinytagExplorerInstallerwillrunautomaticallyafterafewsecondsandpresentyouwithaWelcomescreen.IfTinytagExplorerInstallerdoesnotrunautomatically,openWindowsExplorer,navigatetoyourCDdriveanddouble-clicktinytag.msi.

• ClickNexttostarttheinstallation.

• Reviewthesoftware’slicenceagreementandifyouacceptthetermsclickI accept the terms in the Licence Agreement,thenNext.

• Youwillthenbeaskedwhereyouwanttoinstallthesoftware(werecommendyouusethedefaultinstallationpath)andwhetheryouwouldlikeashortcutforthesoftwaretobecreatedonyourdesktop.Onceyouhavemadeyourchoices,clickNext,thenInstall.

• Thesoftwarewilltheninstallautomatically(youmaybepromptedbyWindowstoconfirmyouragreementtotheinstallation).WhenyouseetheInstallationCompletescreen,clickFinish.

• Oncetheinstallationiscomplete,youwillbeaskedtorestartyourcomputer.ClickYestodothis.

Starting Tinytag Explorer Connect

TostartTinytagExplorer,clickonthedesktopiconforthesoftware:

61.2 SoftWare inStallation & Setup

Ifyoudidn’tcreateadesktopiconwheninstallingthesoftware,youcanstartthesoftwarebygoingto:

Start>>AllPrograms>>TinytagExplorer>>TinytagExplorer

Activating Tinytag Explorer Connect

ThefirsttimeyourunTinytagExploreryouwillbepromptedtoactivatethesoftware.

Entertheactivationcodeintotheboxprovidedandchoosewhetheryouwantittobeappliedtoalltheuseraccountsonthecomputer.

NextclickConfirm Codeandyouwillseeamessagetoconfirmthatthecodehasbeenaccepted.

The activation code for Tinytag Explorer can be found on the inside front cover of this manual. It is a set of 20 characters split up into 5 blocks of 4. If you have lost or misplaced your activation code, please contact your supplier

You may need Windows Administrator access rights to activate the software for all user accounts. If you do not have Administrator access rights, leave the box unchecked and the software will only be enabled for the current user account.

7 1.3 uSB receiver hardWare inStallation

1.3 USB Receiver Hardware InstallationPlugtheUSBcablesuppliedwiththereceiverintoaUSBportonyourcomputer.

DependingontheversionofWindowsyouareusing,youshouldseeamessagetosaythatWindowshasdetectedandisinstallinganewdevice.

Whentheinstallationiscomplete,plugthecableintothereceiverandturnthereceiveron.

Thereceivershouldthenbelocatedsothatitiswithinrangeofoneormoredataloggers(anelevatedpositionmayhelp).

Now go to Section 1.6: Tinytag Connect Gateway Software Setup

81.4 ethernet receiver/lan logger hardWare Setup

1.4 Ethernet Receiver/LAN Logger Hardware SetupEthernetreceiversandLANloggersarePoweroverEthernet(PoE)devices.IfaPoEplug-ininjectorissupplied,thedeviceshouldbeconnectedupusingEthernetcables(notsupplied)asshownbelow:

Onceconnected,turnthedeviceon.

LocateandmakeanoteoftheMACaddressonthebackofthedevicebeinginstalled,thiswillbeneededlater.

Ifthedeviceisbeingusedinalocationwheremoistureordustispresent,thesuppliedwaterproofRJ45shroudshouldbefittedovertheEthernetconnection.

Tofitthis,threadtheEthernetcablethroughtheshroud,plugthecableintothedeviceandthenscrewtheshroudintothedevice.

9 1.5EThERNETRECEIvER/LANLOggERSOfTWARESETUP

1.5 Ethernet Receiver/LAN Logger Software SetupToinstallaTinytagPlusRadioEthernetReceiverorLANLogger:

OnthecomputerthatwillruntheMastergateway,installandactivatetheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftware,aspreviouslydescribed.

BrowsetheTinytagExplorerCDandlocatetheLANfolder

RuntheprogramVirtualCommPort.exeandfollowtheinstructionsintheonscreenprompts

RuntheprogramIPsetup.exe. DevicesarelistedbytheirMACaddressintheSelect a Unit section.

highlighttherequireddeviceandclickontheLaunch Webpagebutton.

MakeanoteoftheIPaddressofthedevice(fromtheURLofthewebpage).

Makeanoteofthe Listening network portnumberforPORT 0.

101.5EThERNETRECEIvER/LANLOggERSOfTWARESETUP

SetSelect serial porttoCOM100(ifinstallingmorethanonedevice,incrementtheportnumberforeachsuccessivedeviceused).

RunthevirtualCommPortsoftware(thisiscalledNB Virtual Comm PortandcanbefoundontheWindowsStartMenuunderNetBurner NNDK)andclickAdd.

11 1.5EThERNETRECEIvER/LANLOggERSOfTWARESETUP

IntheRemote host name/portfieldstypetheIPaddressoftheEthernetdeviceandtheListeningnetworkportnumber(aspreviouslydetermined)andclickAddandApply.Thedeviceisnowreadytouse.

121.6 tinytag connect gateWay SoftWare Setup

1.6 Tinytag Connect Gateway Software SetupConfiguring a Master Gateway

Withthereceiverorloggerpluggedintothecomputerornetwork,startTinytagExplorerandgotoOptionsandCommunication Options.

Next,clickontheTinytag ConnecttabandselectUse a Tinytag Connect Product,thenselectDirect connection to Tinytag Connect DeviceandclickontheConfigure Gateway button.

SelectMaster Gateway,thenNext

13 1.6 tinytag connect gateWay SoftWare Setup

Serial Port Set Up

ChoosetheUse fully automatic serial port detectionoption(recommended)or,ifusingLANloggers,selecttheserialportsconfiguredpreviouslyfromthoselistedintheManualselectionsectionandclickNext.

E-Mail Alarm Notifications

TinytagExplorercanbesettosende-mailalertswhenuserdefinedloggeralarmlimitsareexceeded(theuseraccountthatthesystemisworkingonmusthaveaproperlyconfigurede-mailaccountforthistowork).

Tosettheaddresse-mailsaresentto,clicktheReport alarms by emailboxandthenentertheSMTPaddressforyoure-mailserverandtherecipient’se-mailaddress.

You can enter multiple e-mail addresses by separating them with a semi-colon.

You can set the system to send automatic e-mail reminders every 24 hours by checking the Send a reminder email every 24 hours box.

Click Next

141.6 tinytag connect gateWay SoftWare Setup

Running the Gateway

TostarttheConnectgatewayrunning,everytimethecomputerisstarted(recommended),checktheAutostart gateway service when this computer is switched onbox.Thiswillautomaticallystartthegatewayservicerunning,andmaintainthenetwork,intheeventofanunexpectedreboot.

Tostarttheradioservice,checktheStart it nowbox,thenFinish.

15 1.7CONNECTINgTOASYSTEMfROMANOThERCOMPUTER

1.7 Connecting to a System From Another Computer

IfthecomputeryouhaveinstalledtheMastergatewayonisconnectedtoaLAN,youcanviewdataandconfigurethesystemremotelyfromanothercomputeronthesamenetwork.

Toconnecttoanexistingsystemfromanothercomputer,installTinytagExplorerontheremotecomputerandgotoOptionsandCommunication Options.SelecttheTinytag Connecttab,Use a Tinytag Connect Product andthenAutodetect Gateway on LAN.

Iftheauto-detectiondoesn’twork,youcanspecifytheaddressofthecomputertheMastergatewayisrunningonintheConnect to Named Gateway on LANoption.Todothis,entertheHost nameandPort.

161.8 enaBling the tinytag connect navigation panel

1.8 Enabling the Tinytag Connect Navigation Panel

OntheTinytagExplorerConnecttoolbaryouwillnowseeanewdrop-downmenu.SelecttheTinytag Connect Gatewayoption.

Anavigationpanelwillthenappearontheleft-handsideofthescreenandafterafewmomentsthereceiveroranyLANlogger(s)connectedtothesystemwillstartlisting.

17 1.9 radio logger Setup

1.9 Radio Logger Setup OnceTinytagExplorerhasbeeninstalledandthereceiversetup,dataloggerscanbeturnedon.

Tominimisethetimenecessaryfortheunitstoconnect,startturningontheloggersclosesttothereceiverfirstandthenworkoutwards.

Toturnaloggeron,pressandholdtheswitchontheunituntilyouseeitsLEDlightgreen.TheLEDontheunitwillthenflashreduntiltheloggerhasfounditsplaceinthemeshnetwork,atwhichpointitwillthenstarttoflashgreen.

InmostcasesloggerswillfindtheirplaceinthenetworkandbelistedinthenavigationpaneinTinytagExplorerwithinafewminutes,butdependingonthesizeandcomplexityofthenetwork,itmaytakealittletimeforallloggerstobelisted.

Be patient whilst the meshing process is taking place!

Ifaloggerdoesn’tshowupafterafewminutes,thesystemshouldbelefttoconfigureitself;movingorresettingloggersduringtheinitialmeshingwillslowtheprocess.forsomelargeorcomplexinstallationsitmaybenecessarytowaitanhourormorefortheinitialconnectionofloggerstothesystem.

For more information on radio installation see section 3.3

181.10USINgATINYTAgCONNECTDEvICE

1.10 Using a Tinytag Connect Device

ToworkwithaConnectdevice,rightclickonitandselectanoptionfromthemenuthatappears.

Configure

Usethistochangeadevice’ssettings

Get Data

Usethistoviewdatafromadevice

Current Readings

Usethistoviewwhatadeviceiscurrentlyreading.furtherinformationontheseandotheroptionscanbefoundintheTinytagExplorerhelpfilebygoingtoHelpandContents.

19 1.11 logger iconS

1.11 Logger Icons

ThenavigationpaneintheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftwareallowstheusertoseethestatusofanyloggerataglance.Theiconforagivenloggerorreceivercanindicatewhetherthedeviceisincontactwiththesystem,whetherthedeviceistransmittingdata,whetheranalarmisactiveanditsbatterystatus.

Thetablebelowisaguidetowhattheseiconsmean.

Radio LAN Status

Good Communications(Solid)

(Radio Waves Flashing)

(Flashing)

(Flashing)

(Solid)

(Flashing)

(Flashing)

Downloading Data

Alarm Active

Updating Device Settings

Low Battery

Out of Contact

Problem*

*Thedeviceconnectedtothesystemisnotbeingrecognised,checkyouarerunningthelatestversionoftheTinytagConnectsoftware.Ifindoubt,pleasecontactyoursupplierorgeminiTechnicalSupport(contactdetailscanbefoundattheendofthismanual).

20

System Information

222.1SYSTEMCOMPONENTS

2.1 System Components

BelowisakeytothecomponentsusedintheTinytagConnectsystemthatyouwillseeinvariousplacesthroughoutthismanual.

Tinytag Radio Logger

Tinytag Explorer Connect

Server

LAN Connection

LAN Data Logger

Tinytag Connect Gateway

Master

USB Connection

Tinytag Receiver

Slave

Radio Connections

23 2.2SYSTEMOvERvIEW

2.2 System Overview

Introduction

ATinytagConnectsystemcanbemadeupofacombinationofradioand/orLANconnecteddataloggers,buteverysystemhasthesamecorecomponents;theTinytagConnectgateway,thatmanagesthecollectionofdatafromtheloggers;theTinytagExplorerConnectsoftware,whichallowsuserstoviewthedataandconfiguretheirloggersandthedataloggersthemselves(additionally,inradiosystems,areceiverisrequiredtoforwarddatafromloggerstotheConnectgateway).

BoththeTinytagConnectgatewayandtheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftwareareinstalledatthesametimefromtheTinytagExplorerCD.

SERVER

OFFICE

USER’SCOMPUTER

APPLICATION

242.2SYSTEMOvERvIEW

Tinytag Connect Gateway

TheTinytagConnectgatewayisaWindowsservicewhichrunsinthebackgroundonacomputer.TheConnectgatewaymanagesdatafromloggersconnectedtoitandmakesthisdataavailableforviewinginTinytagExplorer.

TherearetwotypesofConnectgateway;aMastergateway,whichrunsandmanagesasystem,andaSlavegateway,whichisusedtoforwarddatafromUSBreceiversorremotesitestoasystem’sMastergateway.EverysystemmusthaveaMastergateway,butSlavegatewaysareoptionalandonlyneedtobeinstalledinspecificcircumstances.

For more information on Slave Gateways, see section 2.3: Gateway Configurations

Onanetworkedsystem,itispreferablefortheMasterConnectgatewaytobeinstalledonaserver,astheyusuallyruncontinuouslyandareroutinelybackedup,butitcanalsobeinstalledonaPCifrequired(inthisinstance,thecomputerideallyneedstobeleftrunningcontinuously).

MasterConnectgatewayscanalsobeinstalledonstand-alonecomputers,ifrequired,usingaUSBradioreceivertoconnecttoaradionetwork.ThistypeofconfigurationispreferableifasystemneedstoberunonacomputerthatisseparatefromexistingITinfrastructure.

TheConnectgatewayisconfiguredtostartrunningwhenthecomputeristurnedon,andstoresdatafromloggersinindividualfilesusingaproprietaryfileformat.ThegatewaythenmakesthedataitismanagingavailableforviewingonanynetworkedcomputerrunningtheTinytagExplorerConnectSoftware.

AswellasmakingdataavailableforviewinginTinytagExplorer,datacanalsobeexportedfromtheConnectgatewaydirectlyusingeithertheModbusprotocol,orincsvfilesviaahttplink.

TheConnectgatewaycanalsobeconfiguredtosende-mailalertswhenapropertygoesoutofspecification.

TheTinytagConnectgatewayisconfiguredthroughtheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftware.

25 2.2SYSTEMOvERvIEW

Tinytag Explorer Connect Software

TinytagExploreristhesoftwarethatisusedtoviewdatafromandworkwithallTinytagproducts.TheConnectversionofthesoftwareprovidesextendedfunctionality,allowingusersonthesamenetworktoviewdatafromthesystemontheirowncomputer.

TheConnectversionoftheTinytagExplorerusesadifferentactivationcodefromthestandardversionofthesoftwaretoenableConnectfunctionality.ThisactivationcodeaddsaTinytag ConnecttabtotheOptions>>Communication OptionsdialogboxwhichallowstheusertoconfiguretheTinytagConnectgatewayService.

TinytagExplorerConnectalsohasanavigationpanethatshowsthestatusofindividualdataloggers,allowinguserstoseeataglancethestatusoftheirsystemandwhetherthereareanyissues,suchasanalarmorlowbattery,thatneedtobeaddressed.

Thesoftwarepresentsdataingraphs,butitcanalsobeviewedinatableofreadingsandsummaryviewsdetailingthelogger’ssettings,dailymin/maxandaveragedataarealsoavailable.graphicaldatafromthesoftwarecanbeeasilyexportedasanimage,foruseinpresentationsandreportwriting,andinatableforfurtheranalysisinthird-partyspreadsheetsordatabases.

Thesoftwarealsoallowsdatafromnon-ConnectdataloggerstobecombinedintothesamegraphasdatafromaConnectsystem,usingthesoftware’soverlayfeature.

262.2SYSTEMOvERvIEW

Loggers

EveryConnectsystemrequiresatleastonedataloggertocollecttheactualdata.

Dataloggersareelectronicdevicesthatrecorddatausingdifferenttypesofsensors.Bydefault,theytransmitthisdatatotheConnectgatewayasitisrecorded,buttheyalsoholdacopyofthedatalocallyincaseproblemsarise.

IftheloggercannotseetheConnectgatewayforanyreason,itwillrecorddatalocallyuntiltheproblemisresolvedandthedatacanbetransmitted.

RadiologgersconnecttotheConnectgatewayviaareceiverthatiseitherconnectedtothegatewayviaaLANconnection,ordirectlyintothecomputerrunningthesystemviaUSB.Radiologgerstalktoeachothertoformameshnetwork.Theadvantageofameshnetworkisthatitisrobustandcanroutedataaroundobstacles.

For more information on mesh network behaviour, see section 3.6: Mesh Network Behaviour

LANloggersconnecttotheConnectgatewayacrossaLANconnection.

Receivers

Receiversarearadiosystem’spointofcontactwiththeConnectgateway.TheycollectinformationfromloggersandforwardittotheConnectgatewayandtheysendconfigurationinformationtotheloggersfromtheConnectgateway.Additionally,receiversalsomanagetheflowofdatainameshnetworkand,intheeventofapowerfailuretotheConnectgateway,theywillkeepthemeshnetworktogetherallowingfasterreconnectionsandtransmissionofdatawhenpowerisrestored.

Receiverscanbeusedinavarietyofconfigurations.Thesearedescribedinalaterchapter.

For more information on receiver configurations, see section 3.5: Receiver Configurations

27 2.3 gateWay configurationS

2.3 Gateway Configurations

Introduction

TherearetwotypesofConnectgateway;aMastergateway,whichrunsasystem,andaSlavegateway,whichcanbesetuptoforwarddatatoaMastergatewayfromanothercomputer.

EverysystemmusthaveaMastergateway,butSlavegatewaysareoptionalandaregenerallyusedtomakeasystemmoreflexible.

Slave Gateways

Slavegatewaysaretypicallyusedwhere:

• DataisbeingcollectedfrommorethanonesitethatareallconnectedonthesamecompanyLAN.forexample,acompanymayhavethreesites;aheadofficeandtwosatellitesites,andmonitoringisrequiredatallthree.Inthisexample,itispreferabletohaveaMastergatewayrunningonaserverattheheadoffice,withacomputerateachsatellitesiterunningaSlavegateway.TheSlavegatewaysthenforwarddatafromtheirlocalnetworksontotheMastergateway,allowinganyonerunningTinytagExplorerConnecttoseedatafromallthreesites.

• IfUSBreceiversarebeingused,theyhavetobepluggeddirectlyintoacomputerandthatcomputerhastorunaSlavegatewaytogetthedatabacktothesystem’sMastergateway.

282.3 gateWay configurationS

TheSlavegatewayrelaysdatabetweenanyconnectedradioreceiversorLANloggersandtheMastergateway.Nodataisstoredlocallyanditisaverylightweightprogram.

Common Configurations

Server

ATinytagConnectMastergatewayisinstalledonaserver,withareceiverforaradionetwork,oranumberofLANloggers,connectedtoit.TheConnectgatewaythenmakesdataavailabletootherusersonthesamenetworkforviewingintheTinytagExplorerConnectsoftware.Thisistherecommendedconfigurationforasystembecauseserversareusuallyonallofthetimeandtheyarealsobacked-upregularly,makingthesystemmorerobust.

Dedicated Computer

BasicallythesameastheServerconfiguration,butwiththeMastergatewayrunningonacomputer.Thisconfigurationmightbeusedwhenonlyafewusersinalargecompanyneedtoworkwithasystem.AreceiveroranumberofLANloggersareconnectedtoacomputerandanycomputersonthesamenetwork,withacopyofTinytagExplorerConnectinstalled,canalsoworkwiththesystem.

Standalone

TheConnectgatewayisrunonanon-networked,stand-alonecomputerwithaUSBreceivercollectingdatafromaradionetwork.Althoughthispreventsremoteaccesstodatabyotherusers,thisconfigurationallowsasystemtobekeptseparatefromotherITinfrastructure,whichcansometimesbedesirable.ThisconfigurationdoesnotsupportLANloggers.

NETWORK

NETWORK

29 2.3 gateWay configurationS

Off-Site/Remote Access

TheConnectgatewayisinstalledonacomputerwithinternetaccessataremotesiteandtheuserworkswiththedataremotelyusingvPNaccesstothecomputer.

General

IdeallyaTinytagConnectgatewayshouldbeleftrunningcontinuouslytoallowittocollatedatafromloggersasitisbeingrecorded.Nomeasurementswillbelostifthecomputerisshutdownforupto2weeks(ifusingthedefault10minuteloggingintervaltheloggersaresetforwhensupplied),howeverthiswillaffectbatterylifeandtherewillbeadelayindisplayingnewmeasurements,duetotheneedtocollectthesaveddata,whenthesystemisrestored.IfaConnectgatewayisshutdown,itwilldeterminewhatdataaloggerholdsthatithasn’tstoredandarrangeforittobetransmitted(thisensuresthatnodataispermanentlylost).

forbestperformance,ensuretheAutostart service when the computer is turned onboxischeckedwhensettingupagateway(thisshouldalreadybeselectedonnewinstallations).ThisensuresthattheTinytagConnectgatewaywillstartrunningassoonasacomputeristurnedon;reducingthedelayinfetchingthedatathegatewayhasn’tdownloaded.EnablingthisoptionalsoensuresaTinytagConnectsystemwillstartrunningagainintheeventofapowercut.

INTERNET

302.4 data logging

2.4 Data Logging

No stopping

TinytagConnectdataloggerswillstartloggingassoonastheyareswitchedon.Theydonotneedtobe‘launched’.Itispossibletochangetheconfigurationofalogger(logginginterval,channelslabels,groups,etc.)withoutstoppingtheloggingprocess.

Time zones

TinytagConnectdataloggersstoreatimestampwitheverymeasurement.ThistimestampistraceabletogMT.

NotethatTinytagExplorerwilldisplaythistimestampinyourlocaltimezone.Thismeansthattimestampsdisplayedonthegraphorreadingsviewwillbedifferentforusersindifferenttimezones,orwillchangewhenusersmoveinandoutofdaylightsavingstime.

Timestampsarenotaffectedinanywaybythetimezoneoftheuserwhoinstalledorconfiguredthedatalogger.

Current Readings

IfaloggerhasagoodconnectionwiththeConnectgateway,livereadingswillbeshowninblackandreadingswillupdateeveryfewseconds.

Ifcommunicationswithaloggerarepoor,ortheloggerisoutofcontactwiththesystem,thelastloggedvalueswillbeshowningrey.

Theupdateintervaloflivereadingswillbeextendedwhenviewingreadingsfrommultipledevices(orifmultipleusersareviewingcurrentreadingssimultaneously).

Note: The Current Readings feature in Tinytag Explorer has been designed as a diagnostic tool to check loggers are working correctly, and to aid troubleshooting a system that is having problems. Extensive use of this feature will affect battery life in radio loggers due to the extra radio activity so it is not recommended for day-to-day use.

31 2.5DATATRANSMISSION

2.5 Data Transmission

Data Organisation

EverymeasurementiswrittentomemoryandtransmittedtotheConnectgatewayassoonasitistaken.Everymeasurementtransmissioncarriestheloggerserialnumberandameasurementsequencenumber,thereforeitisimpossibleformeasurementstobemixedupbetweendevicesorrecordedinthewrongorder.

TheConnectgatewayusesthesesequencenumberstocontrolretransmissions.Ifthesequencenumbersarenotconsecutivethenitrequestsaretransmissiontocoverthegap.

IftheConnectgatewayisawareofagapinthedatafromaloggerwhenitisviewedinTinytagExplorerthenitwillasktheuserwhethertheywanttoseethedatasofar,orwaituntilthegaphasbeenfilledin.

Datacanbetransferredfrommultipleloggerssimultaneously.ItwillprioritiseloggersthatTinytagExploreriswaitingfor,andloggersthatarenearlycomplete.

Ifthedatagapcannotbefilledinbecausetoomuchtimehaspassed(approximatelytwoweeksinthedefaultconfiguration)andtheloggerhasoverwrittenitsmemorythenTinytagExplorerwillleaveagaponthegraph.

Radiodataistransferredatapproximately6kbperminute.

322.6ALARME-MAILS

2.6 Alarm E-Mails

Whenconfiguringthesystem,alarmnotificatione-mailscanbeenabled.Whenanalarmistriggered,ane-mailwillbesenttotheaddress(es)providedduringsetup,detailingtheloggerandprobethattriggeredthealarm.

Ifanalarmisconfigured,theloggersamplestheparametereveryfewseconds.Ifanalarmvalueisexceeded,analarmindicatorwillbetransmittedtotheConnectgatewayimmediately,andthiswillshowupinTinytagExplorerstraightaway.

however,theConnectgatewaydoesnotsendanalarme-mailwarningimmediately;itdelaysforfiveminutesincaseanotherloggershouldraiseanotheralarmsothatitcandeliverallthealarmwarningsinonee-mail.

33 2.7 exporting data

2.7 Exporting Data

ThedatastoredbytheConnectgatewayisheldinproprietyformatdatafilesthathavea.jfextension,thatopendirectlyinTinytagExplorer.DatafromaConnectsystemcanalsobeaccesseddirectlyfromthegatewayusingtheModbusprotocolorinCSvfilesoverhttp.

Modbus

TheConnectgatewayprovidesastandardModbusoverTCPinterface,providingread-onlyaccesstoadatalogger’sconfigurationandinstantaneousmeasurements(instantaneousmeasurementmeansthelastloggedmeasurementreceivedfromthelogger).

ModbusmaybeaconvenientoptionforsoftwarewhichusesTinytagConnectloggersaspartofanindustrialprocesscontrolorSCADAsystem.

For more details about Modbus, see section 2.8: Modbus

CSV Files

ConnectdataloggerstransmitmeasurementsastheyarerecordedandthesearecollatedandstoredbytheConnectgateway.TheConnectgatewayprovidesaccesstohistoricloggedmeasurementsforthirdpartysoftwarebydownloadingCSvfilesoverhttp.

TheURLsforthesefilesarelistedontheConnectgatewayinterfacepageandthereisoneCSvfileperlogger.

Toaccessthesefiles,clickontheTinytag Connect Gateway Status: ConnectedmessageinthebottomrightcornerofTinytagExplorer.Thepop-uppanelthatappearsshouldsayConnection Established to Tinytag Connect Gateway.ClickingontheblueTinytag Connect Gatewaytextwillopenthegateway’sinterfacepageinyourdefaultwebbrowser.

TheExportstabatthetopofthepagelistsallfilesavailabletodownloadbytheserialnumberofthedevice.Therearetwocolumnsforeachlogger;theleft-handcolumnisrawdatathatopensdirectlyinTinytagExplorer.Theright-handcolumnwilldownloadthedataasCSvfile.

CSvexportfilesaregeneratedwhenthelinkisopened;theydonotexistasseparatefilesthatareupdatedasrecordingsarereceivedbythegateway.Thedataheldinthesefilesisasnap-shotofthedatarecordedtothepointwhenthelinkwasopened.

34 2.7 exporting data

Thefollowingexamplewasdownloadedfrom:

http://hostname:3927/Exports/all_readings/613756.csv

Thefirstfewlinesofthisfileisaheaderwhichconsistsof:

• variousproperties,nameandvalueinthefirsttwocolumns,forexample‘Serial’and‘NextRestart’.

• Ablankline.

• Tworowsoftitlesformeasurementcolumns.forexample“Maximum”and“Temperature”.forloggersthatdonotsupportmaximumandminimumreadings,thisrowwillcontain“Normal”ratherthan“Maximum”.

Measurementsareinthesubsequentrowsaftertheheader.

35 2.7 exporting data

Thefirstcolumncontainsthetimestamps.TimestampsalwaysusegMTtime,andarewritteninISOformat(yyyy-mm-ddhh:mm:ss),butmaybepresenteddifferentlyintheprogramyouusetoopenthefilebasedonyourWindowspreferences.Thesecondandsubsequentcolumnscontainmeasurements.

Note:

•Measurementsarelistedintimeorder.

• IfthereisagapbecauseofacommunicationsdelaythenmeasurementswillbeheldbackuntiltheConnectgatewayhasbeenabletofillthegapin.(i.e.guaranteedtopreservetimeorder)

•MultipleuserscanaccesstheCSvdatawithoutinterferingwitheachother.

Note:Inrarecases,itispossiblethatonerowofmeasurementsissplitbetweenconsecutivetransfers.Thelastlineofonetransferwillcontainhalfoftheexpectedmeasurements.Thefirstlineofthenextwillcontainthesametimestamp,andtheotherhalfofthemeasurements.ThiswillhappenifthetransferisstartedpartwaythroughtheConnectgatewayreceivingmeasurementsfromthelogger.

Exporting Incremental Data

TheCSvfileslinkedfromtheExportspagewillalwayscreateafilecontainingeverymeasurement,whichisinefficientandcumbersomeforsystemswhichneedtokeepuptodatebytrackingnewmeasurementsastheyarrive.InordertodownloadonlynewmeasurementsitisnecessaryforacustomsoftwaresolutiontokeeptrackoftheNextRestartvaluefromitspreviousdownload,andaddthistotheURLwhichisdownloaded.forexample,themeasurementsreceivedafterthesnapshotshownabovecanbedownloadedfrom:

http://hostname:3927/Exports/all_readings/613756.csv?restart=3879143

Note:ThisURL–endingin“?restart=3879143”–doesnotappearanywhereintheConnectgatewaywebpages.Itmustbegeneratedbythesoftwaresolutionwhichwantstoperformincrementaltransfers.

Proprietary Connect Gateway Protocol

TheConnectgatewaysupportsasimpletext-basedproprietarynetworkprotocolwhichprovidesread-writeaccesstologgerconfiguration.ThisistheprotocolusedbyTinytagExplorertoaccesstheConnectgateway.

362.8MODBUS

2.8 ModbusProperties and Registers

TheModbusprotocolprovidesread/writeaccesstonumbered16-bitregisters.ConnectloggersnativelyusenumberedpropertieswhicharesomewhatsimilartoModbusregisters.

TheConnectgatewayautomaticallytranslatesbetweenthesetwosystems.Thetranslationprimarilyinvolveschangingdatatypes.Modbusregistersarealways16-bitintegers,whileConnectloggerpropertieshavehigh-leveldatatypes.forexample,theloggerdescriptionisalengthlimitedstring.Loggingintervalisa32-bitinteger.

Thisproperty-to-registermappingisgeneratedautomatically.Differenttypesofdevicehavedifferentproperties;thereforetheymayhavedifferentregisterstoo.

Devices

ThewebviewintheConnectgatewaysiteincludesaDevicestabwhichcontainsanindexofalldevicescurrentlyorrecentlyconnectedtotheConnectgateway,withlinkstoapageshowingdetailforeachindividualdevice.NearthetopofthesedevicedetailpagesisalinklabelledModbusRegisterswhichlinkstoapageshowing:

•WhichloggerpropertiesareexposedasModbusregisters

•WhichModbusaddressisusedforeachproperty

• howmanyModbusregistersareusedforeachproperty.forexample,32-bitpropertieswillbespreadovertwo16-bitregisters.

Expected Values

TheModbustabontheConnectgatewaywebviewshowsthecurrentvalueofeveryregisteroneverydevice.

ThePropertiestabshowstheequivalentinhigh-leveldatatypes.

Unit Identifiers

TheModbusprotocolsupportsupto254devices,identifiedbyaunitidentifier.Unitidentifiersareautomaticallyassignedtodeviceserialnumbers.

TheunitidentifierofeachdeviceisshownontheModbustabpageoftheConnectgatewayinterface.ThesevaluesarestoredundertheTinytagExplorerprogramfiles,injsonformat,inthefile:

\Programfiles\Tinytag\TinytagExplorer\var\storage\units.db

ItispossibletomanuallyadjusttheassignmentofunitidentifierstoserialnumbersbystoppingtheConnectgateway,editingthisfile,andrestarting.

37 2.8MODBUS

ItisalsopossibletoclearthecurrentassignmentsbystoppingtheConnectgateway,deletingthisfile,andrestarting.Thismaybenecessaryatsiteswheremorethan254deviceshavebeenusedanddecommissioned,becausetheunitidentifierswillremainreservedforthedecommissioneddevices.

Function Codes

TheConnectgatewaysupportsonlyModbusfunctioncode0x03:ReadholdingRegisters.

32-bit Values

Allvalueswiderthan16bitsaremappedontomultiple16bitregisters.

Therequestpacketforfunctioncode0x03(ReadholdingRegisters)includesabytecontainingthe“quantityofregisters”toberead.Thisisinterpretedasthenumberof16-bitwordswhichshouldbetransferred.

forexample,whenrequestingthe32-bitvaluestartingataddress50688,this“quantityofregisters”byteshouldcontainthevalue2.Theresponsewillcontainthecontentoftworegisters:fourbytes.

Freshness

Mostregistershaveacorrespondingregistercontainingthenumberofsecondssincethepropertywasrefreshedfromthedevice.Somepropertiesarerefresheddaily,othersareneverrefreshed.Propertiescontaining‘currentmeasurements’areupdatedeverytimeameasurementisreceivedfromthedevice.

Theseregisterswillcontainthevalue0xffffifsomeerroroccurredinprocessingthatproperty.Themaximumnormalvalue(forexample,ifthepropertywasrefreshedmorethan65535secondsago)is0xfffE.

Device Connection

NoModbusinteractionispossibleuntiladeviceisfullyconnected.Thatis,whenthedeviceleavestheConnectinggroupinTinytagExplorerConnect’sNavigationpane,andthedevice’sstateislistingashAPPYintheDevicestaboftheConnectgatewayinterface.

Itisnotpossibletoreadanyregistersfromadevicewhichisnotyetfullyconnected.TheConnectgatewaywillreturnanIllegalDataAddresserrorcode.

Atthispoint,theCurrentReadingsregistersmaynotyethavebeenrefreshed,andwillallcontain0xffff.forthefloatingpointregisters,thiscorrespondstoNaN.Theseregisterswillberefreshedwhenthefirstmeasurementisreceived,atthenextlogginginterval.

382.8MODBUS

Missing Properties

TheConnectgatewaywillreturnanIllegalDataAddresserrorcodeiftherequestedpropertyhasnotbeenfetched,orismissingfromthedevice.Thisshouldnothappenundernormalcircumstances,butmayoccurif:

• Requestingaregistercorrespondingtoadiagnostic/debuggingproperty,andtheConnectgatewayisnotinadiagnosticmode.

• Thedevicedoesnotcontainanexpectedproperty.Thedevice’scharacteristicsareinconsistentwithitsdriverintheConnectgateway.Thismayhappenifusingprototypedevices,orapre-releaseversionoftheConnectgateway.

ThedevicedetailpagecanbeusedtoconfirmexactlywhichpropertieshavebeenreceivedbytheConnectgateway.

Concurrent Connections

TheConnectgatewayenforcesalimitofnomorethan4concurrentModbusTCPconnections.

ThereisnoadditionallimittoconcurrentModbustransactions.

TCPconnectionsareclosedafterbeingidlefor10seconds.

Modsak

ModsakisathirdpartyModbusdiagnostictool,availableat:

http://www.wingpath.co.uk/modbus/modsak.php

geminiDataLoggersisauserofModsak,butdoesnotendorseorsupportthisproduct.

TheDevice StatepageintheConnectgatewayinterfacecontainsadownloadlinkforaModsakconfigurationfile.Whenopened,thisconfiguresModsaktoshowmostregistersfromthatdevice,and,whenyoupresstheStartbutton,itcontinuouslypollsfornewvalues.

NotethatModsakcannotformatModbusregistersastextstrings;thereforetheseregistersareomittedfromthedownloadModsakconfigurationline.

AlsonotethatModsakdoesnotdistinguishsignedandunsignedvalues:allnumbersareformattedassignedinModsak,whichmayormaynotbecorrect.

39 2.9 poWer

2.9 Power

AllTinytagRadioandLANdataloggersandreceiversarefittedwithalkalinebatteriesthatarewidelyavailableandcheaptoreplace.Thesebatteriesareeitherthemainsourceofpowerforthedevice,orprovideback-uppowerintheeventofthedevicesprimarypowersourcegoingdown.

Radio Data Loggers

Radiodataloggersarebatterypowereddeviceswithanoptionforbeingmainspowered,throughaplug-inpowersupply,ifrequired.

Whenpoweredfrombatteriestheloggerscanbeeasilymovedandrelocatedasmonitoringrequirementschange.Thebatterylifeofalogger,whensettothedefaulttenminuteloggingintervalitissuppliedwith,willbetypicallyayear.

Whenpoweredfromthemains,thebatteriesintheloggerareusedasaback-upshouldthepowertotheloggerfail.Ifthishappens,thebatterieswillkeeptheloggerrecordingandtransmitting(ifthecomputerrunningthesystemisalsoaffectedbythepowercut,theloggerswillrecorddatalocallyuntiltheproblemisresolved,thedatawillthenbetransmitted).

PlusRadiodataloggersandtheUSBreceiverarefittedwith2xC(LR14)1.5vbatteries.

UltraRadiodataloggersarefittedwith2xAA(LR6)1.5vbatteries. Ultra Radio Receivers

UltraRadioUSBreceiversaremainspowereddevicesthatarepoweredthroughaplug-inpowersupply.

Thisreceiveralsohasback-upbatteriesthatwillallowittomaintaintheradiomeshnetworkitisapartofintheeventofaproblemwiththepowersupplyfromthecomputer.

UltraRadioreceiversarefittedwith2xAA(LR6)1.5vbatteries.

Plus Radio USB Receivers

PlusRadioUSBreceiversarepoweredfromtheirUSBconnection.

Theyarealsofittedwithbatteriesthatwillallowthereceivertomaintaintheradiomeshnetworkitisapartofintheeventofaproblemwiththepowersupplyfromthecomputer.

PlusRadioUSBreceiversarefittedwith2xC(LR14)1.5v.

402.9 poWer

LAN Data Loggers and Ethernet Receiver

PlusRadioEthernetreceiversandLANdataloggersarePoweroverEthernet(PoE)devices.

Aplug-inPoEinjector(partnumberACS-0041)issuppliedwithallLANdataloggersandthePlusRadioEthernetReceivers.IfanumberofLANdevicesaregoingtobeused,anEthernethubthatprovidesPoEshouldbeconsidered.

LANdataloggersandtheEthernetReceiverarealsofittedwithback-upbatteriestokeepthemrecordingintheeventofPoEfailure.

LANdataloggersandEthernetreceiversarefittedwith2xAA(LR6)1.5vbatteries.

Lithium Batteries

Ifalongerbatterylifeorawidertemperatureoperatingrangeisrequired,lithiumbatteryversionsofthePlusRadioproductscanbesupplied.

Mains Power

MainspoweredTinytagdevicesshouldonlybeusedwithTinytagpowersupplies.

UltraRadiologgersandreceiversshouldonlybeusedwiththeACS-0005powersupplyPlusRadiologgersshouldonlybeusedwiththeACS-0044powersupply

Low Power Warnings

TinytagExplorerConnectdisplaysalowbatteryflashingiconinitsnavigationpanewhenthebatteryvoltageofadeviceisbelowacriticalthreshold.

Batteryvoltageinalkalinepowereddevicescanbetemperaturedependent.Ifusedoutside,onverycoldnights,whenbatteriesstarttogoflatitispossiblethatloggerswillshowalowbatterywarning,butthenrecoverduringthedaywhenthetemperaturerisesagain.Thismaycontinueforseveralweeksbeforethelowbatteryindicatorremainson.

41 2.9 poWer

Lowbatterywarningsarenotincludedinthesystemse-mailalerts.

The Effect of the Mesh Network (Radio Only)

Thebatterylifeofradiologgersistypically12monthsinanaveragesizedradiosystem(whenloggersaresettorecordonthedefaulttenminuteloggingintervaltheyaresuppliedwith).

Theeffectonbatterylifeofthemeshnetworkprimarilydependsonthenumberofradiomessagesthataloggerwillhear.Batterylifewillbeslightlyshorterif:

• Anetworkhasalargenumberofloggers• Loggersaresettorecordatafastlogginginterval• Loggersareclosetoareceiverinalargesystemwheretherearealotofloggersthatarenotindirectcontactwithareceiver.

Battery life will be significantly shorter if the Current Readings feature in Tinytag Explorer is used regularly for long periods.

Interferencefromotherdevicesusingaclosefrequencymayalsohaveanimpactonbatterylife.

422.10TROUBLEShOOTINg

2.10 Troubleshooting

Tinytag Explorer Status Bar Flashes Red (Connect Gateway Status: Not Connected)

TheconnectionbetweenTinytagExplorerandtheConnectgatewayhasbeenbroken.ClickontheStatusBarandpresstheConnectbutton.Thismaybeeitheracomputernetworkconnectionorasoftwareconnectionwithinthesamecomputer.

Ifitcannotconnect,checkthattheConnectgatewayisrunning.Ifitisonanothercomputer,checkthatcomputerisnotturnedoffanditisconnectedtotheLAN.Ifitisrunningonthesamecomputerthenmaybetheservicehasnotstarted,checktheMastergatewaysectionfofthismanualfordetailsonhowtogettheservicerunningagain.

NotethatthisindicatorshowsConnectedassoonasTinytagExplorerhasconnectedtotheConnectgateway.ThisdoesnotindicatethatthegatewayServicehasconnectedtoareceiveroranyloggers.

Firewall Configuration

TinytagExplorerneedstobeabletocommunicatewiththeConnectgateway.TheyconnectusingTCPandUDPwhichallowsthemtorunondifferentcomputers.Thisconnectionwillbeunderthecontrolofanyfirewallrunningonthesecomputers.

TheTinytagExplorerinstallerautomaticallyconfigurestheWindowsfirewalltoallowthisconnection,somostlikelynoactionisnecessary.

Anythirdpartyfirewallwillneedtobeconfiguredtopermitthefollowingconnections:

UDPport3927:forautodetectionTCPport3927:forallothercommunications

Radio

443.1 radio Specification

3.1 Radio Specification

Differentradiofrequenciesareusedfordifferentcountries:

869.8Mhz UsedintheEU.Devicesusingthisfrequencycanbeidentifiedbytheirpartnumberending–A.Olderpartnumberswhichdonothaveasingleletterpartnumbersuffixalsousethisfrequency.

917.8Mhz UsedinAustralia.Devicesusingthisfrequencycanbeidentifiedbytheirpartnumberending-B.

Naturally,partsusingdifferentfrequenciescannotinteroperate.

TheradiousesfSKmodulation,with+/-32khzdeviation.

Thetransmissionpoweris<5mWinEU&<3mWinAustralia.

Typicalrangeinfreespace:

UltraRadio 100mPlusRadio 200m

Thesefrequencieswilleasilypenetratemostinternalorexternalwalls;howevertherangemaybereduced.

Indoorstherangeisquitevariable.Itisusuallyreducedtobetween30%and80%offullrange.howeveritwillsometimesbeincreased,maybeuptodoublethenominalrange,duetoreflectionsoffotherbuildings,steelroofs,etc.Thisvariabilityworkstotheadvantageofthemeshnetworkbecausethemajorityofloggerswillbeabletorelaytheirinformationviatheoneloggerwiththeextra-longrange.

Theradiosystemworkswellbothindoorsandout.Thefrequencieswillusuallypenetratesteel-walledroomstoadegree,throughdoorseals,windows,ventilationetc.Eventhoughtheradiowavescannotpenetrateametalwall(whetherafridge,orcorrugatedironshed),thesignalwillprobablystillgetthroughgapsarounddoorsealsandotheropenings.

Thesefrequenciesareveryslightlyabsorbedbywater.Wetwallsarenotaproblem,butthesignalwillnotgetthrougharoomfilledwithshelvesfulloffruit,forexample.

45 3.2POSITIONINg&MOUNTINg

3.2 Positioning & Mounting

Antenna Orientation

Ideallytheantennashouldbeorientedvertically.Mostoftheenergyisemittedperpendiculartotheantenna.

UltraRadioproductscanbewallmountedorplacedflatonasurface,suchasashelforatabletop.Theyshouldbeorientedasshownbelow,andnotwiththeloggerandantennabothmountedvertically.

Theradioisaffectedbylineofsight.Pleasenotethat“lineofsight”meansthatoftheantenna–notyourlineofsightwhilestandingoveraloggeronthefloor.

463.2POSITIONINg&MOUNTINg

Plus Radio Mounting Points

Theloggercanbewallmountedorplacedonitsbackonaflatsurface,suchasashelf. Thelogger’sback-platehasmountingholes,asshown.

Ultra Radio Mounting Bracket

IfwallmountinganUltraRadiodatalogger,removethetwoindicatedscrewsfromtherearoftheloggerandusethemtoscrewthemountingclipontothebackofthelogger.

Thebrackettoholdtheloggeronawallhastwo3mmdiameterholes,32mmapart.

47 3.3 inStallation

3.3 Installation

Introduction

Thissectiondescribesbestpracticeforinstallingaradiosystem.

Notethatdeviatingfromthisprocesswillnotcauseanysignificantproblems;atworstitmaytakealittlelongerforalltheloggerstoconnecttothesystem.

Receiver First

Thefirststepinsettingupasystemshouldbeplacingthereceiver.Itshouldideallybeinalocationwhereitwillbewithinrangeofasmanyloggersaspossible(anelevatedpositionmayhelp).

ConfigureandstarttheConnectgateway.

CheckusingTinytagExplorerthat:

1.TinytagExplorerhasbeenabletoconnecttothegatewayService,and2.Thereceiverislistinginthenavigationpane.

Ifworkingcorrectly,thereceivershouldbelistinginTinytagExplorerwithinafewminutes.

Doallofthisbeforepoweringupanyloggers.

Nearby Loggers Next

Thefirstloggerstobeswitchedonshouldbethosenearesttothereceiver.

Theseloggersshouldbewithindirectrangeofthereceiver;theyshouldconnectatfullperformancewithinafewminutes.

Whenturningonalogger,donotholditbyitsantenna.Aloggersendsitsfirsttransmissionwithinafewsecondsofswitchingon,andthisshouldprompttheConnectgatewaytostartitsconnectionprocess.Ifyourhandisaroundtheantennathenthisfirsttransmissionmaynotgetthrough.Inthiscase(orifthereceiverdoesnotcatchthisfirsttransmissionforsomeotherreason)theConnectgatewaywillstartconnectingonthenextlogginginterval(which,assupplied,willbeafter10minutes).

483.3 inStallation

Distance Order

Poweruptheremainingloggers,startingwiththoseclosesttothereceiver–thisorderwillminimisethetimenecessaryforthemalltoconnect.

Inmostcasestheseloggersshouldestablishapreliminaryplaceinthemeshandconnectwithinafewminutes,otherwisethefullmeshingprocesswillallowthemtoconnectafter30minutes.

Be Patient

Itcansometimestakeawhileforanetworktoestablishitself.

IfaloggerisnotlistinginTinytagExploreritmaybetemptingtorebootitormoveittoanotherlocation.Ratherthanhelping,doingthismayactuallyslowtheconnectionofthelogger;itisbettertobepatientandgivethesystemsometime.

Ifaloggerhasn’tsignedinafteracoupleofhours,thatwouldbethetimetotryrebootingtheunitormovingittoanotherlocation.

Transplanting a Network to a New Location

Ifmovingacompletenetworktoanewlocation,thefollowingstepsshouldbecarriedout:

• Settheloggerstoa2minuteloggingintervaltospeeduptheconnectionprocess(thiscanbeadjustedtoalongerloggingintervaloncethesystemhasconfigureditselfinitsnewlocation).

• Assumingtheexistingdataisnolongerrequired;cleartheloggersofhistoricaldatabeforeturningthemoff(thismeansthesystemwon’tbetryingtodownloadolddatawhilsttryingtoconfigureitself).

• Powerdownalldevices(includingreceivers)beforestartingoverinthenewlocation,asdetailedpreviously.

49 3.4SYSTEMCONfIgURATIONS

3.4 System Configurations

Mesh Network

Alldevicesinaradiosystemparticipateinameshnetwork.

Meshnetworksareideallysuitedtodataloggingbecausetheyhavethefollowingcharacteristics:

1.Robustness.Themeshnetworkallowsinformationtoberoutedaroundobstacles.forexampleavanparkedinfrontofadataloggerwillnotcauseaproblem,becausethatloggerwillbeabletotransmititsinformationtothereceiverviaanotherdevice.Themeshwilladapttomovingobstacles–itisself-healing.

2.Lowset-upcosts.Ingeneralitispossibletodeployloggersinanapplicationandthey“justwork”.Thesystemwillbeabletoautomaticallyestablishameshwhichconnectsalldevices.Thisavoidsthe“radiosurvey”stepwhichisnecessaryforpoint-to-pointradiolinks.

Tinytag Radio System Components Key

LOCAL RECORDING

NE

TWO

RK

OBSTACLE

TinytagRadio Logger

TinytagReceiver

TinytagConnect Gateway

TinytagExplorer Connect

Obstacle

Communication Route

AlternativeCommunication Route

Out of Range

503.4SYSTEMCONfIgURATIONS

SeveraladvantagesareuniquetotheTinytagRadiomeshnetwork:

1.Alldevicesarecapableofmeshing.Somemeshnetworksystemsfromothervendorsdifferentiatebetween“meshroutinghubs”(whichareoftenmainspowered,andmayneedtobeplacedwithsomecare)andnon-meshing“transmitters”.TheTinytagsolutionismorerobustbecausehavingalargernumberofmesh-capabledeviceswillallowittoformamoreeffectivemesh.Thenumberofredundantroutingoptionsisakeyparameterthatwillbediscussedlater.

2.Alldevicescanbereconfiguredremotely.Thisispossiblebecausealldevices“listen”acrossthemeshnetwork.

3.Alldevicesareloggers,anddatawillnotbelostduetomomentaryinterruptionstothemeshnetwork(avandrivinginfrontofthelogger)ortemporaryinterruptions(avanisparkedinfrontoftheloggerovernight).Thiscapabilityalsoreliesondevicesbeingableto“listen”acrossthemesh,becausethatenablestheConnectgatewaytorequestretransmissions.

51 3.5RECEIvERCONfIgURATIONS

3.5 Receiver Configurations

Mostinstallationwillonlyneedtheonereceiver,butinsomecasesmultiplereceiversmightbeabenefit.

Receiverscanbeconnecteddirectlytothecomputerrunningeithertypeofgatewayintwoways;eitheracrossanetwork,usinganEthernetconnectedreceiver,ordirectly,usingaUSBcable.

ThedefaultconfigurationoftheConnectgatewaywillautomaticallyscanallcomportstofindanyreceiversattachedtothesystem,butifEthernetreceiversarebeinguseditisbesttospecifythesemanually.

Multiple Receivers

Multiplereceiverscanprovide:

Redundancy Theradiosystemwillcontinuetofunctionifonereceiverfails.

Range Consideraradiosystemcoveringtwowarehouses,buttheradiolinkbetweeneachwarehouseisunreliablewhenalldoorsareclosedovernight.Itmaybeappropriatetolocateonereceiverineachwarehouse.

Capacity havingmultiplereceiverscanimprovecapacitybecausetheycansharetraffic.Itisbettertolocatethetworeceiversatoppositeendsofalargewarehousecontainingmanyradiodevices.Eachradiologgerwillfindameshtoitsnearestreceiver.forthistrafficsharingtooccur,theymustnotbewithinradiorangeofeachother.Ifthetworeceiversinthewarehousewereadjacentthentheywouldbothhearalltraffic.

523.5RECEIvERCONfIgURATIONS

Receiver Configurations

ThereisaminordifferencetothebehaviourofareceiverdependingonwhetheritisconnectedtoMasterorSlavegateway.AreceiverthatlosescontactwiththeMastergateway(maybebecausethecomputerhasshutdown)willcontinuetomaintainthemeshnetworkcentredonthatreceiver.ThisensuresthatthemeshisreadyforuseassoonasthecomputerrunningtheConnectgatewayreboots.

AreceiverthatlosescontactwithaSlavegatewaywillceasetomaintainitslocalmesh,andotherradiodeviceswillswitchovertoanotherreceiverwithinanhour.

NETWORK (FEEDS INFO BACK TO MASTER RECEIVER)

NETWORK (FEEDS INFO BACK TO MASTER RECEIVER)

53 3.6MEShNETWORKBEhAvIOUR

3.6 Mesh Network Behaviour

Switching On a Device

Whenadeviceisfirstswitchedonitwillsendnewmeasurementsdownstreamassoonasithasanyradiocontactwithanotherdevice.Ifthereisameshestablishedthisshouldhappenwithinafewminutes.WhentheConnectgatewayseesthefirstofthesemeasurementsitknowsthatthenewloggerexists.Atthispointitshouldquicklydeterminetheidentityofthelogger,andbegincollatingmeasurementsandrequestingretransmissionsifanymeasurementsarelost.

Moving a Device

Whenadeviceismovedfromoneplaceinthemeshtoanotheritmaytakebetween30and60minutestoworkoutitsnewplaceinthemesh.Thismeshingprocessworksona30minutecycle.Afterbeingmovedtheloggermaynotfullyadaptuntilafteronewholecycle.

Starting the Connect Gateway

WhentheConnectgatewayisfirststarteditneedstowaitforapacketofdatatoarrivefromeachloggerbeforeitknowswhichloggersarepresentinthemesh.Thisisanotherprocesswhichwilltakeuptooneloggingintervalforeachlogger.Anexceptionisloggerswhichhadpreviouslyestablishedadirectconnectiontothereceiver(thatis,notviaanyothermeshdevices)withinthelast4days.Itwillprobetheseloggersimmediatelytoseeiftheystillexistwithindirectrange.Thisagainassumesthatthereisawell-establishedmesh;inparticular,thatthereceiverisnotjustbeingswitchedonatthesametime.

Switching On the Receiver

Receiversneedtofindtheirplaceinthemeshexactlylikealogger.Thisaddsanextra30minutesontothe“StartingtheConnectgateway”scenario.IftheConnectgatewayisbeingshutdown,possiblyovernight,itisdesirabletoavoidthisdelaybyleavingthereceiverrunning.

Redundant Routing

Thebestwaytoensurereliablecommunicationsistoprovideredundantroutingoptions.Everydeviceshouldhaveatleasttwootherdevicesinfrontofit,butpreferablymore.veryoftenaradiodevicewillfindthatanindividualpacketisnotbeingreceivedbyitschosendownstreamneighbour,eitherduetoamomentaryobstacleormomentaryradiointerference.Tinytagradiomeshdevicescanrespondtothisveryquicklybyimmediatelyswitchingtothesecondbestdownstreamroute.Itisnotaproblemevenifthisisasidewayshop–theinformationstillgetsthroughwithafewsecondsdelay.Inthiswaythemeshisconstantlyadaptingtochangingradiointerferencepatternstoensurereliabledelivery.howeverthisstrategyonlyworksifeverynodehasatleasttwopossibledevicesinfrontofit.Adevicewithonlyonepossiblerouteisverymuchmorefragile.Inmostcasesthisredundancyiseasytoachieve–justscatterplentyofloggerswithinthemeasurementarea,andlocatethereceiversothatitiswithinrangeofplentyofloggers.

543.6MEShNETWORKBEhAvIOUR

(a)good–plentyofredundantroutingoptionsforalldevices.

(b)Notgood–theredloggerhasonlyoneplacetosenditsdata,soeverythingupstreamofthere(totheright)willnotbereliable.

55 3.6MEShNETWORKBEhAvIOUR

(c)Modifyingthepositionoftheredlogger,soithasmorethanoneplacetosenditsdata,willimprovetherangeandthereforethereliabilityofthecommunications.

Insomecasesitcanbebeneficialtoaddormoveadevicetoimproveredundancy:

1.Ifthereisaradiorestriction,forexampleanarrowdoorwaythroughathicksteelwall,thenitisgoodtohaveapairofdevicesoneithersideofthedoorway(betterthanjustasingledeviceoneitherside).

563.6MEShNETWORKBEhAvIOUR

Thenetworkisaffectedbythenumberofredundantroutingoptions(thenumberofpeerloggerswithinrangeofeachother):

Repeaters

Repeatersarenotgenerallyrequiredbecauseofthewaythemeshnetworkhandlesdata.

Insomeapplications,however,wheredistanceorobstaclesmakearepeaternecessary(eithertogaindistanceorimprovetherobustnessofthemesh)anextradataloggercanbeusedtorelaydata.

Number of Peer Loggers Within Range Effect

1 Asinglepointoffailure.Notideal.

2-3 Ameshwithalternativeroutes.good.

4-15 Adensemesh.Ideal.

15-20 Morepeersthanitneeds.Couldreduce rangetoincreasebatterylife,butprobably notworthit.

20+ Reducingrange(byadjustingsensitivity, thentransmitpower)willincreasebattery life,andcanhelpifthesystemwillnotform arobustmeshautomatically.

2.Insomecasesitisnotpossibletoprovideacleanradiopathforloggersthatarephysicallyclosetoeachother,perhapsbecausetheyareatgroundlevelonanundulatingground.Inthiscaseitmaybepossibletoelevateasmallfractionoftheloggerssothattheycanoverlooktheothers.Themajorityofloggerswillneedtorelayviatheelevatedminority.Ifitisnotpossibletomovetheloggerinthisway,itmaybepossibletoinstallanextraloggertoactasarepeater.Thenetworkisaffectedbythenumberofredundantroutingoptions(thenumberofpeerloggerswithinrangeofeachother):

57 3.7 radio configuration

3.7 Radio Configuration

Adjusting the Radio Range

ThissectiondetailshowtheRadioRangecanbeadjustedforeachloggerinthemeshnetworkbychangingthevaluesoftheparametersintheRadioConfigurationprogram.Reducingtheradiorangecanbebeneficialwhenthereare20ormoreloggerswithinrangeofeachother,asthissituationcanmakethemeshnetworklessrobust.

Inmostcasestheseparametersdonotneedtobeadjusted,andincorrectconfigurationmayadverselyaffecttheperformanceofyourradionetwork.WethereforeadvisethatyouonlyusethisfeaturefollowingtheadviceofTinytagTechnicalSupport.

Receive Sensitivity

TheprimaryparametertoaffectradioperformanceisReceiveSensitivity.Thisparameteradjuststhethresholdatwhichthereceiverwilldecodeareceiversignal,relativetoabaselinethresholdof9dBabovethenoisefloor.

ThedefaultvalueforthisparameteriszerodB,andmaybeadjustedbetween-6dBand+6dB.

Inthedefaultconfiguration,radiorangeistypically200mforPlusRadioproductsand100mforUltraRadioproducts.

Radiorangemaybereducedbyreducingthesensitivity:

Change in dB Radio Range 0dB 100%ofrange-3dB ~75%ofrange-6dB ~50%ofrange

583.7 radio configuration

Reducingtherangeinthiswaywillhaveaneffectonthemeshnetworkconnectionsestablishedbytheloggers.Insomecircumstancesthemeshcanbelessrobustforloggerswhicharewithinrangeofmorethan20otherloggers.

Reducingtherangecanalsoincreasebatterylifetime.Itispossibletoreducethetotalamountofradiotrafficprocessedbyonedevice,byallowingittoignoreirrelevantdistanttraffic.however,thismayalsohavetheoppositeeffect,ifitresultsinincreasingthenumberofhopsrequiredfordatatoreachthereceiver.

Theradiorangemaybeincreasedbyincreasingthesensitivity:

Change in dB Radio Range0dB 100%ofrange+3dB ~130%ofrange+6dB ~180%ofrange

Sensitivityvaluesabove0dBwilladverselyaffectthepowerconsumptionofadevice.

Thehighersensitivitymeansthatitislessabletodistinguishbetweengoodsignalsandbackgroundnoise,andwillspendextrabatterypowerdecodingspurioussignals.

foradevicewithamainspowersupplythismaynotbeaproblem.

Notethatthisfigureisatypicalmeasurement,andnotaguaranteedminimum.Itmaybeaffectedbymanyfactorsincludingthesurroundingphysicalenvironment(buildings,equipment,etc.)orotherlocalradiotransmitters.

Transmit Power

Theradiorangecanalsobeadjustedbychangingthetransmitpower.Thedefaultconfigurationisfordevicestotransmitattheirmaximumpower.Ifyouwishtoreducetherangeofaloggerthetransmitpowermaybereducedinstepswiththeslidercontrol.Minimumpowerwillresultinarangeoftypically10%ofnormal.Ingeneralitispreferabletoreducesensitivitybeforereducingthetransmitpowerinordertoreducetheradiorange.Thisensuresthesignaltonoiseratioismaximised.

Very Slow Logging Intervals

Someoftheconnectiontimingsabovedependonthelogginginterval.TheloggingintervalaffectsthetimetakenforaloggertoconnecttotheConnectgateway,becausethatservicewillnormallyonlydiscoverthataloggerispresentwhenittransmitsameasurement.

Otherinformationwhichcanalsotriggerthisconnectionprocessistransmittedhourly;thereforeloggerswithveryslowloggingintervalswillstillconnectwithoutunreasonabledelay.

59 3.7 radio configuration

Very Fast Logging Intervals

Normallyloggerswilltransmiteverymeasurementasitistaken.Iftheloggingintervalisfasterthan2minutesthenmultiplemeasurementsaresentinaburst.Thisbatchingprocessavoidsradiocongestion,andmaximisescapacity.

TheReplicationTimebaseParametercanbechangedtoadjusttheintervalbetweenmeasurementtransmissions.AdataloggerwillnottransmitmeasurementsmorefrequentlythanbetweenoneandtwomultiplesoftheReplicationTimebase.

Thedefaultvalueforthisparameterisoneminute.

NotethatthisparameterisdifferentfromtheMeasurementInterval,whichcanbecontrolledusingTinytagExplorerandistypicallysetto10minutes.Undernormalcircumstances,measurementsaretransmittedassoonastheyaretaken,andarriveonthecomputersystemalmostimmediately.

TheReplicationTimebaseParametermaybeincreasedtosavebatterypower,attheexpenseoflessfrequentmeasurementupdatesontothecomputersystem.

forexample,iftheMeasurementIntervalis10minutes,andtheReplicationTimebaseis30minutes,theradiodataloggerwillrecordbetweenthreeandsixmeasurements(30to60minutes)beforetransmittingthemallbacktothecomputersystem.

Thissavesbatterypowerduetoreducedtransmissionoverheads.

603.8 led flaSh patternS

3.8 LED Flash Patterns

WiththeexceptionoftheEthernetradioreceiver,TinytagRadiologgersandreceivershaveasingleLEDindicatorthatshowsthecurrentstatusoftheunit:

Action LED Status/Operation

n/a NoIndicators Deviceispoweredoff

n/a Redflashevery4 Thedeviceispoweredon seconds andhasaproblem. Either: a)BatteryisLow. b)Devicehasnotyet establisheditsplaceinthe meshnetwork. c)Analarmindicatoris signalled.

Checkthenatureofthe problemusingTinytag Explorer.

n/a greenflashevery4seconds Thedeviceispoweredon, anddoesnothaveany problems.

Pressandbrieflyholdthe greenindicatorshowsforone Thedevicehasbeenon/offswitch. second.Itthenbrieflyflashes switchedon. greenthenred.

Pressandholdtheon/off Redindicatorshowsforone Thedevicehasbeenswitchfor3seconds. second. switchedoff.

LEDflashpatternsfortheEthernetReceivercanbefoundinsection4.3

Ethernet/LAN

624.1MOUNTINgPOINTS

4.1 Mounting Points

LANloggerscanbewallmountedorplacedonitsbackonaflatsurface,suchasashelf. Thelogger’sback-platehasmountingholes,asshown.

63 4.2ALARMS

4.2 Alarms

Introduction

InadditiontothestatusLEDonthefrontofthelogger(seesection4.3,LEDflashPatterns),LANdataloggershaveabuilt-insounderandanexternalconnectionthatchangesstatewhenthelogger’salarmsareactive.

TheexternalconnectioncanbeusedtotriggerdevicessuchasanSMSDiallerorapurposebuiltindicator(lightand/orsoundetc.).

Theexternalconnectioncanalsosupplypowertoexternaldevices.

Anactivealarmcanbemutedbypressingthebuttononthefrontofthelogger.

Notethatmutingtheinternalalarmsounderwillalsoturnofftheexternalconnection.Ifrequired,theconnectionshouldbeheldon(latched)byexternalequipmentuntilitisexplicitlyacknowledged.MutingthealarmattheloggerdoesnotacknowledgeorswitchofthealarminTinytagExplorerConnect.

Cable Wiring

Anoutputcablefortheexternalconnectionisavailable,partnumberCAB-0042.Thisisaplugwitha1.5mcablewithstrippedends,readyforwiringintoaterminalblock.Connectioninformationisasfollows:

Alarm Output Connections

Power Output

Thepoweroutputisregulatedat11·5v±0.5vfromthePoEsupply.TheoutputvoltagewillthereforeturnoffifthePoEsupplyfails.

Example Usage

Notethatifonly2coresareused,theunusedcoremustbeinsulated.

Colour Name Function

Brown Power DCpowersupplyfromthelogger(seebelowfordetails)

green ground Power-supplyreference(0v)andalarmsignalreturn

White Signal AlarmIndication(open-drain,pulledtogroundwhenanalarmis active,otherwiseopen-circuit).Thisoutputwillcontinuetochange state,intheeventofanalarm,shouldthePoEsupplytotheloggerfail.

644.2ALARMS

Indicator Wireanindicator(soundand/orlight)betweenPower(brown)andSignal(white).Theindicatormusthaveasuitablesupplyvoltagerating.

SMS Dialler WireSignal(white)toanactive-lowinputandground(green)tothegroundreference.Polarityisimportant!Iftheinputdoesnothaveapull-upthenoneshouldbeprovidedbetweenSignal(white)andPower(brown).Apull-upresistancebetween1kΩand10kΩissuggested.

WARNING

THE CABLE AND CONNECTOR MUST NOT BE CONNECTED TO ANY VOLTAGE MORE THAN 50V AWAY FROM EARTH POTENTIAL, INCLUDING MAINS VOLTAGES!

Maximumcurrentthroughanypin=200mAMaximumvoltageontheSignaloutput(relativetoground)=30v

Protection

BoththePower(brown)andSignal(white)outputsareprotectedwitha350mA(nominal)self-resettingfuseandaclampingdiode(TvS).

Thefuseswillenterahigh-resistancestateifself-heatingfromthecurrentpassingthroughthemcausesheatingaboveathreshold.Oncethefaultisremovedthefusewillcooldownanditsresistancewillfall(toaround1Ω).Thecurrentatwhichthefusewill‘blow’variesaccordingtotheambienttemperature.Athightemperatures(70°C)itwillpassatleast200mA;atlowtemperaturesitmaypassconsiderablymore(upto0.5A).

TheswitchingfETontheopen-drainoutputwillswitch30v.Its‘On’resistanceislessthan0.5Ω.

65 4.3 led flaSh patternS

4.3 LED Flash Patterns

EthernetRadioReceiversandLANdataloggershavetwostatusLEDs;onetoshowthestatusofthedevice’sEthernetconnection(yellow/blue)andthesecondtoshowthestatusoftheunit(green/red).

Action LED Status/Operation

n/a NoIndicators Deviceispoweredoff

n/a Redflashevery4 Thedeviceispoweredon seconds andhasaproblem. Either: a)BatteryisLow. b)Analarmindicatoris signalled.

Checkthenatureofthe problemusingTinytag Explorer.

n/a greenflashevery4seconds Thedeviceispoweredon, anddoesnothaveany problems.

Pressandbrieflyholdthe greenindicatorshowsforone Thedevicehasbeenmutebutton. second.Itthenbrieflyflashes switchedon. greenthenred.

Pressandholdthemute Redindicatorshowsforone Thedevicehasbeenbuttonfor3seconds. second. switchedoff.

n/a Yellowindicatoronconstantly Thedeviceisbeing poweredfromitsEthernet connection,butno communicationshavebeen established.

n/a Blue(flickering) Ethernetcommunications areestablishedand on-going

NotethattheyellowandblueLEDscannotbeonatthesametime.IftheblueLEDison(orflickering)thenPoEpowermustbeavailable.

66appendix

Appendix

a) System Requirements

Tinytag Connect Gateway Service

ThesystemrequirementsforrunningtheTinytagConnectgatewayServiceareshownbelow.

NotethatadditionalrequirementsapplyifyouarerunningTinytagExplorerConnectonthesamecomputer(seebelow).

Operating System: Windows7,8,8.1or10(x86andx64bitsversions)Processor:200MhzPentiumIIIprocessororbetterMemory: 512MbHard Disk Space: Atleast30Mbforprograms,allowupto100MbfordataMonitor for installation: Minimum256colours,resolution800x600

TherequirementsforrunningtheConnectgatewayonanexistingserverareshownbelow.

CPU time: NegligibleMemory: 20MbHard Disk Space: Typically30Mbforprograms,allowupto100Mbfordata.

TheservicestoresasmallamountofconfigurationinformationintheWindowsRegistry,in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Tinytag/Kola

Cachedmeasurementdataanddiagnosticlogsarestoredin

C:\Program Files\Tinytag\Tinytag Explorer\var\

Theselocationsshouldideallybeincludedinanyregularbackup,whichcanbesafelytakenwhiletheserviceisrunning.

Tinytag Explorer Connect

TinytagExplorerConnectrequiresaPCwiththefollowingspecification:

Operating System: Windows7,8,8.1&10(x86&x64versions)Browser:InternetExplorer8(orabove);firefoxorgoogleChrome.Processor: 200MhzPentiumIIIprocessororbetter(1.6ghzrecommended).Memory:512Mb(1024MbrecommendedforWindows7&above).Hard Disk Space: Atleast30Mbavailableharddiskspace(120Mbrecommended).Monitor: Minimum256colours,800x600resolutionorgreaterrecommended.

67 appendix

TherecommendedoptionsaboveshouldgivetheuserampleperformancetorunotherapplicationsatthesametimeasTinytagExplorerConnect. b) Software Licence

TinytagExplorerissuppliedunderasitelicencewhichmeansthatitcanbeinstalledonasmanycomputersasthecustomerwishesatagivenlocation(additionalcopiesofthesoftwarearerequiredforeachadditionalsitethesoftwareisusedat).

Toviewthefullsoftwarelicence,pleasevisitourwebsitehere:

http://www.tinytag.info/software

c) Regulatory Compliance

forthespecificstandardsourradio&Ethernet/LANproductscomplywith,pleaseseeindividualproductdatasheets.

Changesormodificationsnotexpresslyapprovedbythemanufacturercouldvoidtheuser’sauthoritytooperatetheequipment. d) Approvals

geminiDataLoggers(UK)Ltd.operatesaBusinessManagementSystemwhichconformstoISO9001andISO14001. e) Further Information

furtherinformationonTinytagproducts,includingdatasheetsandmanuals,canbefoundonourwebsiteat:

www.tinytag.info

Ifyoushouldhaveanyfurtherquestions,pleasecontactyoursupplieror:

Gemini Technical Support

t:+44(0)1243813009e:help@tinytag.info

Gemini Data Loggers (UK) LtdScientific House, Terminus Road,Chichester, West Sussex,PO19 8UJ,T: +44 (0)1243 813000E: info@tinytag.infowww.tinytag.info

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