Mantracourt X24 User manual

X24 ATEX/IECEx Telemetry User Manual

mantracourt.com

X24

Wireless ATEX/IECEx Telemetry

This user manual should be used in conjunction with the T24 Telemetry User Manual

MICRON METERS

www.micronmeters.com

[email protected]

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Introduction / Overview.............................................................................................................................................4

Navigating This Manual .............................................................................................................................................4

Product Quick Locator................................................................................................................................................4

X24 and T24 Telemetry Basic Principles ..................................................................................................................5

Transmitters & Receivers.........................................................................................................................................................................5

Transmitters..............................................................................................................................................................................................5

Receivers....................................................................................................................................................................................................5

Radio Channel and Group Key ..............................................................................................................................................................5

Radio Channel .........................................................................................................................................................................................5

Group Key..................................................................................................................................................................................................5

Configuring Multiple Modules to Use the Same Radio Settings.............................................................................................6

ID and Data Tags.........................................................................................................................................................................................6

Transmitter Module Modes of Operation.........................................................................................................................................6

Operational (Low Power Mode) .......................................................................................................................................................6

Operational (Non Low Power Mode) .............................................................................................................................................6

Configuration...........................................................................................................................................................................................6

Sleep............................................................................................................................................................................................................6

Transmitter Module Sleep Delay Settings.........................................................................................................................................7

Pairing .............................................................................................................................................................................................................7

Pairing From T24 Toolkit .....................................................................................................................................................................7

Pairing From a Receiver Module ......................................................................................................................................................7

Soft Pairing....................................................................................................................................................................................................8

Configuring an Attached Base Station ...............................................................................................................................................8

Asynchronous Operation and Logging..............................................................................................................................................8

Bandwidth......................................................................................................................................................................................................9

Repeaters and Repeater Subgroups ...................................................................................................................................................9

T24 Toolkit ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Common Toolkit Pages ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Setup Base Station Communications............................................................................................................................................... 11

Analyser ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Channel Monitor ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Home ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

Connecting to a remote module................................................................................................................................................... 15

Connecting to the attached base station module ................................................................................................................. 16

Manual Connection ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16

Information................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

Battery and Radio Levels.......................................................................................................................................................................18

Battery and Radio Levels Advanced ................................................................................................................................................. 19

Radio Settings ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Radio Settings Advanced...................................................................................................................................................................... 21

Save and Restore ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Transmitter Modules ............................................................................................................................................... 23

X24-ACMi-SA, X24-SAe, X24-SAi....................................................................................................................................................... 23

Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

Order Codes .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

X24-SAe.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

T24-ACMi-SA.................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Connections........................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

X24-SAe, X24-SAi............................................................................................................................................................................ 24

Power.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Sensor............................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

X24-ACMi-SA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Power.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Sensor............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Data Rates and Quality.................................................................................................................................................................26

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Calibration ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Calibration by Certificate............................................................................................................................................................. 30

Calibration Advanced.................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Advanced Settings.......................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Enclosure & Mounting...................................................................................................................................................................... 33

X24-SAe, X24-SAi............................................................................................................................................................................ 33

X24-ACMi-SA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 33

Antennas................................................................................................................................................................................................. 33

X24-ACMi-SA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 33

Specification.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34

Radio Range...................................................................................................................................................................................... 34

Receiver Modules ..................................................................................................................................................... 35

X24-HD......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35

X24-HD........................................................................................................................................................................................... 35

Power.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 35

Quick Start.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 36

Connecting Power.......................................................................................................................................................................... 36

X24-HD........................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Transmitter Module .................................................................................................................................................................. 36

Viewing Transmitter Data............................................................................................................................................................ 36

Operation........................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Keys ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37

Indicators....................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Errors............................................................................................................................................................................................... 38

Modes of Operation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39

No List Entered (Default)......................................................................................................................................................... 39

List Entered................................................................................................................................................................................... 39

List Entered Plus Summing Groups ....................................................................................................................................39

Global Settings ................................................................................................................................................................................40

Configure Inputs ............................................................................................................................................................................. 42

No Defined Transmitters......................................................................................................................................................... 42

Defined Transmitters ................................................................................................................................................................ 44

General Tab.............................................................................................................................................................................. 44

Zero Tab.................................................................................................................................................................................... 46

Scaling Tab............................................................................................................................................................................... 48

Group Membership Tab...................................................................................................................................................... 49

Summing Groups ....................................................................................................................................................................... 50

General Tab.............................................................................................................................................................................. 50

Zero Tab.................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Scaling Tab............................................................................................................................................................................... 54

Members Tab..........................................................................................................................................................................56

Example Configuration Scenarios ............................................................................................................................................ 57

Examples Using No Defined Transmitter List (Roaming Mode).............................................................................. 57

Long Bridge ............................................................................................................................................................................. 57

Brewery...................................................................................................................................................................................... 57

Example of Defined Transmitter List .................................................................................................................................. 57

Single Transmitter ................................................................................................................................................................. 57

Multiple Transmitters........................................................................................................................................................... 57

Example of Summing Groups ............................................................................................................................................... 57

Alternative Units .................................................................................................................................................................... 57

Grouping Sums....................................................................................................................................................................... 58

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Enclosure & Mounting...................................................................................................................................................................... 60

Radio Range...................................................................................................................................................................................... 61

Appendices................................................................................................................................................................ 62

Appendix A - Enclosures....................................................................................................................................................................... 62

OEM Transmitter Modules............................................................................................................................................................... 62

Dimensions........................................................................................................................................................................................ 62

Opening the Case........................................................................................................................................................................... 62

Mounting Information.................................................................................................................................................................. 62

Antenna Position............................................................................................................................................................................. 63

Environmental Protection............................................................................................................................................................ 63

ACMi Type.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 64

Dimensions........................................................................................................................................................................................ 64

Opening the Case........................................................................................................................................................................... 64

Mounting Information.................................................................................................................................................................. 64

Antenna Position............................................................................................................................................................................. 65

Environmental Protection............................................................................................................................................................ 65

Handheld Type..................................................................................................................................................................................... 66

Dimensions........................................................................................................................................................................................ 66

Opening the Case........................................................................................................................................................................... 66

Mounting Information.................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Antenna Position............................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Environmental Protection............................................................................................................................................................ 67

Appendix B - Antennas..........................................................................................................................................................................68

T24-ANTA............................................................................................................................................................................................... 69

Mounting ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 69

Specification ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 69

Antenna Range..................................................................................................................................................................................... 70

Appendix C - Radio Specification...................................................................................................................................................... 71

Appendix D –CE, FCC and IC Approval Statements.................................................................................................................. 72

CE............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 72

IC................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 73

FCC............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 74

Appendix E - OEM / Reseller Marking and Documentation Requirements .....................................................................75

Appendix F - Worldwide Regional Approvals .............................................................................................................................. 78

Important Note .................................................................................................................................................................................... 78

Appendix G –ATEX & IEC..................................................................................................................................................................... 79

Declarations and Attestations of Conformity........................................................................................................................... 79

ATEX Examination Certificates ....................................................................................................................................................... 80

X24-SAe, X24-SAi............................................................................................................................................................................ 80

X24-ACMi-SA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 83

X24-HD ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 85

IEX Ex Certificates of Conformity .................................................................................................................................................. 87

X24-SAe, X24-Sai ............................................................................................................................................................................ 88

X24-ACMi-SA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 89

X24-HD ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 90

Appendix H - Warranty.......................................................................................................................................................................... 91

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Introduction / Overview

The X24 Telemetry range of products are ATEX and IECEx approved members of the larger T24 Telemetry product

range. Systems can be put together using X24 in the hazardous areas and T24 in safe areas as required.

The radios operate on the licence free 2.4 GHz band and are approved for FCC, IC and European use.

The flexible transmission rates and low power usage allows for long battery/cell life for remote modules.

Free Toolkit software provides simplified configuration of modules and other free software provides logging and

visualisation functionality for Windows PCs.

When using X24 products you will also need to refer to the T24 Telemetry User Manual and also be aware that

X24 products are configured using the T24 Toolkit software in conjunction with a T24 base station.

Navigating This Manual

When viewing this PDF manual the following tips will help you navigate.

Viewing bookmarks ( or ) to the left of the page, in the PDF viewer, will allow easy navigation to the relevant

chapters of this manual. Alt-left arrow is a useful shortcut back to the last page viewed after a hyperlink is clicked.

Hyperlinks are coloured yellow and are underlined.

Product Quick Locator

This section allows you to locate your product quickly to navigate to the correct section of the manual.

Strain Input

X24-ACMi-SA

X24-SAe

Receivers

X24-HD

T24 modules cannot be used in hazardous areas!

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

X24 and T24 Telemetry Basic Principles

There are some basic radio settings and concepts that should be understood to effectively configure, deploy,

optimise and troubleshoot X24 and T24 telemetry systems.

Transmitters & Receivers

Although all of the X24 modules are in fact transceivers and transmit as well as receive, they tend to mainly

operate as either a transmitter or receiver so we will choose to describe them as Transmitters and Receivers.

The X24 system was designed so that Transmitters are configured to send out messages at a user defined rate.

Receivers can then use this data to analyse, display or perform other actions depending on their function.

A PC and base station are only required to configure the modules although they may be part of a data collection

system. Once configured the X24 modules operate autonomously and only minimal control over the Transmitter

modules is usually required, by Receiver modules, such as sleeping or waking.

Transmitters

These are the sensor modules that measure inputs, such as strain, and send messages containing the sensor value

and status information at regular intervals for use by Receiver modules or for delivering to a PC via a base station.

Because these modules need to be very power efficient to operate on batteries they operate in three distinct

modes. See Transmitter Module Modes of Operation later.

Receivers

These modules use messages provided by Transmitters and have functionality such as handheld displays, large

displays, analogue outputs and relay modules. These modules may also offer control over Transmitter modules

such as sleeping or waking. X24 currently has only one Receiver in the range (The X24-HD handheld display) but

the X24 Transmitters can be used with any of the T24 Receivers.

Radio Channel and Group Key

To be able to communicate, two radio modules must share some basic settings. There are ways to learn these and

to recover unknown settings and these are discussed later in the pairing section.

Radio Channel

This is the frequency that the radio operates on. Radio bandwidth is divided into 15 channels. Modules must be

on the same channel to be able to transfer messages.

Group Key

Group keys are a way of isolating groups of modules even if they are operating on the same radio channel. This

can improve efficiency and also offer security because no radio module can affect another or see their messages

unless they share the same group key.

A group key is defined by the user and is up to 15 alphanumeric characters.

Group keys were introduced in v3.0 radio firmware in March 2015. New radio modules will work with older radio

modules but group keys cannot be used.

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Configuring Multiple Modules to Use the Same Radio Settings

Please note that when you pair to a remote module the base station adopts the radio channel and group key of

the remote module.

To set the group key for a set of remote modules you can either:

Pair to each one in turn and set their radio channel and group key.

Configure the base station by holding the shift key and clicking the Pair button on the Home page. Then

configure the base station to the required radio settings then use the tool on the radio settings advanced

page to pair to each module in the set to configure their radio settings to match the base station.

ID and Data Tags

To configure a module its ID is used in communications. This is a unique 6 character identifier, such as FF1234,

which is allocated at the factory. This ID is hexadecimal so can consist of numbers 0-9 and letters A-F.

If a module is a Transmitter it sends messages without broadcasting its ID. It identifies messages by using a Data

Tag. This tag is a 4 character hexadecimal number and can be configured by the user. When modules leave the

factory this data tag is set to the last 4 characters of its ID.

When Receiver modules or software want to use messages sent by Transmitter modules they identify the

message they want by this Data Tag.

The reason Transmitter module messages are identified by a Data Tag rather than the unique ID is that this allows

replacement of a Transmitter module without having to reconfigure the many Receiver modules that may be

using its messages. It is only necessary to configure the replacement Transmitter module with the same data tag,

radio channel and group key and the rest of the system will not notice the difference.

Transmitter Module Modes of Operation

Operational (Low Power Mode)

Normal mode involves taking a reading and sending a message then entering into a very low power state before

taking the next reading to maximise battery life.

Because it is not possible to communicate with the Transmitter module during this low power state a

‘Configuration’ mode is required.

Operational (Non Low Power Mode)

If battery life is not an issue, modules are externally powered or transmission rates are so high that low power

mode is not available then the modules do not enter a low power state between transmissions.

Configuration

Configuration mode forces the modules to pause in sending their messages and to disable their low power state

to enable configuration to take place. This is easily achieved by ‘Pairing’ when using the T24 Toolkit software.

Once configuration is complete the modules will resume their ‘normal’ mode operation.

Sleep

The last mode is sleep. Modules can be sent to sleep by other modules or they can go to sleep themselves when

their messages are no longer being used. See Sleep Delay Settings later.

When sleeping, the modules can be awakened on demand by other modules or software via the base station.

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Transmitter Module Sleep Delay Settings

Transmitter modules have a Sleep Delay setting (set in seconds) which allows the modules to go into Sleep mode

when their data messages are no longer required. This allows much longer battery life to be achieved.

Setting Sleep Delay to zero disables this function in the Transmitter modules and they will only go into Sleep

mode when told to do so.

Most Receiver modules and T24 software send Stay Awake messages when they see messages arrive from

Transmitter modules. In the Transmitter modules, if the Sleep Delay time period has elapsed without a Stay

Awake message arriving then the module will enter Sleep mode.

Usually the Stay Awake messages are sent every 5 seconds so Sleep Delays should be set to at least 10 seconds

but can be set to anything up to an hour for situations where the Receiver is likely to be out of range for periods

of time but where the Transmitter module is required to stay awake and in normal operational mode during that

time. It is usual that Sleep Delays are set somewhere between 30 and 300 seconds when required.

Pairing

Because you need to know the radio settings configured in a module to be able to configure it, and there are no

visible clues to what those settings may be, there is a feature used by X24 and T24 modules that enable the radio

settings (i.e. the radio channel and the group key) to be determined and matched between two modules.

Pairing is only required to determine and match radio settings and optionally to put X24 Transmitter modules in

configuration mode. Because in some installations the X24 modules can be buried deep inside other equipment

there had to be a way of indicating that a module has been selected to pair with without having physical access

to that module. Pairing was therefore designed to be activated by removing and re-applying the module’s power.

In some cases this is not practical so another possible solution is Soft Pairing see later.

Pairing From T24 Toolkit

When using the T24 Toolkit and a base station, pairing is used to connect to a module without having to know

anything about it beforehand. To pair, remove power from the required module, click a ‘Pair’ button in the

software and re-apply power to the module. The base station and module negotiate settings and the base

station is automatically configured to match the radio settings from the module and places the module into

configuration mode. Now the module can be configured and when complete it will return to normal operational

mode.

Pairing From a Receiver Module

Some Receiver modules allow pairing to a Transmitter module without requiring the T24 Toolkit. For example

some handheld readers offer this feature by turning them on while holding a certain key after which the power is

applied to the Transmitter module. The radio settings are then negotiated and the Transmitter module is

automatically configured to match the handheld radio settings. The handheld learns the ID and data tags

required to be able to use messages from the Transmitter module. In this case no configuration mode is required

so the Transmitter module simply continues to operate in normal mode but with altered radio settings.

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Soft Pairing

Pairing by power cycling is absolute and will work under all circumstances. However, sometimes access to the

power supply of a module that you want to pair to can be restricted, a module 20 meters up a tower for example,

so the T24 Toolkit offers a way to soft pair.

To achieve this you need to know the radio channel and group key of the remote module and configure

the base station to match this. You must also know the unique ID of the module and armed with this you

can soft pair to the module. This works quite well with Receiver modules as they are not operating in low power

modes but the software does need to try and change Transmitter modules from their normal operation mode

into configuration mode.

This may not always work reliably in high traffic or high noise environments because there are a lot of messages

that need to be sent between the base station and the remote module which can be upset by the presence of too

many other messages on the same radio channel. If a connection cannot be made then power cycle pairing may

be the only option.

Configuring an Attached Base Station

Because a base station is attached to your computer when you are using the T24 Toolkit you do not pair to it the

same way as with other X24 and T24 modules. To configure the base station using the Toolkit hold the shift key

and click the Pair button on the Home page.

Asynchronous Operation and Logging

Transmitters send their messages at a fixed user defined interval regardless of whether anything is listening. This

message interval is timed from when the Transmitter has been woken or powered on so there is no

synchronisation of when the actual measurement is taken between different transmitters.

If you are logging information from multiple Transmitters using multiple channel logging software you should be

aware of how the software will store and record values.

The software stores the message values as they arrive from each Transmitter and when a log is to be recorded it is

the last value received by each Transmitter that is used.

This means that the values that are recorded could have been measured at any point during the Transmitter

message interval.

For example, if there are 10 Transmitters operating at 333ms message interval then when the values are recorded

to the log file you can only be sure that those values had been recorded within 333ms of each other.

So if there is a requirement that recorded sets of readings are within a certain time of each other, then that time is

the maximum message interval that should be set for the Transmitters regardless of the actual log interval of the

software (Which should always be greater than the Transmitter message interval).

Mantracourt Electronics Limited T24 Telemetry User Manual

Bandwidth

Each radio channel (1-15) has a finite ability to carry information. When modules do not need to communicate

with each other they can be configured on separate radio channels and do not affect each other.

However, when multiple modules are on the same radio channel, even if they use different group keys, they are

all contributing to filling the available bandwidth.

Each message transmitted takes up around 3 milliseconds so if everything worked perfectly and all modules

transmitted at just the right time and with no gaps between then there could only ever be 300 messages per

second being transmitted on any one radio channel.

In reality there are factors that reduce this capacity.

Each module uses a technique to detect whether anyone else is transmitting before it transmits itself and this

takes a finite time. There can also be interference from other sources that can delay module transmissions.

Because of the transmission rate flexibility of the X24 modules there could be a few modules transmitting

messages at fast rates or many modules transmitting messages at slow rates or any combination of these.

Practically there is a limit of around 200 messages per second available per radio channel.

It should be noted that as the number of Transmitter modules increases there is more chance of message

collisions and so more messages are lost (remember that the Transmitter modules are sending their messages

out at regular intervals) thus reducing the average number of messages per second arriving per module.

So, for example, 2 modules may transmit at 100 times per second or 100 modules at a rate of 1 per second.

Repeaters and Repeater Subgroups

Repeaters are able to retransmit messages so that the repeated signal is stronger than the original and so can

increase the range of systems or can bypass obstacles.

The repeater must be configured to operate on the same radio channel and use the same group keys as those

modules it is repeating.

Because the radio traffic is effectively doubled by a repeater there is a mechanism to reduce unnecessary

repetition of messages.

Sometimes a repeater will still see messages from modules that do not need to be repeated (Thus filling up

available bandwidth) so both repeaters and all other X24 and T24 modules have a setting called the repeater

subgroup.

By default all subgroup settings are set to zero. A repeater will repeat a message from all modules whose

subgroup is either zero or matches its own subgroup. If a repeater subgroup is zero it will repeat messages from

all modules.

This is a simple way to break down modules into smaller groups and control what messages get repeated.

Changing the repeater subgroup is not normally necessary unless the bandwidth is very full due to either many

Transmitter modules being present or very fast transmissions from modules.

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