Pulse counters
Pulse counters are special types of sensors that are used to count the number of pulses provided by a third party device / meter. There are various use cases of the pulse counters, including reading water / electricity / gas meters or counting the number of events (e.g. door opening and closing).
Wiring
Efento pulse counter can be equipped with three channels, each of them counting the pulses separately. Efento pulse counter support devices, which provide SO pulses (dry contact). The device, which provides pulses should be wired to Efento pulse counter’s CH and GND pins (in case of a multi-channel pulse counter: CH1-GND, CH2-GND, CH3-GND)
IMPORTANT! If you want to connect the pulse counter to an analogue meter, you can use a pulse probe (depending on the meter manufacturer, it can also be called pulse sensor, pulse generator) to convert the indication of an analogue meter to pulses. Check the user manual of your water meter to find the best way of converting the meter's readings to the pulses.
Efento pulse counters can be used to count pulses generated by an electricity meter, equipped with a reed connector that generates pulses after counting the appropriate amount of consumed electricity.
Risk of electric shock! To avoid a shock hazard:
Shut OFF all power sources and equipment to be attached to this product
Attach all cables to the devices
Turn ON all the power sources
ALWAYS read and follow the user manual of the electricity meter, which you connect to the Efento pulse counter.
Wiring scheme
Efento pulse counters can support up to three channels. Wiring scheme depends on the number of channels.
Pulse counters settings
Efento pulse counters have the same features as regular Efento loggers. On top of the standard features users can configure pulse conversion ratio, maximum pulse duration, debounce time, logic of the pulse counters (NO/NC) and enable / disable accumulative mode.
Conversion ratio
Efento pulse counters allow users to set the conversion ratio for each of the channels. Pulse counter will convert the number of pulses counted in the set period of time based on this ratio. For instance, if the user sets the conversion ratio to ‘1’, the device will count the number of pulses provided by the meter. If the conversion ratio has been set to ‘10’, each pulse coming from the connected meter will be multiplied by 10 and that value will be stored in the device’s memory / sent to the server.
In order to change the conversion ratio, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Calibration parameters” -> “Select a channel” -> “Conversion ratio”.
Maximum pulse duration
It is possible to set the maximum length of a pulse accepted by the Efento pulse counter. If a pulse counter receives a pulse longer than the set value, it will be considered as an error and reported over NB-IoT / Bluetooth. This feature is useful, if the pulse counters work with utility meters equipped with pulse outputs with defined pulse lengths. By setting the maximum accepted length of a pulse, the user may control the correct operation of the meter. By default the pulse duration control is off and pulse counters treat all pulses length as acceptable.
In order to change the maximum pulse duration, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Calibration parameters” -> “Select a channel” -> “Pulse timeout”.
Debounce time
This parameter allows the sensor to be protected against counting pulses in the event of electrical interference, which can be caused by machines located in the place of installation or by connecting a pulse counter and a meter with a long cable. Excessive pulses may also be caused by what is commonly known as contact bouncing. Setting the debounce time switches on the impulse counting lock from the moment of the change of state on the impulse counting input for the time specified by the user. In the example below, debounce time is set to 300 ms.
In order to change the debounce time, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Calibration parameters” -> “Select a channel” -> “Debounce time”. Important! do not set the debouncing time greater than the measurement period.
Reversed logic
Pulses are counted by shorting two wires to each other. It means that the pulse is counted by the rising edge. If necessary to count pulses on the falling edge, set the Reverse logic parameter to “ON”.
In order to change the reverse logic parameter, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Calibration parameters” -> “Select a channel” -> “Reverse logic”.
Mode selection: accumulative / normal
The pulse counter is able to work in one of the two modes:
Normal mode (accumulative parameter set to OFF) - pulse counter will reset its value after each measurement period. This means that the device displays / reports to a server the number of pulses counted during a single measurement period.
Accumulative mode (accumulative parameter set to ON) - pulse counter will accumulate the number of counted pulses, starting from the moment it’s turned on. This means that the counter is not reset after each measurement period and the device displays / reports to the server the total number of the counted pulses from the beginning of its operation. The maximum range of the pulse counter is 999 999 999 999. After reaching this value, the counter will reset and start counting from 0. The accumulative parameter is set to “ON” by default.
In order to turn on or / off the accumulative parameter, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Calibration parameters” -> “Select a channel” -> “Accumulative”.
Initial value
After starting the pulse counter, a message about the need to synchronise all channels will be displayed in the Efento application (synchronisation involves setting the starting point).
In order to set the Starting point, connect to the device, and from the settings menu select “Advanced” -> “Calibration” -> “Manual calibration” -> “Select channel” -> “Set starting point”.
If the device has more than one measurement channel, remember to set the starting point of all channels. After calibrating the sensor, it is necessary to wait one measurement period (for factory settings, the measurement period lasts 5 minutes). The sensor will start taking measurements from the point set in calibration and the message about the required calibration will disappear.
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