Smart Mode User Guide
Optimize your Gen4 Vibration Sensor for intelligent monitoring. Smart Mode allows your sensor to listen continuously, filtering out noise and transmitting only when actionable vibration thresholds are met, preserving battery life while ensuring you never miss a critical event.
01Overview
The Gen4 sensor supports four operating modes (Processed, Raw, On Demand, and Smart). Smart Mode (Mode 3) is the default and most efficient setting. The sensor continuously listens to the machine and evaluates readings against your configured rules before spending battery power to transmit data.
02Data Transmission Types
In Smart Mode, the sensor categorizes its transmissions into two primary types, identified by the msg_type field.
| Message Type | Trigger Condition | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Sampling Interval elapses | The standard heartbeat transmission. It evaluates the vibration against the Smart Mode Threshold and Skip Interval. If conditions are met, standard processed data is sent. |
| Motion | Vibration spikes suddenly | Triggered immediately when RMS acceleration exceeds the Wake/Interrupt Threshold. Essential for catching sudden faults between regular intervals. |
03Key Parameters
Understanding these settings is the secret to mastering Smart Mode. They dictate exactly what the sensor ignores and what it reports.
| Parameter | Default | What it does & Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Band (mg) | 20 mg | Filters out baseline noise. Any acceleration below this value on an axis is treated as exactly 0. Example: Set to 10mg on a quiet pump to ignore 5mg of floor vibrations from a nearby CNC machine. |
| Sampling Interval | 30 min | How often the sensor takes a standard reading to evaluate for a “Regular” transmission. |
| Wake/Interrupt Threshold | 500 mg | The vibration spike level required to trigger an immediate “Motion” transmission, bypassing the normal wait time. Increases the internal uptime counter. |
| Smart Mode Threshold | 500 mg | The core gatekeeper. Evaluates the minimum RMS acceleration required to allow any transmission. If vibration is lower, the transmission is subject to the Skip Interval. |
| Smart Mode Skip Interval | 3 | If vibration stays below the Smart Mode Threshold, the sensor skips this many consecutive sampling intervals to save battery. On the interval after the skip limit, it transmits a payload anyway (as a heartbeat). |
| Auto Raw Interval | 0 (Disabled) | A multiplier of the Sampling Interval. If conditions are met, it automatically follows a processed packet with a high-density Time Domain (Raw) packet. |
04Bypassing Smart Features
Sometimes you don’t want the sensor to be “smart.” If you are benchmarking, troubleshooting, or simply require continuous data regardless of the machine’s state, you can effectively bypass the Smart Mode algorithms.
05Smart Mode Logic Flow
Here is the step-by-step decision process the sensor makes internally every time it samples data.
- 1
Sample & Apply Dead BandThe sensor takes a reading. If the reading is lower than the Dead Band, it forces the value to 0 to eliminate floor noise.
- 2
Evaluate Wake/Interrupt (Motion)Did the vibration spike suddenly above the Wake/Interrupt Threshold? If yes, prepare a “Motion” payload. If no, wait for the Sampling Interval to elapse to prepare a “Regular” payload.
- 3
Check Smart Mode ThresholdIs the resulting RMS Acceleration greater than the Smart Mode Threshold? • YES: Proceed immediately to Step 5 (Transmit). • NO: Proceed to Step 4 (Evaluate Skip).
- 4
Evaluate Skip IntervalSince vibration is low, has the sensor skipped the number of intervals defined in Smart Mode Skip Interval? • NO: Go back to sleep. Do not transmit. • YES: Proceed to Step 5 (Transmit heartbeat).
- 5
Transmit Processed DataThe sensor transmits the processed data packet (as Regular or Motion).
- 6
Evaluate Auto Raw (Optional)If Auto Raw Interval is enabled, meets the time multiplier, and the vibration exceeded the Smart Threshold, transmit the large Time Domain packet.
06Common Configurations
| Goal | Key Settings | Expected Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Monitoring (Quiet when healthy, talks when degraded) | Sampling: 10min. Smart Threshold: 50mg. Skip Interval: 3. |
If healthy (<50mg), it transmits once every 40 minutes (3 skips + 1 send). If degrading (>50mg), it transmits every 10 minutes. |
| Event-Driven (Intermittent Machines) (Immediate alerts on start-up) | Sampling: 60min. Wake Threshold: 200mg. Smart Threshold: 100mg. |
Acts as an hourly heartbeat while off. If the machine turns on and hits 200mg, it transmits a “Motion” alert instantly, ignoring the 60m wait. |
| Detailed Diagnostics (Include raw data for deep analysis) | Sampling: 5min. Auto Raw: 12 (60m). Smart Threshold: 50mg. |
Transmits processed data every 5 mins if running. Once an hour, if vibration is >50mg, it follows up with a full Time Domain Raw packet. |
07Troubleshooting: Why am I getting Zeros?
If your sensor is returning zero values—or transmitting much less frequently than your Sampling Interval dictates—the Smart Mode logic is functioning exactly as intended to save battery. Here is why it happens and how to fix it.
The Two Main Scenarios
- Scenario 1: The sensor is sitting on a desk, or the machine is completely powered off.
- Scenario 2: The machine is running, but it is highly balanced and exhibits very low vibration.
The Chain Reaction
When vibration is extremely low, it triggers a cascade of battery-saving logic:- The sensor reads 15mg of vibration.
- Because 15mg is below the default 20mg Dead Band, it flattens the reading to exactly 0mg.
- Because the reading is 0mg, it fails to meet the 500mg Smart Mode Threshold.
- Because it failed the threshold, it triggers the Smart Skip Interval (default 3), remaining completely silent for the next three intervals.
- On the fourth interval, it sends a mandatory “heartbeat” payload containing the zeroed-out values. Auto Raw data is blocked entirely.