Ultrasonic Long Range Wireless Tank Level Sensor Quick Start Guide

Explore the Ultrasonic Long Range Wireless Tank Level Sensor Capabilities

Click Here

Overview

This guide will cover the most basic setup instructions in order to see sensor data in Node-Red. It is intended for first time users of the product. If you are already familiar with the NCD sensor ecosystem, but require more detailed knowledge into this particular sensor you can find advanced configuration options and technical data in the Datasheet and User Manual.

This guide will use the Enterprise Gateway as the sensor data receiver. If you’re using another device to run Node-Red and receive sensor data you will need to connect a Wireless Gateway node to a modem and connect it to a debug node to follow along.

Requirements

In order to follow along with this guide you will need these components:

  1. An Ultrasonic Long Range Wireless Tank Level Sensor
  2. An Enterprise Gateway or an Enterprise Gateway Lite
  3. A computer with WiFi to connect to the Gateway and view Node-Red

If you are using Node-Red through something other than our Enterprise Gateways you can setup your Node-Red to connect to your modem and skip to the Sensor Hardware Setup section.

Enterprise Gateway Setup

This setup will go through the most basic access to the Enterprise Gateway. For more information on how to setup and configure your Enterprise Gateway see the Guide for the Enterprise IIoT Gateway.

Unpacking the Enterprise Gateway

Open and unpack your Enterprise Gateway.

The NCD Enterprise IIoT Gateway will come with the following pieces:

  • 1 x Enterprise Gateway
  • 2 x WiFi Antennas
  • 1 x Digimesh Antenna
  • *2 x LTE Antennas (if using a cellular Enterprise Gateway)
  • 1 x Din Rail Adapter
  • 1 x Power Supply
  • 4 x International Power Adapters
  • 1 x Two Position Terminal
  • 1 x Three Position Terminal
  • 1 x Eight Position Terminal

Enterprise Gateway Hardware Setup

  1. Connect the two terminal connector to the Gateway above the area indicating DC +-
  2. Connect the red marked wire above the + indicator and secure using the screws on the terminal
  3. Connect the yellow marked wire above the – indicator and secure using the screws on the terminal
  4. Connect the three terminal connector to the Gateway above the TX/RX/GND
  5. Connect the eight terminal connector above the DIO labels on the Gateway
  6. Connect the WiFi Antennas to the RP-SMA connectors labeled WiFi
  7. Connect the DigiMesh Antenna (868MHz, 900MHz, or 2.4GHz) to the RP-SMA connector labeled XBEE
  8. (Optional if using LTE) Connect the LTE Antennas to the SMA connectors labeled MAIN and DIV
  9. Connect the corresponding International Power Adapter to your Power Supply
  10. Connect the Power Supply to your power outlet

Sensor Hardware Setup

  1. Unpack the sensor and all accessories
  2. Attach Antenna to the sensor’s RP-SMA connector
  3. Attach any probes you will use
  4. Open the lid of the sensor by removing the 4 screws on top
  5. Turn on the sensor
    • If using battery power set the power switch to ON BAT
    • If using external power set the power switch to ON EXT
    • See section Hardware Controls of the User Manual for more information
  6. Press the CFG Button to check for power
    • If the TEST LED lights up while the CFG button is held down the sensor is powered
    • If the TEST LED does not light check the batteries or power supply to the board
    • See section Hardware Controls of the User Manual for more information
  7. Move the sensor to where it is at least 3 feet or 1 Meter from the gateway

Software Setup​

  1. Connect your computer to the WiFi Network of the Enterprise Gateway
    • The Network will be name NCD_Edge_xxxx where xxxx is the last four characters of the MAC address printed on the side of the gateway
    • The default password for this network is ncdGateway
  2. Open a web browser and in the URL bar enter 192.168.0.1:1880 to bring up Node-Red
    • You can also use the .local address: ncd-xxxx.local:1880 where xxxx is the last four characters of the MAC address printed on the side of the gateway
  3. Once in Node-Red check that your Wireless Gateway node has the status of “Ready”
  4. Click on the debug icon at the top of the right hand pane in Node-Red
  5. Press the RESET Button on the Sensor Hardware
  6. Wait for at least 15 seconds
  7. You should see a RUN message and sensor data show up in the debug pane on the right side of Node-Red

Final Steps

  1. Close the lid of your sensor using the 4 screws to attach the lid
  2. Read through the Enterprise Gateway Guide to determine how you would like to connect your Gateway to a network or Internet
  3. Read through the Datasheet to better understand the hardware of your sensor
  4. Read through the User Manual to better understand how to use the sensor with Node-Red