This article describes how you should prepare your pulse counters to send data to the EMS platform and what tools are provided to analyse the data once it has reached the platform. The article is divided into the following sections:
How to send data from pulse counters?
Pulse reading is an easy method for monitoring meters based on the reading of very short duration electric or optical pulses, which are emitted by the meters in proportion to the consumption.
In this way, each time the meter increases its reading in a unit, it emits a pulse that can be read by a third system for monitoring purposes. The ratio between the measured unit and the pulses depends on each meter and must be noted in order to calculate the consumption (1m3/Imp, 1kWh/imp, 10Imp/m3, etc.).
One of its most common uses is in the Gas or Water facilities, where the meters are usually equipped with Pulse emitters. To read those meters they must have a pulse emitter or the possibility of installing it. The pulse emitter model depends on the pulse counter model and must be requested from the manufacturer or specialist distributors.
Once you have the pulse emitter, a pulse counter with Modbus communication is required to send the readings to the Platform.
For example, to read a GAS meter you need a Modbus Gateway and a compatible pulse counter that can be both wired or wireless:
Wired Option:
Wireless Option:
When reading water, the scheme is exactly the same, but in this case, there is no ATEX barrier:
Some of the pulse counters compatible with DEXGate2 are, for example, Circutor's LM4I4O, the wireless ZED-TIDCI from 4-Noks or others that combine electrical and pulse measurement such as the Carlo Gavazzi EM24.
Pulse reading is also used in other applications, such as reading electrical meters, thermal energy, etc.
Optical Probes are used for the monitoring of optical pulses, where the probe transforms these optical impulses into electrical ones, or the probe can also provide Modbus communication.
Optical impulses reading using Readwatt
How to analyse the data sent from pulse counters?
Once the data has reached the platform, it is hard to analyse pulses directly. That is why you might derive the pulses into more useful parameters, such as water (m3) or gas (m3 or kWh).
Once you have derived the pulses, you will be able to visualise the data in the consumption screen.