Pulses from meters, shafts, and lines
Built for the pulse and frequency outputs of flow meters, energy meters, and machine speed. The figures on this page are what a bid clause and a later spot check both use. Hardware debounce, isolated inputs, and a total-plus-instantaneous mode cut dropped pulses and mains-frequency pickup in energy sub-metering, on rotating machines, and in line-cycle counts. The path has a programmable threshold, direction sense, and a time-window total. Terminals pull out, the watchdog and the redundant check are fitted, and firmware can be signature-checked and rolled back.
The default service port is USB-C, on a standard industrial connector, for SCADA, energy management, or an IoT platform. SimtoLink includes a southbound point-table template and northbound MQTT/HTTP examples so the joint test is shorter. Volume jobs can add case marking, a set harness length, a protocol map, and a calibration certificate.
How the count stays honest
CE and FCC items are already tested. Ports have surge and reverse-polarity protection. Ground is split by zone so a loop or common-mode noise is less likely to invent a pulse. Outdoor and coastal orders can take a higher ingress rating and a corrosion coating.
Parameters and thresholds load as a batch. Selected models store an event or a waveform. Settings and firmware travel by OTA. Accept the unit with a power-on self-test, a time sync, and a sample of counts. For metering or safety, SimtoLink helps with a third-party metrology submission and the type-test file.
Hardware figures
Typical build, for selection and for a bid schedule. For a wider range, a redundant supply, or an intrinsically safe explosion-proof variant, ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation guide. Order codes can differ slightly; the nameplate and the papers in the box decide.
| Item | Specification | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | 64 DI | Differential or single-ended |
| Resolution | 18 bit | No missing codes |
| Sample rate | 1 kS/s | Simultaneous sampling |
| Input range | ±5V | Programmable gain |
| Accuracy | ±0.048 %FS | Calibrated at constant temperature |
| Isolation | Non-isolated economy build | Withstand 1kV |
| Clock | GPS/IRIG-B | Sync error <1 μs |
| Communication | USB3.0 | SCPI/Modbus |
| Trigger | Threshold | Pre-trigger depth |
| Power | <17 W | Typical at full load |
Where the pulses come from
Four jobs that show whether the counter earns its place.
Sub-metering and the grid boundary
Active and reactive pulses, or a high-frequency pulse port, feed time-of-use tariffs, demand control, and line-loss work, and they land in the energy platform for a report audit.
Water and gas meters
Turbine, rotary, and ultrasonic meters totalize their pulses. Instantaneous frequency flags an odd flow or an empty pipe, which is what an unattended outdoor cabinet or a pit needs.
Shaft speed and line cycle
Motor, pump-shaft, and conveyor speed or cycle counts feed OEE, show the bottleneck station, and trip a preventive-maintenance threshold.
Benches and calibration
Pulses are recorded in step with a reference meter, a flow bench, and an endurance run, so a calibration curve and an uncertainty note can be written.
Install, ground, and recount
- Confirm supply range and polarity before power is applied. Measure the bus and the breaker if the feed is not obvious.
- Shielded twisted pair, shield at one end, and a route that is not lashed to power cable.
- In the lab, read and write both ways and trip one threshold against the platform, then move the unit.
- Outdoors, drain water, let air through, look at the seal, and keep the lightning earth inside the local rule.
- Every 6 months, sample the counts and archive the log.
Order, documents, and support
SimtoLink supplies the hardware specification, the outline, a wiring table, and a sample project. Volume orders can include a sample review and a factory inspection. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers shipped with the unit.