Thingy Air Quality...5.3 C ONNECTING TO THE C ENTRAL R ECEIVING U NIT 28 5.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application 29 5.4 C ENTRAL R ECEIVING U NIT U SER I NTERFACE 30 5.4.1 Scan

User Guide Thingy:AQ Wildland Fire Real-Time Monitoring System *PROTOTYPE DRAFT* Version 1.0 ● January 9, 2018

Thingy, LLC – Bellevue, WA Email – [email protected]

www.gothingy.com/WLF

© 2018 Thingy, LLC. All rights reserved.

Thingy, LLC 10641 SE 25th St Bellevue, WA 98004 (425) 454-9933 www.gothingy.com

Trademarks

Thingy:AQ Sensor, Thingy:AQ Gateway, and Thingy Wildland Fire Real-Time Monitoring System are registered trademarks of Thingy, LLC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this document is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Thingy, LLC disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Thingy, LLC be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Thingy, LLC or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Document Lifetime

Thingy, LLC may occasionally update online documentation between releases of the related software or hardware. Consequently, if this document was not downloaded recently, it may not contain the most up-to-date information. Please refer to www.gothingy.com/support for the most current information.

From the Web site, you may also download and refresh this document if it has been updated, as indicated by a change in this date: January 9, 2018.

Where to get help

Thingy, LLC support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows.

Product information — Documentation, release notes, software updates, and information about Thingy, LLC products, licensing, and service, are at our Thingy, LLC website at:

http://www.gothingy.com/WLF

Technical support — Go to http://www.gothingy.com and select Support. On the Support page, you will see several options, including one for making a service request. Note that to open a service request, you must have a valid support agreement.

Your comments

Your suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Please send your opinion of this document to:

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If you have issues, comments, or questions about specific information or procedures, please include the title and, if available, the part number, the revision, the page numbers, and any other details that will help us locate the subject that you are addressing.

© Thingy, LLC 2018. All rights reserved. Page 4 of 33

Preface The following style conventions are used in this document:

Conventions Indication

bold font Commands and keywords and user-entered text appear in bold font.

italic font Document titles, new or emphasized terms, and arguments for which you supply values are in italic font.

[ ] Elements in square brackets are optional.

{x | y | z } Required alternative keywords are grouped in braces and separated by vertical bars.

[ x | y | z ] Optional alternative keywords are grouped in brackets and separated by vertical bars.

string A nonquoted set of characters. Do not use quotation marks around the string or the string will include the quotation marks.

courier Terminal sessions and information the system displays appear in courier font.

< > Angle brackets enclose parameter or variable values supplied by the user

[ ] Default responses to system prompts are in square brackets.

!, # An exclamation point (!) or a pound sign (#) at the beginning of a line of code indicates a comment line.

Warning: IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury. Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents.

Note: Means reader take note. Notes contain helpful suggestions or references to material not covered in the manual.

Thingy:AQ User Guide Wildland Fire Real-Time Monitoring System - PROTOTYPE Version 1.0


Table of Contents 1 Introduction 7

1.1 PURPOSE 7

1.2 SCOPE 7

2 Product Overview 8

2.1 PRODUCT DETAILS 8

2.2 PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS 9 2.2.1 Measurements 9 2.2.2 Data Transmission and Storage 10 2.2.3 Operability 11 2.2.4 Physical Characteristics 11

3 Device Overview 13

3.1 SENSOR NODE 13 3.1.1 Sensor Node Front Panel 14 3.1.2 POWER SWITCH 15 3.1.3 WAKE UP PUSH BUTTON 15 3.1.4 AWAKE LED 15 3.1.5 SYS ERROR LED 16 3.1.6 TX ERROR LED 16 3.1.7 MICRO USB CONECTOR 16

3.2 CENTRAL RECEIVING UNIT OVERVIEW 16 3.2.1 Central Receiving Unit Front Panel 17 3.2.2 POWER SWITCH 17 3.2.3 POWER LED 17 3.2.4 SYS ERROR LED 18 3.2.5 RX DATA LED 18 3.2.6 MICRO USB CONECTOR 18

4 Installing, Starting and Stopping a Sensor Node (SN) 19

4.1 POWERING UP THE SYSTEM 19 4.1.1 External Battery Pack and Solar Charger 19 4.1.2 Wall (AC) Power Option 20


4.2 PREPARING THE SENSOR NODE FOR DEPLOYMENT 20

4.3 CONNECTING TO THE SENSOR NODE LOGGER 21 4.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application 22

4.4 SENSOR NODE USER INTERFACE 23 4.4.1 Scan Interval 24 4.4.2 Status Command 24 4.4.3 Directory Listing 24 4.4.4 Upload Commands and Delete 24 4.4.5 Reading the microSD card 26

5 Installing, Starting and Stopping the Central Receiving Unit (CRU) 27

5.1 POWERING UP THE SYSTEM 27

5.2 PREPARING THE CENTRAL RECEIVING UNIT FOR DEPLOYMENT 27

5.3 CONNECTING TO THE CENTRAL RECEIVING UNIT 28 5.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application 29

5.4 CENTRAL RECEIVING UNIT USER INTERFACE 30 5.4.1 Scan Interval, Time and Date 30 5.4.2 Status Command 30 5.4.3 Directory Listing 30 5.4.4 Upload Command 31 5.4.5 DELETE D 31 5.4.6 Reading the microSD card 31

6 Appendix B: Sample Data Format 32

7 Appendix B: Related Documentation 33

7.1.1 World Wide Web 33 7.1.2 Documentation Feedback 33



1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This guide documents the hardware and software delivered by the Thingy:AQ Wildland Fire Real-Time Monitoring System. It describes the physical and performance characteristics of each device, explains how to install a device, and provides troubleshooting information. This document serves as the sole reference for the scope of the system functionality to be delivered by Thingy, LLC. Any change to the scope of the device, system, or the functional specifications will be revised in the current version of this document available at our website www.gothingy.com.

1.2 Scope The Scope of this document is limited to the Thingy:AQ Sensor and Thingy:AQ Gateway devices. This does not cover any additional data or cloud services available from Thingy, LLC.


2 Product Overview The Thingy:AQ Wildland Fire Real-Time Monitoring System has been designed to be lightweight and easily deployable air pollution monitoring solution that can be deployed permanently or during a fire event. The sensor system supports multiple sensor nodes and a hardware central receiving unit, which collects information from the nodes. Multiple nodes will collect air quality information, which is then transmitted back to the central receiving unit, retrieval, and real-time analytics via an external system. Communications between the CRU and the SN utilize LoRa Technology that offers a very compelling mix of long range, low power consumption and secure data transmission. Public and private networks using this technology can provide coverage that is greater in range compared to that of existing cellular networks. It is easy to plug into the existing infrastructure and offers a solution to serve battery-operated IoT applications like Thingy:AQ.

The Thingy:AQ systems contains two main system components:

Thingy:AQ Central Receiving Unit. The central receiving unit (CRU), a physical system, receives and centrally records data from multiple remote sensor nodes and provides standard interfaces including WiFi, USB and Bluetooth for interfacing into third party presentation platforms.

Thingy:AQ Sensor Nodes. These battery-powered Sensor Nodes (SN) measure air pollutants including fine particulate matter PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and ozone. The Sensor Nodes also measure air temperature, humidity and geo-location data. Location data, latitude and longitude and system error status are stored on the Sensor Node and are transmitted in real time over long distance utilizing a LoRa encoded radio link.

2.1 Product Details

Central Receiving Unit

The CRU, based on the same hardware as a sensor node minus the sensors, is powered by an external power source which can be a nominal 110V AC or from a 9V to 18V DC external source. The CRU also includes a battery backup system in the event of temporary interruption to the external power source. The system will transmit error status messages in the event the external power source is interrupted.

The CRU stamps each received data record with a time stamp, logs the data to microSD card, and forwards the data out of one of the local interfaces including USB serial port, Bluetooth and WiFi. The CRU can be configured to be a WiFi access point for interfacing with the CRU. This is a limited functionality interface, it will not forward packets received by the WiFi interface

Sensor Nodes

The sensor nodes are designed to record and telemeter data with minimal or no operator intervention. Once the system has been turned on, it will start measuring sensors, logging the data and telemetering the data. The scan cycle time defines when the sensor node will start a scan cycle, which involves powering up the particulate matter and CO2 sensors, waiting 15 seconds for the system to stabilize and then commencing a series of sensor measurements,



reading each sensor every 2 seconds multiple times before filtering, averaging, and storing the data. At the end of the scan sequence, the sensor node powers down the sensors, powers up the radio transmitter, telemeters the data and powers down the radio. The sensor node enters a sleep state until the next scan cycle or input from the operator.

The only operator configurable variable is the sensor node Scan Interval (SI) cycle. The value is stored in non-volatile memory and can be configured for a 1, 2, 5, 15, 20, 30 or 60 minute scan interval. When the sensor node is powered on, it reads the scan interval configuration from its non-volatile memory and automatically commences operation based on this parameter. The operator can change this scan interval via the USB serial port on the sensor node. If the operator changes the scan interval, the new value is stored in non-volatile memory and becomes the new power-on default value. The operator can interrogate system status, upload system logs and upload recorded data via the sensor nodes USB interface. The data on the sensor node is logged on the microSD card. The data can be read from this card without removing the card. When the microSD card is swapped or replaced the system will automatically commence logging to the media.

2.2 Product Specifications

The system continuously monitors air pollution during a fire event and includes the following characteristics:

2.2.1 Measurements

The sensor system supports multiple sensor nodes and a hardware Central Receiving Unit (CRU), which collects information from the nodes. Multiple nodes will collect air quality information, which is then transmitted back to the CRU. The solution includes the following measurements for each Sensor Node:

• fine particulate matter (PM2.5 particulate matter with a mean aerodynamic diameter of 2.5µm or smaller)

• carbon monoxide (CO)

• ozone (O3)

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

• geo-location (latitude, longitude)

Additionally, the sensor nodes include the following measurements:

• fine particulate matter (PM10).

• Temperature deg C (T)

• Relative Humidity (RH)


Parameter Technology Range Resolution Accuracy

PM 2.5 Fan Aspirated, laser scattering, optical processing for particulate sizing and yield

0.0 to 999.9µg/m3 0.3µg/m3

Maximum of 15% or reading and ± 10µg/m3

(25DegC, 50%RH)

PM 10 Fan Aspirated, laser scattering, optical processing for particulate sizing and yield

0.0 to 999.9µg/m3 0.3µg/m3

Maximum of 15% or reading and ± 10µg/m3

(25DegC, 50%RH)

CO ElectroChemical 0 to 1000ppm 0.1 ppm 15% of reading

CO2 Non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) 400 to

5000ppm 1ppm ± 30ppm ± 3% of reading

O3 ElectroChemical 0 to 5 ppm 20ppb 15% of reading

Temp Deg C Solid State sensor -99 to +99 0.1 ± 1 Deg C

Humidity RH Solid State sensor 0 to 99% 0.1% ± 3% RH (max), 0–80%

RH

Sensors for this system were selected based on the trade-offs between price, accuracy, sensor range, resolution, power consumption, life expectancy and ease of field replacement. Pre-calibrated digital output sensors were selected because they minimise the problems typically associated with a genetic analogue sensor frontend. This sensor class enables the use of field replaceable sensor modules.

2.2.2 Data Transmission and Storage

The system manufacturing default for the Scan Interval is set to 5 minutes. The default value can optionally be changed by the operator and the new value becomes the new power on default. A Sensor Node records locally on its microSD card as well as telemetering the data. The Sensors Nodes are capable of recording continuously for several years without intervention. The data transmission is via a long range low power radio link utilizing the LoRa platform from the Sensor Nodes to Central Data Receiving unit. Lora uses the unlicensed radio spectrum in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands to enable low power, wide area communication between remote sensors and gateways and is capable of line of sight communications well in excess of 15km. In the US the frequency used by the Sensor Nodes is in the 915MHz band. The Central Receiving Unit can store months of data on its microSD card.



2.2.3 Operability

The system requires minimal infrastructure and operator effort to set-up, operate, and decommission. The system should be capable of operation for a minimum of 15 days without operator maintenance in harsh environments. The Sensor Nodes can be optionally augmented with an external power source and/or solar panels. In this scenario the system can operate for many months without user intervention.

The system uses two basic data formats, a heavily compressed binary encoded data format for transmission over the long range, low power, very low bandwidth radio link and the Presentation Format used to store the data on microSD at the Sensor Nodes and the Central Receiving Unit. The presentation format is also used to present the data over the various interfaces presented via the USB serial interface, Bluetooth and WiFi. Both the presentation formatted data and the compressed binary encoded data include date and time stamping. The data logged to the Central Receiving Unit’s microSD card is identical to the same record stored on Sensor Node that originated the data;

The Presentation Format is comma delimited and includes the following information (See Appendix A for sample data):

• Pollutant name

• Pollutant concentration

• Units of measure (PM2.5 in µg m-3, CO in ppm, O3 in ppb, CO2 in ppm, PM10 in µg m-3, Temp in deg C, RH in %)

• Geo-location of the Sensor Node that originated the data (latitude and longitude specified in decimal degrees)

• Date and Timestamp in ISO 8601 (For example "2077-11-07T14:30")

2.2.4 Physical Characteristics The Sensor Node and the Central Receiving Unit each comprise of the enclosure for the electronics, internal battery, optional solar panel and an optional light weight collapsible mast/stand with 915MHz Antenna.

Enclosure Details:

• Weight 4lbs (1.8Kg) without battery • Weight with battery 5lbs (2.3Kg) • Enclosure Dimensions: L 10.7 in, W 8.2 in, H 5.5 in (L 270mm, W 210mm, H

140mm) • NEMA 4, IP67, Flammability UL94 V-0

Mast/Stand Details:


• Weight 6.5lbs (3Kg) • Collapsed size - L 42in x W 4in (L 1066mm, W 100mm) • Deployed size - Base W 6ft (1830mm), Mast H 9.5ft (2900mm)



3 Device Overview

3.1 Sensor Node The Sensor Node housing incorporates the data logger electronics, a microSD card used for logging the data, a GPS module for determining location information, a LoRa (Long Range) radio module and the sensors embedded in a flow chamber. The GPS and LoRa antennas are mounted directly to the top of the Sensor Node housing.

At the bottom of the Sensor Node housing (Figure 1) are intake and exhaust filters for the airflow. Air flow passes through a three-stage bio-mas filter assembly (3mm, 80um, 20um), through the PM sensor into the sealed flow chamber where the airflow passes above the remaining gas sensors through to the exhaust filter. The intake is closest to the door and the exhaust is behind the intake (toward the enclosure back).

The solar/battery/wall power connector is one with the blue cap to the left of the air filters.

Figure 1: Thingy:AQ Sensor Node Housing with Inlet Air Filter


The Sensor Nodes are designed to record and telemeter data with minimal or no operator intervention. Once the system has been turned on, it will start measuring sensors, logging the data and telemetering the data. The scan cycle time defines when the Sensor Node will start a scan cycle, which involves powering up the particulate matter and CO2 sensors, waiting 15 seconds for the system to stabilize and then commencing a series of sensor measurements, reading each sensor every 2 seconds multiple times before filtering, averaging, and storing the data. At the end of the scan sequence, the Sensor Node powers down the sensors, powers up the radio transmitter, telemeters the data and powers down the radio. The Sensor Node enters a sleep state until the next scan cycle or input from the operator.

The only operator configurable variable is the Sensor Node Scan Interval (SI) cycle. The value is stored in non-volatile memory and can be configured for a 1, 2, 5, 15, 20, 30 or 60 minute scan interval. When the Sensor Node is powered on, it reads the scan interval configuration from its non-volatile memory and automatically commences operation based on this parameter. The operator can change this scan interval via the USB serial port on the Sensor Node. If the operator changes the scan interval, the new value is stored in non-volatile memory and becomes the new power-on default value. The operator can interrogate system status, upload system logs and upload recorded data via the Sensor Nodes USB interface. The data on the Sensor Node is logged on the microSD card. The data can be read from this card without removing the card. When the microSD card is swapped or replaced the system will automatically commence logging to the media.

3.1.1 Sensor Node Front Panel The front panel contains the logger’s ON/OFF switch, a WAKE UP switch, the micro USB socket and three indicator LEDs; AWAKE, SYS ERROR and TX ERROR (Figure 2).



Figure 2: Prototype Sensor Node Front Panel

3.1.2 POWER SWITCH Turns the Sensor logger on or off.

3.1.3 WAKE UP PUSH BUTTON Wake the sensor up from deep sleep to enable configuration of the system, to upload data, delete the data and log files etc, When the system is in deep sleep it can be woken up using this push button by pushing the button for three seconds after which the AWAKE LED will flash continuously while the logger is awake.

3.1.4 AWAKE LED The WAKE LED is blue and it provides an indication of three separate states. When the logger is turned on the blue LED will flash 6 times in rapid succession indication the processor is


operational, after a few seconds, the Power LED will flash approximately 10 times at a slower rate indication the logger is initializing the hardware. When the initialization process is complete the Power LED will remain illuminated for several minutes until the system go into deep sleep.

3.1.5 SYS ERROR LED The SYS Error LED indicates a problem with the logger. This indicates either a problem with the microSD card, a fault with one or more of the sensors or a low system voltage alarm.

3.1.6 TX ERROR LED The TX ERROR LED will flash briefly in the event of an unsuccessful transmission of data via the radio.

3.1.7 MICRO USB CONECTOR The micro USB connector provides a USB serial interface to the logger. The logger will send formatted data out of the serial interface at the end of the current scan interval. This interface provides the user / operator interface to enable the configuration and interrogation of the logger and to upload data and system log files from the logger to a terminal application.

3.2 Central Receiving Unit Overview The Central Receiving Unit housing incorporates the data logger electronics, a microSD card used for logging the data, a LoRa (Long Range) radio module, an integrated lead acid battery and a solar charger. The Antenna connector for the LoRa radio is mounted on the bottom of the Central Receiving Unit housing.

The Central Receiving Unit is designed to receive data from remote Sensor Nodes via the LoRa radio and record the data with minimal or no operator intervention. Once the system has been turned on, it will start receiving and logging the telemetry data from the remote Sensor Nodes.

The system has been designed to support Remote LoRa Relay Stations. These Remote Relay Stations are used to improve coverage where there is no line of sight visibility between the Sensor Nodes and the Central Receiving Unit as well as to extend the range between the remote Sensor Nodes and the Central Receiving Unit. The LoRa Relay Station manipulates the packets received from the remote Sensor Nodes embedding information within the packet to ensure the Central Receiving Unit can detect and discard duplicate packets.

The operator can interrogate system status, upload recorded data via the Central Receiving Unit USB interface. The data on the Central Receiving Unit is logged on the microSD card. The data can be read from this card without removing the card. When the microSD card is swapped or replaced the system will automatically commence logging to the media.



3.2.1 Central Receiving Unit Front Panel The front panel contains the logger’s ON/OFF switch, the micro USB socket and three indicator LEDs; POWER, SYS ERROR and RX DATA (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Prototype the Central Receiving Unit Front Panel

3.2.2 POWER SWITCH Turns the Central Receiving Unit on or off.

3.2.3 POWER LED The Power LED is blue and it provides an indication of two separate states. When the logger is turned on the blue LED will flash approximately 10 times in rapid succession indicating the processor is operational and the logger is in the initialization phase. When the initialization process is complete the Power LED will remain illuminated.


3.2.4 SYS ERROR LED The SYS ERROR LED indicates a problem with the logger, either a problem with the microSD card or a low system voltage alarm.

3.2.5 RX DATA LED The RX DATA LED will flash briefly on the successful reception of a packet from the radio.

3.2.6 MICRO USB CONECTOR The micro USB connector provides a USB serial interface to the logger. The logger will send formatted data out of the serial interface whenever a packet has been received via the LoRa (Long Range Radio) and successfully decoded. This interface provides the user / operator interface to enable the configuration and interrogation of the logger and to upload data files from the logger to a terminal application.



4 Installing, Starting and Stopping a Sensor Node (SN)

4.1 Powering up the system

4.1.1 External Battery Pack and Solar Charger The Sensor Node Site Logger utilizes an external power supply enclosure (Figure 4) which is mounted on the mast (not shown in the picture). This enclosure contains a sealed lead acid battery (SLA) and a solar charge controller. The battery is connected to the solar charger via a pair of in-line mating XT30 connectors. The system is shipped with the battery disconnected. To connect the battery, open the enclosure door and connect the XT30 connectors (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Thingy:AQ Sensor Node Battery Enclosure


Figure 5: Thingy:AQ XC30 Connectors

4.1.2 Wall (AC) Power Option The Sensor Node can also be powered with the supplied AC power supply and 2.1mm DC power connector (Figure 6). In this case you will not use the external battery pack. Connect the supplied AC power supply (15VDC out to a 2.1mm barrel connector) to the power adapter labeled WLF-Wall-Power. Then attach the adapter to the sensor housing connector. The system is now ready to be powered on. Note in this configuration the sensor will not operate without Wall power.

Figure 6: WLF-Wall-Power Connector

4.2 Preparing the Sensor Node for Deployment

1. Mount the battery housing to the mast (if required) 2. Open the battery housing, connect the battery, close the battery housing 3. Mount the Sensor Node enclosure with the provided mounting hardware on the

collapsible mast 4. Raise the mast to the required height 5. Open the Sensor Node logger enclosure 6. Open the front panel



7. Install a newly formatted microSD card into the microSD card socket 8. Close the front panel 9. Plug in either the battery housing, if fitted, or an external power supply 10. Turn on the logger via the ON/OFF push button switch. 11. If necessary, connect to via the USB port and configure the desired scan interval 12. Close the enclosure cover

4.3 Connecting to the Sensor Node Logger When the operator connects to the USB interface it will be enumerated on the PC as a Silicon Labs CP2102 USB-to-Serial port adapter. Modern operating systems, such as Windows 10, include the required driver to recognize the USB interface as a serial device and to create a logical serial port.

A quick way of determining the serial port in use on the PC is to inspect the PC’s serial port table immediately before and immediately after plugging into the logger and noting the Comm port number (Comm xx) of the newly creates device. Figure 7 is a screen capture of Window’s Device Manager on Windows 10 showing a newly created Comm port (in this case Comm20).

Figure 7: Windows Device Manager after plugging in the Sensor Node


4.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application When using a PC, open your preferred terminal application and configure the terminal application to use the newly created serial port and to select local echo mode.

If you do not have a suitable terminal application these are several freeware terminal applications available. One example for Windows is Putty (Figure 9) which can be downloaded here: www.putty.org

Figure 8: Putty Terminal Program for Windows

When the terminal application on the PC is started, configure the serial interface attributes.(Figure 9)

Set the Terminal to 57600 baud, 8 bit data, 1 stop, no parity, no flow control, local echo.

http://www.putty.org/



Figure 9: Putty Configuration Screen for Local Echo

4.4 Sensor Node User Interface The logger provides a help screen. Help can be access using the short cut ? (question mark) character followed by ENTER (carriage return / line feed). See Figure 10 below.


Figure 10: User Interface Help Output

4.4.1 Scan Interval The scan interval determines the time interval between the logger sensor scan sequences and is configured using the SET SI command. Example: SET SI 5 will set the scan interval to 5 minutes. The scan interval is stored in nonvolatile memory and becomes the power-on default value until changed again by the next SET SI command.

4.4.2 Status Command The status command will display the logger’s health status

4.4.3 Directory Listing The directory contents of the logger’s microSD card can be viewed using the DIR command.

4.4.4 Upload Commands and Delete The upload commands are used to upload the status log file and the data file from the logger’s microSD card to the terminal application. This data can then be logged to the PC via the terminal application’s capture capability. The following screen capture (Figure 11) shows the configuration of the Putty application to capture the console output.



Figure 11: Configuring Logging (capture) with Putty Terminal Application

4.4.4.1 UPLOAD D

The data file can be uploaded using the UPLOAD D command.

4.4.4.2 DELETE D

Once the data has been uploaded via the terminal application and the user has confirmed the successful upload by viewing the contents of the uploaded file, the data file can be deleted from the logger via the DELETE D command.

4.4.4.3 UPLOAD L

The Sensor Node also produces status log records for the power on reset initialization of the logger. This file contains sensor configuration data extracted from the sensors. This file can be uploaded using the UPLOAD L command.


4.4.4.4 DELETE L

The log file can be deleted with the DELETE L command.

4.4.5 Reading the microSD card Instead of uploading the data file via the terminal application, the user can instead to remove the microSD card from the logger and inserting it into the PC to read the file directly from the MicroSD card. The logger accepts MicroSD cards formatted as either FAT16 or FAT32.



5 Installing, Starting and Stopping the Central Receiving Unit (CRU)

5.1 Powering up the system The Central Receiving Unit enclosure contains an integrated sealed lead acid battery (SLA) and a solar charge controller. The battery is connected to the solar charger via a pair of in-line mating XT30 connectors. The system is shipped with the battery disconnected. To connect the battery, open the enclosure door and connect together the XT30 connectors (Figure 12).

Figure 12: Thingy:AQ XC30 Connectors

5.2 Preparing the Central Receiving Unit for Deployment Mount the enclosure with the provided mounting hardware on the collapsible mast or other stable pole or surface.

1. Connect the antenna cable to the antenna 2. Mount the antenna onto the top of the mast 3. Raise the mast to the required height 4. Connect the antenna cable to the antenna cable connector on the bottom of the

logger 5. Open the Central logger enclosure 6. Unscrew the two screws on the righthand side of the front panel 7. Open the front panel of the logger and connect the battery’s mating XT30

connectors together. When the battery has been connected, a red LED on the solar charger will be illuminated.

8. Install a newly formatted microSD card into the microSD card socket 9. Close the front panel and screw in the two screws on the righthand side of the

panel 10. Plug in either the solar panels, if fitted, or an external power supply 11. Turn on the logger via the ON/OFF switch on the front panel


5.3 Connecting to the Central Receiving Unit

When the operator connects to the USB interface it will be enumerated on the PC as a Maple USB serial port with the USB identifier VID: VID_1EAF and PID: PID_0004. Modern operating systems, such as Windows 10, include the required driver to recognize the USB interface as a serial device and to create a logical serial port. The combination of VID and PID can be used to identify which logical serial port has been assigned to the logger.

A quick way of determining the serial port in use on the PC is to inspect the PC’s serial port table immediately before and immediately after plugging into the logger and noting the Comm port number (Comm xx) of the newly creates device. Figure 13 is a screen capture of Device Manager on Windows 10 showing the newly created Comm port (in this case Comm20).

Figure 13: Windows Device Manager after plugging in the Central Receiving Unit



5.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application When using a PC, open your preferred terminal application and configure the terminal application to use the newly created serial port and to select local echo mode.

If you do not have a suitable terminal application these are several freeware terminal applications available. One example for Windows is Putty (Figure 14) which can be downloaded here: www.putty.org

Figure 14: Putty Terminal Program for Windows

When the terminal application on the PC is started, configure the serial interface attributes.(Figure 15)

Set the Terminal to 57600 baud, 8 bit data, 1 stop, no parity, no flow control, local echo.

Figure 15: Putty Configuration Screen for Local Echo

http://www.putty.org/


5.4 Central Receiving Unit User Interface The logger provides a help screen. Help can be access using the short cut ? character followed by ENTER (carriage return / line feed). See Figure 16 below.

Figure 16: User Interface Help Output

5.4.1 Scan Interval, Time and Date These commands are not used by the Central Receiving Unit and will be removed from the next version of the software.

5.4.2 Status Command The status command will display the logger’s health status

5.4.3 Directory Listing The directory contents of the logger’s microSD card can be viewed using the DIR command.



5.4.4 Upload Command The upload command, UPLOAD D, is used to upload data from the logger’s microSD card to the terminal application. This data can then be logged to the PC via the terminal application’s capture capability. The following screen capture (Figure 17) shows thee configuration of the Putty application to capture the console output.

Figure 17: Configuring Logging (capture) with Putty Terminal Application

5.4.5 DELETE D Once the data has been uploaded via the terminal application and the user has confirmed the successful upload by viewing the contents of the uploaded file, the data file can be deleted from the logger via the DELETE D command.

5.4.6 Reading the microSD card Instead of uploading the data file via the terminal application, the user can instead to remove the microSD card from the logger and inserting it into the PC to read the file directly from the MicroSD card. The logger accepts MicroSD cards formatted as either FAT16 or FAT32.


6 Appendix B: Sample Data Format



7 Appendix B: Related Documentation The following sections provide sources for obtaining documentation from Thingy, LLC about this or other Thingy products.

7.1.1 World Wide Web You can access the most current documentation on the World Wide Web at the following site: http://www.gothingy.com/support

7.1.2 Documentation Feedback You can submit technical comments to this documentation on our support website. gothingy.com/support

You can also e-mail your comments to [email protected]

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Thingy Air Quality...5.3 C ONNECTING TO THE C ENTRAL R ECEIVING U NIT 28 5.3.1 Configuring the Terminal application 29 5.4 C ENTRAL R ECEIVING U NIT U SER I NTERFACE 30 5.4.1 Scan