Tekelek TEK893 LoRaWAN Ultrasonic Sensor Installation Guide

: June 6, 2024
: Tekelek

Table of Contents

Safety Information
Installation
Antenna considerations
Activation
LED Patterns
Fitting Ultrasonic gauge
Appendix 1: Drilling Procedure
Appendix 2: Waveguide
Addition documentation
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

Tekelek TEK893 LoRaWAN Ultrasonic Sensor

Safety Information

The LoRaWAN Ultrasonic sensor is ATEX compliant, but if installing in a harsh environment first check local applicable regulatory and safety guidelines to ensure installer security. Please refer to the Short Instruction Manual for more information on the warnings and hazards.

Installation

Note: For the LoRaWAN sensor, warnings detailed in the Short Instruction Manual must be considered. When possible, install the LoRaWAN sensor as high as possible off the ground (>2meters is ideal). The LoRaWAN sensor can be easily mounted in these different ways: (screws & cable ties not provided)

Wall mounting with M6 screws
Vertical tube mounting with polyamide cable ties
Horizontal tube mounting with polyamide cable ties
Sensor may also be glued in place if required
These different configurations are detailed in the following steps.

Wall Mounting

The LoRaWAN sensor has a wall mount system for M6 screws. When mounting, ensure that the antenna is vertical and avoid having the antenna too close to another wall, or any obstacle.

Vertical tube mounting

Mounting and installation of the LoRaWAN sensor on a vertical tube:

Use 1 weather resistant polyamide cable tie (width < 5mm and length > 250mm)

Follow these steps:

Position the LoRaWAN sensor on the vertical tube
Insert cable ties through holes on underside of the sensor
Tighten the cable ties so that the sensor is held securely in place.

Horizontal tube mounting

Mounting and installation of the LoRaWAN sensor on a horizontal tube:

Use 2 weather resistant polyamide cable ties (width < 5mm and length > 250mm)

Follow these steps:

Position the LoRaWAN sensor on the horizontal tube
Tighten the cable ties so that the sensor is held securely in place.

Antenna considerations

The position of the LoRaWAN sensor and its antenna is key in the performance of the LoRa network. The position and the orientation of the LoRaWAN sensor must be chosen carefully to offer the best performance. Some recommendations are provided below.

Orientation:
The antenna must be kept vertical, in the nominal position of the LoRaWAN sensor.
Metal plate, metallic parts:
Performance of the antenna may be degraded by metal parts within 20cm above or beside the antenna
Height / ground effect:
The ground has a significant impact on the radio signal attenuation. The closer to the ground the LoRaWAN sensor is, the higher the attenuation will be.
Sensor interface:
The cable between the Rochester gauge and the LoRaWAN sensor should be guided such that it is not close to the antenna. Also avoid creating any loop with the cable, close to the LoRaWAN sensor enclosure.

Activation

Before installation the LoRaWAN sensor must first be registered to a LoRaWAN network. Access to the LoRaWAN backend server is required to verify that the unit has correctly joined the network.

Once the sensor has been installed, activate the slide switch for 1 second to connect to the LoRaWAN network and upload a status maessage. (See Figure 4)
The LED will stay illuminated as the sensor registers:
- Red LED = The sensor is registering & connecting for the first time. (Sensor is shipped in dormant state).
- Green LED = The sensor is already registered. The connection process will take between 20 & 40 seconds.
After the connection has completed, the LED will flash on & off (to indicate whether the connection was a success or failure). See STEP 4.

LED Patterns

Once the sensor has been installed successfully, it is recommended to force a manual connection 4-5 times to test the strength of the radio signal.

Activate the slide switch for approximately 1 second, until the LED turns green.
Wait approximately 10-20 seconds and observe if the LED flashes green or red.
If the LED flashes red on greater than 50% of attempts, consider elevating the sensor to improve the radio frequency performance.

See the following for description of Green/Red LED flash codes.

LED Pattern	Function
Green X 3 Flashes	Excellent signal strength
Green X 2 Flashes	Good signal strength
Green X 1 Flash	Adequate signal strength
Alternate Green / Red Flash	Weak signal strength

LED Error Flash Codes:

LED Pattern	Function
Red X 1 Flash	Authentication or LoRaWAN join request fail
Red X 2 Flashes	No response from LoRaWAN network

Red X 3 Flashes

| General Error. Please try again. If the error persists, contact the supplier for support.

Red X 5 Flashes

| Maximum number of allowed activations exceeded (up to 6 per hour allowed).

Fitting Ultrasonic gauge

The ATEX Ultrasonic level sensor has as standard a 3m cable with a detachable connector to allow it to be separated from the data logger host device and more easily screwed into place. It has a 2” and 1.5” standard threaded NPT connection options.

The following outlines the Ultrasonic LoRaWAN sensor mounting options.

The sensor must sit in a vertical position on top of the tank and be fitted such that the sensor has a clear path to the tank contents. Position it so that there are no internal obstructions that may interfere with the ultrasonic signal.
If obstacles cannot be avoided, then a waveguide may be required. Please refer to Appendix 2 for further details.
Locate a suitably positioned threaded opening on the top of the tank to hold the sensor.
- The sensor will fit directly into threaded 1 ¼”, 1 ½” or 2” BSP (British Standard Pipe) existing tank connections.
- Ensure that the gasket is placed, and that the sensor is screwed correctly into the tank.
For tanks that do not contain a suitably positioned threaded opening on the top of the tank to hold the sensor, please refer to Appendix 1.

Appendix 1: Drilling Procedure

Choose a flat spot on the top of the tank.
Use a 45.5mm tapping drill to drill a 1 ½” BSP hole on the surface of the tank.
Place the foam gasket over the hole followed by the mounting adaptor.
Tighten on to tank with 2 stainless steel self-tapping, counter sunk screws, supplied. Do not over tighten!
Screw the sensor into the adaptor. Ensure that the sensor is vertical on the tank and screwed correctly into the base and that the threads have not crossed, to give a secure seal

Appendix 2: Waveguide

Note: The default sensor configuration is non-waveguide mode and the measurements will be inaccurate unless a waveguide configuration mode is used.

Source a suitable pipe to act as the waveguide. This pipe should conform the dimensions in the figure below in order to fit the sensor. The recommended pipe material is PVC (domestic waste pipe is often used). Other materials are possible but should be checked for chemical resistance to fuel oil.
Cross-section of waveguide pipe assembly:
The pipe should be cleanly cut to length. The length required should be measured from the top of the tank (where the sensor is to be mounted) to that of the fuel outlet point (as shown). Note: The bottom of the pipe should be a minimum of 5cm from the base (floor) of the tank to prevent it from touching in the case of tank dimensional changes due to temperature etc.
The waveguide pipe should be securely attached via the two grub screws and hand tightened with an M1.5 Allen key (Note: over-tightening the grub screws can damage the plastic). Care should be taken to keep the sensor and pipe vertically aligned and supported, while fitting during the installation. Note: Depending on the weight, length and surface finish of the pipe, it may be necessary to glue it into position. In this case a hole should be drilled near the top of the waveguide pipe, just below the adapter, to ensure that any trapped air can exit.
Insert the correctly sized rubber seal ring, as required for the tank opening (supplied), and position it on the face of the adapter that is screwed onto the top of the tank.
Insert the whole assembly carefully into the tank, taking care not to loosen the pipe, and fit into position. Hand tighten the assembly until the rubber seal locks into position.