Telemetry, SCADA, and Building Automation System Integrators have wrestled for decades with totalization errors associated with pulse-output flow meters. The EtherMeter was designed to eliminate these errors.  We call the result: Revenue-Grade-Accurate Flow Metering. By leveraging absolute-encoder AMR technology — which is offered as a low-cost option by all of the major AWWA-type water meter manufacturers — the Read More →

In 2012, SCADAmetrics introduced the B202  — an industrial Bell 202 modem designed for radio telemetry applications.  The B202 is designed to provide external, non-proprietary data modulation/demodulation for a wide range of popular analog telemetry radios, including models from Tecnet/Maxon, GE/MDS, Ritron, and RF Neulink, and Calamp. In support of a customer project, we were recently tasked to verify Read More →

In recent months, we’ve been receiving regular requests from non-industrial-controls clients who wish to build an AMR System around the EtherMeter.  Examples include owners and managers of commercial properties, such as apartment buildings and strip malls.  In most cases, this category of client works in the commercial sub-metering realm, and therefore does not have prior Read More →

In order to track and minimize utility costs, a growing number of forward-thinking, modern factories have initiated efforts to monitor utility usage in realtime — including electricity, water, and natural gas. And such monitoring does not only occur at the utility-owned meters, but within the factory itself so that a breakdown of the utility costs Read More →

In this article, we introduce a novel method of quantifying pump station energy efficiency. For an automobile, everyone is familiar with Miles-Per-Gallon or MPG.  Today, we are going to introduce an equivalent measure of pump station efficiency that every water utility Telemetry/SCADA system should include: GPK. Automobile Efficiency… Have you ever calculated the average gas mileage for your automobile?  Read More →

This article describes how to use an EtherMeter to connect a Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge to a SCADA System, yielding a realtime rainfall measurement system that communicates using Modbus, DF1, and EtherNet/IP. This rain measuring instrumentation was a component of the new SCADA System at the DesMoines & Mississippi Levee District (Alexandria, MO).  The electronics were Read More →

The EtherMeter contains an RS485 port for Modbus/RTU and DF1 communications in multi-drop applications. When using the RS485 port, the following EtherMeter terminals are used: 19  –  RS485A (-) 20  –  RS485B (+) 21  –  Signal GND Reference (contains current-limiting resistor) In order to use RS485, attention should be given to the EtherMeter’s dip switch positions: Latest EtherMeter: Read More →

The Preciseline Pressure Transducer (manufactured by Keller-America ), like our EtherMeter, offers a digital Modbus-based solution to a water telemetry problem that was previously solved by analog (4-20mA) instrumentation. In the case of the Preciseline, the water pressure signal is converted into Modbus; whereas in the case of our EtherMeter, error-free totalization and flow-rate data is collected Read More →

In response to customer requests, pulse-based batching capability has been added to the EtherMeter.  This new ability will be included on all future EtherMeter shipments dated 01 Feb 2010 and beyond. In most municipal water applications in which a pulse-based water meter is used, the pulse count is generally preferred to totalize without reset.  However, Read More →