Lord MicroStrain WSDA-200-USB User manual
LORD USERMANUAL
WSDA®-200-USB
Wireless USBBase Station
WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
Table of Contents
1. Gateway Overview
5
1.1 GatewayComponents
6
1.2 GatewayInterface
7
2. System Operation
8
2.1 Software Installation
8
2.2 System Connections
9
2.3 Gateway USB Communication
10
2.4 Connect to Nodes
10
2.4.1 Add A Node Via Node Discovery 10
2.4.2 Add A Node Manually 12
2.4.3 Move Node To Base Station Frequency 14
2.5 Configure Node
15
2.6 Sampling Configuration
15
3. Gateway Settings
18
3.1 Transmit Power
18
3.2 Change Frequency
19
3.3 Using the Beacon
19
3.4 Set Nodes to Idle
20
4. Viewing Data
21
4.1 SensorConnect
21
4.1.1 Using Dashboards and Widgets 21
4.1.2 Navigating Graphs 21
4.1.3 Widgets Options 22
4.1.4 Time Series Widget Menu 22
4.1.5 Exporting Data Files 23
5. Installation
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
5.1 Installation Recommendations
24
5.2 Optimizing the Radio Link
25
5.2.1 Range Test 26
6. Troubleshooting
27
6.1 Troubleshooting Guide
27
6.2 Communications Ports inWindows®
31
6.3 Technical Support
33
7. Parts and Configurations
34
7.1 Standard Models
34
7.2 Wireless System Equipment
34
7.3 Product Ordering
34
8. Specifications
35
8.1 Physical Specification
35
8.2 Operating Specifications
36
8.3 Radio Specifications
37
9. Safety Information
38
9.1 Disposal and Recycling
38
10. References
39
10.1 Related Documents
39
11. Glossary
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
1. Gateway Overview
The WSDA-200-USB is a data acquisition gateway designed to configure, co-ordinate, and collect
sensor data from LORD Sensing wireless sensor nodes. The gateway supports all data acquisition
sessions between wireless nodes and host computers including: continuous sampling, burst sampling,
and datalogging. The gateway also facilitates precision sampling synchronization between sensor nodes
by transmitting a continuous, system-wide timing reference known as the beacon.
The WSDA-200-USB utilizes aUSB interface to transfer data from the wireless nodes to a host computer
for viewing, analysis, and storage.
Figure 1 - WSDA-200-USB
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
1.1 GatewayComponents
The WSDA-200-USB can be purchased with an internal antenna (A) or an external antenna (B).
Item Description Product Num-
ber
AWSDA-200-USB Base Station 6307-2040
BWSDA-200-USB, Connectivity Cable,
External Antenna 6307-2140
-- SensorConnect download here:
http://www.microstrain.com/software --
Table 1 - Components
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
1.2 GatewayInterface
There is one device status indicator on the top of theWSDA-200-USB. The following table describes
indicator behavior.
Figure 2 - Status Indicator
Behavior Node Status
Device Status
Indicator
OFF Gateway is off
ON green Gateway is powered & idle
Flashing blue
Sync sampling beacon enabled or
incoming data from other sampling
modes
Pulsing green Stop node
Flashing red WARNING: another gateway beacon is
detected on the same frequency
Figure 3 - Basic Indicator Behaviors
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2. System Operation
The gateway is the interface between LORD Sensing sensor nodes and the data acquisition computer.
The gateway co-ordinates the configuration and sampling of the nodes and can handle many nodes
simultaneously. Communication between the nodes and gateway is wireless and uses the LORD Sensing
LXRS and LXRS+ data communications protocols.
LORD Sensing's SensorConnect software program is available for data acquisition from the wireless
sensor network. This is a PC- based software used for configuring gateways and nodes, selecting
sampling modes and parameters, initializing data acquisition, and viewing and saving data.
2.1 Software Installation
Install the SensorConnect software on the host computer before connecting any hardware. Access the
free software download on the LORD Sensing website at:
http://www.microstrain.com/software
NOTE
The SensorConnect software includes hardware drivers required for use with USB
gateways. Once installed, the software will automatically detect and configure any USB
gateways that are plugged into the host computer.
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2.2 System Connections
To acquire sensor data the following components are needed: user- supplied external , a LORD
Sensing wireless sensor node, a LORD Sensing data gateway, and a host computer with access to the
data acquisition software.
The sensor, node, gateway, and software selection are application-dependent, but the basic interfaces
are the same.
Figure 4 - System Connections
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2.3 Gateway USB Communication
Drivers for the USB gateways are included the SensorConnect software installation. With the
software installed, the USB gateway will be detected automatically whenever the gateway is plugged
in.
1. Power is applied to the gateway through the USB connection. Verify the gateway status
indicator is illuminated, showing the gateway is connected and powered on.
2. Open the SensorConnect software.
3. The gateway should appear in the Controller window automatically with a communication
port assignment. If the gateway is not automatically discovered, verify the port is active on the
host computer, and then remove and re-insert the USB connector.
Figure 5 - USB Gateway Communication
2.4 Connect to Nodes
Several methods can be used in SensorConnect to establish communication with the nodes: the
automatic node discovery feature, manually entering the node address, and scanning transmission
frequency and node address ranges.
2.4.1 Add A Node Via Node Discovery
For all LORD Sensing 200 Series nodes, a node discovery is triggered by turning on the node. A
discovery packet is sent from the node to all channels and will appear in SensorConnect. The node
address and frequency are indicated in the documentation included with the node when it is
purchased.
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
NOTE
Automatic discovery in nodes not included in the LORD Sensing 200 Series will only occur if
the node is set to idle mode. To force boot-up into idle mode, cycle the node power rapidly
two times, and then leave it on. The status indicator on the node will pulse once per second to
indicate it is in idle mode (
see Troubleshooting Guide on page 27
).
If the base and node are on the same operating frequency, the node will populate below the
Base Station listing when powering on the WSDA-200-USB.
Figure 6 - Node Discovered On Same Frequency
If a red circle with a number appears next to the Base Station, the node is operating on a
separate radio channel (
see Move Node To Base Station Frequency on page 14
).
Figure 7 - Node On Other Frequency
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2.4.2 Add A Node Manually
Adding a node manually requires entering the node address and its current frequency setting.
From the Base Station, select the Manual Add Node tile, enter the Node Address, last known
Frequency (factory default is 15), and select Add Node.
Figure 8 - Add Node By Address
If the node was successfully added, two confirmation messages will appear and it will be
listed under the Base Station.
Figure 9 - Add Node Confirmation
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
If the node failed to be added, a failure message will appear. This means the node did not
respond to the base station which could indicate the node is not in idle mode or it may be on
another frequency. If "Add Node Anyway" is selected, it will associate that node with the
channel entered but it is likely there will be a communication error. If the node was not in idle,
move the base station to the frequency of the node and issue a "Set to Idle" command.
Figure 10 - Failure to Add Node
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2.4.3 Move Node To Base Station Frequency
If a red circle with a number appears next to Base Station, the node is operating on a
separate radio channel. Select the Base Station and then select the Nodes on Other
Frequencies tile.
Figure 11 - Nodes On Other Frequencies
Highlight the new node being added and select Move Node to Frequency (#).
Figure 12 - Move Node
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
2.5 Configure Node
Node settings are stored to non-volatile memory and may be configured using SensorConnect. The
configuration menus show the channels and configuration options available for the type of node being
used.
Figure 13 - Node Configuration
2.6 Sampling Configuration
To start a sampling session, nodes can be selected individually by selecting the Node name >
Sampling, or as a group by selecting the Base Station > Sampling. As a group, they will all be set to the
same sampling mode. When the Base Station is selected, all the nodes will appear in a list with a check
mark to the left, all of the nodes checked off will be included in the sampling. Uncheck the nodes to be
excluded from the sampling.
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
The Network Settings menu includes Synchronized and Lossless sampling options, while the Node
settings menu offers multiple configuration options to customize the data sampling for a single node, or
a group of nodes.
Figure 14 - Network and Node Configuration Menu
a. Synchronized - By selecting Synchronized, all nodes in the network will periodically synchronize their
time clocks to a beacon that is broadcasted by the WSDA gateway. Each beacon contains a UTC
timestamp, allowing nodes to timestamp their collected data within an accuracy of +/- 50 us.
Each node will also buffer data and transmit this data in time-slots allocated prior to sampling. Using
time-slots assures the transmissions will not “collide”, or corrupt each other. It also provides a means for
efficiently scaling the size of the network to allow as much data throughput as possible.
If Synchronized is deselected, the node will not require a beacon time source and will transmit a data
transmission for each measurement sweep. The user should deselect Synchronized if, either low
latency, or the lowest possible power at slow sample rates, is required.
b. Lossless - The user can achieve near lossless data collection in most environments through the use of
data buffering, radio acknowledgments, and retransmissions. Each node buffers collected data and
timestamps to an internal 2 Mbit FIFO buffer. For each transmission, data is pulled from this buffer. Upon
receiving the data packet, an acknowledgment is sent from the WSDA gateway providing the beacon.
The node will retransmit data until this acknowledgment is received. Inherent overhead in the trans-
mission scheduling protocol assures the node time to recover from periods of poor radio communication.
This feature allows lossless performance in environments where the node achieves as low as 50%
packet error rate. It also allows for operation in situations where the gateway and node move in and out
of range of each other.
The Lossless feature is only available when Synchronized is enabled. Disable Lossless if the application
requires consistent latency or can tolerate lost data.
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
c. Node: Indicates the node address beside a box with a check mark. This box is checked by default to
include the node in the sampling. Uncheck the box to exclude the node from the sampling.
d. Channels: Provides a drop-down menu to select the desired sensor channels for the node.
e. Sampling: Displays a drop-down menu to select the sample rate. "Continuously" samples indefinitely,
"For" specifies a fixed sampling time-frame, and "Bursting" allows short sampling durations performed at
periodic intervals.
f. Data Type: Select the resolution of the data reported by the node. Selecting lower resolution data will
require fewer transmissions and lower power. Selecting "Float" will request the node send data in the
configured calibration unit type.
g. Log/Transmit: Select "Log Only" to have the node store all collected data to flash memory for later down-
load. Select "Transmit Only" to have the node transmit all data while it is collected. Or select "Log and
Transmit" to have the node perform both operations.
h. % Total: Indicates the percentage of total over-the-air bandwidth reserved for each node.
i. Status: Displays network errors.
j. Apply and Start Network: Applies all of the settings, starts the entire network, and starts the Base Sta-
tion's beacon. A drop-down menu displays options to Apply and Arm all of the nodes without starting the
beacon, or Apply Only to save the settings to memory and not start the network.
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
3. Gateway Settings
3.1 Transmit Power
The transmit power level may require adjustment if power consumption is a concern or in regions
where there are transmit power restrictions. Lowering the power output reduces power consumption,
but it also reduces the wireless communication range between the gateways and nodes.
NOTE
Actual range is highly dependent on how the nodes and gateways are installed and the
conditions in the surrounding environment (
see Range Test on page 26
).
Setting Power Output Maximum Range
Extended 20 dBm (100 mW) LXRS LXRS+
2 km --
Standard 10dBm (10mW) 2 km --
Low 0dBm (1mW) 2 km --
Table 2 - Transmit Power Settings
From the Base Station, select Configure > Transmit Power for a drop down menu of five power options
ranging from 0 dBm to 20 dBm.
Figure 15 - Transmit Power Setting
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
3.2 Change Frequency
There are 14 available frequency channels between 2.405 and 2.470 GHz. Wireless nodes and the
gateway must be on the same frequency channel to communicate.
To move node(s) to a different frequency, select Base Station and then the Change Frequency tile.
Figure 16 - Gateway Frequency
3.3 Using the Beacon
In synchronized sampling, the beacon feature is used to coordinate sampling and transmission timing
between multiple nodes. The primary purpose is to avoid data collision, guarantee timing between
samples from different nodes, and to time-stamp the data. The beacon cannot be used in any another
sampling mode.
When the beacon is enabled, the gateway broadcasts a data message once every second containing a
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time stamp, and it is used to update each node’s real time clock
(RTC). This continuous synchronization beacon, coupled with the accuracy of the gateway and node
clocks (+/- 3 ppm drift), provides a node-to-node synchronization within ±50 microseconds. The
gateway receives the UTC from the host computer, so the host must be connected to a UTC time
server to achieve that accuracy. There is some lag inherent in the Microsoft Windows distribution of the
UTC. This dictates the overall accuracy of the time-stamp, but the synchronization times between the
gateway and nodes will be consistent because of the accuracy of the embedded RTC clocks.
When the beacon is active, the gateway device status indicator will pulse blue once per second. When
the nodes connected to the gateway are in synchronized sampling mode, the network can be put to
sleep by turning off the beacon and then resuming transmitting once the beacon is enabled. Any node
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WSDA®-200-USB User Manual
that is actively sampling in synchronized sampling mode on the same frequency as the gateway will
synchronize to it automatically if the beacon is activated.
To avoid interference with other devices it is recommended that the beacon be disabled when not in
use. Do not operate multiple gateways on the same frequency.
To enable and disable the beacon, select On or Off from the Toggle Beacon tile. A green pop up
window will appear confirming the successful action.
3.4 Set Nodes to Idle
To stop all (or selected) nodes on a network, select the Set Nodes to Idle tile and indicate with a check
mark which nodes are to be set to idle mode. If the Broadcast option is enabled, a signal to all nodes
(including unsolicited nodes) will be sent out to request they return to idle.
Figure 17 - Set to Idle
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