LORD V-Link-200 User manual

LORD QUICKSTARTGUIDE
V-Link®-200
Wireless 8 Channel Analog Input Sensor Node
The V-Link -200 wireless sensor node features eight analog input channels
designed to accommodate a wide range of Wheatstone bridge and analog
sensors, including strain, load cell, torque, pressure, acceleration, vibration,
magnetic field, displacement, and geophones. There are four channels for single-
ended sensor measurement, four channels for differential sensor measurement,
and an on-board internal temperature sensor.
To acquire sensor data, the V- Link- 200 is used with a LORD Sensing data
gateway such as the WSDA-101 or WSDA-1500 Base. V-Link-200 sensor nodes
come with the following components.
Item Description Quantity
AV-Link-200 1
BAntenna with right angle adapter 1
CNode tester board 1
DAA Lithium batteries (3.6 V dc, 2.4
Ah) 4
EDIN rail clip 1
#6-32 x 3/8" Thread forming screws 3
The V-Link-200 LEDs indicate operational modes showing when the node
is booting up, idle and waiting for a command, sampling, resynchronizing,
or if there is an error.
Figure 1 - Interface and Indicators
Indicator Behavior Node Status
Device
status
indicator
OFF Node is OFF
Rapid green flashing
on start-up Node is booting up
1 (slow) green pulse
per second
Node is idle and waiting
for a command
1 green blink every 2
seconds Node is sampling
Blue LED during
sampling Node is resynchronizing
Red LED Error or low battery
Wireless Simplicity, Hardwired Reliability™

SYSTEM OPERATION
Sensor nodes have three operational modes: active , sleep , and idle . When the
node is sampling, it is in active mode. When sampling stops, the node is switched
into idle mode, which is used for configuring node settings, and allows toggling
between sampling and sleeping modes. The node will automatically go into the
ultra low- power sleep mode after a user-determined period of inactivity. The
node will not go into sleep mode while sampling.
Figure 2 - Node Operational Modes
1. Install Software
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
2. Make System Connections
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V-Link®-200 Wireless Sensor Node Quick Start Guide

3. Establish Gateway 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 3 - USB Gateway Communication
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.
A. Add Node Via Node Discovery
If the base and node are on the same operating frequency, the node will
populate below the Base Station listing when powering on the V-Link-200.
Figure 4 - 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 Connect to Nodes on page 3.).
Figure 5 - Node On Other Frequency
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V-Link®-200 Wireless Sensor Node Quick Start Guide

B. Add 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 6 - 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 7 - Add Node Confirmation
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 8 - Failure to Add Node
C. 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 9 - Nodes On Other Frequencies
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V-Link®-200 Wireless Sensor Node Quick Start Guide

Highlight the new node being added and select Move Node to Frequency
(#).
Figure 10 - Move Node
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.
For this example the V-Link-200 tester board is on channel 1.
1. Select Hardware > Input Range for channel 1, select +/-2 mV from
the drop down menu.
2. Under Hardware Offset, select Balance Target for channel 1, select
Mid (50%) from the drop down menu.
3. Select Auto- Balance. When auto- balance is complete, a blue
information window will indicate the balance result.
Figure 11 - Auto-Balance
4. Select Calibration.
5. Select Microstrainfrom the Unit drop down menu, and select the
Shunt Cal button enabled on the right.
Figure 12 - Node Configuration Menu
6. Use the following settings:
a. Calibration Mode: Internal
b. Number of Active Gauges: 4
c. Gauge Factor: 2
d. Gauge Resistance: 1000
e. Shunt Resistance: 499000
7. Select Start Shunt Cal for Slope and Offset calibrations.
8. Select Accept Calibration.
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V-Link®-200 Wireless Sensor Node Quick Start Guide