Vega Absolute M-BUS-1 User manual

www.vega-absolute.ru
LORAWAN CONVERTER
M-BUS-1
USER MANUAL
DOCUMENT REVISION
FIRMWARE VERSION
15 2.0 and higher

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................................4
1 DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Device description .................................................................................................................................................................5
Comunication and data collection algorithm .................................................................................................................. 5
Functional ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Marking .....................................................................................................................................................................................7
2 SPECIFICATION .......................................................................................................................................................................8
Device specification............................................................................................................................................................... 8
Default Device Settings ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
3 OPERATION............................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Device Appearance .............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Contacts Description ........................................................................................................................................................... 12
LED Indications .....................................................................................................................................................................14
Mounting Recomendations................................................................................................................................................15
Converter operation in the independent poll mode.....................................................................................................17
Converter operation in the transparent mode ...............................................................................................................17
Converter operation in the universal poll mode............................................................................................................17
4 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL – 1.1 VERSION.............................................................................................................21
Converter M-BUS-1 transmits the following types of packets.................................................................................... 21
1. Packet with current readings from connected heat meter ...................................................................................21
2. Packet with data from connected M-BUS device.................................................................................................... 22
3. Packet with data about external power..................................................................................................................... 22
4. «Alarm» packet..............................................................................................................................................................22
5. Packet with data about state changes of the outputs OUT_1 or OUT_2............................................................ 23
6. Packet with time correction request..........................................................................................................................23
7. Settings packet............................................................................................................................................................... 23
Converter M-BUS-1 receives packets of the following types .....................................................................................24
1. Real-time clock adjustment ........................................................................................................................................ 24
2. Query of readings log................................................................................................................................................... 24

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3. Output on command ...................................................................................................................................................24
4. Converter operation in transparent mode................................................................................................................25
5. Output off command ...................................................................................................................................................25
6. Packet with request of settings................................................................................................................................... 25
7. Packet with settings is identical to such packet from device ................................................................................26
5 STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................... 28
6 CONTENT OF THE PACKAGE .............................................................................................................................................29
7 WARRANTY ............................................................................................................................................................................. 30

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INTRODUCTION
This manual is designated for M-BUS-1 device (hereinafter – device, converter)
manufactured by Vega-Absolute OOO and provides information on powering and activation
procedure, control commands and functions of the device.
This manual is targeted at specialists familiar with installation work fundamentals for
electronic and electrical equipment.
Vega-Absolute OOO reserves the right to make changes to the manual related to the
improvement of equipment and software, as well as to eliminate typos and inaccuracies,
without prior notice.

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1 DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
DEVICE DESCRIPTION
The device M-BUS-1 is designed for reading of values from metering instruments via M-
BUS interface and further accumulating and transmitting of this data to the LoRaWAN®network.
M-BUS-1 has two ‘open-drain’ outputs so it can be used as a control device. Also, device has
two security inputs.
Converter M-BUS-1 may operate in two modes. Converter can be used for any utilities’
meters and industrial equipment with M-BUS interface while it operates in the transparent
mode. But in the independent poll mode of the metering devices converter can be used only
with the next supported devices:
•Heat meter “Teplouchet-1”
•Heat meter “STE 21 “Berill”
•Heat meter “ELF-M Teplovodomer”
•Heat meter “Landis Gyr T230”
•Heat meter “Sharky 775”
•Heat meter “Pulsar”
•Heat meter “Calec ST II”
•Heat meter “Calec ST II_2”
•Heat meter “Sensonic II”
•Heat calculator “ZENNER_MULTIDATA_WR3”
•Heat meter “Pulse STK-15”
•Heat meter “Hiterm PUTM-1”
The converter is powered by a 6400 mAh built-in battery. The converter can be powered
by the 10…36 V external power supply.
Quantity of connecting M-BUS devices to the converter is up to 10 at the same time.
Starting with firmware version 2.0 and higher, M-BUS-
1 supports
simultaneous connection of metering devices of different models and
manufacturers
COMUNICATION AND DATA COLLECTION ALGORITHM
Vega M-BUS-1 operates in modes listed below:
“Storage” – is a mode for storing and transporting. In this mode the device does not
communicate regularly with the network.
“Active” – is a main mode of device operation.
Before start using you need to switch the device out of “Storage” mode.

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Vega M-BUS-1 supports two activation methods in the LoRaWAN®network - ABP and
OTAA. Select one of the methods via the “Vega LoRaWAN Configurator” application (see “User
Manual” on the program).
ABP method. After pressing the start button, the device immediately starts working in the
"Active" mode.
OTAA method. After pressing the start button, the device makes three attempts to
connect to the network within the set frequency plan. After the activation in the LoRaWAN®
network is confirmed, the device sends a signal (LED flashing for 5 seconds) and switches to
the "Active" mode. If all attempts fail, the counter will continue to accumulate data and will
attempt to connect to the network every 6 hours.
Hold the start button pressed (min. 5 seconds) to switch the device from the "Active"
mode back to the "Storage" mode without turning off the power (battery or external).
The readings are collecting from the meter with a configurable period from 5 minutes to
24 hours. The readings stored in the device memory and transmitting during the next
communication session with the LoRaWAN®network.
The readings are read from the connected device at 00.00 on the internal clock of the
device if the data collection period is set to 24 hours, at 00.00 and at 12.00, if the period is 12
hours and so on.
The adjustable data transfer period can be from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Data transferring
in random point in time during set period. At the next communication session, the device starts
sending accumulated packets with readings, from the earliest to the latest.
With the "Confirmed uplinks" option turned on, the device will send the next packet only
after receiving a confirmation of the delivery of the previous one. If such confirmation has not
received after the fulfilled in the settings uplink number of transmissions, device completes the
communication session until the next one according to the schedule. In this case, the device
continues to collect data according to the data collection period and store it in memory. Non-
transmitted packets are remained in the device memory until the next communication session.
With the "Confirmed uplinks" option turned off, the device just sends all accumulated
packets to the network in order from the earliest to the latest. There are no checks of package
delivery in this mode. After communication session there are no non-transmitted messages in
the device memory.
The internal clock is set automatically when device connected to the "Vega LoRaWAN
Configurator" throughUSB, also can be adjust via LoRaWAN®network.
FUNCTIONAL
M-BUS-1 converter can either be of class A or class C (LoRaWAN®classification) and
has the following features:

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Automatic change from A class to C class when powered from an external power
supply
ADR support (Adaptive Data Rate)
Sending of confirmed packets (configurable)
Extra communication in case of security inputs actuation
Temperature measurement by the internal temperature sensor
Charge measuring of the built-in battery (%)
MARKING
Device marked with sticker which contains the next information:
Device model;
DevEUI;
Month and year of manufacture.
Sticker is located in three places – on device case, in factory certificate and on the packing
box.
Besides, there is an additional sticker located on the packing box which contains:
Information about firmware version;
QR-code containing DevEUI and other keys for device registration.

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2 SPECIFICATION
DEVICE SPECIFICATION
MAIN
M-BUS interface 1
Quantity of connecting M-BUS devices up to 10
Security inputs 2
‘Open-drain’ outputs 2
USB-port mini-USB, type B
Operating temperatures -40…+85 °С
LORAWAN®
LoRaWAN class
A or С
Quantity of LoRa channels 16
Frequency plans supported by default
RU868, EU868, KZ865, custom (EU868
based)
Frequency plans available as order option
IN865, AS923, AU915, KR920, US915
Activation type ABP or OTAA
Communication period 5, 15, 30 minutes, 1, 6, 12 or 24 hours
Data collection period 5, 15, 30 minutes, 1, 6, 12 or 24 hours
Memory amount for storing packets 100 packets
Antenna connector SMA
Sensitivity -138 dBm
Radio coverage in restrained urban conditions max 5 km
Radio coverage within line of sight max 15 km
Transmitter power by default 25 mW (configurable)
POWER
Built-in battery
6400 mAh
External power supply 10…36 V
Calculated number of packets sent by the
device with default settings
30 000
CASE
Housing dimensions
95 х 80 х 65 mm
Ingress protection rating IP65
Mounting clamp fastening to the support, DIN-rail,
wall-mounting
PACKAGE
Dimensions 140 х 80 х 85 mm
Weight
0.271 kg

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DEFAULT DEVICE SETTINGS
PARAMETER
VALUE
Frequency plan RU868
Activation type OTAA
Adaptive Data Rate ON
Confirmed Uplinks OFF
Rx 1 Delay 1 second
Join Accept Delay 5 seconds
Uplink number of transmissions 1
Data rate DR0
Power 14 dBm
Communication period 24 hours
Data collection period 24 hours
Time zone UTC +00:00
For changing the device settings, you need to connect to it with “Vega LoRaWAN
Configurator” application. You can download app on the iotvega.com site in SOFT section as
well as User Manual for configurator. Go to the app page.

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3 OPERATION
DEVICE APPEARANCE
Vega M-BUS-1 is represented in black plastic case which has six screws and mounting
for DIN-rail. The device case is equipped with a hermetic gland of M12 size. A sealant is installed
inside the gland, ensuring compliance with the declared Ingress Protection rating of the device
case.
1 – screws ø 3 mm х 16 mm, cross
2 – DIN-rail with mounting holes ø 3 mm
3 – input of external antenna
4 – cable gland of M12 size for installing the cables and wires with circular cross-section
with a diameter of 5...6 mm.
2
1
4
3
Internal structure of cable gland

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All of elements for manage and indication as well as connecting contacts are placed on
the board inside the case.
5
6
7
8
9
10
5 – input for connecting an
external antenna
6 – start button
7 – LED indicator
8 – contacts
9 – USB-port
10 – connector for battery

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CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
Converter has 10 contacts, see table below:
Contact
Designation on the board
Description
1
OUT_2
Open-drain output 2
2
OUT_1 Open-drain output 1
3
+VPWR
Power +
4
Ʇ
Power -
5
MBAS-
M-BUS -
6
MBAS+ M-BUS +
7
COUNT_2
Security input 2
8
Ʇ
Ground
9
COUNT_1 Security input 1
10
Ʇ
Ground
Ground contacts 8 and 10 are used for connection of security inputs COUNT_1 and
COUNT_2.
Security inputs of the M-BUS-1 device are used to connect circuits with the following
types of NO contacts:
reed switch;
mechanical pushbutton;
open-collector output.
While security input connected the device monitors its closure. Should the security input
triggering, the device is activated and sends an alarm message to the network.
For connecting an external metering device contacts M-BUS+ и M-BUS- are used.

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To increase the battery life, the physical level of the M-BUS interface is switch on (supply
voltage is applied to the outputs MBAS +, MBAS-) just before meter polling with a programmable
delay (the delay value is depending on the type of connected meter). The delay is introduced
for initializing own meter interface and its preparing for receiving data from the converter.
When the polling is complete, the physical M-BUS level is turned off.
When the converter is in class C, the physical level of the M-BUS interface is constantly
on and does not turn off after completing a poll.
The outputs OUT_1 and OUT_2 operate on the principle of open-drain and can be used
to control external devices, such as electric cranes, lighting, sirens and so on. The load capacity
of each output is no more than 200 mA.
Permissible load for each digital output is 200 mА
To increase the load on the device outputs, it is necessary to use an external relay. The
relay connection scheme is shown below.

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LED INDICATIONS
There is a one red LED on the board. The indication is only used when the device is
activated in the LoRaWAN®network and when the operating modes are changed.
LED SIGNAL
MEANING
Short flashings Linking to the network in progress
One long flashing
during 5 sec
The device has been successfully
connected to the network and is in
active mode
Three flashings each by
1 sec
Linking to the network has been failed
or the device switched to the
“Storage” mode
In case of connection attempt fail, the device will continue to accumulate
data and will attempt to connect to the network every 6 hours
LED on the board

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MOUNTING RECOMENDATIONS
To provide the stable radio between the gateway and the end device it is recommended
avoiding the device installation in the places which are barriers for the radio signal getting
through like a reinforced floors and walls, a basement, an underground facilities and wells, a
metal case etc.
The necessary stage for the network deploying including a big quantity of end devices is
a radio planning work with nature experiments.
For mounting you will need:
cross-shaped screwdriver ;
wire stripper;
laptop.
Step by step mounting be like:
1. Setting the devices and connecting them to the network are usually carried out in the
office (see Network Deployment Manual).
2. Determination of suitable places for mounting at the object with a network tester.
3. De-energizing the connected equipment, metering devices, etc.
4. Placement the wires in the cable gland. It must be remembered that the wires must
be united in one cable of circular cross-section with diameter of 5…6 mm.
Inside the cable gland there is a sealant ensuring compliance with the
declared Ingress Protection rating of the device case. When removing
the sealant, as well as when installing wires of a different diameter or
cross-section, device performance may deteriorate until failure due to
moisture entering the case
5. Connecting all necessary wires to the M-BUS-1 contacts.
6. M-BUS-1 converter can be powered from an external power source as well as from
a battery. For working with battery, it is necessary to connect it to battery connector
on the board. For working with external power source you should use the contacts
+VPWR and Ʇ.

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7. When the power is connected at the first time the device automatically switches to
the “Active” mode and starts registration in the network. But if the device with
connected battery or an external power has been switched to the “Storage” mode
(by the pressing on the start button more than 5 sec) then you need to press the
button to start.
8. By the laptop make sure that the device successfully sends the data.
9. Assembling the device.
10. DIN-rail mounting or another available way to mount the device on the object.
Before connecting the device to the network, make sure that its registration
data is entered in the network - Device EUI, Application EUI and Application
Key for OTAA, or Device address, Application session key and Network
session key for ABP
Connector for
battery
Contacts for
connecting an
external power
source
Start button on the
board

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CONVERTER OPERATION IN THE INDEPENDENT POLL MODE
In the independent poll mode, the converter periodically and consistently polls the
metering devices at their secondary addresses. The addresses of the polling devices are written
to the converter using the "Vega LoRaWAN Configurator" application.
M-BUS-1 uses the secondary addresses for poll of the connected devices. The secondary
address usually is equal to meter serial number.
In case of a successful poll, the data transferred by the metering device is accumulated
in the configurator memory and sent to the LoRaWAN network in accordance with
communication period. The communication period can be set to 1, 6, 12 or 24 hours in the
"Vega LoRaWAN Configurator" application while converter connected to a computer.
CONVERTER OPERATION IN THE TRANSPARENT MODE
For enable using converter in conjunction with various software systems dispatching of
meters and industrial equipment, there is added ability to work in a transparent mode. In this
mode, the converter operates as a simple communication channel between the LoRaWAN
network and connected external device. M-BUS-1 can receive data from the LoRaWAN network
for external devices and transfer them to the M-BUS interface without any processing. If the
external device responds to the request, the converter sends the received data back to the
network, also without processing, as one or more packets.
Thus, in transparent mode, the converter does not form a request and does not process
the response from the metering device. The duty to form requests and analyze the responses
lies entirely on the external application that works with M-BUS-1 through the LoRaWAN
network.
The converter must be powered by the external power supply while operating in the
transparent mode (operate as a class C LoRaWAN device).
CONVERTER OPERATION IN THE UNIVERSAL POLL MODE
To reduce the volume of data transmitted over the air, the user can use the universal
polling mode. In this mode, the converter independently interrogates metering devices with
user-specified commands in accordance with a customizable schedule. This reduces radio
traffic and significantly increases the polling rate of the meter.
When operating in the universal polling mode, the converter can operate both on battery
power and from an external power source (operate as a class C device).
By default, the universal polling mode is disabled, you can activate it using the Vega
LoRaWAN Configurator program on the device tab1.
1The described functionality is supported in the Configurator version 1.0.55 and higher.

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Activation of the universal poll mode leads to the blocking of
independent polling of supported metering devices
When the “Universal poll” mode is activated, the configurator hides the menu for working
with supported metering devices and displays the menu for entering user commands instead.
The user can set up to 10 polling commands (in hexadecimal form), as well as the
sequence of their transmissions, intervals, timeouts for waiting for a response. The response of
the meter is placed in a "black box" and broadcast in accordance with the period of data
transmission.
For a user to be able to remove unnecessary data from the package and transfer only
useful data, there is an ability to prohibit a response to a command by unchecking the "Send
response" parameter.
Prohibiting the answer is made to increase the polling speed and reduce the amount of
data transmitted by the device. When working with M-BUS, payload data can come in response
to the second or third commands. The first one or two commands can be initialization
commands, to which responses are received in the form of a confirmation receipt.
Data received in the universal poll mode is transmitted in a format which similar to the
transparent mode - LoRaWAN port 2, packet type 3 (see packet 2 of part 4).
Example.
Polling the Sharky 775 heat meter using the universal poll mode:

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To poll the metering device, two commands are set:
•0x10 0x40 0x45 0x85 0x16 – initialization command, the meter responds to it
with a confirmation receipt 0xE5;
•0x10 0x7B 0x45 0xC0 0x16 – data request command, the meter responds to it
with a packet with readings.
The transmission intervals are set - 1 hour and only the second command response is
set.
With this configuration, the work will proceed as follows: every hour, two commands
will be transmitted one after the other. Only the second command will be sent to the server
via the radio channel, so the confirmation receipt 0xE5 will not be sent.
In the logs of the configurator, this procedure will look like this:
Time to warm-up meters 1621907648
Send user m-bus command:

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Received data: E5
Poll meter OK
Send user m-bus command:
Received data: 68 54 54 68 08 45 …
Poll meter OK
Here Received Data: E5 – is confirmation receipt for the first command.
Here Received Data: 68 54 54 68 … – is payload response of the meter to the second
command. Only this packet will be broadcast, the E5 receipt will be ignored.