Overview

This article will walk the user through the steps to install a VW sensor into one of the four available Strand channels and provide an overview of configuring the VW sensors within the ITwin IoT web application. It is best practice to connect the Strand to the network via a Gateway Thread and setup the Strand in the application before installing Sensors. While setting up Sensors and ensuring connectivity to the App, we recommend turning the Thread Power Schedule to "Always On".

Installing a VW Sensor into a Strand

The first step in installing a sensor is to wire the sensor into the Strand.

Step 1- Open the Hinged Lid of the Strand by unscrewing the 3 Torx screws.

Step 2- Pull the sensor wiring into the Strand through one of the four cable glands on the bottom of the Strand.

Step 3- Refer to the Sensor's user manual for wiring instructions to correctly wire the Sensor into one of the Strands open channels. If you have any additional questions regarding the wiring, you can also Contact Support for further assistance. If wiring-in multiple sensors simultaneously, remember which sensor you have installed on each channel.

Adding VW Sensors in App

The next step in the process is to add the Sensor to the Strand in the web app and confirm that data readings are being collected.

Step 1- Navigate to the "Edit Configuration" page for the Strand by clicking on the Strand name in the Devices & Sensors portion of the Connectivity page and clicking "Edit Configuration" on the left column of the Strand page. Your display should look like the following image. 

Step 2- While setting up Sensors and confirming that data readings are being reported to the app, we recommend turning the Thread Power Schedule to "Always On" and adjusting the Strand sampling and reporting interval to 5 minutes. To adjust these intervals for the Strand, we will click into each respective dropdown and make the correct selection. Apply this change.

Step 3- We are now ready to configure the sensor. Click the blue "Edit Configuration" button under VW Channel Information. A window will open (pictured below) which will allow you to configure the sensor for each of the Strand's four channels. Input selection will either be "Vibrating Wire" or "Off" depending on whether a Sensor should be running on that channel. The Sensor category groups Sensors based upon their function. A list of Sensors for a given category can be found within the VW Sensors Integrated for Strand article. Once the proper sensor has been selected, click the Apply button in the "Configure Device" window. Select apply in the "Edit Configuration" page, and then navigate back to the main Connectivity page.

Configuring Strand Sensors

Some sensors will need to be configured in order to record proper data and calculate some metrics. To configure the Sensor, select the Sensor you would like to configure by clicking on it in the "Devices & Sensors" window. 

1.- Navigate from the "Details" tab to the "Edit Configuration" tab on the sidebar on the left. This page allows the user to change the Sensor name, input Sensor serial number, calibration factors, Sensor location, and other Sensor-specific configuration settings (a Geokon Piezometer in the example illustration below).

2. Many Sensors support the ability to load the Calibration Factors by inputting the Serial Number. Enter the Serial Number in the Serial number box.

3. Click the blue "Load by Serial" box to allow ITwin IoT to populate the Calibration Factors. If the Calibration Factors do not automatically populate, the user can manually input the values from the Sensor calibration sheet which should have been included with the Sensor.

4. The remaining configuration settings outlined in box #4 above are Sensor-specific. For more information regarding a number of these configurations, please see the VW Sensor Configuration page. If you still have VW sensor configuration questions, please contact Bentley iTwin IoT Customer Success here.

After completing configuration, select "Apply" to save changes.