Networking existing meters

The project focused on installing and configuring a communication interface and then connecting the existing infrastructure to the network. For most devices we chose the Modbus protocol with an RS485 RTU physical layer, which let us create a line network topology. Some specific meters, however, needed a more careful approach and an adjusted communication strategy. In two cases, in the transformer station, we therefore replaced older Schneider devices with new analysers from the same manufacturer and connected them to the network over Ethernet.

The installation also included an edge device that aggregates and stores the data for further processing. Together with a partner company responsible for visualisation and analytics, we send this data to a secure cloud, where complete analytics track the consumption of individual machines and transformer stations and the behaviour of process units. The device was successfully connected to the company network, with remote management over VPN available in case of problems with the bus or the edge device.

A notable feature of the project was connecting and networking devices in two halls, with a communication line more than 800 metres long and as many as 25 devices connected. During the installation, we also had to deal with difficult conditions caused by electromagnetic noise from the operation of various machinery. When measuring the signal with an oscilloscope, we found induced voltage and ran into signal reflection, which we eliminated by fitting suitable termination resistors.