Trace&Follow – WiFi-Ethernet Energy Monitoring and Machine Control

Trace&Follow, developed by RedSmart (a business unit of IDT), is an advanced industrial monitoring system designed to track and optimize energy consumption, raw material use and the production efficiency of machines in industrial plants
Trace&Follow - WiFi-Ethernet Energy Monitoring and Machine Control - Image 1
Trace&Follow - WiFi-Ethernet Energy Monitoring and Machine Control - Image 3

SKU 7303-TFWEEAN 8595563705315Brand: IDTProduct type: Power & energy analysis,

Description

is a device capable of monitoring the energy consumption of industrial machinery and sending the acquired data to a cloud platform. It was designed and developed entirely by RedSmart, a business unit of IDT. The main function of this device is to measure the energy consumption of industrial machinery. It can acquire digital signals and drive digital outputs. Using the MQTT protocol, the board sends the acquired data to a configurable broker.

Supplied with a user manual
Key features
  • Access point: the board can generate a Wi-Fi access point on which it hosts a web page at a configurable IP address.
  • Modbus TCP server: the board hosts a Modbus server that an external device can connect to in order to read/write the data held on the board. In this case, the Trace&Follow board acts as a slave within the network.
  • Expansion modules: the Trace&Follow board can be interfaced with external modules via an RS485 port.
  • Multiple network interfaces: the connection to the MQTT broker can be made through different network interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4g, Ethernet or 4G. Two MQTT interfaces can be configured.
    The board can send and receive data to/from a platform using an MQTT connection. All exchanged payloads are in JSON format.
  • CutOff: a relay can be connected to one of the board’s digital outputs to cut off the power supply to the machine it is connected to, switching it off. You can set a power threshold below which the machine is considered to be “idle” and a maximum time the machine can remain in this state. Once this interval is exceeded, the Trace&Follow board switches the relay and turns off the machine.
    Note: if the board’s power supply is the same as the machine’s, and no external UPS has been provided, the board will also switch off, since it does not have a built-in UPS.
  • Real-Time Clock (RTC) function: the Trace&Follow board is equipped with an RTC with a backup battery that lets it keep the current time even if power is lost.
Input/Output Management
The Trace&Follow board has 4 physical inputs and 4 physical outputs. In addition to these, it is also set up to handle virtual inputs and outputs. These virtual I/Os are used to standardize the handling of the values sent by the board, so that once the I/O is configured on the board, the MQTT interface can expose a set of standard keys regardless of the type of value being monitored.

Example: a pressure sensor that returns values in bar is connected via the RS485 expansion port.
The value is sent via MQTT with the key virtual_input1_value. In a similar application, the pressure sensor is replaced with an encoder. The board will always send the acquired value as virtual_input1_value. This way, the keys sent by the board are always the same, while the meaning of the value can be configured on the server side.
A look at the device
Trace Follower - Energy monitoring and machine control
1. Power supply terminal 2. Digital output terminal 3. Digital input terminal 4. Current sensor connection terminals 5. Mains phase connection terminal

 

Trace Follower - Energy monitoring and machine control
6. RS485 connector 7. Ethernet connector 8. Run LED 9. Status LED 10. Main antenna connector 11. Auxiliary antenna connector 12. Reset button 13. Wi-Fi antenna connector
Mounting

The device is designed to be mounted in a DIN enclosure with a height of 72 mm, or in a flanged enclosure sized to the board. No alternative installation methods are provided. The module is typically supplied already housed in a DIN enclosure or in its flanged enclosure.
Installation example
Trace Follower - Energy monitoring and machine control
The installation of more than 20 Trace&Follow boards has been completed for energy monitoring purposes on manual and robotic welding machines, as well as on machine tools, at several plants. This initiative also includes the development of iOS and Android apps, together with a web application, providing a direct interface for end users.

Manitowoc Crane Group – Niella Tanaro, Italy
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Technical details

Power supply 24 VDC +/- 10% 1 A max
Consumption < 2 Watt
Dimensions 150 x 95 x 40 mm
Weight 300 grams
Protection rating IP20
Interfaces RS485, digital I/O
Connectivity BLE, WiFi, Ethernet
Digital inputs 4
Digital outputs 4
CT (for energy monitoring) 3
SD card reader YES
RS485 expansion connector YES

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