Sensor Boards
General sensor advice
- Before turning on the board make sure all the connections are correct according to the indications given in the Technical Guides.
- Try to minimize the time the sensors are powered, keeping it as close as possible to their response time, in order to minimize consumption.
- Read carefully the Technical Guide corresponding to the sensor board in use for a detailed explanation about sensor operation and configuration.
- When handling the value read from a given sensor take always into account the format of the output (integer, floating point, string of characters...) and the units of the resulting conversion, shown in the corresponding Technical Guide.
- To improve sensor accuracy, it is a good practice to implement a "software filter". This can be easily done with a
while()loop where the user measures the sensor 8 times, and gets the mean or average value. This is specially suggested for analog sensors, this tip will avoid problems like noise. You can also place adelay(100)inside thewhile()to ensure time non-dependence. - Besides, if the ADC channel is changed, the first read must be dismissed.
Gases Board
- Remember that when turning off the board the configuration of the sensor stages will be lost. It is necessary to call the
ON()function before reading any sensor. - Please refer to sections "General considerations in the use of the sensors" and "Starting with the gas sensors" for more information about how to estimate the configuration parameters of gain and load resistance.
- Try to minimize the time that sensors are kept powered to that required by the application and, if possible, turning them on separately.
Smart Water Board
- The power supply control of the sensors is done by the library so it is not necessary to switch them on or off.
- The measures are filtered by software using the library filter. In case of higher filtering requirements, some parameters of the library can be configured.
Events Board
- Deactivate interruptions in order to prevent a continuous consumption owed to re-triggering. Instant measurement is advised in these cases.
Smart Agriculture Board
- Deactivate the pluviometer interruptions along intensive rain periods in order to prevent a continuous consumption owed to re-triggering. Instant measurement is advised in these cases.
- Use the
sleepAgr()function of the library when putting the mote to sleep when using the board interruptions for a proper configuration.
Radiation Board
- The Radiation board contains high voltage parts (500 V and above). Do not touch them directly with hand or with any object under any circumstances. There is a high voltage risk.
- The LED bar of the Radiation Board is a useful indicator. Adjust it manually to fit your requirements just changing the threshold values.
Last modified 2yr ago