The new hardware version of the MOBICON series telemetry controllers

Six years have passed since the development of the professional MOBICON telemetry controllers family (solution awarded with the title of Product of the Year 2012 by Control Engineering Polska magazine). Progress in modems, processors and electronic components prompted us to develop a new hardware version of this family marked as v2 (MT-151 LED v2, MT-151 HMI v2). Significant changes introduced in the new version:

• 3G modem replaced the previously used 2G modem – this has improved the responsivity and speed of packet transmission
• The processor has been changed to a version equipped with more RAM and FLASH memory resources
• The Ethernet port has been moved to the front panel
• LNK and ACT diodes are now integrated with the Ethernet port
• The USB B port has been replaced by the much more popular micro USB port
• The small microSD card slot has been replaced with the SD card version – it is much easier to operate a larger SD card in the device. It is also cheaper.
• The GPRS diode has been renamed to DATA due to the addition of 3G support
• All module status LEDs (ERR, OVR, ACCU, PWR) have been gathered in one place, under the SD card slot
• The GSM diode has received new functions – its color indicates the module status:
  • Diode off – modem inactive, no errors
  • Green diode – modem is logged into the 2G network
  • Blue diode – modem logged into the 3G network
  • Red diode – module error (ERR diode status copy)
• Changing the organization of SIM slots – changed their position by 90°
• Increasing the frequency range of counted pulses for inputs I1 – I4 from 250 Hz to 2 kHz.
• Abandoning the negative logic handling for binary inputs
• The connection of binary reference signals (COM2, COM3, COM4) into one (COM2). It is necessary to connect the power supply also to the terminals Q+ and COM2 (+ and – respectively).

The above changes increase the technical capabilities of the MOBICON series and make it easier to use in typical applications. The introduction of a new version for sale does not mean the end of support for the previous hardware version – new versions of the firmware will be released, with improvements and fixes of errors noticed, also for the previous version of the hardware.

The new firmware versions of the MOBICON family provide some new features and capabilities. Support for the standard IEC 60870-5-104 protocol and support for the Grundfos GENIbus protocol have been added. Communication capabilities have been enriched with the ability to send email notifications using the SMTP protocol (without SSL/TLS). E-mail messages can, just like currently used SMS messages, be enriched with dynamic content, depending on the values saved or read by the module, e.g. pump status (operation, standby, failure) or water-level level measurement. Such content is asked using SNCS language commands – just like in the case of HMI display or SMS messages. The option of routing Modbus TCP frames from the GPRS/3G network to the Ethernet port has also been added, as well as serial ports with automatic translation into the Modbus RTU protocol and vice versa. The option of routing frames of the Standard MT protocol (the standard protocol for exchanging data of MT modules) has been preserved.

The scope of applications of the MOBICON series telemetry controllers will constantly be expanded by adding support for new communication protocols and extending the functionality.