Thermocouple Sensor Configuration and Installation Guide

Sensor Overview

The ALTA® Wireless Thermocouple Sensor measures temperature using a K-Type (nickel-chromium /nickel-aluminum) thermocouple. This sensor is available in enterprise, commercial, and industrial versions with three options: Fixed probe, Quick Connect with a probe, and Quick Connect only.

The sensor measures the ambient temperature based on a user-configurable time interval or Heartbeat. When measuring, the sensor momentarily energizes a high-performance analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to measure the thermal voltage from the thermocouple and the cold-junction temperature voltage.

These digitized voltages are then used to compute the temperature value of the K-Type thermocouple. On every Heartbeat, the sensor reports its current measurement to the gateway, making the data available in iMonnit or other approved data services.

Settings to Configure

The settings below are specific to the ALTA Thermocouple Sensor.

• Sensor Name—A unique name to easily identify it in many in-app views and notifications.
• Heartbeat Interval (Minutes)—The expected time between communication from the device to the gateway while in the Normal State and the absence of any data-triggering events.
• Aware State Heartbeat (Minutes)—The expected time between communication from the device to the gateway while in the Aware State.
• Assessments per Heartbeat—How many times between Heartbeats a sensor will check its measurements against its thresholds to determine whether it will enter the Aware State.
• Below—Assessments below this value will cause the sensor to enter the Aware State.
• Above—Assessments above this value will cause the sensor to enter the Aware State.
• Aware State Buffer—Prevents the sensor from bouncing between Standard Operation and the Aware State when the assessments are very close to a threshold. For example, if a Maximum Threshold is set to 90° and an Aware State Buffer of 1°, then once the sensor takes an assessment of 90.0° and enters the Aware State, it will remain in the Aware State until the temperature readings drop to 89.0°. Similarly, the temperature will have to rise a degree above the threshold at the Minimum Threshold to return to Standard Operation.
• Synchronize Off (Default)—The next report will occur one Heartbeat after the last report time. This allows the sensor to self-optimize network traffic patterns and reduce congestion.
• Synchronize On—Aligns the next report with UTC (Global) time, regardless of the last report time. This allows multiple sensors to generate reports in a synchronized manner. Aware State Transitions will still report on a threshold breach, but the following report will return to the next aligned report interval.

Calibrate

The Thermocouple Temperature Sensor can be calibrated at any temperature, but it is ideal for calibration at 0°C. Calibrating further from 0°C may produce more accurate measurements at the calibration point, but less accurate readings when temperatures are not close to the calibration point.

Calibration Steps:

1. Place the temperature lead in a stable temperature environment (recommended 0°C)
2. Wait for the sensor to stabilize and get 2+ readings with minimal temperature change.
3. Enter the actual temperature in the text box and press Calibrate.
4. Keep the sensor in stable temperature until the sensor checks in and the Settings Update Pending icon clears from the sensor UI.

Sensor Scale Settings

To adjust the sensor scale settings:

1. Click the scale icon at the far right of the top menu in iMonnit.

2. With the Next Low Temperature Sensor, you can display temperature values in either:

• Fahrenheit
• Celsius

Installation Steps

If this is your first time setting up your Monnit system, you must set up your iMonnit account and connect your ALTA Gateway to iMonnit before registering your sensor. See this article for steps to start: Creating an iMonnit account.

Step 1.

Remove the sensor from the package. If installing an industrial sensor, attach the antenna.

Step 2.

Register the sensor in iMonnit. Do not install the batteries until told to do so in iMonnit. Refer to this walk-through guide and configure the sensor’s Settings and Scale information in iMonnit for your specific application or use case.

Step 3.

Determine the sensor’s installation location. We recommend placing the sensor in the location and ensuring it reports to the gateway before final installation. See this article if you’re using an ALTA Site Survey Tool to perform a site survey to determine sensor installation location.

Step 4.

After ensuring that the sensor is communicating with the gateway, mount the sensor using the supplied screws or double-sided tape. Route or place the lead as needed.

Troubleshooting