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Moduino ESP32 is a compact, powerful and versatile IoT device that can be used for various industrial automation and control applications. One of the communication protocols it supports is the M-Bus (Meter-Bus) protocol. This protocol is used for communication between energy meters, heat cost allocators and other devices in the energy management and building automation systems.

In this article, we will discuss how to use Moduino ESP32 with the M-Bus protocol using RS-232 communication.

Requirements

  • Moduino ESP32
  • M-Bus devices (e.g energy meters)
  • RS-232 to RS-232 cable

Hardware Connections

  1. Connect the Moduino ESP32 to the M-Bus device using an M-Bus cable.
  2. Connect the Moduino ESP32 to a computer using an RS-232 to RS-232 cable.

Software Setup

  1. Download and install the Arduino IDE from the official website.
  2. Open the Arduino IDE and go to File -> Preferences.
  3. In the Additional Board Manager URLs field, add the following URL: https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json
  4. Go to Tools -> Board: -> Board Manager and search for „esp32”.
  5. Install the „ESP32 by Espressif Systems”.
  6. Go to Tools -> Board and select „ESP32 Dev Module”.
  7. Go to Sketch -> Include Library -> Manage Libraries.
  8. Search for „MBus library” and install it.

Code

  1. Create a new sketch in the Arduino IDE.
  2. Include the M-Bus library by adding the following line at the top of the sketch:
cCopy code#include <MBus.h>
  1. Define the M-Bus object and the serial port for communication:
scssCopy codeMBus mbus;
HardwareSerial mbusSerial(2);
  1. In the setup() function, initialize the serial port for communication and start the M-Bus:
scssCopy codevoid setup() {
  mbusSerial.begin(2400, SERIAL_8N1, 16, 17);
  mbus.begin(mbusSerial);
}
  1. In the loop() function, read the M-Bus data and print it to the serial monitor:
scssCopy codevoid loop() {
  if (mbus.available()) {
    MBusDataFrame data = mbus.read();
    Serial.println(data.toString());
  }
}
  1. Upload the code to the Moduino ESP32 using the Upload button in the Arduino IDE.

Conclusion

With the above steps, you have successfully set up Moduino ESP32 with the M-Bus protocol using RS-232 communication. This will allow you to communicate with M-Bus devices and receive data from them, which can be further processed for industrial automation and control applications.

Order Moduino X now: https://iiot-shop.com/product/moduino/

Arduino ESP32 Serial Port to TCP Converter via WiFi

TECHBASE posted new class, in which you will create serial port to TCP converter using Arduino code running on ESP32 processor. We will use one of device which uses such processor: Moduino X ESP32. For TCP communication WiFi module will be used.

You will need:

  • Moduino X4 ESP32 device (check this website to find out more)
  • PC with Linux operating system
  • socat application
  • RS-232/RS-485 port in your computer or USB to RS-232/RS-485 converter (for programmming and testing)

Introduction

In example, data sent to serial port (which is used as terminal port in regular Micropython ESP32 device) will be send via WiFi using TCP protocol. It also decodes incomming TCP packets and writes them to serial port. Then virtual serial port can be opened for that TCP packets and perform serial communication. We will use socat application for that.

You can read the complete tutorial at Hackster.io:

New industrial grade touch panel with Raspberry Pi

Latest addition to Industrial IoT Ecosystem from TECHBASE is TECHPANEL P500 is an industrial-grade touch panel automation controller for wide range of industrial installations. Equipped with up to date Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3/3+ or Compute Module 3/3+ Lite, 7” capacitive touch display and IP65 hermetic casing with cast gaskets, can be used in harsh conditions of industrial applications.

Raspberry Pi based touch panel features

New TECHPANEL P500 M3/3+ is powered by quad-core Cortex-A53 1.2GHz processor with 1GB RAM and up to 32GB eMMC or 8GB microSD flash memory. Wide range of modems and extra wireline/wireless interfaces via expansion cards makes the TECHPANEL micro-computer a versatile addition to Industrial IoT solutions offered by TECHBASE company.

TECHPANEL devices can easily work remotely with existing ModBerry Gateways & Moduino ESP32 Edge Controllers for data accumulation and monitoring, to perform specific actions before sending the data to cloud services. TECHPANEL with ModuinoModBerry installation can work as standalone Ecosystem (for example via MQTT), providing complex data management solution to any installation.

TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi
TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi

Visual management and available Raspbian OS

The device is equipped with compact 800 x 480 px 7-inch TFT panel with 10 points capacitive touch to allow the user to perform direct actions on-site. With IP65 casing and extended working temperature range, TECHPANEL can be placed almost everywhere.

Over 23 million Raspberry Pi’s have been sold and the Raspberry Pi is likely to stay as a new standard in the industry. Official Raspbian OS is free operating system based on Linux Debian optimized for the Raspberry Pi comes with over 35,000 packages, pre-compiled software bundled in a nice format for easy installation.

TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi
TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi

SPECIFICATION

  • Cortex A53 1.2GHz Processor
  • RAM 1GB, eMMC up to 32GB
  • 7″ TFT screen (800x600px)
  • Capactitive touch screen (10-point)
  • Wide range of expansion modules (Ethernet, RS-232/485/422,  Digital and Analog I/Os, Relay, M-Bus, CAN, optoisolated I/Os, Accelerometer, etc.)
  • Wide range of wireless modules (GPRS/EDGE, 3G/LTE, NarrowBand-IoT, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus, etc.)
  • Water-Resistant casing (IP65)
  • Operating temperature: -20°C ~ 70°C
  • Optional SD card support instead of eMMC Flash
Sigfox announces changes improving IoT applications

First major announcement is that Sigfox will launch a private network (PAN) that will allow IoT customers to choose private and global services according to their needs. The service was launched for the first time in France in the first quarter of 2020, but Sigfox will be implemented in over 65 countries.

The operator’s wide area network (WAN) will be completed next year in cooperation with Eutelsat. Sigfox provides coverage worldwide using the nano-satellite constellation launched by Eutelsat.

The Sigfox PAN offer will benefit from the existing Sigfox WAN ecosystem. Thanks to the potential to use all components on the market and the use of very low transmit power to support facilities without the need for batteries, the Sigfox PAN offer offers enormous potential,

Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and co-founder of Sigfox.

According to Sigfox, by the end of 2019, there will be more than 15 million registered facilities and over 1,500 customers using this solution in various industries around the world. Sigfox says that PAN customers can expect the same as WAN customers in terms of support and quality. PAN clients can choose to subscribe to additional „WAN Extension” services if needed if the device needs to communicate outside the local network.

Sigfox improving the accuracy of Atlas geolocation services

Internet of Things operators have now launched Atlas Native Complimentary. It is made available free of charge in exchange for the rights to process data regarding GPS data. These data are compared to the fingerprint of the Sigfox network using machine learning, which increases accuracy to 800 meters.

To further increase the accuracy of its geolocation services, Sigfox said it has completed the global implementation of Atlas WiFi in collaboration with HERE Technologies’ mapping experts.

Sigfox uses the global WiFi access point database here. Access points are checked by the Sigfox WiFi tracking module and more closely track the location of external and internal resources with less battery consumption than using GPS.

We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Amadeus and share our combined expertise to create real digital transformation of the travel sector. Our strategic alliance named PinPoint will not only help to improve the travel experience, but this will also change completely the game for an industry looking for decades for THE technology able to save costs while improving efficiency and quality of services

Raouti Chehih, Chief Adoption Officer at Sigfox
eModGATE with ESP32

Industrial use of ESP32-based solutions

One of industrial IoT devices, supporting Sigfox wireless technology is eModGATE from TECHBASE. Economical, ESP32-based solution can serve as an end-point in any installation or works well as a gateway, gathering data from scattered sensor mesh across the installation. For more information check Industrial IoT Shop with all the configuration options for eModGATE.

Arduino ESP32 Serial Port to TCP Converter via WiFi

TECHBASE posted new class, in which you will create serial port to TCP converter using Arduino code running on ESP32 processor. We will use one of device which uses such processor: Moduino X ESP32. For TCP communication WiFi module will be used.

You will need:

  • Moduino X4 ESP32 device (check this website to find out more)
  • PC with Linux operating system
  • socat application
  • RS-232/RS-485 port in your computer or USB to RS-232/RS-485 converter (for programmming and testing)

Introduction

In example, data sent to serial port (which is used as terminal port in regular Micropython ESP32 device) will be send via WiFi using TCP protocol. It also decodes incomming TCP packets and writes them to serial port. Then virtual serial port can be opened for that TCP packets and perform serial communication. We will use socat application for that.

You can read the complete tutorial at Hackster.io:

ESP-MESH is a network protocol based on the Wi-Fi protocol. ESP-MESH enables the connection of a large number of devices (hereinafter nodes) covering a large physical area (both inside and outside) over a single WLAN (wireless local area network). ESP-MESH self-organizes and self-heals, allowing you to build and maintain networks autonomously.

Traditional Wi-Fi Network Architecture. Source: espressif.com

Traditional Infrastructure of Wi-Fi network is a point-to-multipoint network in which a single central node called an Access Point (AP) is directly connected to all other nodes called stations. The AP is responsible for arbitrating and forwarding transmissions between stations. Some access points relay transmissions to and from external IP networks through routers.

Traditional Infrastructure Wi-Fi networks have the downside of having a limited coverage area as all stations need to be in range to connect directly to the access point. In addition, the maximum number of stations allowed in the network is limited by the bandwidth of the access point, making traditional Wi-Fi networks prone to overload.

ESP-MESH vs traditional Wi-Fi infrastucture

ESP-MESH differs from traditional Wi-Fi infrastructure networks in that the nodes do not have to connect to a central node. Instead, the node can connect with its neighbors. Nodes are responsible for relaying transmissions to each other. This allows for achieving interconnections without the need for nodes to be within the range of the central node, which significantly extends the coverage area of the ESP-MESH network. Likewise, ESP-MESH is less prone to congestion as the number of allowed nodes in the network is no longer limited by a single central node.

ESP-MESH Network Architecture. Source: espressif.com

Industrial use of ESP32-based solutions

One of industrial IoT devices, supporting Espressif’s ESP32 technology is eModGATE from TECHBASE. Economical, ESP32-based solution can serve as an end-point in any installation or works well as a gateway, gathering data from scattered sensor mesh across the installation. For more information check Industrial IoT Shop with all the configuration options for eModGATE.

eModGATE with ESP32

Silicon Labs recently announced two hardware modules based on its BG22 Secure Bluetooth 5.2 SoC: 6x6mm BGM220S system bundled (SiP) and slightly optimized for wireless performance with a better link budget. BGM220P introduced, large PCB variant, wider range.

Both modules can be integrated into products with a battery life of up to 10 years using a single coin cell battery. All variants of BGM220S/P can support Bluetooth directional discovery, and some components can also support Bluetooth mesh low power protocol.

Main features

  • Silicon Labs EFR32BG22 Arm Cortex-M33 with DSP instructions and floating-point unit, up to 512 kB Flash, 32 kB RAM, 2.4 GHz radio with TX power up to 8 dBm, and Embedded Trace Macrocell (ETM) for advanced debugging
  • Supported Protocols
    • Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth 5.2)
    • Direction-finding
    • Bluetooth mesh Low Power Node

Source: https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/09/14/silicon-labs-bluetooth-5-2-bgm220s-sip-and-bgm220p-pcb-module/

Industrial use of ESP32-based solutions

One of industrial IoT devices, supporting Espressif’s ESP32 and Bluetooth technology is eModGATE from TECHBASE. Economical, ESP32-based solution can serve as an end-point in any installation or works well as a gateway, gathering data from scattered sensor mesh across the installation. For more information check Industrial IoT Shop with all the configuration options for eModGATE.

eModGATE with ESP32
Arduino-based ventilator to help coronavirus patients

In the times we live in, often a desperate measures must be taken. As far as manufacturing and using home-made medical equipment is not advised, the spread of the COVID-19 might push humanity to such solutions. Johnny Lee’s project involves a simple, low-cost ventilator controlled via Arduino.

The idea is that since these machines are basically just blowers controlled by a brushless DC motor, an Arduino Nano equipped with an electonic speed controller could allow it to act as a one.

Such a setup has been shown to provide more than enough pressure for a ventilator used on COVID-19 patients. This device has in no way been evaluated or approved for medical use, but it does provide a starting point for experimentation.

Source: https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/03/17/designing-a-low-cost-open-source-ventilator-with-arduino/

Industrial Arduino-like devices as a base of medical equipment?

When industrial IoT devices and edge devices, like medical equipment work together, digital information becomes more powerful. Especially in contexts where you need to collect data in a traditional edge context, or control the servo-motors of a ventilatr. You can then remotely monitor the container using the sensor.

By introducing AI (artificial intelligence) into the device itself, edge computing can also make more context-sensitive, quick decisions at the edge. Data gathered from the sensors can be transferred to the cloud at any time after local work has been completed, contributing to a more global AI process, or archived. With the combination of industrial IoT devices and advanced technology, high quality analysis and small footprint will become the AI standard in 2020.

Industrial IoT use of ESP32 chip in eModGATE

Latest innovations used in industrial solutions

One of many uses of IoT can be edge devices, dedicated to data management, process control (e.g. with MQTT protocol) and monitoring. Latest ESP32-based eModGATE controller from TECHBASE company is a series utilizing MicroPython environment to provide data management solutions for end-points applications. The eModGATE has built-in Wi-Fi/BT modem and can be equipped with additional NarrowBand-IoT, LoRa, ZigBee, etc.

For example eModGATE eqipped with wireless NB-IoT modem are perfect for industrial automation solutions, e.g. data logging, metering, telemetrics, remote monitoring, security and data management through all Industrial IoT applications.

New industrial grade touch panel with Raspberry Pi

Latest addition to Industrial IoT Ecosystem from TECHBASE is TECHPANEL P500 is an industrial-grade touch panel automation controller for wide range of industrial installations. Equipped with up to date Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3/3+ or Compute Module 3/3+ Lite, 7” capacitive touch display and IP65 hermetic casing with cast gaskets, can be used in harsh conditions of industrial applications.

Raspberry Pi based touch panel features

New TECHPANEL P500 M3/3+ is powered by quad-core Cortex-A53 1.2GHz processor with 1GB RAM and up to 32GB eMMC or 8GB microSD flash memory. Wide range of modems and extra wireline/wireless interfaces via expansion cards makes the TECHPANEL micro-computer a versatile addition to Industrial IoT solutions offered by TECHBASE company.

TECHPANEL devices can easily work remotely with existing ModBerry Gateways & Moduino ESP32 Edge Controllers for data accumulation and monitoring, to perform specific actions before sending the data to cloud services. TECHPANEL with ModuinoModBerry installation can work as standalone Ecosystem (for example via MQTT), providing complex data management solution to any installation.

TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi
TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi

Visual management and available Raspbian OS

The device is equipped with compact 800 x 480 px 7-inch TFT panel with 10 points capacitive touch to allow the user to perform direct actions on-site. With IP65 casing and extended working temperature range, TECHPANEL can be placed almost everywhere.

Over 23 million Raspberry Pi’s have been sold and the Raspberry Pi is likely to stay as a new standard in the industry. Official Raspbian OS is free operating system based on Linux Debian optimized for the Raspberry Pi comes with over 35,000 packages, pre-compiled software bundled in a nice format for easy installation.

TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi
TECHPANEL P500 M3+ with Compute Module 3+ from Raspberry Pi

SPECIFICATION

  • Cortex A53 1.2GHz Processor
  • RAM 1GB, eMMC up to 32GB
  • 7″ TFT screen (800x600px)
  • Capactitive touch screen (10-point)
  • Wide range of expansion modules (Ethernet, RS-232/485/422,  Digital and Analog I/Os, Relay, M-Bus, CAN, optoisolated I/Os, Accelerometer, etc.)
  • Wide range of wireless modules (GPRS/EDGE, 3G/LTE, NarrowBand-IoT, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus, etc.)
  • Water-Resistant casing (IP65)
  • Operating temperature: -20°C ~ 70°C
  • Optional SD card support instead of eMMC Flash
Sigfox announces changes improving IoT applications

First major announcement is that Sigfox will launch a private network (PAN) that will allow IoT customers to choose private and global services according to their needs. The service will be launched for the first time in France in the first quarter of 2020, but Sigfox will be implemented in over 65 countries.

The operator’s wide area network (WAN) will be completed next year in cooperation with Eutelsat. Sigfox provides coverage worldwide using the nano-satellite constellation launched by Eutelsat.

The Sigfox PAN offer will benefit from the existing Sigfox WAN ecosystem. Thanks to the potential to use all components on the market and the use of very low transmit power to support facilities without the need for batteries, the Sigfox PAN offer offers enormous potential,

Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and co-founder of Sigfox.

According to Sigfox, by the end of 2019, there will be more than 15 million registered facilities and over 1,500 customers using this solution in various industries around the world. Sigfox says that PAN customers can expect the same as WAN customers in terms of support and quality. PAN clients can choose to subscribe to additional „WAN Extension” services if needed if the device needs to communicate outside the local network.

Sigfox improving the accuracy of Atlas geolocation services

Internet of Things operators have now launched Atlas Native Complimentary. It is made available free of charge in exchange for the rights to process data regarding GPS data. These data are compared to the fingerprint of the Sigfox network using machine learning, which increases accuracy to 800 meters.

To further increase the accuracy of its geolocation services, Sigfox said it has completed the global implementation of Atlas WiFi in collaboration with HERE Technologies’ mapping experts.

Sigfox uses the global WiFi access point database here. Access points are checked by the Sigfox WiFi tracking module and more closely track the location of external and internal resources with less battery consumption than using GPS.

We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Amadeus and share our combined expertise to create real digital transformation of the travel sector. Our strategic alliance named PinPoint will not only help to improve the travel experience, but this will also change completely the game for an industry looking for decades for THE technology able to save costs while improving efficiency and quality of services

Raouti Chehih, Chief Adoption Officer at Sigfox

The first services from the strategic alliance are expected to hit the market in 2020.

Industrial use of ESP32-based solutions

One of industrial IoT devices, supporting Sigfox wireless technology is eModGATE from TECHBASE. Economical, ESP32-based solution can serve as an end-point in any installation or works well as a gateway, gathering data from scattered sensor mesh across the installation. For more information check Industrial IoT Shop with all the configuration options for eModGATE.

eModGATE with ESP32