RMS-300 - The Super Remote Monitoring System

Use SRMS to monitor battery levels, room temperature, signal strength (RSSI) on radios and more. SRMS has 8 onboard voltmeters giving it the ability to measure DC voltage from 0 to +60 volts with 23 bit accuracy. SRMS also has 4 power relays giving it the unique ability to turn on/off devices remotely using an Internet connection. Use the power relays to remote start a generator. SRMS has 5 dedicated input pins used for door alarms or to monitor motion sensors. SRMS has a full featured serial port, control modems, cell phones, gsm modules, and other devices that use serial communication. SRMS has a USB port that supports several USB devices concurrently using a USB hub. Control USB cameras, store data on USB flash drives, control USB speakers etc. SRMS has input and output pins used to control your own custom devices. SRMS can alert you via email or SMS messages when your battery bank is low. SRMS has ping monitor software that allows you to monitor network devices and alert you to failure and possibly power cycle the device. Monitor all this information remotely over an Internet connection using an ordinary web browser. SRMS gives you direct hardware control of fans, lights, computers, cameras, modems, radios, etc... No more guessing what your battery levels are.  No more wondering if your signal strengths are at an acceptable level. No more long drives to reset a fussy radio.  Let SRMS do this all remotely via the Internet. The ultimate in remote voltage monitoring.

Connect 8 - 60 volts dc power (at least 500 ma) to the power inputs on the terminal block that is beside the on/off switch (See figure 1) Connect an Ethernet cable to the rj-45 jack on the SRMS board. Turn the device on with the on/off switch.

Note1: 12 gauge wires should be used for the power input. Keep the length as short as reasonably possible.
Note2: SRMS units should be mounted inside a steel enclosure that is grounded properly to prevent Electro Magnetic Interference.

Figure 1

 

SRMS is powered up, Now what?

We recommend configuring SRMS before deploying it in the field. Simply plug SRMS into a hub or switch using a standard Ethernet cable or directly into a computer using a crossover cable.

When SRMS is turned on it boots the Linux operating system and uses the values stored in its configuration files to bring up the system. The default values consist of a IP number, username, and password. The default IP number is 10.10.10.10. The default username is root. The default password is pass.

Note: You may at anytime restore the SRMS device to factory default values by pressing and holding down the micro push button #1 located near the usb connector and then turning the RMS device on with the on/off switch. Release the button when the alarm leds start to flash. When the alarm leds stop flashing, the SRMS unit will reboot and will be ready to configure.

Give your computer an ip address in the 10.10.10.X class. For instance use 10.10.10.1. Set your computers Netmask to 255.255.255.0 There is no need to set a Gateway at this time. Open your favorite web browser and enter 10.10.10.10 into the address bar, press enter or the go button. You should be presented with a password box like the one below.

To measure your main battery power supply, run a wire from the positive side of the battery bank to one of the ADC 30v or 60v positive inputs. Run a second wire from the negative side of the battery bank to the corresponding ADC 30v or 60v negative input as shown in Figure 2.  Connect SRMS to the internet with a common Ethernet cable and monitor the voltage level of your battery bank with a web browser. Note: 12 gauge wires should be used for the voltmeter inputs.

Radios that have an external RSSI port for checking signal strength can be monitored with ease. Simply attach the RSSI output from the radio to one of the 30 volt ADC inputs on the SRMS board (see Figure 3). Monitor the signal strength of your radios with a web browser and/or have SRMS alert you by email if the signal falls below a certain threshold.

Figure 3
 
 

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Basic Installation Example 3

Turning Devices ON/OFF

To make any device remotely resetable, simply cut one of the wires in the power cord of  a device. Attach one side of the cut wire to the COM terminal on one of the Power Relays. Attach the other side of the cut wire to the NC (normally closed) terminal on the corresponding Power Relay. Reset your device at any time using SRMS. Note: in the Normally Closed configuration, power still flows to your device even when the SRMS device is turned off.  Virtually any 1 to 240 volt AC or DC device can be turned ON/OFF remotely this way. The three small Power Relays can pass up to 5 amps each, the larger Power Relay up to 15 amps!.  For devices that should be by default turned off, use the COM and NO (normally open) configuration. Figure 4 illustrates just one of the many ways you can set up devices for remote reset.

Figure 4

 

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Basic Installation Example 4

Using the Alarm pins to monitor door contacts

To give your equipment room some security you can use widely available common door contacts. These contacts allow current to flow through them when they are in close proximity with each other. SRMS can sense when the contacts are together or apart. Program the alarm pins to send an email, run a custom file, and/or toggle a relay when the door gets opened. The diagram below (figure 5) shows how to use Alarm pin 5 to monitor door contacts.

Note1: the LED5 light is on when the contacts are together. This is the armed position.
Note2: each Alarm pin has a corresponding LED.

Figure 5