DALI · Interface guide
Analog and digital
Set up the station's analog inputs (voltage, current, millivolt and temperature sensors), its digital inputs and outputs, and view calibration.
This page sets up the station's wired inputs and outputs: analog channels for sensors that give a voltage, current or resistance, digital inputs for pulse counters and on/off signals, and digital outputs.
Who can open it: Admin and Factory. The Calibration tab is Factory only.
| Tab | Who sees it | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Analog Channels | Admin, Factory | Analog inputs and auxiliary analog channels. |
| Digital Channels | Admin, Factory | Digital inputs and digital output pins. |
| Calibration | Factory | Calibration of the analog inputs. |
A channel's reading becomes a logged value once you map it to a parameter on the Parameters page.
Analog Channels tab
Analog Channels table
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Channel | The channel as labelled on the station's terminals. |
| Input Type | What kind of signal the channel expects. |
| Mode | Single-ended, or Differential for millivolt inputs, which use two terminals. |
| Scaling, Offset | The conversion from the electrical signal to the measured value: value = signal x Scaling + Offset. |
| Enabled | A button that shows Enabled or Disabled. Click it to switch the channel. A disabled channel is greyed out. |
| Actions | Edit. The on-board temperature channel has fixed settings and no Edit button. |
Reset All to Default puts every analog channel back to its factory settings, after you confirm.
Editing an analog channel
Click Edit on a row. The form works out Scaling and Offset for you from the ranges you enter, and shows the result under the fields ("Calculated Channel Scaling: ..., Channel Offset: ...").
| Field | Allowed values | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Input Type | The types this station model supports, for example Voltage (0 to 5 V), Voltage (0 to 1 V), mVolt (0 to 100 mV), Current (0 to 20 mA), PT100, PT1000 and module temperature sensors. | The kind of signal. Changing it fills in the default ranges for that type. |
| Sensor Type | Pyranometer or Other. mVolt only. | Pyranometer switches the form to a sensitivity entry. |
| Sensitivity | A number. mVolt with Pyranometer only. | The sensor's sensitivity from its calibration certificate, in microvolts per W/m². Scaling is set to 1,000,000 divided by the sensitivity, and Offset to 0. |
| Sensor Output Range (Min, Max) | Within the input type's range: 0 to 5 V, 0 to 1 V, 0 to 100 mV, 0 to 20 mA | The signal the sensor gives at the bottom and top of its measuring range, for example 4 and 20 for a 4 to 20 mA sensor. |
| Measurement Range (Min, Max) | Any numbers | The measured values that match those two signal levels, for example 0 and 100 for 0 to 100 %. |
For PT100 and PT1000 the ranges are hidden and Scaling is fixed at 1 and Offset at 0: the station converts the resistance to temperature itself.
Save stores the channel. Cancel closes the form.
Millivolt inputs use a pair of terminals
A millivolt (mVolt) input is differential: it uses its own terminal and the one next to it. It can only be set on an even-numbered channel, and the paired channel is not listed separately while it is in use.
Auxiliary Analog Channels
Shown on models that have them. Columns: Channel, Type, Scaling, Offset, Enabled, and Edit.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Make, Model | Pick the sensor fitted to this channel from the list. |
| Channel Scaling, Channel Offset | The conversion from signal to value. |
Digital Channels tab
Digital Input Channels
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Channel, Type | Which input, and what it is for. General-purpose inputs are shown as Digital 1, Digital 2 and so on. |
| Input Type | Counter (counts pulses, such as a rain gauge) or State (reports on or off). Only general-purpose inputs can be set to State. |
| Signal Edge | Rising, Falling or Both: which change of the signal counts. |
| Scaling, Offset | The conversion from count to value, for example millimetres of rain per tip. |
| Enabled | Click to switch the input on or off. |
Edit opens a form with Signal Edge, Input Type, Scaling and Offset.
Digital Output Pins
Shown on models with digital outputs.
| Field | Allowed values | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Enabled or Disabled | Whether the station drives this output. |
| Mode | Static or Periodic | Static holds the output at a steady level. Periodic switches it on and off in a cycle. |
| Active State | Active High or Active Low | Whether "on" means a high or a low signal. |
| Active Period (ms) | 100 to 3,600,000. Periodic only. | How long the output stays on in each cycle. |
| Inactive Period (ms) | 100 to 3,600,000. Periodic only. | How long it stays off. |
Calibration tab
Factory role only. Aeron uses this tab to calibrate the analog inputs against a reference source and to check the result.
- Channel Calibration shows the calibration coefficients (A, B, C and D) of each channel for each input type. Enable Edit unlocks the table and Save Coefficients stores changes.
- Run Calibration and Verify Calibration drive an external calibrator connected to the station. They are used in production and in Aeron's workshop.
Calibration is set at the factory. Do not change it on a station in service unless Aeron support asks you to.
Messages you may see
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| mVolt input is only available on even-numbered analog channels | Choose an even-numbered channel for a millivolt sensor. |
| Please select a sensor type | Pick Pyranometer or Other for an mVolt input. |
| Channel enabled / Channel disabled | The Enabled button did its job. |
| All channels reset to defaults | Reset All to Default finished. |
| Channel not found | The page was out of date. Reload it. |