4100 RF Machinery Monitoring System Source/Author: Product: Technology: Classification: 4100 RF Machinery Monitoring System Jim Pearce, PE

Jim Pearce, Pe 4100 Vibration Intermediate

Overview The Model 4100 RF MicroAnalyzer offers a revolutionary way to monitor the health of machinery. Previously, machine monitors were either portable, giving "snapshots" of machine operation, or hard-wired, offering continuous monitoring but requiring difficult and oftentimes costly installation. The 4100 is completely wireless and installs on the machine to permit nearcontinuous monitoring of machine vibration and temperature with automatic alarms at limits set by the operator. Information from the MicroAnalyzer is delivered to the RF TRANSCEIVER Model 4200 where it can be read using either a palm-top computer or the CSI Model 2120 Machinery Monitor. Use of this system allows monitoring of difficult-to-reach or dangerous-to-reach machines on a much more frequent basis than portable vibration monitoring instruments, and with much easier installation than a hard-wired vibration monitoring system. This step forward in monitoring is made possible by the unique technology of the wireless monitoring system. Wireless Monitoring System Components Model 4100 RF MicroAnalyzer

Inside this small package (about the size of a slightly squashed soda can) is a high-energy lithium battery, a piezoelectric accelerometer, a temperature sensor, analog and digital processing electronics, a powerful microprocessor system, and a 2.4 GHz spread-spectrum RF transceiver. This is the first time that highly reliable RF spread spectrum technology has been combined with FFT processing capability in a small, battery powered enclosure. The key to making this all work is in reducing the current consumed from the battery to attain a reasonable battery life. In normal

operation, estimated battery life will be in excess of one year. The MicroAnalyzer measures vibration spectra with maximum frequencies ranging from 40 Hz to 9600 Hz. The spectral analysis resolutions range from 100 lines to 1600 lines. CSI's unique PeakVue technology is included in the package to allow enhanced detection of impact waves. The MicroAnalyzer also measures machine temperature at its mounting base. In some cases, deviation from normal temperatures can indicate machinery problems even when the vibration spectra seem normal. Inclusion of temperature monitoring enhances the system's capability to detect abnormal machine operations. To ensure reliability of its measurements, the MicroAnalyzer also measures its own battery voltage to provide an indication of remaining battery life. The MicroAnalyzer can be set to alarm when the battery nears the end of its life. Model 4210 / 4200 RF Tranceiver

The RF TRANSCEIVER serves as a base station, where the operator can send alarm limits and analysis parameter sets and collect data from up to 64 MicroAnalyzers per tranceiver. This component is smaller than a cigar box, about 7" x 5" x 4", and is mounted on a wall at a location suitable for error-free radio communication and ease of operation. The transceiver is optionally battery powered, although we recommend that it be permanently wired to an AC power source due to battery life considerations. Depending on the specific installation, the transceiver can be located at distances up to 300 feet from the MicroAnalyzer(s). It is not necessary that all sensors be in direct line-of-sight of the transceiver; in actual tests, we have been able to communicate through the concrete floors of a steam generating plant. The sensors collect data at a fixed programmable rate. This can be often such as every thirty minutes or seldom such as once a month. In unattended operation the transceiver queries the sensors for data at a fixed rate. Upon receiving a query, the sensor transmits the data to the transceiver and it is then transferred to AMS Suite: Machinery Health Manager. An operator can also collect data from the transceiver manually by hooking up the CSI 2120. Interface to AMS Machinery Manager

AMS Machinery Manager (the standard CSI software used in other Reliability Based Maintenance (RBM) applications) is also used for the MicroAnalyzer. First, it is used to configure setup instructions for the sensors, including analysis parameters and alarm limits. Second, after the data is transferred from the transceiver to the desktop computer, AMS Machinery Manager is used for analysis, trending and data storage. Networked system In the initial release of the MicroAnalyzer, the data was mechanically transported from the transceiver to the AMS Machinery Manager computer using the CSI 2120. With the release of RF Watch, the system allows direct connection of the transceiver to a PC, or connection through a local area network (LAN), or via modem. This permits automated near continuous monitoring of the data at an AMS Machinery Manager computer. Technical Challenges Overcome Battery Power. In order to optimize battery life, we used low-power electronics wherever possible. Where this was not feasible, we found ways to reduce power needs by turning components on for the briefest possible periods of time needed to perform the particular function. The RF communications section, for example, uses substantial current for data transmission to the transceiver, but only needs to be switched on for brief periods, often less than 50 milliseconds at a time. To reduce the time needed for transmission, the sensor normally communicates highly processed data, which is sent at very high speeds (670,000 bits per second). More detailed data, such as full spectra or wave forms, can be transmitted upon request of the operator at the expense of battery life. We paid particular attention to selection of a battery that would have a long life (approximately 1 year), large capacity, and small physical size. The MicroAnalyzer's demands for current range widely from its dormant state to its data transmission state, and the battery must be able to supply current reliably over the entire range. Finally, we wanted to use a battery that was field replaceable and one that could be changed without uninstalling the MicroAnalyzer. Small Size Small size was critical to allow the MicroAnalyzer to be installed in tight spaces. To reduce the size, we used innovative packaging techniques. One of these was the use of rigid flex printed circuit boards that allowed us to place a high number of electronic components in a spiral around the battery, without using connectors that would degrade reliability and cost effectiveness. We also used a waterproof plastic lid to permit attachment of the RF antenna and easy access to the battery without tools. RF Communications Robustness In the past, the use of radio to communicate data in an industrial environment has been plagued with problems such as loss of data, fading, and general unreliability. The MicroAnalyzer overcomes these problems by using a communications technology known as Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), which was originally developed by the military for top secret cryptographic applications. In order to understand why DSSS works so well in the MicroAnalyzer, it's important to discuss traditional radio data communication. In this mode of communication, binary data is used to modulate some characteristic of a radio frequency carrier wave -- frequency, amplitude, phase, or

a combination of these. A single bit of data causes one change of the selected characteristic. For example, a binary "1" might cause the transmitter to send a carrier of one frequency, whereas a binary "0" would cause it to shift to a different frequency. The rate at which the ones and zeros are sent, and thus the rate of shifting between the two frequencies, determines how much bandwidth the radio signal occupies. Before DSSS radio communication was developed, it was the job of the RF engineer to minimize the bandwidth of the RF signal for a given bit rate of data. This was seen as the most efficient utilization of the RF spectrum. This approach, however, was susceptible to intentional or unintentional jamming by interfering signals. It also suffered from data errors caused by an effect known as multipath fading. This occurs when there is more than one signal path between the transmitter and the receiver, and the phases of these paths are such that the signals cancel each other out. DSSS turns the idea of RF spectral efficiency on its head. Instead of a single change to the RF carrier wave for every data bit, DSSS uses a predefined sequence of changes to the RF carrier. This sequence of changes is very carefully selected to mimic a purely random set. For example, in the MicroAnalyzer, every data bit that is to be sent is encoded as a sequence of 15 phase shifts of the RF carrier. This has the effect of broadening the required bandwidth by a factor of 15. This bandwidth spreading means that interference at any single frequency is much less likely to cause errors. Any errors that do occur are identified with error detection and correction algorithms, thus assuring reliable, high quality communication. Speed of data transmission is maintained by increasing the speed of the phase shift instructions. Until recently, DSSS required a rack of bulky equipment. Through recent advances in microelectronics, this technology is now available in a size suitable for the MicroAnalyzer . The MicroAnalyzer uses an RF carrier frequency in the 2.4 GHz license-free band. This frequency is well away from potential interference from hand-held radios, cellular phones, and CB radios. Within this band, the MicroAnalyzer has available four channels so that multiple systems can be collocated and potential interference from other 2.4 GHz radios can be avoided.