Low Power Operation

In sleep mode all I/O and communication devices are powered down and consumption is less than 10mW. In scanning mode the RTU has its I/O active and consumption is around 450mW. In communicating mode the RTU has all communications and I/O devices powered with the power consumption dependent on the activity and type of communication device.

In low power applications the RTU will be configured to spend most of its time in sleep mode, a little time in scanning mode and very little time in communicating mode. All sleep mode functions are programmable by the user using Kingfisher TOOLBOX Windows software.

Powering the LP-1

The LP-1 RTU may be powered from a number of sources that include, a small DC plug pack (12V 500mA), a DC supply (11.5-13.8V DC), a solar cell (6-30W) or an external battery. A 0.8Ah battery is provided within the LP-1 RTU enclosure that allows standby / battery operation for more than 8 hours in typical low power applications. An external 7-17Ah 12V battery is recommended for solar powered operation and for when Ports 3 / 4 are optioned.

In applications where low power operation is not required an external DC supply of appropriate capacity must be used to both power the RTU and charge a standby battery. The aux. 12V output can be used to control an external relay for control of peripheral devices such as high power radios.

Port 3 Radio / GSM Option

The LP-1 RTU is assembled with or without a Data Radio or GSM Cellular Phone / Modem. The data radio is available in UHF or VHF, with an output power of up to 4W, configurable frequency and data rates of 1200 / 2400 / 4800bps using FFSK modulation.

Configuration and Programming

The LP-1 Low Power RTUs are configured using the same Kingfisher TOOLBOX program that is used for the rest of the Kingfisher RTU family. TOOLBOX is Windows-based software allowing menu driven configuration, data definition, logic and diagnostics. It is supported by screen displays and easy-to-understand interactive graphic representations.

Hardware Options

4MB Flash - Where additional data storage memory is required (long term data logging applications), the optional factory fitted 4MB data flash memory allows extended storage of time tagged data.
DC Supply Output - The LP-1 RTU can be loaded with an optional DC-DC converter that supplies 24VDC with up to 100mA of load (with a 1% duty cycle). It offers no isolation and should only be used to provide field power for analog transducers that are either isolated from the LP-1 RTU or very closely connected.

Protocols

The LP-1 Low Power RTUs are able to communicate using a wide range of protocols that include, Kingfisher SERIES II, MODBUS, DNP3 protocols and many more.