Application of embedded computers in lightning monitoring systems-EEWORLD

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Project Background

Lightning disasters have existed since ancient times. According to relevant research statistics, there are an average of more than 2,000 lightning strikes on Earth at any given time, with an average of 100 lightning strikes per second. The intensity of each lightning strike can be as high as 1 billion volts, which shows how great its energy is, and the damage it causes can be imagined.

In recent years, lightning disasters have occurred more frequently. This is mainly due to the rise of some tall buildings, such as high-rise intelligent buildings, microwave stations, antenna towers, etc., which will attract lightning strikes, thus damaging the buildings themselves and nearby buildings. The various overhead long wires added will attract lightning into the room, making the lightning protection device ineffective. In addition, with the high development of microelectronics technology and its wide application in various fields, the objects of lightning damage have also shifted from damage to the buildings themselves to damage to indoor electrical and electronic equipment, and even personal injury accidents. The electromagnetic induction caused by lightning has become the main hazard, so monitoring lightning is also a means of preventing disasters.

The original solution was to use a computer to connect to a lightning detector (which can record the amount of charge in the air). When the computer reads the data returned by the lightning detector, it analyzes the data to determine whether there is a possibility of lightning. This system mainly uses the ADSL dial-up mode to connect various devices to a network. However, the problem that comes with it is that if the site does not have the conditions for ADSL dial-up, the system cannot be used. Once the network is disconnected, the real-time data on site will be lost.

Application Requirements

The lightning detector uses Modbus RTU protocol for communication. The embedded computer needs to convert the Modbus protocol into Modbus TCP protocol to facilitate communication with the background.

Embedded computers can actively collect data in real time, save historical data on demand, and realize intelligent and active data upload

Provides both wired and wireless solutions. If the site does not have Internet access, wireless communication can be used.

Moxa Solution

In this system, Moxa finally provides customers with two different solutions - wired and wireless, to meet the needs of different on-site environments.

1) Wired solution

The original architecture used a Modbus gateway to connect the lightning detector to ADSL, which played a role in protocol conversion. In the current architecture, the customer used a Moxa UC-7101 embedded computer to replace the original Modbus gateway. The UC-7101 uses a MOXA ART ARM9 192 MHz RISC CPU, which has powerful computing and communication capabilities, but generates very little heat. Built-in 8MB NOR Flash ROM and 16MB SDRAM provide users with sufficient storage space; at the same time, the SD card can store a variety of user applications. In the wired solution, the UC-7101 is a front-end communication gateway. Through the set program, the UC7101 can actively use the Modbus RTU protocol to communicate with the lightning detector, and save the data in the real-time database and record it in the SD card. By analyzing the real-time data, the UC7101 can actively send alarm information to the monitoring room before the arrival of lightning.

2) Wireless Solutions

In the absence of ADSL dial-up conditions, the customer used the W315 wireless embedded computer. The W315 is an embedded industrial computer based on the RISC architecture and equipped with a GSM/GPRS communication module. In this solution, Moxa's W315 is used to replace the UC-7101 and ADSL in the wired solution, and directly connects to the network through GPRS. As a front-end communication gateway, the W315 can actively dial to the GPRS network and connect to the backend. Through software programming, the W315 can actively use the Modbus RTU protocol to communicate with the lightning detector, and save the data in the real-time database and record it in the SD card. By analyzing the real-time data, the W315 can actively send alarm information to the monitoring room before the arrival of lightning.

1) Wired solution

2) Wireless Solutions

Why Moxa?

Moxa provides two solutions for customers: UC-7101 for wired environments and W315 for wireless environments, which can actively connect to wireless GPRS networks.

UC-7101 and W315 are both RISC-based embedded computers, providing a powerful, stable and reliable communication platform for harsh industrial environments.

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Both UC-7101 and W315 support 1 software-selectable RS-232/422/485 3-in-1 serial port and 1 Ethernet port

Both UC-7101 and W315 can collect data in real time, save historical data on demand, and upload data intelligently and actively.

The embedded computer has no fans or flying wires inside, ensuring the stability and reliability of the product and system.

Application Product Introduction