4.10
Operation of the WS868-PLE-I module
The WS868-PLE-I module performs reading of gas-meter and broadcasting of radio messages fully automatically.
The greatest risks of permanent breakdown of module broadcasting are commonly caused by human activities
within the installation site, especially mechanical damage of the module, excessive humidity or water inundation,
or shading the RF signal by metallic object due to building operations.
To prevent an unexpected breakdown, it is recommended to perform regular monitoring of readings, processor tem-
perature and battery voltage. If some of the parameters goes beyond the common steady value, it is recommended
to contact the installation site caretaker or perform the physical check on the installation site.
The risk of
premature battery discharge
could be eliminated by respecting the instructions described in para-
graph
5
Troubleshooting
5.1
Possible causes of module failures
If during operation of WS868-PLE-I module some anomaly, malfunctions or other troubles are recognized, the
possible causes of the failures can be classified by following categories:
5.1.1
Power supplying failures
The module is supplied by electrical power from the long-life internal battery. Approximate battery life is specified
in paragraph
”
Hardware features”. Battery life can be negatively influenced by circumstances that are described
in detail in paragraph
”
Risk of premature battery discharge”.
Low battery power becomes evident as irregular drop-outs of signal reception from the module, finally the radio
connection with the module completely fails.
Battery is soldered into the printed circuit board of the module and the module has to be disassembled for its
replacement. Battery replacement can be performed only by qualified and experienced person. Soldering of battery
by unskilled person can cause irretrievable damage of the module. There are only top-quality batteries used in
the wacoSystem modules, that have been carefully selected and properly tested. In case of battery replacement by
user the new battery parameters should meet same technical requirements (type, capacity, voltage, current load,
auto-discharging current...) as the original battery. It is strongly recommended to use for replacement same type
of battery as used in production.
5.1.2
System failures
As
”
system failure” are considered mainly failures of module’s processor, memory, internal supplying or any other
failures that cause a complete breakdown of the device. If module’s battery voltage is correct, with no signs of
discharging and the device still does not communicate through its configuration port and does not respond to
any commands and this status will not change even after module’s restart (by switching off and switching on its
battery), the system failure probably occur. Perform the replacement of the module according to the instructions
in paragraph
and check functionality of the new module. If the new device works properly, label the original
module as
”
defective” and fill in the appropriate documentation prescribed by internal rules for this case.
5.1.3
Reading system failures
Reading system failures typically appear as
”
zero consumption” of the gas-meter even though the consumption of
the meter is evident, or generally, meter status from remote reading is considerably different than meter status
shown in meter’s mechanical counter. In this case try to proceed with troubleshooting in following steps:
•
visually check whether the module is correctly mounted to gas-meter and whether there are any signs of
gas-meter or module damage;
•
if the module is correctly mounted to appropriate gas-meter type and there are no signs of damage or unau-
thorized manipulation, dismantle module from gas-meter and visually check the module and gas-meter again.
If everything looks well, without any signs of damage, replace the module according to the paragraph
•
if the new module (after replacement) does not work properly as well, the trouble is probably caused by
defective gas-meter.
WS868-PLE-I
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