NovaLynx Corporation
260-RGAI-70
Page 4
May 2022
1
FORWARD
Thank you for purchasing NovaLynx products. NovaLynx has been designing and manufacturing
weather instruments since 1988. NovaLynx represents several well-known brands of quality
manufacturers, including Gill Instruments, RM Young, Kipp & Zonen, and Vaisala. It is our hope that our
products will meet all your monitoring requirements.
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INTRODUCTION
The
260-RGAI-70 Rain Gauge Interface
converts the signal from a tipping bucket rain gauge into a
4-20 mA current loop signal, ideal for input to a PLC or SCADA system. It features reliability, low cost,
low power drain, accuracy, simplicity of operation and ruggedness.
In ramp mode (default), each tip of the rain gauge bucket causes the output signal to increase 1% of
full scale. Each complete excursion of the output signal from zero to full scale represents 100 tips of
the bucket. During periods of no rain there is no change in the output signal, as long as power is not
interrupted to the transmitter board.
In rain detector mode, the output stays at 4mA until a bucket tip is detected. Then the output goes to
20mA and remains until the rain detect timeout period expires following the last detected tip.
The mode selection is made by a switch on the transmitter circuit board. Setting 0 enables ramp mode,
while settings 1 thru 9 determine the timeout period in rain detector mode. The switch is adjusted by
means of a small flat-blade screwdriver.
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SPECIFICATIONS
Accuracy
Electronics: +/- 1%
Rain Gauge: depends on model chosen
Input
Dry contact switch closure
Output
4-20 mA Loop Powered (12-24 Vdc supply)
Maximum Loop Resistance
Rmax = (Vsupply - 10V) / 20mA
Rain Detect Mode
User selectable 1-80 minute pulse period
Environmental
30°F to 158°F (0°C to 70°C)
-40°C to 70°C available
Dimensions
3.8" x 4.6" x 2.4" (97 x 117 x 61 mm)
Weight / Shipping
0.35 lbs / 1 lb ( 159g / 454 g)
260-RGAI-70 Rain Gauge Analog Output Interface
