While the standard iTrixx network hour meter is an excellent solution for stationary machinery, The iTrixx-WFMN hour meter is ideal for mobile equipment such as forklifts and ground support vehicles. Due to variations in equipment and vehicle design, we cannot provide a comprehensive guide on how to connect the iTrixx. We will instead provide a general guideline. Before connecting the iTrixx, it is crucial to disconnect the battery to prevent injury, death, or damage to your equipment. We recommend hiring a qualified electrician to perform the installation.

There are many kinds of vehicles that you may need to monitor runtime hours. Some examples are airport ground support vehicles, golf carts, forklifts, scissor lifts, etc. These vehicles will be powered either by a combustion engine or by electric motors, however they will all have two things necessary to connect the iTrixx. A constant 12-48VDC power source from a battery, and a separate 5-48VDC circuit that turns on and off with the vehicle. A constant power source is preferable to power your iTrixx because it will always be on. If the iTrixx has to boot up when your equipment is powered on, you may not have an accurate reading. The iTrixx at idle draws approximately 70mA. It will not drain the battery unless it is left for an exceptionally long time.

Pre-installation

Before installing the iTrixx to your vehicle, you may want to configure it at a desk or work bench for easy access. You can do this after installation but you may need to bring a laptop computer to the vehicle.

To access the iTrixx WiFi hour meter software, you first need to connect it to your WiFi network. For instructions on how to connect the iTrixx to your WiFi network, please refer to the iTrixx-WFMN Quick Setting Instruction.

Once connecting the iTrixx to your WiFi network, you will need to use a Telnet client to configure your iTrixx either from your PC, or a TCP Telnet app for a mobile device to be able to send Telnet commands to the iTrixx (the mobile device has to be connected to the same WiFi network, does not work on cellular network).

From Telnet, you can rename the device by entering server=<name>, replacing the <name> with your desired server name.

Set Time and Date: By default, your server is configured for GMT. To adjust the time zone, enter timezone=x where x is your time zone offset. For
example: timezone=­5 for EST, timezone=­4 for EDT if you are in Eastern DayLight Savings time.

To setup the trigger, we use digital input 1 to trigger the counter in our sample. When digital input 1 is on, iTrixx starts counting hour meter 1: trigger=din.1,high,hm.1

If you want to receive report when the meter has reached to a certain number. For example, when hour meter 1 is reached to 100, send report: trigger=hm.1,eq.100,report

Lastly, you might want to set a static IP address for your iTrixx. As your iTrixx may leave the WiFi range several times each day, this will ensure it has the same IP address every time. To do this , enter: ifconfig=<IP address>,<netmask>,<gateway IP>,<DNS server IP>

Now you have completed the basic configuration, you can remove the iTrixx from your office and install it on your vehicle.

Combustion Engine Vehicles

To wire the iTrixx to a combustion vehicle, you will need a constant power source. You may be able to tap an existing circuit or your vehicle may have unused auxiliary circuits, however the best constant power source is directly from the battery. We recommend using an in-line fuse to protect your iTrixx.

To trigger the hour meter, you will then need to find a suitable switched power source. This source must turn on when the vehicle is running and produce a voltage between 5VDC-48VDC and connect to the iTrixx’s digital input. Any voltage over 24VDC will require a 2.2k resistor between the source and the digital input. A suitable source can be a radio, running lights, or even the alternator itself. Your vehicle may also have extra, unused circuits for adding additional equipment. Just make sure this source only produces 5-48VDC when the vehicle is running or at least powered on. For the purpose of running the hour meter, the digital input will only detect a voltage and not draw any amperage so it will not interfere with the circuit it is connected to.

Electric Vehicles

Wiring the WiFi IoTMeter to an electric vehicle will be similar to wiring to a combustion engined vehicle. Verify the battery produces between 12-48VDC and wire the IoTMeter to the vehicle’s battery to power the unit. Next you will need a 5-48VDC source to trigger the meter. Due to the variations of electric vehicles, there may not be many switched circuits available. You may be able to connect the digital input to the vehicle’s on/off switch, or to the battery voltage gauge if equipped.

Because an electric vehicle relies entirely on the batteries to operate, make sure you keep the batteries charged regularly as the IoTMeter will be a constant, albeit small power drain.

Final Steps

After verifying the IoTMeter is correctly installed, reconnect the vehicle’s battery and verify the unit powers on. Configure your IoTMeter if you have not already done so, and affix the unit to your vehicle. There are many ways to affix the IoTMeter, however we recommend using a double-sided foam tape. The IoTMeter is now ready to record runtime hours on your vehicles, even when outside of WiFi range. When it returns to your network, it will automatically report its data to any computer running the Linortek Hourcollector app.