Perpetuum's wSNAK wireless sensor node assessment kit is designed as a technology demonstrator to confirm the advantages and simplicity of condition monitoring systems powered by vibration energy-harvesting. 

The wireless sensor nodes will also be available separately for integration in to OEMs own systems and can be adapted for other measurands such as pressure, temperature and flow.

wSNAK gives OEMs the opportunity to evaluate the concept quickly and to provide feedback for the final design. As a result of the short assessment process, they can bring their own new product to market saving typically 12 months of development time and prototype costs.

In the absence of any practical alternative, batteries have been used to power wireless sensor nodes despite user objections. However, vibration energy-harvesting is becoming the preferred option as there are none of the reliability, cost of replacement, transportation, safety and disposal issues which are associated with batteries.

Users will see the benefits of installing wireless condition monitoring at low cost without the problems of Management of Change and without the increased maintenance burden of changing batteries.

The kit consists of four energy harvester-powered wireless sensor nodes which send vibration and temperature data to a laptop-based receiver. Each sensor node runs an industry-standard IEPE accelerometer with integrated temperature sensor on a flying lead. Data is transmitted from each node via the IEE802.15.4 transmitter to a receiver situated up to 100m away. Vibration spectra and temperature trends can be displayed on a laptop and basic level alarms may be set similar to the ISO10816-3 standard.

The wSNAK can be installed in just a few minutes. It features an LCD display, so users can observe the power being generated and select an optimum location for the node, while the accelerometer is located where required on the equipment being monitored. It is IP65 rated for protection against the ingress of dust and water allowing OEMs to use it in the field regardless of the weather conditions.

More information: http://www.perpetuum.co.uk