Description: Sensor input and control output hub

Terminals: RS-485, 12V DC Power, 4x Pulse Inputs, 4x Analog, 4x Control, 4x 1-Wire, 2x I2C

Meter Support: Pulse output water and gas meters

Sensor Support: Analog, 1-Wire, I2C

Data: RS-485. Supported by EKM Push3

Features: Included: ioStack (no case included) 12V power supplies sold separately.

Model: EKM-ioStack

The ioStack is supported by Encompass (for pulse count data), the EKM Widget, and our open cloud API for both real-time data and summary data.


First off, our ioStack is in beta.  This means that the ioStack itself may have a few issues and the Push interface to the data may have some issues that we will be working on over time.  If you are comfortable with experiencing some of these issues and are willing to let us know if you find any issues or bugs, then the ioStack may be a good product for you now.

Our EKM-ioStack is a powerful addition to our line of remote readable, affordable metering products.  The ioStack is not a meter itself, but it does include a lot of features which will enhance your metering system.  The ioStack also communicates with our systems (including our EKM Push3) over RS485, just like our EKM-Omnimeters.  One of the main advantages to the ioStack that it is low voltage powered (4.5VDC to 28VDC) which is great for ease of installation for pulse counting.  The ioStack has 4 separate pulse counting inputs for counting the pulses from your water meters or gas meters.  In the past you could have used one of our Omnimeter Pulse v.4 electric meters to count the pulses from up to 3 separate pulse output devices (water meters or gas meter),  but the issue was that the Omnimeter Pulse v.4 required at least 120 volts AC to be powered.  The ioStack only requires 4.5VDC to 28VDC, which is absolutely safe and easy to install.

  

FEATURES OF THE IOSTACK

4x Pulse Inputs
Can be used in multiple ways:

  • 4 x Pulse Counters (from water or gas meters)
  • 4 x Inputs States (used to know in real time if a switch is open or closed)
  • 4 x Runtime timers (used to meter the time a machine has been on or off)
  • 4 x Pulse rates (used to calculate the rate of flow or speed of an object, etc)
These pulse inputs can be used for counting the pulses of water meters and gas meters in order to know the volume of water or gas measured over time.  They could be used to know if a door is open or a pressure sensor senses that your tank is full, they could be used to allocate how much time a tenant has used the central air conditioner, they could be used to know how fast the water is flowing through the water meter or how fast the shaft on a motor is spinning, etc.


Here is an example drawing of water and gas meters connected to ioStacks. The ioStacks are daisy-chained to a Push3 gateway in order to make the meters readable remotely online:



4x Analog Inputs

The ioStack also has 4 x Analog Inputs. These are great for measuring things like temperature, pressure, tank levels, humidity, light levels, DC voltages, etc. You could use these to know how full your water tank is, what the temperature and humidity in your remote warehouse or building is, the average light level per hour, remotely sense the voltage of a vehicle (such as a boat or forklift) battery over time, etc. These values are especially valuable when the data is sent the the cloud where you can see the real-time values and the values historically over long periods of time.


4x Controllable Outputs 

These outputs can be used to control 4 separate devices, these could be relays, solid state relays, valves, etc.  You can control these outputs remotely via the EKM Push3 gateway over the internet.  You can control them via our web interface, by using Push3 gateway based triggers, by our open web APIs, or locally over RS485.
This is useful for load flexibility, triggering, turning off water remotely, etc.

4x 1-Wire Buses

These are primarily used for temperature sensors.  You can have multiple 1-wire temperature sensors on the same bus, or on multiple buses.  These are similar to the analog sensors above, but the data does not need to be converted from an analog value to a human readable value, they are already human readable.


2x I2C Inputs

The ioStack also has 2x I2C Inputs. These have been included on the beta units as a test to measure interest from users. There is currently no support for the I2C data via the Push3 system or our software. If the I2C data interests you please let us know!

Stacking


The ioStack is stackable with the Push3, meaning that both devices have pins and headers with the same spacing and layout, which allow the two devices to be physically connected. The stacking connection sends DC power and RS-485 communication up and down the stack.



 We think the ioStack is a great addition to our offerings so that you will have more insight and control into your remote assets.  Not only can you use the EKM Push system to remotely meter your thousands of electricity, water, or gas meters around the world, but you will also be able to remotely sense the temperature, voltage, pressure, humidity, light levels, etc at your thousands of sites.  This combined with great data access and web based charting, makes for a really powerful and scalable system.  It becomes even more powerful if you are able to leverage EKM Push3 gateway based triggers to alert you to issues or automatically control devices if thresholds are reached.  You could save thousands in avoided damages just by sensing a leak or water on your floor for example by triggering on either the pulse counts, pulse rate, or the analog inputs for example.


The ioStack is makes it easy to install, easy to connect to your EKM Push3 gateway, easy to access your data from the cloud for free, easy to see the data on online charts and graphs, and easy to setup triggers to alert you to issues.


THESE DO NOT SUPPORT IOSTACK:


Push3 I2C data (support undecided)

Push2 (no support planned)

EKM Dash (no support planned)

THESE DO SUPPORT IOSTACK:


EKM Widget

The EKM Widget offers another option for quickly seeing your ioStack sensor data online for EKM Push3 users. It is also easy to save and share your Widget setting once you have it setup how you want. Here is an example of a analog water tank level sensor:

EKM Push Account Portal

Like Omnimeters, ioStacks are listed in your online Push3 Account Portal. When logged in you can view raw data, view the status of your ioStack, configure your Push3/ioStack, and make settings in your ioStack.


Real Time Data:

Status:

Configuration:

Settings:

Settings Log:

You can either hardwire up to 126 ioStacks or Omnimeters to a single EKM Push3 gateway on up to 4000 feet of twisted pair wire, or you can use 485Bee radio modules, which create a mesh network for wireless communication between the ioStack and the Push3 gateway.

It is possible to fit this into a Watertight Enclosure but the beta units do not include an enclosure or DIN rail mount.

For developers who are interested in working with our Open Push APIs which give you free access to the real-time data, summary data, triggers, and control of the ioStack, please check out our Developer Portal.

For additional information about our products and services, we encourage you to visit our online Knowledge Base, which provides spec sheets, videos, tutorials, FAQs, diagrams, and more.

Spec Sheet: EKM ioStack