James Mimlitz ‘Slim’, SCADAmetrics
Founded in 1899 as the Swiss branch of a measuring instruments company, GWF Group (Lucerne, Switzerland) has evolved into a globally leading provider of solutions for the water, gas, electricity, and heat industries.
The Sonico Edge (pictured below) is a mains-powered ultrasonic water meter manufactured by GWF.
Ultrasonic flow meters are based upon the principle of measuring liquid flow as proportional to transit-time of sound waves traveling across water flowing through a closed pipe. Read more here.
Ultrasonic flow meters have no moving parts, and also have no protrusions into the flow tube – thereby lending themselves as suitable for both filtered and unfiltered water applications.
The Sonico Edge is available with optional SCADA connectivity modules, which include a pulse (totalizing) output, a 4-20mA (flow) output, Serial output, and the Modbus/RTU (RS.485) industrial protocol.
Today, the latest release of the SCADAmetrics Model MBE Modbus Encodalizer now adds UI.1203 (Sensus) protocol and Neptune ECODER.PLUS protocol to this important flow meter, so that it may now be easily integrated into modern potable water AMI/AMR systems.
The operational convenience of the MBE Encodalizer is based upon the principle that the User sets the Meter Type (Make & Model) via Encodalizer DIP switches, connects the Encodalizer to the meter via Modbus/RTU (2-Wire RS.485), and the Encodalizer interacts with the target meter using the meter’s factory default Modbus/RTU settings. Therefore, zero setup of the Sonico Edge is required.
Important Note: As of the date of this Article, the MAXIMUM MODBUS TOTALIZER VALUE of the GWF Sonico Edge flow meter is 9,999,999.9 Gallons. When the meter exceeds this maximum, its Modbus totalizer rolls over, and the totalizer counter restarts from 0.0 Gallons. For comparative reference, a typical AWWA-style 6 Inch flow meter generally features a MAXIMUM TOTALIZER of 999,999,990.0 Gallons before rollover. The relatively low rollover value of the Sonico Edge may result in an excessive rollover frequency for your application.
Sonico Edge / AMI – Wiring Diagram
The following wiring diagram illustrates a typical application of the Sonico Edge / Encodalizer Pair into a potable water distribution or wastewater system — where AMI signaling is desired.
Documentation
Would you like to download a PDF copy of our Sonico Edge / Encodalizer Application Note? — Click Here
Special Thanks to Alex Watson at GWF Group for the gracious loan of a GWF Sonico Edge flow meter for development and testing.
Want to Learn More?…
Are you interested in learning more about how SCADAmetrics flow instrumentation, when paired with the GWF Sonico Edge ultrasonic flow meter, can provide concurrent AMI and SCADA signaling options? Give us a call!… We’ll be glad to discuss the details!