New Website
Senquip has a new website 🥳🙌🎉🎊🎈🍾
The new website focusses on solutions rather than products. We hope that this will better communicate the value that Senquip devices bring in our focus application areas:
- Machine Monitoring and Control
- Industrial Automation
We have used many images that have been provided by distributors – thank you. I would encourage you to continue to provide images of installs for our gallery that can be referenced back to your company. We look forward to your feedback.
Custom Chart Builder
Senquip is thrilled to announce the release of user customisable charts for the Senquip Portal. Users can now create their own charts with multiple axis, and series per chart. Select from line or area charts or make them stacked or brushed.
The chart builder is available on trial and hosted plans and can be accessed by pressing the eye icon to access display settings.
Connect With Wi-Fi Sensors
Senquip devices have always featured a Wi-Fi access point that is enabled in setup mode when using the webserver to make configuration changes.
The access point can now be enabled as a setting to allow Wi-Fi sensors to connect to the Senquip device.
New Distributors for Indonesia, Uruguay, and South Korea
Senquip extends a warm welcome to new distributors:
- DSS Power Solution for South Korea,
- INDUS for Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru,
- AssetFindr as distributor for Indonesia.
DaeSung Systech specialises in control, monitoring and instrumentation solutions for engines and machinery.
Indus specialises in engineering solutions in automation and control.
AssetFindr optimises asset performance and
minimizes loss and downtime by providing customised remote monitoring and control solutions.
Interesting Oil Quality Sensor
TE Connectivity have released a new oil quality sensor, the OPS3. The sensor has been available for around 12 months and is now widely available.
The OPS3 is a multi-parameter (density, dynamic viscosity, dielectric constant, resistivity (Rp) and temperature) oil quality sensor designed for oil condition monitoring and preventative maintenance of critical machinery. Relying on tuning fork technology, the sensor monitors multiple physical properties that enable the system to determine the quality, condition and contaminant loading of fluids such as engine oil, transmission, hydraulic and gear oils.
Senquip has tested the sensor and has found readings to be highly stable and repeatable.
Providing ESG Data
While many companies are focussed on ESG reporting tools, Senquip is more interested in collecting the data that enables the reporting.
Senquip devices are perfect for collecting fuel burn and other parameters from remote machines that enable the calculation of carbon emissions. We connect to diggers, dozers, lighting towers, pumps, generators, and all the other equipment used in mining, industrial, and agricultural markets. All makes, all engines, all engine controllers, Senquip devices connect them all to your server with no ongoing charges.
Updated Certification
Senquip is please to announce that the Senquip QUAD has passed all regulatory requirements and is now RCM, CE, and FCC certified.
The device can now be used in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and America with confidence.
Certification ensures that the Senquip QUAD is safe to use, will not electrically interfere with other equipment, and is immune to external electrical noise.
SIM Cards and Adapters
Recently, while investigating an ORB that would not connect to LTE, we realised that the SIM connector was damaged. We have traced the problem to a nano to micro SIM adapter that got jammed when trying to eject the SIM. A quick Google search reveals that this is a very common problem in mobile phones. We contacted the manufacturer of the SIM card connector, and were impressed to get a thorough response.
We highly don’t recommend using SIM card holders with adapters because of potential risks as below:
If there is gap, step, sharp edge between the SIM card and adapter and when the card pops up from the adapter during ejecting, it can interfere with the tip of contact terminal which can brake or deform the terminal during the insertion and withdrawal.
Nano SIM cards have a different thickness when compared to Micro SIM which can make poor contact when there is some vibration and shock condition.
Senquip therefore reccomends that only micro SIM’s are used in ORB and QUAD products. Micro SIMs can typically be sourced from your telco at time of ordering.
CAN Updates
Senquip devices are equipped with fully programmable CAN Bus peripherals that support J1939, CANopen and other protocols.
Not all messages are available by default on the J1939 network, and we have noted customers using timers to request specific messages, such as total fuel used, on a periodic basis.
To simplify this, Senquip has added a repeat send option to the CAN Tx command. This allows up to 8 CAN messages to be set to repeat at defined intervals without the need for user code.
This update streamlines CAN application scripts, reduces reliance on timers, and frees up system resources.
Update on Satellite Technology
Senquip is eagerly awaiting the general release of satellite services for cellular technology. There are 2 approaches being taken to deliver these services, NTN and Direct to Mobile.
NTN
Inmarsat, EchoStar, Sateliot, Omnispace, Skylo and others are planning on using the 3GPP Release 17 NTN specification that allows frequency bands compatible with existing satellites to be part of 5G. The advantage is that existing satellites can be used. The downside is that almost no existing mobile devices support these frequencies and so all hardware will have to be replaced.
NTN has two versions. NTN-IoT is for IoT use cases with data rates limited to those typical of Cat-NB. NTN-NR will directly link smartphones and other 5G devices (such as devices using RedCap). It will enable voice and high-speed data. It is hoped that the first very low data rate trials for NTN will be in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025.
Senquip has a combination CAT-M and NTN device in design now that is expected to release in mind 2025.
Direct to Cell
SpaceX, AST Space Mobile and others are launching new Direct to Cell satellites that are compatible with existing 4G LTE equipment. These satellites will work with the existing 7.86 billion 4G LTE devices already in the market. SpaceX has announced partnerships with carriers worldwide including Optus in Australia, Rogers in Canada, One NZ in New Zealand, KDDI in Japan, Salt in Switzerland and Entel in Chile and Peru.
On January 2, 2024, SpaceX launched the first six Starlink satellites equipped with Direct to Cell capabilities. Less than 6 days after launch, they sent and received first text messages to and from unmodified cell phones on the ground using TMobile network spectrum. Around 70 Direct to Cell satellites are now in orbit.
Text services are expected to begin in Q4 2024, followed by voice, data, and Internet of Things (IoT) services in 2025. SpaceX has tested Cat-1 and Cat-1 bis modules and will support both these technologies in 2025.
SpaceX has selected Senquip as a beta customer for the Direct to Cell service.
Lynk Global is also offering Direct to Mobile services and has around 4 satellites in orbit. They are currently offering SMS only services through bmobile in the Solomon Islands and Vodafone in the Cook Islands. Telstra has signed a trial agreement with Lynk Global, there is no guarantee that it will be a permanent part of its mobile offering.
Current Senquip devices are expected to be compatible with direct to cell technologies when it releases.
Firmware Update
Senquip is pleased to have released a major new firmware update for ORB and QUAD devices. The new firmware adds a host of new features which include:
- Network configuration over BLE with the Senquip Connect app.
- 10 custom hour-meters have been added.
- Wi-Fi access point allows Wi-Fi sensors to connect.
- 8 slots have been added for auto repeating CAN messages.
- Serial devices can now be powered by the Senquip device.
- Parameters can be dispatched from anywhere in a script.
- Up to 2000 characters can be dispatched to the Senquip Portal.
- GPS location can be fixed for demonstrations.
- WiFi MAC address has been added to diagnostics.
- Various power consumption reductions.
- Firmware updates now receive progress indication.
Firmware can be updated from the Senquip Portal at no cost to users. For more details, see the Device Firmware Change List.
Senquip Out and About
SNTP Server Exposed
An SNTP server provides time synchronization using the Simple Network Time Protocol. Senquip devices use SNTP to set the timestamp on device messages. By default we use pool.ntp.org which is a widely used global network of time servers that provide reliable time synchronization services.
In a very limited number of instances, you may need to change the SNTP server address. This could be the case if you are running on a network that does not have internet access, or if pool.ntp.org is not available in your region. To facilitate this, we have exposed the SNTP server settings in the Network setting page, under Advanced. You will almost certainly not need to change these settings.
Symptoms of a problem with SNTP are drifting timestamps, or time that is out by many minutes. In some instances, when the Senquip device cannot get time from SNTP, GPS, or a mobile tower, messages may be sent with timestamps that are 1 Jan 1970 (Unix time start) and so will not show up as latest messages.