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iTrixx NHM User Manual

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0:00 23:08

Activate the Meter

The iTrixx Hour Meter has two separate hour counters. The hour counters may be activated in a number of different ways.

1. In the simplest setup the NHM may be activated whenever power is applied to the unit. In this case, if the NHM is on, it is counting. A voltage threshold is provided so the NHM may stop counting as power is lost to prevent memory corruption. In this way, you only need to connect the NHM to the same power source of the equipment you wish to collect running data, no other wiring required.

2. You may also use one of the inputs to turn counting on and off. There are two digital inputs in the NHM. The digital inputs allow NHM to detect an external on/off state of a sensor.

3. Alternatively, it can be configured to follow one of the relays such that when the relay is activated the NHM will count. There are two removeable 2 position connectors (1 for each relay) and are simply numbered “1” and “2” on the NHM. These relays are dry contact relays and normally open. 

Most common use case is to wire a sensor to a digital input to the same power source of your iTrixx Server to trigger the meter, so when your equipment is on, iTrixx is counting.

Digital Inputs Connection
iTrixx servers have 2 digital inputs (5-24VDC) built-in to the board. The digital inputs allow the SERVER to detect an external on/off state of a sensor. With this information the SERVER can display whether an input is on or off, count events in a resettable or non-resettable counter, and calculate the frequency (such as for use as a tachometer) or the period of the input. See Board Reference Layout page to locate the digital input. A circuit that switches on and off with your equipment can be wired to this digital input to detect whether or not your machine is running. Please note, when connecting a 12VDC-¬24VDC circuit to the input, an external resistor

There are two modes of operation for the digital inputs: ISOLATED (ISO) and PULL UP (PU). These are set at the factory to ISO by default.

  • ISOLATED mode allows you to directly drive the iTrixx’s opto-isolator with an external voltage though an internal 1K resistor. This voltage may be in the range of 5VDC to 24VDC supplying a minimum of 2mA or a maximum of 30mA to the opto-isolator diode. There is no other internal connection to this voltage so it is an isolated input. The DIN in this mode will default to an ON state.
  • PULL-UP mode connects a 1K resistor to an internal voltage allowing you to use a simple switch (such as a magnetic door switch) across terminals 1 and 2. When the switch is activated a signal is sent to the input. These modes are selected by the switch on the server (see the board layout for reference). The DIN in this mode will default to OFF state. To set this mode, move the DIN switch to the down position.

Caution: If you intend to use isolated mode, verify input switch is set to ISO before applying an external voltage. Doing otherwise may damage the SERVER or POE originating device.

To wire your equipment to the NHM’s digital input, identify a circuit of 5 – 24VDC that switches on and off with your equipment. Wire this to Input 1 on your NHM. Note: If using a circuit above 12VDC you must include a 2.2k ohm resistor between the tapped circuit and the NHM. The NHM will only detect a voltage on this circuit and will not draw any power or interfere with this circuit. Do not exceed 24VDC on your digital input. Once wired, see the section Configuring the Hour Meter page 10 to trigger the hour counter and other hour meter settings.

Once you are finished wiring the NHM to your equipment, you may then power on your equipment.

Left: iTrixx NHM wiring;  

Right: Wiring 12-24VDC circuit to digital input using 2.2k ohm inline resistor

Relay Output Connection

There are 2 1-FORM-A relays (8A@48VAC Max) on the NHM with which you can control external devices, or use it to trigger the meter. These relays are normally open. To wire a device to the relay output, please following the iTrixx NHM Wiring diagram above.

Accessing your iTrixx NHM Software

Powering the NHM

To power the NHM you may use the included 12VDC power supply or you may tap a 12 – 48VDC circuit on your equipment. Do not exceed 48VDC. To tap a circuit cut the barrel connector from the power supply along with at least an inch of wire. Strip the ends of the wire and tap into an existing circuit. Finally plug the barrel connector into the NHM. The iTrixx NHM can also be powered via PoE. See Board Reference Layout page 15 for connections.

Note: If powering the NHM from a circuit on your equipment, the power circuit MUST be a different circuit than the circuit used to trigger the hour meter. Failure to separate these circuits will cause the NHM to crash.

CAUTION: WHEN YOU USE POE NETWORK SWITCH, DO NOT USE THE 12VDC POWER SUPPLY TO POWER THE SERVER AT THE SAME TIME, IT WILL DAMAGE THE BOARD. 

Connecting NHM to the Network

You will need to plug your iTrixx NHM into the network via Ethernet for initial configuration. If no network connection is available, you may also plug the NHM directly to your computer via Ethernet.

Once your NHM is powered on and connected to the network, it will automatically obtain an IP address via DHCP as long as your router is configured to do so. To connect, enter the IP address into your web browser. This will take you to your NHM’s landing page. To log in, click the Log In button on the top right of the page. Your browser will prompt you to enter your username and password. By default, these credentials are both set to admin. To find your NHM’s IP address, see below

Finding the IP Address

Finding the IP Address with Discover Program

The Discoverer program will automatically locate your ITrixx NHM SERVER. The Discoverer is a Java program, and requires Java Runtime to be installed to use this feature. Java can be found here: http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp.

To download the Discover program, please go to: https://www.linortek.com/downloads/support­programming/

Use of Chrome & Firefox browsers is recommended. Please note: If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer saves Linortek Discoverer as a Zip file by default. In order to use the Discoverer, you will need to select Save as and rename the file as Linortek Discoverer.jar when you download.

When downloading the Discover program, sometimes you will see a popup warning message depending on your browser security settings, asking if you want to keep or discard this file, please click the Keep button as this is a Java program, it won’t harm your computer.

Once Discoverer locates your device, it will display:

  1. IP Address
  2. Host Name
  3. MAC Address
  4. Other Info:
    • a. Blue LED (if on)
    • b. Product Name
    • c. Server Software Revision
    • d. Port Number (If ported)

Click the device you want to use shown on the Discoverer program to launch the SERVER web pages in your browser. Click the Login button on the homepage. Default username/password is: admin/admin. You may change these as you desire or disable this feature in the settings menu.

Connecting your iTrixx NHM Directly to Your PC

You can also plug your NHM directly to your PC in the case there is no network connection available. If you plug your NHM into your PC’s Ethernet port it will use the default IP address: 169.254.1.1 unless you have previously configured your NHM to use a static IP. Enter 169.254.1.1 into your web browser to connect. No internet connection required. Once configured, you can then install your NHM where desired.

Server Configuration

If you are configuring your NHM for the first time, or if you are keeping your NHM disconnected from the internet, see the section below to set your time zone or adjust the NHM built-in time clock. Otherwise Skip ahead to the section Configuring the Hour Meter page 10.

NHM Landing Page

The NHM has a different landing page from most Linortek devices. In addition to the normally displayed information, this page also displays the data from each of the two meters on your device.

The landing page displays the following settings:

  1. Two meters: Each Network Hour Meter includes two separate hour meters with independent triggers.
  2. Each meter can record 999999.99 hours, decimal hours with 1/100 hour.
  3. Running indicator: Spins if all conditions are met and counting hours.

Setting Time and Date

When first configuring your NHM you will need to verify the time and date on your home page. Your NHM is configured by default to use Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) and will apply correction for daylight savings time. To change these settings, navigate to the Settings dropdown menu and then choose Time/Date. You can then change your time zone by adjusting the value in the third box labeled Time Zone. If you intend to keep your NHM off your network after configuring, you will need to uncheck Use Daylight Savings Time and Use NTP Update. You will then have to manually set the time to account for daylight savings, and adjust the time periodically to account for time creep. 

Setting Data Report

In order to have your NHM send its data to the Hour Collector desktop app (see page 12), navigate to the Settings dropdown menu and select Settings. For the NHM ensure Java Report is enabled. Please note that WIFI Report is not used.

Configuring the Digital Input

Before your NHM can collect run-time data, you first need to configure your digital input (If using to trigger the meter). To access the digital input setup page, navigate to the Services dropdown menu, and click In/Out. Under the Inputs section, click the pencil edit icon under DIN 1 or DIN 2 – depending which input you are using to trigger your meter. This will take you to the Set Digital Input page.

Set Digital Input Page

On this page you can enable and configure your digital input. To set your DIN to detect a voltage provided by the tapped circuit, follow the following steps:

  1. Enter a Name or Label if desired to identify this input
  2. Check the USE box to turn this input on
  3. Set Type to State. This tells the DIN to provide a binary (on/off) reading
  4. For testing purposes, you may wish to set Display to Values to ensure your NHM is detecting a voltage from the circuit. This will display as 0 or 1 in the window on the In/Out page.
  5. If you wish to trigger the hour meter when the circuit is off, enter i into the Command Z/N/I field
  6. Click the SAVE button.

Other settings are not required to trigger the NHM’s hour meter. Other settings are explained in the Fargo G2 and Koda Manual available at https://www.linortek.com/downloads/documentations/

After wiring your NHM into your equipment (see page 5) and setting your digital input (page 10), you now need to configure the hour meter. To reach the Hour Meter page, navigate to the Services dropdown menu and select Hours. On this page there are two identical columns; one for each hour meter.

  1. Use Meter – Hour counter will not run unless the “Use Meter” is checked.
  2. Trigger – The trigger selects the condition to start and stop the counter meter. You can select an INPUT or a RELAY. If those conditions are met such that the device is ON, the meter will start running. You may additionally select to have the INPUT VOLTAGE start the counter. For example, if the Network Hour Meter Hour is powered the counter runs.
  3. Meter Name – Give the meter a name to identify what is being metered.
  4. Seconds/Tick – The ticks set the counting resolution. The smaller the number the faster the memory is used up. Usually set to 2.
  5. Used Endurance – Because the number of memory writes is finite, the Endurance indicator gives an idea of the memories condition. It will wear out. (Tick*512*100000 = memory endurance in seconds.)
  6. Voltage Threshold – The Voltage Threshold condition must be satisfied along with the trigger condition to make the meter count. This is useful to stop the counter should the unit start to lose power. For example: by setting a threshold of 20 volts on a 24-volt system, the Hour Meter will assume that the power is declining and shut off to prevent a counter memory error.
  7. Send Email – Using the Email checkbox and the Count, the unit will send an email when this value is exceeded. (This unit is NOT compatible with SSL/TLS, there are 3rd party SMTP delivery servers which do not require SSL and can be used. For instructions on how to use a 3rd party SMTP delivery service, please refer to Appendix 1 at the end of this manual.
  8. Email Count – Hour meter value to send email notification. This value may be entered in [seconds] or (hours).
  9. Relay Control – By using a Relay Number and a Count, the unit will activate a relay when the value is exceeded. This is useful for turning on a maintenance light or buzzer on a machine that requires a look.
  10. Relay Count – Hour meter value to trigger relay. This value may be entered in [seconds] or (hours).
  11. Preset – The Preset is used to ZERO the meter or set it to any value you like. This value may be entered in [seconds] or (hours).
  12. Push Report Interval – You can change how often to send the hour report out to the HourCollector App, it’s set for 1 minute by default. If you want to change the frequency, you can enter the number here (by minutes).

Rest the Meter Automatically

In some cases, you might need to reset the meter at regular time, for example, daily. You can do so by setting a task on the TASKS page. Below is an example to reset meter#2 every day at 12:00am. For instructions on how to use the IF…THEN…THAT logic statement from the TASKS page for automation, please refer to Page 15-17 of the Fargo G2 and Koda User Manual. This manual can be downloaded here:

https://www.linortek.com/download/fargo%20g2_koda%20downloads/fargo%20g2_koda%20documentation/Fargo-G2-and-Koda-Instruction-Manual-Rev-B.pdf

Data Collection

Once your NHM is wired and configured, it will periodically report its data over your network. Any computer on the same network can collect that data using the free Linortek Hour Collector app, Linortek DataCollector app,RESTful API, Microsoft Excel, or other software via API.

Hour Collector App

The Hour Collector app was developed for use with the Linortek NHM. This is free to download at: https://www.linortek.com/downloads/support-programming/

Before downloading, ensure your computer has Java installed. Java is available for download here: https://www.java.com/en/

The Hour Collector app will automatically locate your NHM and allows for quick access similar to the Discoverer app. The Hour Collector app updates every two minutes.

When first opening the Hour Collector app, it will create a folder on our desktop named CSV_FILE. Inside is a .csv file containing a log the data collected by the hour collector app. This file can be viewed using MS Excel. In order for this log to update, the Hour Collector app must be running and the .csv file must not be open otherwise the Hour Collector cannot automatically edit the file. The Hour Collector app will display the following information:

  1. IP Address
  2. Meter Name
  3. Date/Time
  4. Meter 1 Information
  5. Meter 2 Information
  6. Input Information
  7. Relay Information
  8. Sensor Information
  9. Port Number (if ported)
  10. MAC Address


Clicking the DATA SELECTION button, you can check or uncheck which information you want to display on the Collector window. The “Write All Data” checkbox means it will write all the data to the .csv file, whether it is displayed or not displayed, unchecking this and then checking other data boxes will only write the selected data to the .csv file.

DataCollector Pro App

The DataCollector Pro app is an upgraded version of the HourCollector app. Like our HourCollector App, this app can listen for UDP broadcasts from our hour meter devices. It can record and log this data into a .csv file.

It can not only display the hour readings and digital/analog input data for each meter, but also allows you to select manually/automatically collecting/exporting data. The DataCollector Pro App can be downloaded here: https://www.linortek.com/downloads/support-programming/

Alternatively, you can also set it to manually acquire data. This is useful for port forwarded network hour meters as it can go out to the internet and read data off the device’s XML pages. It can also collect data from the iTrixx WiFi Hour Meter both via REST or subscribe to an MQTT broker.

Install the DataCollector

  1. Run ndp48-web.exe (this will install .net framework if it is not already on your computer)
  2. Run SQLServer2016-SSEI-Expr.exe (this will install SQL server)
    • Choose custom install, follow the prompts until you are given a checklist of features to install. make sure to check “LocalDB” at the bottom of the list.
    • All other options can be left as default
  3. Copy the linortek_db folder to your C: drive
  4. Run LinorTekSetup.msi to install the program.
  5. If your PC has already installed previous version, you have to uninstall previous version “Linortek Data Collector App” from Control panel>> Add remove program and then new version “Linortek Data Collector.msi” setup file need to install.

Use the DataCollector

  1. Open the Data Collector app and navigate to the App Settings window.
    • a. Set desired date and time format
    • b. Choose whether you wish for data collector to listen for UDP message from Linortek devices (easy) or to manually collect device data (advanced)
    • c. Choose whether to log data
    • d. Choose update frequency (manual mode only)
  2. If using Automatic mode, open the Data Display window. Data will be shown as it is received.
  3. If using Manual mode, navigate to the Device List and click Add Device.
    • a. Select your device type
    • b. Enter device name
    • c. Enter IP address (if local) or web address (if remote)
    • d. Enter Port (if assigned)
    • e. Enter user name and password for device
    • f. Repeat the above for each device

Open Data Display window. The data collector will automatically collect data for devices set in the Device List. In either manual or automatic mode, you may export the current data to .CSV, or export the data log (if set) to .CSV.

Note: if the log is not exported periodically, the amount of system memory required to export will increase and may cause the app to not respond. If this happens, delete the device data log.

RESTful API

Here is the available APIs that you can export the data from the device directly (NOTE: THIS API COMMANDS ARE FOR SOFTWARE REV. 427 AND ABOVE)

Meter 1: your_IP_address/api/hourmeter/1/getcount

Meter 2: your_IP_address/api/hourmeter/2/getcount

For pulling the hours out, there are two XML commands built in;

your_IP_addressr/hours.xml

your_IP_address/hourdetail.xml

Microsoft Excel

You can use MS Excel to directly gather data from your NHM.  Please refer to this post on our website for details of how to export hour meter data to your own database using Microsoft Excel here:  https://www.linortek.com/importing-data-from-hour-meter-to-spreadsheet/.

Board Reference Layout

Board Layout

Enclosure Layout

  1. Digital Inputs (#1 on the left) 5VDC¬-48VDC (12VDC-¬48VDC must use the external resistor provided)
  2. Relay Outputs (#1 is on the right) 8A@48VAC max
  3. Digital Input Switches (IN 1 on left)
  4. Reset Button
  5. Reload Button (turns on blue LED – identifies on Discoverer)
  6. Rj45 Connector
  7. Power Connector (12VDC)
  8. USB Mini Connector for Temperature/Humidity Sensor (sold separately)

The image on the left is a bare board ITrixx NHM, it explains the inputs and outputs of the device and the ratings for each. A 12VDC power supply is provided with the unit, it is also POE (Power Over Ethernet) capable.

The image on the right is the enclosure label of the iTrixx NHM.

1. Digital Inputs (#1 on the left)

2. Relay Outputs (#1 is on the right)

3. Status LED lights

4. Network Connector

5. Power Input

Factory Reset

To reset the SERVER to its factory defaults, first to push the RESET button, the RED LED should be blinking and the GREEN LED is on. While in this state (called Bootload state) press and hold the RELOAD button (about 10-15seconds) until the RED LED comes on steady (blinks at 1 second rate).

There is an equivalent RESET DEFAULTS function in the web browser at System/ Load/Reboot System page. Check the Restore Default Values box, then click the Boot Mode button, your device will be reset to factory default once the RED LED come back to normal (blinks at 1 second rate).

If you need assistance with your device please visit www.linortek.com/technical-support

Appendix 1

How to Send SSL Emails Using a 3rd Party SMTP Service for Linortek Fargo and Koda Devices

By default, Koda/Fargo devices use non-SSL SMTP email servers. But most of the email servers today have switched to SSL security protocol, there are 3rd party SMTP delivery servers which do not require SSL and can be used. There are a lot of SMTP email service providers in the market. We use SMTP2GO as an example to demonstrate the setting up process. SMTP2GO is free to use with up to 1000 emails/month. To use SMTP2GO, please visit: https://www.smtp2go.com/ . 

Step 1. Create the SMTP2GO account.

To create an account simply click on “Sign up”, choose “1K Emails” on the scale, and choose “Free plan” (If you need to send more than 1000 emails per month, select the plan that meet your requirements.)

To create an account on SMTP2GO, a corporate email address will be needed. Free email service such as Gmail or Yahoo will not let you continue. After activating your SMTP2GO account, you need to add a user.

Step 2. Add a user.

The user you create on SMTP2GO, will be the Outgoing mail server when you setup the Fargo/Koda device to send email reports, please make sure your corporation email server will not block the emails if you use free email account such as Yahoo or Gmail to add a user here.

Login to your SMTP2GO account, on the left side menu choose “Settings” > “SMTP Users”, Click on “Add SMTP user” and fill the form.

After the user is added to your SMTP2GO account, it will display the information you need to setup the email notification on your Fargo/Koda devices.

Step 3. Configure the Linortek device.

After you created an account and added a user, login to your Linortek device, navigate to Configure – Email setup page to setup Email notification:

  • SMTP Server – Enter the outgoing mail server that you want to use, it’s mail.smtp2go.com in our example.
  • Port – This is the port on that server. The SMTP port is 2525 in our example.
  • Use SSL – Leave it unchecked when you use 3rd party SMTP server.
  • User Name – The username from SMTP2GO when we created a user in previous step.
  • Password – The user’s password from SMTP2GO when we created a user in previous step.
  • To Address – Enter up to 3 addresses for this email set up. An addressee, a CC and a BC.
  • Subject – Subject line of the email header.

As soon as you hit “Save/Test”, the device automatically sends the test email. Please check Junk/Other folder to find it if it is not in Inbox folder.

Step 4. Set the task for automatic Email notifications.

You should be able to receive email notifications for various events from the Fargo/Koda controller at this point. If you need to receive condition-logic notifications, you can use the condition-logic configuration to setup such reports. To setup the condition-logic report notification, go to Tasks page on your Fargo/Koda device, click the Edit icon of a Schedule. For details of how to create a logic-based event, please refer to the Set Schedule Page on the Fargo/Koda User Manual, which can be downloaded here: 

https://www.linortek.com/download/fargo%20g2_koda%20downloads/fargo%20g2_koda%20documentation/Fargo-G2-and-Koda-User-Manual.pdf

In this sample We will use the Network Hour Meter device as an example for how to receive email reports every day at 11:52am.

As soon as all conditions of the task are met, you get the following email: