Layer N Challenger's Kit

I am beyond ecstatic to be one of the eight sponsored challengers selected for the N-Gaged design challenge on E14!

A heartfelt thank you again, to both Element14 and Omega for selecting me  as one the challengers.

Just as soon as I got the good news I had been selected as one of the sponsored challengers, I had Newark box sitting on my doorstep on Friday, March 25, 2022.

My kit arrived safe and sound, with no shipping issues, thanks to the wonderful danzima!

N-Gaged Challenger's Kit

The kit included everything one would need to get started using Omega's Layer-N ecosystem to enable a wireless IOT solution:

Even some bonus E14 swag .

I will be blogging about the setup and capabilities of each of the included Layer-N products in subsequent blogs. 

The photos below document what I have received in the challengers kit. (it is pretty awesome!)

USB to Smart Probe Interface 

(IF-001) Buy Now

This is the cable used to interface the SP-005 to a PC or gateway over USB. Embedded inside the USB connector shroud is a USB to serial adapter of some unknown description. There is a indicator LED on the USB shroud as well when the probe is use with a USB port.

Temperature Smart Probe

SP-005-01 Buy Now

The SP-005 is a multi-input RTD or thermocouple intelligent digital output temperature probe.  The SP-005 supports the vast majority of RTDs and thermocouple one may come across:

M12 4-pin female connector

M12-S-F-FM Buy Now

The M12 adapter is required to interface an arbitrary leaded temperature sensor/probe to the SP-005. 

It also includes a nice cable gland for the sensor hookup leads/cable.

Wireless Temp/Humidity Sensor

SS-002-1-NA Buy Now

"The SS-002-1 offers a configurable
mix of any three of the four internal
sensors: Temperature, Humidity,
Barometric Pressure, Ambient Light,
AND one external sensor option:
Thermocouple, RTD, or DIN (contact
closure)."

Based on my limited understanding of the Layer-N ecosystem, I believe the SS-002 wireless senor node includes all the measurement features of the SP-005. Plus, an additional 4 environmental sensors, batteries and wireless connectivity.

I am happy to see batteries are included! You also get nice rising cage terminal block.

Wireless Gateway

GW-001-3-NA Buy Now

Everything you need to get the Layer-N wireless gateway up and running is included in the box! The included quick start setup guide was a welcome addition and made setup a breeze following 5 simple steps.

The gateway is an all digital device, there are no analog input ports. One must connect a smart probe via one of the USB ports to make wired sensor measurements near the gateway. The gateway can even be powered over ethernet, I will be exploring this in a future blog :).

Layer-N Cloud Service

A standard tier license for Omega's Layer-N cloud service is also included by default with all layer-n smart sensing products. A free trial of the pro license, is also available when you create an account. Now, in my excitement to get started for this design challenge I registered for a Layer-N cloud account on Feb 3 and my free trial expired on March 5. Perhaps I may get a trial extension, regardless there is still a lot you can do with the free tier of Layer-N cloud.  

The Layer-N Dashboard:

Omega Sync PC Software

The sync application is free to download and allows you to configure, calibrate, stream (at higher data rates over USB), and log sensor data.

First Impressions

The out of box setup experience was simple and easy. To get up and running, I followed the 3-5 steps on in the include quick start guides for both the gateway and wireless senor node. I will detail the setup process in sequent blogs.

The mechanical look and feel gives me good vibes. All the MX connectors have O-rings for moisture resistance and are easy assemble.

I think it's beyond amazing that IOT solutions like Layer-N are enabling individuals who aren't experts in information technology to create their own IOT solutions. A farmer raising chickens can get an email/text message (which they would assign a blaringly loud ringtone) that their egg incubator has had its temperature controller gone haywire, is just too cool (the IOT notifications not the controller failure ).

Stay Tuned

In next week's blog, I will be configuring and experimenting with the wireless sensor node...

Is a birdhouse going to be the ultimate IOT sensor enclosure? Time will tell... 

Take care and thanks for reading