Introduction
Enapter Telemetry and Control platform helps to integrate energy systems for different applications. Many of such integrations require the support of new device vendors or specific device models. This tutorial will guide you through the process of integrating your device into the platform using Enapter Blueprints and Universal Communication Modules.
After completing this tutorial you will have your device connected, transmitting its sensor readings (telemetry), and capable of commands and customized logic execution.
Blueprints​
Enapter Blueprints is a technology that backs all device integrations in the Enapter platform including our own devices – electrolysers, dryers, and others. By early 2021 we have more than 40 device types and models integrated as a part of different hydrogen-backend energy systems. We noticed simple yet powerful patterns that repeat over and over in such integrations and we extracted them in a user-friendly set of tools under the common name – Blueprint.
Every device we integrate fits into a simple unified model which consists of properties, telemetry, commands, and alerts. Describe your device in these terms and the platform will know what it capable of:
- which charts can be shown on a telemetry dashboard,
- which commands can be executed,
- when to notify you about device alerts,
- and how the device can interact with other parties of an energy system.
Universal Communication Modules​
To enable the physical communication level between your endpoint device and Enapter system we use Universal Communication Modules (UCM in short) – small independent DIN-rail mountable controllers capable of wireless (802.11a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz) communication.
On a hardware level, every UCM implements one major industrial communication standard. These standards define how to transmit information over the wires. Different standards require different UCM models.
Physical communication standards provide a basis for the higher level concept – communication protocols. Protocols define what exact information is being transmitted and, for example, which format is used for the data inside. In some cases, the same protocol can run on top of different communication standards, for example, Modbus RTU runs on RS-232 and Modbus TCP runs over Ethernet.
On a software level, UCM implements an Application Programming Interface (API) which allows to request, receive and process information from a connected device.
Built-in UCM firmware provides an isolated execution environment that can run custom user-defined Lua script. The script uses the communication API to implement data exchange with the connected device. While UCM firmware is managed by Enapter, the Lua script is also a part of a blueprint.
Enapter Blueprints should not be used for life-sustaining or safety-critical use cases. Normal operation may require Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, and Enapter Cloud access. Enapter is not responsible for any harms or losses incurred as a result of any failed automation.