RF Teleprobe^TM System - Wireless Compost Temperature Sensor

ECS is proud to present our most sophisticated and reliable Wireless Temperature Probe technology to date. This product is the result of many design improvements based on EIGHT YEARS of experience applying wireless temperature monitoring systems to the environmental and operational challenges of large compost facilities.

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FEATURES Robust, double-sealed, impact resistant design proven in continuous compost facility operation since 1998. Extended 3 year battery life for very low maintenance. Integrates easily into a wide variety of control technologies, or can be used for stand-alone monitoring. Features excellent range that can be extended with repeaters if necessary.

The RF TeleProbe™ offers the lowest operational costs, and the highest percentage "up-time" of any wireless compost temperature system on the market. It is a simple technology that doesn't require mapping and sleep cycle coordination with a base controller. You simply turn it on and it runs.

In addition, the ECS RF TeleProbe™ is the only technology that offers a high enough data transmit frequency for operating an automated control of an aeration system while offering years of battery life.

Recently, there's been a buzz in the wireless industry about using mesh radio technology. Our radio technology can be implemented as a mesh radio system as well. But after reviewing the pros and cons, it is clear that a Spread Spectrum Direct (SSD) radio is a far better choice for compost applications. The reasons are simple:


Battery Life
The ECS Direct Radio technology is very well suited for small battery applications since the RF transceiver spends over 99.99% of the time off. One low cost non-rechargeable battery will power an RF TeleProbe for over three years. Mesh radios must always be on and ready to re-transmit data; rechargable batteries with a 5 week charge cycle are typical.


Suitability for Real-Time Control of Compost Aeration Systems
The ECS SSD radio makes an excellent device for real-time temperature control feedback in a composting application. Each probe can transmit temperature data frequently (a 3 minutes period is typical) without reducing the battery life. Mesh radios typically transmitt data much less frequently (60 minute period is common) in an effort to maintain their battery life. Effective real-time control of a composting aeration system require up-date rates range of 3-5 minutes. Also the ECS SSD radio is up and running within seconds of a power up. Mesh systems take 1-3 minutes per node to remap themselves after a re-boot.


Range and Susceptibility to Interference
The claim to faim for Mesh radio is overcoming interference. But both indoor and outdoor compost facilities tend be relatively open spaces where an antenna can be mounted with good vision of the compost piles; during ECS eight yeas of applying RF to compost facilities we've not found interference to be an issue with point-to-point radio. In addition the ECS SSD radio has superior range (line-of-sight 3,000 ft versus 600 ft for mesh radio). If inteference or additional range were an issue, the ECS SSD Radio technology can be implemented with low cost repeaters.

Temperature Probe Standard Features
Number of Sensors	Two
Temperature Range	0° to 90° C
Minimum Accuracy	±0.3°C
Resolution	0.1°C
Standard Sensor Depths	Lower: 1" from tip, Upper: 38" from tip
Radio
Radio Type	902-918Mhz Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
Indoor Range	TeleProbe to Repeater or Master: 300 ft (min), 600ft (average)
Outdoor Range	TeleProbe to Repeater or Master: 1,200 ft (min), 3,300 ft (average)
Probe Battery Life	3 years
Data Transmitted	Top and bottom temperatures, battery voltage
Data Transmission Rate	Data can be sent up to once every minute without degrading battery battery life
RF Master Power	120 VAC or Un-regulated DC
Network Recovery Time	5 seconds after re-boot or power-up
Environmental
Probe Electronic Enclosure	NEMA 4x, double-sealed electronics
Temperature Range	-20° to 75°C
Mechanical
Probe Shaft, Tip & Handle	Heavy walled stainless steel, fully developed welds, 8lbs