Sensors

Sensors play an important role in driving production analytics in Essembi. They provide real-time feedback on what is happening on the production floor and minimize the amount of data entry required from production operators. Specifically, they help provide the following information to Essembi in real-time:

Units Produced: Track the number of units that are produced in real-time.
Downtime Incident Time: Multiple sensors can be deployed along the production line to determine which machine caused a downtime event to occur.
Throughput: Optional per-sensor pulse logging for comparing quantities between line components over time.

Sensor Wiring Instructions

Sensor Pinout with M12 4-Pin Quick Connect Connectors

The M12 4-pin quick connect cables give you the ability to quickly unscrew a sensor from the cable that connects it to the PLC in case a line needs to be reconfigured.

Option 1: Optoisolated Input Connection (I/O 0-6)

The optoisolated input option (I/O 0-6) provides electrical isolation between the sensor circuit and the PLC internal circuitry, offering better noise immunity and safety. Sensor brown wire connects to power supply +24vdc, sensor blue wire to power supply 0vdc, sensor white wire to PLC I0.0 (optoisolated input), and the same power supply 0vdc terminal to PLC I0.0 (-).

Option 2: Standard Input Connection (I/O 7-12)

The standard input option uses a simpler 3-wire connection but shares a common ground: sensor brown wire to power supply +24vdc, sensor blue wire to power supply 0vdc, and sensor white wire to PLC I0.7 (standard input).

Additional Wiring Installation Considerations

Ensure proper grounding of all equipment
Use appropriate cable ratings for 24V DC applications
Consider EMI/EMC requirements in industrial environments
Install appropriate overcurrent protection
Follow local electrical codes and safety standards

Programming the PLC

The PLC will need to be connected to the network at the facility. Each PLC will then need to be assigned a static IP address. The Essembi team will provide an Arduino program file that can be deployed to the PLC that includes this static IP address. At this point the PLC is ready to communicate with the onsite Essembi server.

The onsite Essembi server will run the Essembi Pulse application that will facilitate the communication between the PLC and the Essembi software and help reduce the risk of losing production data if a facility drops internet connectivity at any point.

The PLC Deployment Utility is a Windows desktop application used to load Essembi software onto an Arduino-based PLC. It is designed for use by non-programmer technicians and handles all compilation and uploading automatically, no Arduino IDE required.

What You Need to Get Started

A USB-B cable (square connector, the same type used on most printers)
The .ino sketch file for this PLC, provided by the Essembi team
An internet connection is required to download the board package (about 10 MB). This is a one-time step and subsequent launches will not require internet access.

Installation Steps

Extract the zip file to a permanent location on the computer (e.g. your Desktop or Documents folder). Do not run the application directly from the zip.
Connect the PLC to this computer using the USB-B cable. Ensure the PLC is powered on.
Launch the application using the Launch Essembi Arduino Installer file at the top of the extracted folder. On first run, the app will automatically download the required board package. Progress is shown in the Output panel on the right, wait for it to complete before continuing.
Select Sketch, click Browse and select the .ino sketch file provided by Essembi personnel.
Select Board, choose the board family and model from the dropdowns. For the M-Duino 21+, select M-Duino as the family and the appropriate CPU variant as the model.
Detect Devices, click Detect Devices. The connected PLC should appear in the list. Click it to select it.
Install, click the Install button. The application will compile and upload the sketch to the PLC. Progress streams to the Output panel on the right.
When complete, a green confirmation banner appears at the top of the left panel. The Output panel will then display live output from the device, confirming it is running correctly.

Configuring Sensors in Essembi

Each sensor is assigned to a line component via Settings > Lines.

Key Sensor Settings

Type: Count (unit pulses) or Weight (scale finishes)
For Line Finishes: Whether pulses from this sensor create line finishes
For Incident Tracking: Whether dormancy on this sensor can open downtime incidents
Record Throughput: (Count sensors only) Whether pulses are also logged for throughput analysis
Incident Threshold (ms): How long the sensor must be idle before an incident is considered
Finish Threshold (ms): Debounce / finish detection threshold
Incident Type: Downtime type applied when this sensor opens an incident
Count Multiplier: Optional line/sensor-level multiplier for case or pack counts
Tare Weight: (Weight sensors only) Subtracted from scale readings on the pulse host after transmission from the scale / Raspberry Pi
Sort: Order used when comparing consecutive sensors in throughput calculations

Line Configurations (Formula and Work Order)

Line Configurations control which sensor behaviors apply for a packaging line on a given product or job. A Formula's Line Configuration sets the default sensor enablement / override set for that part, and a Work Order's Line Configuration allows an optional job-level override when the active sensors or multipliers should differ from the formula default.

When a work order's formula is set, Essembi can default the work order's Line Configuration from the formula. The active work order's Line Configuration is what pulse uses at runtime.

Sensor Configuration Overrides

Sensor Configuration Overrides allow you to customize how a sensor behaves for specific production runs, overriding the default rules set at the line level in Settings > Lines.

How It Works

By default, sensors inherit their incident tracking and line finish settings from the sensor / line configuration. Overrides let you tailor those settings for a Line Configuration, for example, disabling incident tracking for a specific product that runs differently on this line, or changing the count multiplier for case-pack products.

Setting Up Overrides

Navigate to the sensor you want to configure and scroll to the Sensor Configuration Overrides section.
Use the + Create Sensor Configuration button (or the dropdown) to create a new override, or click into an existing one to edit it.
Assign the override to a Line Configuration using the dropdown.

Override States

Each override has three possible states for settings like For Incident Tracking and For Line Finishes. The distinction between Unchecked and Null is important: an unchecked override actively turns a setting off, while a null state simply defers to whatever the line-level rule specifies. Overrides can also set Count Multiplier, Incident Threshold (ms), and Finish Threshold (ms) when those values should differ for a specific Line Configuration.

Case Counts and Sensor Count Multipliers

Use multipliers when a pulse should represent more than one sellable unit, for example case counts on packaging sensors. There are two related fields: Count Multiplier on the Sensor (or override) is a line/sensor-level multiplier, and Sensor Count Multiplier on the Formula is an optional part-level multiplier (nullable).

How the Effective Count Is Calculated

If the sensor / override Count Multiplier is null: Essembi always counts 1 and ignores the formula's Sensor Count Multiplier.
If the sensor / override Count Multiplier is set, and the formula Sensor Count Multiplier is also set: effective count = sensor multiplier x formula multiplier.
If the sensor / override Count Multiplier is set, and the formula Sensor Count Multiplier is empty: effective count = sensor multiplier.

Examples: a filler sensor with no Count Multiplier always adds +1 per pulse, even if the formula has a case multiplier. A case packer sensor with Count Multiplier = 12 and no formula multiplier adds +12 per pulse. The same sensor with a formula Sensor Count Multiplier of 2 adds +24 per pulse.

Finish Rounding and Granularity

Count-sensor finishes logged by pulse are grouped using app Production Automation settings: Round Finishes To (1 / 5 / 15 / 30 minutes or 1 hour) and Finish Rounding Type (Round to Start, Round to End, or Round to Closest). See Edge Devices for examples.

Throughput Summary Report

After sensors are logging, use the Throughput Summary report to compare quantities across sensors / line components, validate sort order, and confirm multipliers are behaving as expected.