Setting up a SmartSocket in enVigil FMS

  • Created:
  • / Author: Alex White

Setting up a SmartSocket in enVigil FMS can be made very easy and only take a few minutes if set up correctly.

There are two ways to set up SmartSockets, either using FXB or Modbus, you would need to check what your counters are running and match that. We will first look at setting up a SmartSocket using FXB and then afterwards using Modbus.

Setting up a SmartSocket using FXB

If you are using FXB on your particle counters, you will also have to set up the SmartSocket to use it, the steps below will show you how to do this.

The first thing to look at is the switches on the back of the SmartSocket marked as ‘SW5’. Using FXB the switches should be;

  • M0 should be ON
  • M1 should be OFF
  • M2 should be OFF
  • M3 should be OFF

If this is the first counter you are setting up, the address of the SmartSocket should be 0. Once these are set you should power cycle the SmartSocket.

The next step is to set up the CPC driver to run the particle counter, using FXB you will need to use the ‘CPC Continuous Particle Counter‘ driver. You can fill in all the details as usual, just making sure that you mirror the control point that you set into ‘Input A’.

Setting up a SmartSocket using Modbus

To use Modbus you will need to set up both your Particle counters and the SmartSocket itself to use it. Follow the steps below to achieve this.

The first thing to look at is the switches on the back of the SmartSocket marked as ‘SW5’. Using Modbus the switches should be;

  • M0 should be ON
  • M1 should be ON
  • M2 should be OFF
  • M3 should be OFF

If this is the first counter you are setting up, the address of the SmartSocket should be 1. Once these are set you should power cycle the SmartSocket.

The next step is to set up the Met One Modbus driver to run the particle counter, using Modbus you will need to use the ‘Met One Modbus‘ driver. You can fill in all the details as usual, just making sure that you mirror the control point that you set into the ‘Run’ input.

Last step for both FXB and Modbus

Lastly you should start the enVigil Server and with everything connected you should hold down the button on the SmartSocket for two seconds until the light flashes green. This should start your particle counter if everything has been configured correctly.

Troubleshooting

Below are a couple of common problems while setting up SmartSockets, and how to resolve them.

The particle counter stops after one sample!

This will be because the particle counter is not set up to do ‘Continuous counts’.

The particle counter is not starting when I hold the button down!

If you are using FXB make sure that both the particle counter and the SmartSocket are at address 0 – If Modbus, they should both be address 1.

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