Didactum Monitoring Systems
Advanced Configuration

To configure current and voltage measuring devices such as compatible transducers (e.g. current transformers with K = 20 or voltage sensor up to 75 V), navigate in the web interface to Main Menu → System Tree and click on the corresponding sensor element. A modal window with the sensor properties will open.

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Sensor Properties Window: Adjust name, group, type (4-20mA or 0-5V) and class (analog). In the system tree view, ampere, volt, frequency etc. will then be displayed directly. If necessary, enter your own type (e.g. "Current") and a formula.

Properties of all measuring devices

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Threshold Control: All measuring devices have adjustable alarm limits (Low Alarm, Low Warning, High Warning, High Alarm). All monitoring systems have an integrated hysteresis for sensor values.

Conversion Formula (Expression)

If a measuring device (e.g. a 4-20mA current transducer) is used with external equipment such as a wind gauge or ultrasonic level sensor, a custom formula for value conversion can be entered.

By default: x (measured raw value). The following operators and functions are allowed:

• Operators: + - * / % (remainder) ^ (power)
• Functions: abs, sqrt, exp, ln, log, sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan
• Constants: pi (3.1415926…), e (2.7182818…)
• Decimal separator: Period, e.g. 2.123*x+123.111

Groups are used for the structural organization of elements in the system. They allow multiple sensors or devices to be combined and common notifications to be defined.

Create New Group

1. Navigate to Main Menu → System Tree and click the "+" button.
2. Select "Group" from the dropdown. A modal window will open.
3. Enter a Name and optionally a Description for the group.
4. Add the desired elements and modules to the group.
5. Confirm with "OK".

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System Tree – Create Group: The type "Group" is selected via the "+" button in the system tree. Name and description are entered in the dialog.

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Group Configuration Dialog: Enter name and description. Then select all elements that should belong to the group and click "OK".

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Group Notifications (as of version 2.5.0): In the "Notifier" tab, add the required notification elements and select the triggering state. To delete a group, click on the group and select "Delete".

The CAN configuration panel is used to set up the CAN bus for digital CAN sensors and expansion devices. Devices can be connected in a daisy-chain to the CAN port. All configured CAN sensors will then appear in the System Tree.

Enable CAN

1. Navigate in the web interface to Settings Menu → Network Tab.
2. Enable the option "Enable CAN".
3. Click "Save", then click the "Save Settings to Flash" icon (top right).

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Enable CAN: In the "Network" tab of the Settings Menu, toggle the "Enable CAN" switch and save.

Configure CAN

Before a CAN sensor module can be operated, the CAN bus must be configured. Navigate to Main Menu → CAN Configuration.

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CAN Configuration Panel: Each station tab shows the current status of the node as well as the connected CAN sensor modules. Actions such as Refresh, Configure, Save and Restart can be performed via the action buttons.

Available Actions

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Remove CAN Module: Click on the desired module → select "Delete" in the modal window → confirm with "Save" → restart the node with "Restart".

Logic schemes are used to define automatic actions in response to events in the system. They consist of a set of IF conditions and THEN actions. Conditions can be linked with AND and OR.

A logic scheme is only active when the combination of conditions is met. If it is inactive, no reverse actions are executed either – a separate logic scheme is required for this.

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Logic Schemes Overview: All created logics at a glance. At the top there are buttons to deactivate/activate all logics at once.

Create New Logic Scheme

1. Navigate to Main Menu → Logic Schemes and click on "+". A modal window will open.
2. Enter a Name for the logic scheme.
3. Create the IF conditions: Select the desired element in the "Element" field and the triggering state in the "State" field. Use "AND" / "OR" in the "Operator" field to link additional conditions.
4. Define the THEN actions. A delay in seconds can be entered in the "Timeout" field before the element assumes the new state.
5. In the "Repeat" field, you can set a repeat interval for the entire duration of the activity (e.g. for periodic email sending).
6. Save the logic scheme and save the settings to flash memory.

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Logic Scheme Editor: Define IF conditions (element + state), operator (AND/OR), THEN actions as well as timeout and repeat interval.

One-time Actions on System Startup

Logic schemes can be configured to run once when the system boots. A forced system restart via logic scheme is also possible – however, use this with caution if log files are saved via email or FTP. The system will not restart if less than 15 minutes have passed since the last start.

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One-time Boot-time Action: One-time actions can be triggered at startup using a special system start trigger.

Deactivate/Activate All Logic Schemes Simultaneously

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Global Control: At the top of the Logic Schemes panel there are buttons to temporarily deactivate and activate all available logic schemes at once.

This example shows how an AC voltage sensor is used to detect power failures. Three states are monitored: power present, short outage, and long power outage (blackout).

Objective

• Trigger an alarm when voltage drops (power "OFF")
• Send a clear message when voltage returns (power "ON")
• Mark a longer power outage (e.g. > 15 minutes) as an emergency (blackout)

Step 1: Create Three Triggers

Create three triggers (→ see Section 9: Create Triggers):

• "Power ON" – corresponds to the state "Power present"
• "Power OFF" – corresponds to the state "short outage"
• "Blackout" – corresponds to a long power outage (emergency)

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Three Triggers in the System Tree: The triggers "Power ON", "Power OFF" and "Blackout" reflect the respective state of the monitored voltage.

Step 2: Set Voltage Sensor Thresholds

Set the "Low Alarm" threshold to a value greater than zero, because the sensor may still display a few volts during a power failure (residual voltage).

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Sensor Setting: The "Low Alarm" threshold must be set greater than 0, as residual voltage may still be measurable during a power failure.

Step 3: Create Logic Schemes

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Logic Scheme "Power OFF": IF AC sensor = Low Alarm → THEN activate trigger "Power OFF", deactivate trigger "Power ON".

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Logic Scheme "Blackout": Set the Timeout field to 900 seconds (15 minutes). If the voltage is restored before this time expires, the logic scheme will not be executed.

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Logic Scheme "Power ON": When the AC sensor is in any operational state other than "Low Alarm" → deactivate triggers "Power OFF" and "Blackout".

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Blackout Notification: Enter a value in the "Repeat" field (e.g. 1800 seconds = 30 minutes) so that the notification is repeated every 30 minutes until the voltage returns.

This example shows how fans are automatically activated in a telecommunications cabinet and, in case of critical overheating, an additional siren and notifications are triggered.

Components Used

1. Adjust temperature sensor thresholds: Set "High Warning" to 36°C and "High Alarm" to 44°C. Set unused lower thresholds to minimum.
2. Configure relay settings: Assign a name and define the "Pulse Duration" (determines how long the siren is active, e.g. 90 seconds).
3. Create email and SMS notifications (→ Create notifications).
4. In the Logic Schemes menu, create three logics (see below).

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Step 1 – Thresholds: High Warning = 36°C (fan on), High Alarm = 44°C (fan + siren + notification).

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Step 2 – Relay Configuration: Set a pulse duration of 90 seconds for the alarm relay so that the siren stops automatically after this time.

a) Logic Scheme 1: Activate Fan at 36°C

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Logic Scheme 1: IF Temperature sensor = High Warning → THEN activate Power-1 Fan.

b) Logic Scheme 2: Fan + Siren + Notification at 44°C

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Logic Scheme 2: IF Temperature sensor = High Alarm → Power-1 Fan ON, Power-2 Siren as pulse (90s), send SMS and Email.

c) Logic Scheme 3: Deactivate Fan at Normal Temperature

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Logic Scheme 3: IF Temperature sensor = Normal (below 36°C) → Power-1 Fan OFF and Power-2 Alarm OFF. The "Normal" state is between Low Warning and High Warning.

This example shows how a PIR motion sensor automatically switches an AC device (e.g. a lamp) on and off.

1. Connect the PIR sensor to an analog port (compatible PIR sensors for Didactum devices).
2. Connect the AC line (e.g. 110 VAC circuit for a lamp) to the relay switch of the monitoring system.
3. Create two logic schemes – one to switch on and one to switch off the circuit.

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Logic Schemes for Motion Detection: Logic Scheme A: IF PIR sensor = Alarm → THEN relay ON (lamp ON). Logic Scheme B: IF PIR sensor = Normal → THEN relay OFF (lamp OFF).

The map module allows uploading floor plans for multiple floors, rooms or racks. Sensors can be placed on the plan using drag-and-drop. In addition, vector graphic elements can be drawn (e.g. to visualize leakage sensor cables).

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Floor Plan View: Sensors are displayed as live icons on the floor plan. The number of sensors is not technically limited – it depends on the browser performance of the computer used.

Upload Floor Plan

1. Navigate to Main Menu → Map and click the settings icon "⚙".
2. Select "New Map" → "Choose File" → upload image → "OK".
3. To add/remove elements on the map: "⚙" → select elements → "OK" → drag and drop elements to the desired position.

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Upload Floor Plan: The dialog for uploading a new floor plan is opened via the settings icon in the map area.

Place Sensors on the Plan

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Place Sensor: In edit mode, sensor icons can be dragged and dropped onto the floor plan and positioned precisely.

Create Multiple Floors/Rooms

1. In the map area, click the "Maps" symbol in the top right to open the editing options.
2. Create a new floor by clicking "+" or edit an existing floor by clicking on it.
3. Upload a new image as background for the new floor.

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Create Multiple Floors: Any number of floor plans (floors, rooms, racks) can be created using the plus button.

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Switch Between Floors: Quickly switch between different floor plans using the floor tabs.

Draw Vector Graphic Elements

With the Polyline Tool (Draw Polyline) you can, for example, trace leakage sensor cables on the floor plan – exactly as they are installed in the room.

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Vector Graphic – Leakage Sensor Cable: The blue line shows the exact route of the leakage sensor cable in the data center (raised floor). This makes it immediately clear where a leak is located.

The trigger element is used to generate events in the system – triggered by logic schemes or manually. A trigger has two modes:

• Normal Mode: Changes from "Normal" to "Alarm" when activated, and back to "Normal" when deactivated.
• Inverted Mode: Reversed behavior.

A special feature of the trigger is that it can be used both in the IF condition list and in the THEN action list of logic schemes. This allows two independent logics to be linked together.

Create New Trigger

1. Navigate to Main Menu → System Tree and click on "+".
2. Select "Trigger".
3. Enter a Name for the trigger and, if required, select Inversion.
4. Confirm with "OK".

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Create Trigger: Via "+" in the system tree → select "Trigger" → enter name and optionally inversion → "OK".

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Trigger Dialog: Enter name and set inversion mode. The trigger will then appear in the system tree.

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Edit Trigger: In the system tree, in addition to the standard functions, the actions "On" (sets to Alarm state) and "Off" (sets to Normal state) are available.

Triggers are extremely versatile and can be used to implement complex automation logics. The following four scenarios show typical use cases.

Task 1: Filter Frequent Value Spikes of an Analog Sensor

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An analog sensor (e.g. voltage monitoring) shows frequent measurement spikes. A direct notification would generate too many messages.

Option 1: Delay (Timeout)

Create a logic scheme with a timeout field (e.g. 30 seconds). An SMS is only sent if the sensor remains in the High Alarm state for at least 30 seconds.

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Option 1 – Timeout Logic Scheme: The SMS is only sent if sensor "Analog-1" remains in the High Alarm state for at least 30 seconds.

Option 2: Trigger as Intermediate Memory (max. one message every 15 min.)

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Logic 1: IF Analog-1 = High Alarm → THEN activate Trigger_1 (set flag).

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Logic 2: IF Trigger_1 = Active → THEN send SMS, automatically deactivate Trigger_1 after 15 minutes (Timeout = 900s). New alarms are only reported again after the trigger has been reset.

Option 3: React only to first High Alarm, ignore until Normal

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Option 3: Send notification on High Alarm and set trigger. Only reset the trigger after 5 minutes of stable Normal state to allow new notifications.

Task 2: Suppress Temperature Alarm When Door Is Open

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When the door of a server room is opened, the temperature can rise temporarily. No alarm should be triggered in this case.

1. Create a trigger that "remembers" the door opening moment.
2. Logic scheme: Activate trigger when the door is opened (with 2s delay to prevent accidental triggering).
3. Logic scheme: Deactivate trigger 15 minutes after the door is closed.
4. Alarm logic scheme: Only send notification if trigger is OFF (= door not open).

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Step 1: Create a trigger that stores the door open state.

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Step 2: IF Door sensor = Alarm → THEN Trigger ON (Timeout 2s to prevent accidental triggering).

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Step 3: IF Door sensor = Normal → THEN Trigger OFF (Timeout 900s = 15 minutes). This gives the room time to return to normal temperature.

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Step 4 – Alarm Logic Scheme: IF Temperature sensor = High Alarm AND Trigger = Normal → THEN send alarm notification. The condition "Trigger = Normal" prevents alarms when the door is open.

Task 3: Send "Keep Alive" Message at Set Time

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A weekly "Keep Alive" message should be sent Monday to Friday at 12:00 – but only if no ping failures have occurred.

1. Create timer: Weekly, Mon–Fri, 12:00:00, duration 5 seconds (until 12:00:05).
2. Create trigger that indicates the normal state of the ping.
3. Logic scheme: Activate trigger when ping failure is detected.
4. Logic scheme: Send Keep-Alive message when timer is active AND Trigger = Normal.
5. Logic scheme: Deactivate trigger when the timer expires.

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Timer Configuration: Weekly timer (Mon–Fri), start time 12:00:00, duration 5 seconds. This timer controls the sending time of the Keep-Alive message.

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Ping Monitoring: IF Ping element = Alarm → THEN Trigger ON. This remembers whether a ping failure has occurred.

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Keep-Alive Sending: IF Timer active AND Trigger = Normal (no ping failure) → THEN send message.

Task 4: Switch Redundant Load Every 8 Hours

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Two backup devices should operate in an 8-hour rotation – 8 hours Device A, then 8 hours Device B.

1. Create a trigger that switches between Device A and Device B.
2. Create two logic schemes to set the trigger to ON or OFF after 8 hours (28800 seconds).
3. Create two more logic schemes for the actual device control (relay ON/OFF depending on trigger state).

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Step 1: Create a trigger that switches between the two devices.

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Logic Scheme ON: IF Trigger = Normal → THEN Trigger ON (Timeout = 28800 seconds = 8 hours).

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Logic Scheme OFF: IF Trigger = Alarm → THEN Trigger OFF (Timeout = 28800 seconds = another 8 hours).

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Device Control A: IF Trigger = Normal → THEN Device A ON, Device B OFF.

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Device Control B: IF Trigger = Alarm → THEN Device B ON, Device A OFF.